Is all inclusive food actually good or just cheap and easy?

@AvidJadeShaker sadly I hate them - far too sweet for me, my teeth aren’t up to it!!

Baklavas are little bites of heaven.

I forgot to add with the exception of ice cream

On the deserts front though if I can just add that some country’s just don’t go a bundle on deserts - even in actual outside good restaurants - can’t remember having a great dessert anywhere warm if I’m honest - best ones I’ve had were my aforementioned experience in Switzerland, a few fairly decent ones in Germany and Scandinavia and some very good fresh fruit pancakes in France .

included mini cheesecakes and banoffee pies.

that's why it's so subjective, I absolutely include those in a gloopy mousse/ wet gateau category 😂and would be very disappointed!

Yes I agree too. Looks pretty but it's either gloopy mousse or various types of gateau (which i don't like anyway as I can't see why wet cake is appealing) which actually taste identical. The fresh fruit is much nicer.

The one exception was Hotel Louis in Zante where the puddings were sensationally good and included mini cheesecakes and banoffee pies. That was in 2011 and alas never had a good AI pudding experience since!

Yes! We stayed at a great hotel...food was fab. On the surface the desserts looked amazing...loads of stunning looking cakes but they all tasted the same...like unsweetened whipped cream. Very underwhelming when you actually eat them.

There are also rules about when you can become a 5*.

We accidentally booked a genuine 5 for £350/week AI, because local rules meant it had to open as a 3 for a period before being approved at 5*.

Best week we had!

It depends where you are. And 5* can simply mean there is a TV, coffee machine and other amenities available rather than actual quality.

The baklavas are normally good.

@ThePure they all taste same to me -the only place I’ve had really good deserts was a New Year’s Eve whole dessert buffet in a separate room on half board in Switzerland -( grindelwald). Big 4 star hotel -Proper gateaux, lovely profiteroles with jugs of dark chocolate sauce, amazing fresh fruit salad, proper chocolate mousse ( not in tiny glasses) some kind of rice pudding thing ( nicer than it sounds) proper fresh fruit tarts - it was absolutely stunning!!

The desserts are always weird and disappointing though don’t you find? They look appealing and then they always taste really odd. Stuff that looks like buttercream icing but tastes really bland and lots of mousses with too much gelatin. I have learnt to stick to ice cream.

We go to a 5* AI resort and I think the food is pretty good. It's safe. Always something for all the family and a different main theme each night. I like that it's quick and easy with the buffet style as I have two children. The resort we to to also has a la carte restaurants too which are included in our hotel cost. They're really nice but there's a bit more waiting around involved as they're not buffet style.

I stick to creating a simple meal, just one protein, lots of salad and rice/potatoes/pasta. Pudding is a whole other level of about 4 or 5 mini cakes etc!

frankly no 😂

but just do what you would in any restaurant: have a starter, then a main, then salad. I have seen people ordering prawns for starters and having a steak for main, it's not considered that weird when it's from the menu

@FrenchandSaunders it’s one reason I’m not that keen on AI- these type of bits and bobs meals end up making me feel sick - I realise it’s not compulsory to eat like that but sometimes I don’t fancy the veg on offer or the protein - so end up eating ‘bits’

Does anyone else end up with a weird combination of food at AIs? Bit of pork, some lettuce, mixed veg and some prawns. I find it hard to pull a proper meal together at most of the AIs I've done.

I think All Inclusive is more about convenience especially when you have a young family. I don’t book a holiday based on the hotel food though as in all honesty it won’t have a lot of variety….which is great for a lot of fussy kids.

We always take extra cash so we can go out and about for some decent food too

I really enjoyed the Turkish AIs both times - big emphasis on fresh grilled meat and salads, and fresh salads. No different to what you'd get in restaurants.

Spanish has been less enjoyable. They seem to put out more attempts at "international" cuisines.

I stayed at a 5* in Turkey earlier this year. Cost a fortune, but DH passed on some of a windfall, for me to treat myself. Belek Cullinan. The food was amazing. Huge buffet with many different stations and so much variety every night. The also had a 24 hour bistro where I usually had my breakfast. A fantastic beach bar that did amazing waffles filled with gorgeous fresh fruit and an ice cream/dessert parlour. Not to mention the chocolate ‘shop’. They also had several a la crates where you could book in for one meal. See attached

We once went to a "luxury" 5 star AI hotel in The Gambia through Tui. Food was all tinned, frozen and packets. There was a corridor that had a storeroom and we walked past a couple of times when the door was open, and the shelves were full of catering sized tins of baked beans, soups, tinned fruits, etc. Nothing "local" nor fresh at all in the lunch and evening meal buffets - it was all processed crap, trays of pasta, frozen chips, baked beans, frozen pizzas etc. We've had better/fresher food in cheap 3 star hotels in the Med.

The nicest food was actually the hot dogs and burgers and chips from a fast food shack on the beach which were at least hot and fresh.

I guess it depends where you go, and how you normally eat. I'm a good cook, and we are very lucky to eat freshly prepared meals (not necessarily expensive/extravagant, just prepared with fresh ingredients and well cooked) on a daily basis. Consequently, I find eating out - even in this country - to be a bit hit and miss as I could often cook better myself.

AI has to cater to many different tastes, so it's never going to be the same as having a meal cooked to order. Particularly if you're not there at the start of service - people leave lids open and food cools quickly.

It's very handy if the kids are happy by the pool and want ice creams and drinks all day.

I find that the key is to manage your expectations. Put it this way, I've never been in the position whereby I couldn't find anything to eat. And the food in our Greek AI was delicious - local food, which is what I want.

I guess it depends on the set up. Currently at a 5* in Mexico. 12 different restaurants on site, and a buffet hall. We’ve enjoyed the food, and tried lots of different cuisines.

I've never been on an AI but if I did, I suspect the main appeal would be no having to cook, not the quality.

Also isn't it going to have to be poor value because of overeaters and functioning alcoholics?

That's a shame, I've found AI food to be excellent everywhere I've stayed.