Cindy Ortega needed a break.

''I'm with children all day long,'' said Ortega, who owns Kids Learning Adventure, a Miami pre-school facility. So she and her husband Roberto booked a four-night stay at a luxury adults-only all-inclusive resort in Mexico over Valentine's Day weekend.

``It was amazing,''she said. ``I've been to all-inclusives before, but this was completely different. From the minute we entered there were people tending to us.''

The Ortegas stayed at Le Blanc Spa Resort in Cancun, an upscale resort that offers more perks than conventional all-inclusives that are known more for value than individualized services.

''We had a personal butler who was there whenever we needed,'' she said. ``We had four menu options rather than [the usual] three, and four restaurants. We went to the spa two days. We had free long-distance calls from our room, so we could call our family back in Miami, and we had free wireless Internet in our room.''

Le Blanc is one of a growing number of all-inclusive resorts catering to an upscale clientele with luxury amenities including concierge services, premium liquors, pillow menus -- in some cases, even tours and golf. Such resorts have found that well-to-do travelers, who once shunned all-inclusives, like the exclusiveness, amenities and pre-set payment now offered by the upgraded properties.

Like the traditional all-inclusives launched 60 years ago by Club Med, these tony resorts charge one price, paid in advance, that covers food, lodging, beverages, tips and activities. But often they are smaller and more intimate, with personalized services, premium spirits, table service instead of buffets and first-rate chefs. And frequently, they're more exclusive. While most are in popular beach areas, others lie in more remote locations like northwestern Canada or Chile's Torres del Paine National Park.

At a conventional all-inclusive in the Caribbean, a guest could expect to pay as little as $125-$150 per person per night. Luxury all-inclusives in mainstream regions command higher prices, and those in remote locations may reach above $1,000.

But in this current economic crisis, both traditional and luxury resorts are offering discounted rates, some as much as 65 percent lower than normal -- great bargains for vacationers with a yen for luxury. Example: Winvian, a woodsy all-inclusive in rural Connecticut, offers a two-night package for $2,500 per cottage until May 31, including pickup and return service from New York and Boston. Its usual rates start at $1,450 per night without pickup.

For Iberostar, a company with dozens of resorts in the Caribbean and Europe, the move to more upscale all-inclusives began years ago. ''We started by adding a la carte restaurants and concierges,'' said John Long, vice president of sales and marketing, ''and then we saw a need for adults-only resorts.''

Now, in addition to its regular all-inclusives, Iberostar has five adults-only Grand Collection properties -- three of them opened in the past few months. Each features junior suites with beach concierge and butler service, unlimited a la carte dining, pillow menus, premium liquors in room and other amenities.

KID STUFF

But adults-only resorts aren't the only all-inclusives going upscale. Gerald Domanski, his wife Donna and three children spent a week in January in a two-bedroom suite at Sandals' new upscale Italian Village in the Turks and Caicos Islands, part of the family-oriented Beaches complex.

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