Day 1 of holiday. Hell.

I also love that at IKOS you can just text the concierge to bring room service, or with any issue to fix, or arrange dinner reservations or a hire car, or even to arrange an appointment with the onsite doctor when one of my children was unwell. And the fact that there are numerous a la carte restaurants included so no awful buffets to deal with. There are always plenty of sunloungers so we’ve never once had an issue with this either on the private beaches or by any of the pools at any time of day. There are numerous pools so nothing ever feels crowded, no horrible loud “entertainment” (at least where we have been!) and there are also additional private areas/ pools if you book a “Deluxe” room/ suite so it is even more peaceful. And I have not witnessed any drunken behaviour from anybody during any of our stays there.

The issue does seem to be entirely about the type of hotel that you’ve booked @gilesday rather than the boarding/ payment arrangements.

Perhaps when my children are a little older we may start to have more adventurous holidays. I would love to take them on Safari. But at the moment, the rest and relaxation that a good AI can provide is very much welcome!

We did it once in Menorca. It was ok and luckily close to a lovely beach. We explored lots and had days out.

AI is not for everyone. I know I wouldn't like it so I have never booked one. If I hadn't enjoyed a holiday one year I wouldn't book the same type of thing the next year.

To answer your question, we have a lower income than you and have to go during the school holidays. We always do self-catering in France. There are loads of holiday homes and you don't have to see any other people. Lots of people don't like self-catering so maybe try a much smaller hotel or B&B.

As many posters have pointed out, there are many all inclusive options that aren’t like this at all. You get what you pay for.

Prior to having children I always booked an apartment or villa on a self-catering basis and liked to explore more but frankly now, as a lone parent with young children, I want to go somewhere easy where I don’t have to DO anything except spend time with my children and relax. For me, this is the distinction between a holiday (for which a decent AI like IKOS is perfect because the purpose of the trip is just to rest and recuperate and spend time together with no other demands or responsibilities) and travel, which is entirely different and involves exploring another culture and place and immersing yourself in that - which I love but obviously am not planning to do if I book a trip to an AI hotel!

That said, of course we do still leave the hotel when staying AI. IKOS provide free hire cars so we have often explored other villages, beaches, restaurants, historic sites etc, but tend to do this for only maybe 4 days out of a 14 day stay because this isn’t the main purpose of this type of holiday.

What hotel are you in?

We go all inclusive and pick high end.

Recently we've been Maldives, Barbados, Mauritius and Cape Verde (didn't like).

We have to go school holiday. Long haul is better value in July.

Our income sounds similar. We went short haul when kids were young but was careful on what we picked and expectations were lower on somethings as it was about what was suitable for the kids

Or just use one of those signs and hang it off your bikini all day.

Also, are you aware of “do not disturb” signs, and that you can lock your hotel room door from inside? It’s surprising you wouldn’t have used these if “every day” he had walked straight into the room without knocking and proceeded into the bathroom despite hearing that the shower was on so it was clearly occupied. 😳🤨

This is why we never do all inclusive and never will. We are in our fifties and have avoided this hell and stayed in nice hotels of all budgets and sizes but haven’t had to endure awful guests and ‘entertainment’.

It was just rather amusing to imagine you complaining about a mucky glass door when occupying a building site, and housekeeping’s surprise to find you using the showers (perhaps the young man who walked in on you was a bathroom fitter rather than housekeeping?).

I spotted the error as I’ve just booked a trip to IKOS Kissamos for the spring.

Which hotel was this please?

Corfu not Crete. A bit of a mixup with that on my part. But not that hilarious?

Yes sorry it was Corfu. Apologies!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

😂

How interesting given that the IKOS in Crete doesn’t open until 2026.

@Allthatshines1992the other guest as the original op has proved

Are tourist traps with some scottish people OK?

Who's doing the moaning? The other guests or the hotels?

For a good AI experience then I recommend Jamaica, Bahamas, Saint Lucia and Mexico 5*

Book for the school holidays and you will find that because it’s about £10k per week for a family of four (more if you want a suite rather than a room) that the people there are quite wealthy, the US citizens there are keen to demonstrate this by behaving slightly strangely be carrying wads of USD in a money clip on them at all times! Luckily they are not used to the strength of the spirits and beer and disappear by about 9:30pm.

Alternatively do you research and book a good quality hotel with AI outside a main tourist resort, again book for peak season, and pay double…

Don't book outside peak season when hotels are at their very cheapest in a popular tourist resort and complain about the people there!

They have paid just as much money for the experience as you have, and they are entitled to enjoy it however they like!

I always book AI but often eat in restaurants as we are out seeing the country we are visiting and seeing the historic, cultural and natural treasures that have drawn us there!

I have school age children, so we accept the inflated prices because we consider our children’s education to be the most important factor!

Malta both times.

With your income you would have been able to afford a nice hotel in the centre of a village but either way, you're not being held hostage OP. The places that offer the actual experience of being in Greece are generally a short distance away. Just go for a walk, or get a taxi?

I've tried AI 3 times, with and without kids. Spain, Turkey and Greece. It's not for me either. We have a lower family income than OP. We fly/drive and rent S/C in places that look interesting and with things to do with a mixture of things. We had a brill family holiday in York. Also been to Germany, Italy and Sweden is next on the cards. We live in Manchester, if I was closer to Dover etc I would do the ferry to France personally and rent a place but it feels like a long drive from here for a week when I can fly to Germany, etc easily and cheaply.

Hmm see id find a villa in a quiet place very boring with a couke of kids to keep amused and nothing going on

But itsnot compulsory to stay at an AI resort for every meal. I used to take kids when younger as DD was so fussy I didn't want to be wasting money on stuff she didn't eat. Also it helped with drinks and ice cream. But still went out for lunch/ dinners and exploring. You aren't locked in lol

So you're at a shit AI then. That sounds rubbish for you.