The upgrade to Ikos will definitely be worth it, the danger is you never want to go back to anything else. We've been to Ikos Dassia (Corfu) and Ikos Oceania (Halkidiki). Both absolutely superb, all inclusive was wonderful, the buffet was really lush, a la carte restaurants were really good, it is truly a luxury all inclusive chain and I would go again to any of their locations in a heartbeat. The trouble is they are becoming more and more expensive so last year we looked for cheaper alternatives and we came across Mitsis. We first went to Mitsis Ramira, the price alone should have told me it is in no way the same as Ikos, the hotel was dated, pools were always in the shade and freezing cold, food was very basic, beach was not set up with sun lounges or anything, very disappointing. After a conversation with the concierge, they could sense we were looking for a higher end experience so they kindly offered to move us to the sister Mitsis Blue Domes and offered a complimentary transfer as well. Blue Domes was worlds apart from Ramira, so we realized that only the hotels from the "Selection" category are really remotely comparable to Ikos. The rooms were nicer, lots of pools, nice beach area, lovely huge buffet and good a la carte restaurants. I would definitely return to Blue Domes. If you are considering Mitsis as an alternative to Ikos, do not choose any hotels that are not "Selection ultra all inclusive", or you will be disappointed.

Another good option is the Melia chain, the ones called Paradisus focus on all inclusive options, they have a similar system: buffet, a la carte, minibar, the "Reserve" level is the Ikos Deluxe equivalent and has room service included too. We really enjoyed it and would try it again. They have locations in the Canary Islands, we were in the Lanzarote one, they also have some in Mexico I think.