Spill the beans... on how to max all-inclusive holidays

skintscotslass

howardtog wrote: »

Trip Advisor: We often post reviews.We want to share some fantastic experiences and one or two bad ones.Its a good guide but a pinch of salt is needed...a competitor may post a bad review equally a poor establishment gets a friend to write a review.

I couldnt agree more. One of the dirtiest hotels I have ever stayed in consistently gets excellent reviews on Trip Advisor and excellent ones get poor ones.

One possible knock on effect that AI has had on the local bars and restuarants is pricing. We are just back from Lanzarote. Some of the bars were only charging 1.50 for a pint (2 euros for a soft drink though!) Breakfasts were from 2 euros. We ate out very cheaply for our week. SC was very much a cheaper option for us on this holiday.

jtr2803

It seems there are a lot of people who deem AI to be all about those who want to eat and drink themselves silly, ever heard the phrase 'don't tar everything with the same brush'?

We went to Maldives last year, decided to go AI as everything has to be imported and we would have spent a fortune on soft drinks and water alone, as it happens I could probably count on one hand the number of alcoholic drinks I had because I was always up early for diving! You have to consider the AI concept in context of the destination, in the Maldives (or any other small island) you are a captive audience, you can't just pop into town for supplies or pick a cheaper restaurant. As it happens, we have booked B&B this year as the island we are going to have two A la cartes, a buffet and a snack bar, I decided I didn't want to be tied to set eating times and that's what fuelled our decision

greenface

We have had 3 AI holidays and all have been carefully picked in decent hotels with good reviews. So far have been value for money imo (last year Gran Canaria-4* Amadores Beach area mid July .Very nice hotel next to beach £1500 for 3 people 7 nights inc flights& transfers) Good food good choice and we also ate out too. But a decent breakfast/lunch & evening meal each lets break it down to average med prices Brekkie(£3) Lunch (£5) Evening meal (£12) Drinks for 3, water pop beer wine shorts etc (£15 per day easy each) Thats over £700 for a week and i am being conservative plus flights in mid june and a 4* hotel too. Kos and icmeler other two places all very good hotels/food areas

Mounty_2

The best way to make the most of AI is to pace yourself, try little bits of everything. Most places have a self-service buffet, so rather than gorging on 1kg of chicken pieces, try a little from dish 1, a little from dish 2...
Don't forget to take advantage of the "extras" - afternoon tea and pancakes, freebie cocktails, complimentary horse-riding, diving, tennis (if you like that sort of thing).

Like the meaty starters and mains in certain French restaurants, it's very much a "horses for courses" thing. If you are on a budget, have hungry children (or husband!) who want chips, pizzas, ice-creams, soft drinks and all the little snacks that add up throughout the day and eat through your Holiday €uros, then it's best to go for a mid-range All Inclusive. Read up on what to expect. But if canteen-style buffet breakfasts, lunches and dinners are not your thing, best to avoid All Inclusive all together.

Remember that a 4/5* hotel abroad may not have the same qualities you'd expect from a 4/5* hotel in this country and that the waiters, kitchen staff, chefs may not necessarily follow European hygiene guidelines as closely as you'd expect them to! The restaurant(s) in such a hotel will most certainly not be classed as a 4/5* restaurant unless you are paying a helluva lot for the holiday.

Remember also that a foreign hotel with 200+ guests, making 3 meals a day + snacks on a strict budget will most likely not:
be able to cater for "individual orders" of specific meals;
ensure that Mr. Bloggs' meal does not contain nuts/soya/wheat/etc.;
have a wide and varied selection of meals throughout your holiday;
have a veggie/vegan (for example) choice for every meal;
have a wide selection of meats to choose from;
have "chips" or "beanz" with every meal selection;
have something that you recognise from back home on every menu;
have a unique selection of menus for each day of a 14-day holiday;
have your favourite brand of brown or tomato sauce;
cater for "children" as if they were a separate species to the rest of us!

Bear in mind that some countries (outside EU standards protection) are offering amazingly cheap accommodation, food and drink that you could not get for 1/10th the price here! Think of the quality of food that you will be eating in such places!! Try finding out if a typical meal in a restaurant there (or indeed, the raw ingredients bought in a supermarket) is far greater than what your are paying for a day's AI...

Take careful (but skeptical) note of Trip Advisor and Holiday Watchdog (+ similar) reviews. It is unfortunate that, in general, people often post to these review sites if they have had a "bad" experience, but seldom if they have had a "good" experience. I have also found atrocious reviews that I suspect were posted by hotel's competitors and all-too-excellent reviews that I suspect were posted by hotel's employees under pseudonyms. Pick hotels with more than 5 reviews! Generally, if you see lots of "fell foul of the diarrhoea bug" comments on an otherwise "fabulous" hotel, stick to the self-cater/room-only options or go to another hotel with no such comments! Bear in mind that most hotels have "good weeks" and "bad weeks" and, if a bug is going around, it may only last a week or two, then disappear. Some hotels may have a reputation for having a high incidence of illness, but maybe they also have a high incidence of 1000's of happy, satisfied customers who have not been ill.
It's all too easy for someone to drink several pints of free beer, vodka, whisky and other local boozes and blame their resulting stomach churns on "the prawns in that paella".

If you wish to taste a variety of local cuisines, experience different cultures, eat in varied restaurant atmospheres, chef's specials, and not go along with the rest of the tourist "sheep", go Self-catering/Room Only, take plentiful quantities of the local dosh, and eat out every meal at a different venue. If not, try All Inclusive - it may surprise you.

On the other hand... If you enjoy fish, chips and peas, beans and sausages, fried eggs and bacon the way mother cooks them, especially if you don't like eating "foreign muck" along with Spaniards, Germans, Russians, Mexicans, etc. then for Heaven's sake, buy a sun-lamp and stop at home, thus giving the rest of us a pleasant and enjoyable holiday!

greenface

Mounty i was going to re register under another name just to thanks you twice . Well put good writing

catch_me_if_you_can

paulwellerfan wrote: »

and i will be going AL next month to Cuba.

Having been to Cuba (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!! when can I go back?) please please do go to a Cuban restaurant - where the locals go - the food is magnificent and costs mere pennies to us.

Also AI in Cuba you tip the guy who cooks anything fresh for you, the coffee stall, anyone who does anything out of the ordinary in an AI hotel gets 1 peso.

Have a lovely trip!