All Inclusive - Thinking about trying it next year.

mcc100

maman wrote: »

I had a half board deal with a hotel in Sorrento a couple of years ago. It was such good value that I decided if the food was carp I could easily afford to eat out. It wasn't so we ate in every night and my only criticism was that the portions (silver service) were massive!

Any chance of naming this hotel as I'm trying to find a good hotel in Sorrento.

maman

mcc100 wrote: »

Any chance of naming this hotel as I'm trying to find a good hotel in Sorrento.

It's the Hotel Metropole. I think Riviera and Thomas Cook do it as a package. Reviews still look good even though I was there a few years ago. I went in late October for sightseeing so didn't use pool/beach facilities. Hotel is a walk (big hill) into town or a cheap bus ride. Due to half board we went out all day and then stayed around hotel in the evening. It's family run, a bit quirky but perfectly OK.

louby40

Hi, we've been holidaying All Inclusive for years. We have 4 kids so it works out loads cheaper for us!

Dubai doesn't have AI holidays and the ones they do have are way out of Dubai itself plus Dubai is VERY expensive!

We have been to Turkey the past 4 years and really love it. I agree with the poster who said go for somewhere small, we stayed at a hotel in Side last year and there were over 3,000 people at that hotel during August. We learnt then that we prefer a smaller hotel.

I would stay at a minimum of 4 star if going All Inclusive. have a look on Jet2holidays as we have found they are considerably cheaper than Thomas Cook/First Choice.

We have also never found booking DIY any cheaper but then we can only go in school holidays so little flexibility.

Good luck - I LOVE booking holidays!

DUKE

I would begin looking now, it's never too soon! If you think Fort Lauderdale's expensive just wait til you get to Dubai :eek: I'd choose Jamaica & a package as it's not much more expensive. I always book online these days, but before you book always do some research on Tripadvisor forums for the hotel & country that you choose to visit. Also with an AI you're catered for & can often take a packed lunch & drinks from the hotel if you're out for the day, then the rest of your money's for trips .... From my experience 14 nights works out cheaper than 10.

kathandgeoff

Having first tried All Inclusive 4 years ago in Turkey wouldn't do anything else now, particularly if you are taking a family. Kids can select what they want, can have a drink anytime, sometimes even free ice cream. You know in advance (and have already paid for)how much your food & drink will cost you. Also if you are going with another family or as part of an extended family there is no awkwardness about whose turn it is to buy drinks, who should pay for what at mealtimes etc.

Turkey seems to be very good at A/I. Recommend the Side Star Beach in Side for adults & older children, Grand Cettia in Marmaris was v good 4 years ago when we went, not too big, food good, very clean & staff friendly.

I would agree re the buffet selection at meals, but its a great way to try different foods without paying for a meal in a restaurant then finding you don't like it!
I would also say there are several options these days for holidays of different durations, particularly with the online Travel providers, e.g 12 days if you think a week is too short and 2 may be too long!

Have fun choosing!

Len5

moneysavvy35 wrote: »

Hey Guys

Looking to try an all-inclusive holiday next year either may half term or summer hols. Never done this before so I have a few questions that maybe you could answer for me.

Which time would be cheaper to book? May half term or summer. Can you book do-it-yourself all inclusives holidays? e.g find your own flights and accomadation or does it have to come as a package.

I would like to try either Tunisia, Turkey, Jamaica or Dubai - which would be the cheapest options bearing in mind the dates?

When should I start looking?

Is 2weeks all-inclusive too long? How long do you stay for? 1 week? 10 days.

Anything else to need to consider?

Our travelling background: 2 adults 2 children - (13 & 10), usually holiday in Florida (Fort Lauderdale/Orlando) for 2 weeks once a year. Spend soooo much money on food, we thought maybe try an all-inclusive. I would love to do all-inclusive in a different state of america but it dosen't seem they do it thier. Spain & Portugal do not appeal.

So where do I start? Thanks in advance:)

Hi,

Looking into the information you have provided I would say Tunisia would be your cheapest option.
You can get some really fab deals for Tunisia and alot of the properties are catered for families.
Try looking at these 2 properties to start you off: Holiday Village Manar is excellent for families has good entertainment programme and lots of activites for the whole family. This is located in Hammamet and has a Aqua park on site.
The next one I would say is the: Hotel Thalassa in Sousse another fab hotel with it's own water park.

From my personal experience I would say a package holiday is best. You can get some good deals tailor making your holiday however you have to bear in mind there is things that you won't be covered on as a package holiday.
The main one you won't be covered for is say your accomodation supplier goes bust then you have to pay again to stay somewhere else.

I always tend to find odd duration holidays are more expensive than your 7 or 14 night durations so I would look at these options first. I would say the May half term holidays would be cheaper than the summer holidays however any holiday half term can be expensive so look around. If you decide to go in the summer half term either the beginning or towards the end of the holidays tend to be abit cheaper. However the last week of July and the first 2 weeks of August is known as factory fornight and this sends the holiday prices sky high, so bare in mind this period.

My very last tip would be try to book in advance you might get yourself a free child place! Always worth a go!

I hope this information is some use to you.

moneysavvy35

Thanks so much everyone...you've really given me some good tips...

zaksmum

We've been all inclusive a few times but don't expect to again. I think it confines you to the hotel too much and you could be anywhere in the world if you're not out and about seeing much of the place you've flown to, so little point in going somewhere "different".

We did try, last time (in Tenerife) to bite the bullet and force ourselves to go out at night for a drink but couldn't shake off the feeling we were ripping ourselves off as the drinks were free back at the hotel...!

iloveshopping93

All Inclusive is a great option, but only if you do your research! I have been going AI for the past few years. If the food and drink reviews seem great, then you will get your moneys worth. If you end up booking a cheaper holiday and don't like the food (I've made this mistake), it will cost you in eating out.

Tunisia would be your cheapest option, but I would really recommend Turkey. It is well priced, and a beautiful country. I returned home from Turkey yesterday and may I recommend the Majesty Club Tuana Park hotel. It is just wonderful for kids, especially at the age yours are. The AI is 24hours, great variety of food and drink. It is very secluded, but this is usually the case with AI hotels. Although the hotel seemed pricey at the time, the amount we saved on food and drink was amazing.

hamsterfan1

I've been all inclusive a couple of times but in the med especially it is killing off the local economies that built up around large hotels doing B&B (especially the Greek Islands) the best food we had was in the Dominican Republic , my son got a bargain in Mexico (went in June booked last october) & said the hotel was brilliant.

The food in Tunisia was good too but off complex was a nightmare with people trying to sell you stuff