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

Remember that the ‘5*’ just means they’ve got various facilities. It’s not actually related to the quality, exactly.

I’ve had good food in AIs, but it’s been in the really eye wateringly expensive places in the gulf.

Strongly agree with pp who says look for an AI with a la carte restaurants not just a buffet. We’ve been to a few of the Ikos resorts and the a la carte restaurants are excellent.

All 4* AI I’ve done have had great cooked meats etc - cooked to order on the grill in front of you.

massive variety of salads, rice and pasta and potato.

Lots if cheeses and hams.

The only thing I find they get wrong is vegetables. I’ve yet to visit a hotel that can just bung a tray of peas and carrots out without making it in some watery tomato sauce!

puddings are usually great too although cake isn’t quite out version of cake 😂

I like AI sometimes because it’s easy. Everything is included especially drinks. I’m still happy to go out and eat other places but at least I know breakfast etc is covered. I prefer not to self cater as it still feels like work to me.

The food is never amazing but I always choose a resort where there’s plenty of different restaurants as well as the buffet.

Dh and I tend to go AI one week a year when we have a break away without the dc. Always out of typical ‘holidays’ season and push the boat out.
We’ve mostly been quite impressed and the variety and quality but always eat out quite a lot too, using the resort as a base but not limiting ourselves to only eating there.
I find it really easy to eat well, grilled meats and salads and veg for when I’m low carbing but lots of carb choices when I’m not. Egg station for breakfast if we want it. Bacon is always a disappointment anywhere in the world though 😂😂
Dd went to an AI with her boyfriend recently, it was super cheap and they both said the food options were absolutely dire, very limited and incredibly bland, they ended up eating out most of the time which they hadn’t planned to do but they found some good places locally and were much happier in other restaurants than their AI.

It’s nothing to do with class, it’s just about what you value in a holiday. I really enjoy good food, and value that more than having the ease and convenience of AI. Finding good restaurants to eat in is part of the fun for me. Either way is fine, no need to bring class into it!

Yes I’m not usually a big fan of the European AI food. It’s perfectly fine, but rarely great. Same goes for drinks - especially the incredibly syrupy cocktails. I’d prefer to go self catering and go out for nice meals, but sometimes with a good deal AI is just convenient.

It is nearing 20 years ago since I’ve done a Caribbean AI (so it may well have changed, it was much more affordable back then!) but the food and drinks in the Caribbean ones I went to were far far far nicer.

I’ve personally never heard anyone rave about the quality of food at an A&E (though people often like the availability of food).

Usually there are “stations” with chefs preparing fresh food - focus on these. Alternatively, the a la carte restaurants on site are usually better.

For me, AI feels like a proper ‘holiday.’ I went SC this summer and it’s honestly not my bag. Sure, we ate out. But it cost a fortune and was just too much effort. Plus, I love the choice at AI.
I’m probably not as classy as you lot, but I’d take a bit of bland if it meant having more choice, convenience and not having to do anything.

I've only stayed in AI once. We went expecting the food to be a bit basic and took extra to eat out at local restaurants (the AI was really cheap, we were expecting something like Benidorm 😂 ) The food was a pleasant surprise, really varied and tasty. I think we were lucky as the hotel was not aimed at British tourists so it wasn't what I was expecting with stereotypical fry ups for breakfast and burger and chicken nuggets for lunch and dinner. It was very European.

I think it just depends on the chefs.

we have been to a 4 star hotel where the AI food was varied, tasty and there was plenty of choice.
we have also been to a 3 star where the food was tasty but pretty repetitive.

this year we are going to a 3star plus so will see what the food is like.

This is so true!

The buffets that I’ve encountered in have been good for a low carb diet so long as they have a grill station(All that I’ve encountered in Spain and the Carribean have) where they cook fresh seafood and meat. That paired with some vegetables would work. Likewise some do omelette stations in the morning.

Agree with this.

Also places that do AI as an option not solely AI.

It's not generally my cup of tea, but if you are doing it you have to do a shit ton of research.

Also the star system in widely misunderstood. A 5 star hotel isn't necessarily an indicator of quality its an indicator of services available. Having a restaurant, or laundry services for example.

Plus you get what you pay for, and a med hotel in summer includes a massive uplift. For a true comparison, always look at the first week in December and see who can still charge premium prices.

We’ve only done AI once and the food was so shit, despite excellent reviews, that it has put me off ever trying again.

Buffet food is all much of the same ime, even very expensive fancy buffets in Vegas etc. I have stayed at an AI which is all a La carte but if you are on a low carb diet AI is not a good option.

@TheTwattening thats an excellent tip.

I’ve done AI twice as an adult, second time because it was bundled with the holiday and by day 3 we’d given up and were eating out in the evening. Generally the breakfasts were great - a big breakfast suits how I holiday as I then go out and about exploring all day or doing a sport. But this means I’m not using the Ai through the day and I don’t snack much. I also enjoy exploring and eating in different places/trying different food so it’s as much about holiday style as the food itself.
I’d only ever do it again somewhere like e.g. the Maldives or the higher end Caribbean with a dozen different a la carte restaurant options etc. Not that I can afford that any time soon!

Depends where you go.
We used to do AI in Europe when the kids were younger and most of the time it was fine but not exactly exciting.
Went to Mexico as adults and the buffet food was excellent. There were other restaurants to choose from a menu but the buffet was sometimes superior.

The quality of food available is one of the things i look at when booking an AI. I read a lot of reviews before choosing and often go for places that have a la carte options on site too (sometimes you get 1 or 2 nights of these included in the package). At the ones I’ve stayed in the buffets have often included show cooking stations where they’ll make you a fresh omelette or pasta dish as you watch for example.

Many years ago we also stayed at a very cheap AI where I got food poisoning. My husband didn’t. He stuck to the chicken nuggets and chips type things, I’d been sampling all the lovely salads and fruits…

This is so true! I’m one for eating out in local restaurants so tend to go self catering a lot. However I stayed in a small resort that due to the location was full board last year. So many complained about the food in the weeks before I went. I was a little worried about staying there for 5 nights as food is a big part of my holidays. I got there and had nothing to worry about - it was full of local cuisines

Not my experience at all, but I’d always pick a hotel based on the number and choice of a la carte restaurants and research the food options available. Would never book a cheap/buffet only one as it’s not my thing.

I’ve never been to an AI resort where the a la carte food has generally compared negatively with normal restaurants or where the breakfast buffet hasn’t been top quality (several times better than any breakfast buffet I’ve had in the UK for example). I’m not really sure what you’re comparing it to though!

Completely agree.

I love AI with children, it’s so easy. A true break from being worrying about what, when and where to eat which makes it worth it for me.

Despite paying for decent hotels I haven’t ever found ‘restaurant’ standards. It’s ok, hot and plentiful. I imagine my AI days will be well gone when my children are older!

We’ve done a few in Turkey now. We accept that we’d get better food eating out but usually treat ourselves to a few nights in the a la cartes for that reason. In my day to day life having to the think about what’s for dinner and filling up the fridge takes up a lot of time. Not to mention cooking. I love not thinking about that for a week. And letting the kids eat what they want. That alone is why we love AIs. If we were a family really into food and fine dining, we wouldn’t choose an AI.

As others have said, it depends on the kind of all inclusive. We have been to mediocre and also really good. The really good is usually the ones where you have a choice of a la carte restaurants rather than everything being buffet style.