Advice on All Inclusive Holidays

nickyjane28

Looking to take our two girls away on a family holiday and being advised that all inclusive is the 'only' way to do it!

We were wanting to go to Alcudia in Majorca, if anyone has any advice or could share their experiences it would be very much appreciated

Nicky

notanewuser

I'd never go all inclusive. Local food is far more interesting. Can't imagine eating the same thing every night for a fortnight!

wallbash

I love Ai, BUT it is NEVER a cheap holiday.

Those that have done 5* Ai will rave about it, those that have tried to cut the cost always fail
So which hotel, how much and what time of year.
ps age of girls may help.

wallbash

notanewuser wrote: »

I'd never go all inclusive. Local food is far more interesting. Can't imagine eating the same thing every night for a fortnight!

Someone who has NEVER done the 5*
Food can be different every night, far more choice in one large hotel, than looking at a similar small menu , with basically the same food.

Big fan of the grand buffet, take a little, if you enjoy return for more. Not good, dump plate and try again ........try doing that in a local small restaurant

bagand96

nickyjane28 wrote: »

Looking to take our two girls away on a family holiday and being advised that all inclusive is the 'only' way to do it!

It depends who's advised it's the only way to do it and the reasons behind the recommendation. I really enjoy All Inclusive but, I also really enjoy Self Catering.

The pros of All Inclusive for a family are that you can fix your costs easily before you travel. If you choose a decent hotel which meets your families needs then in theory you will need to spend very little whilst on holiday (I say in theory because you will inevitably leave your hotel and spend things here and there!)

However do research your hotel and its reviews. If you pick a bad all inclusive you have paid for a week of food and drinks and if they're rubbish you have a problem! Personally, even at the best all inclusive, I am ready for something different than the buffet experience by the end of the week! Some hotels will have a la carte restaurants you can dine at once a week - it makes a nice change!

Self Catering is a great holiday too though. I really enjoy exploring the local area and finding different restaurants. In most med resorts you'll ALWAYS find something your family are happy to eat. Budgeting can me more difficult I guess, you'll only have your flight and accommodation costs fixed, but using trip advisor etc its not hard to find out things cost in resort and plan from there. Plus your hotel/apartment will be a LOT cheaper so you'll have money to spend.

In summary, all inclusive is a great holiday. But so is self catered. Don't be set on one thing until you're sure its for you!

bagand96

wallbash wrote: »

Those that have done 5* Ai will rave about it, those that have tried to cut the cost always fail

I've done a 5* AI and it was indeed fantastic. However I've also done two 3* all inclusive in Spain that were also brilliant. Its all about researching the hotel!

lady1964

Done both self catering & AI, both as a family & as a couple & have enjoyed both.

To be honest, the SC with my DD's was a bit of a pain at times as sometimes, we all wanted to eat different things & costs mounted up. We'd buy cereals etc & eat breakfast in our apartment or villa but we'd have sulky kids when out shopping for food and we wouldn't buy 4 different cereals. I didn't want to cook on holiday so we'd eat out for lunch sometimes & dinner every night so often, compromises had to be found.

AI does fix the costs more, you can research any excursions you might want to do & take enough money to cover it, good AI's will usually include ice cream, soft drinks all day for kids & kids clubs if your kids want to join in. We chose AI's with at least 3 restaurants, we'd have enough choice for all,of us & the buffet restaurants usually had enough of a choice that no-one complained.

It is about doing thorough research as has been said. If you look at SC, try to find out what's local in terms of food/drinks & costs, restaurant menus are often online so you can check costs etc out. Find out as well what is local for activities then compare to what an AI offers and work out what is best for you & your family.

DH & I had both an AI and a B&B holiday last year and really enjoyed both for different reasons.

Doshwaster

I think AI can work in some cases if you have a family of picky eaters, on a fixed budget or going somewhere without much of a local scene but otherwise I would always avoid. For me, one of the best part of any holiday is exploring local bars and restaurants rather than spending the whole week in the hotel.

AI hotels can also be very damaging to the local economy. When I travel I like to put money directly into the hands of local businesses.

wallbash

Doshwaster wrote: »

I think AI can work in some cases if you have a family of picky eaters, on a fixed budget or going somewhere without much of a local scene but otherwise I would always avoid. For me, one of the best part of any holiday is exploring local bars and restaurants rather than spending the whole week in the hotel.

AI hotels can also be very damaging to the local economy. When I travel I like to put money directly into the hands of local businesses.

Yep , when in Turkey last year I discussed this with our Turkish waiter/ pool guy/ cleaner/ cook etc etc the hotel gave them much needed jobs

so to correct the part highlighted .........Ai hotels can be very rewarding to the job opportunities of the locals. I like to reward the locals who gave me such a super holiday.

Doshwaster

wallbash wrote: »

Yep , when in Turkey last year I discussed this with our Turkish waiter/ pool guy/ cleaner/ cook etc etc the hotel gave them much needed jobs

Well, he was one of the lucky ones. How many more had lost their jobs in bars and restaurants which had closed down outside of the hotel gates?

wallbash

Doshwaster wrote: »

Well, he was one of the lucky ones. How many more had lost their jobs in bars and restaurants which had closed down outside of the hotel gates?

A lot of the large 5* hotels e.g Lara Beach Antalya Turkey are purpose built , they take up a lot of ground, there was nothing there before the hotels were built .

More tourists more jobs , so no the guy was not lucky, just one of many that now has a job where in the past there were no jobs.
But hey, carry on supporting the local bars and restaurants, you will never find me dismissing them, unlike yourself and your commets ref Ai which many of us like.