All inclusive help!!

[PeacheyPeach]

Having just returned from a lovely ( but quite tiring!!) Holiday to Devon, I'm thinking maybe if circumstances allow next year we will book an all inclusive holiday.
We usually have a villa or euro camp type of holiday, but I think i just a holiday were we don't have to food shop or drive every were . Never been All-inclusive before but would like to try it.
Can anyone suggest a nice hotel that is suitable for little ones and teenagers am thinking maybe Greece or South of France. Something with a waterpark would be a bonus xx

Just posted on another thread about Mark Warner - I don’t work for them just found them a life saver when the kids were younger 😀 not cheap but genuinely family friendly and truly all inclusive (be aware some other so-called all inclusive places have lots of supplementary charges but with MW AI our only additional cost was ice creams and a massage.)

I think it depends how much value you place on the food you eat on holiday. If it's a big part of your holiday and you like "good food", you'll hate most AI! If you eat because you're hungry and it's meal time, you'll be fine. Unless you go very spendy and probably not in Europe!

We do an AI in December usually on a Canary. It's cheap enough that we still eat dinner out some nights and don't feel robbed!

Bear in mind a lot of AI hotels are on the outskirts or in the hills not in central resorts too (bigger sites). So you might still need a taxi!

www.atlanticahotels.com/hotels-in-crete/atlantica-akti-zeus
Went AI here a few years ago, it was the first time we ever went AI and I think it spoiled us for others haven't seemed to live up to same standards.
There was a different theme for dinner every night, plus usual staples, and I found the quality of the food excellent!
It has a small water park, big enough for my DC who were 10/11 ish at the time.
It's also right in the beach, for a change of scenery.
I'd love to go again and get a swim up room!

@Pumpkinstace

Club Mac in alcudia, majorca

Do NOT go here! It's absolute dire! Had severe food poisoning from this place and it's full of the rudest, drunkest chavs!

I'd recommend checking out the Tui website - they do loads of AI holidays. I found this place which is in Cape Verde and is right on the beachfront. Looks lovely and only opened in 2021 too!!
www.tui.co.uk/destinations/bookaccommodation?productCode=979727&tab=overview&noOfAdults=2&noOfChildren=0&duration=7&flexibleDays=&airports%5B%5D=LGW&flexibility=false&when=02-12-2021&pkg=1125393950/3/335/7&tra_o=1176667015/3645543&tra_i=1176667138/3645544&units%5B%5D=979727:HOTEL&packageId=979727CVSL002816384032000001638403200000TOM78216390080000001639008000000TOM783TW011125393950/3/335/7&multiSelect=true&index=1&&brandType=T&dp=t&bb=AI&price=pp&rmpc=1|2|0|0|0|&rmtp=TW01&rmbb=AI&fc=n#page
Sorry for the really long link

Without teaching you to suck eggs....

We've just booked a half-term break to lanzarote. Mon-Mon, with Jet2holidays.

TUI had the same deal for £4400
Doing it separately £3300
Jet2holidays free child place £1800.

Same hotel. Same dates.

Therefore... shop around!

My tuppence worth on AI. Great for breakfast lunch snacks and drinks. Make sure you have an evening option for nice restaurants, fighting over lukewarm food gets a bit old.

2 best Ai's and hotels we've stayed in are seaview Ibiza port des torrent and baobab gran canary melanores (don't think they do AI anymore) food and entertainment were fab.

If you're happy with staying on site and your DC will spend a lot of time in the pools, Egypt might be a good compromise.

I've heard good things about the Jaz Aquamarine.

It says you're allowed to go to the a la carte restaurant 3 times, so not all buffets, but not going to cost £10k+ for a week either.

Honestly if you are looking at Sani or Ikos avoid mitsis. I was at blue domes this summer and its a covid breakout waiting to happen and the service is not a patch on the 2 above. I have never queued as much as other AI and that includes the cheaper Turkey ones.

Second high end Turkey, look at the Lujo, Maxx etc. Voyage is good and slightly cheaper. Also Sensatori Sorgun (in my opinion better than Fethiye).

Unless you go ultra AI all have their faults and read the 3 and 4 star reviews, they always highlight the mediocre bits and you can gauge if it will bother you or not.

Hmm so we are going May and booked early so it's about £7.5k for a week in a Deluxe suite in Kos. Summer does seem significantly more expensive! But you get what you pay for, and to be honest I'd rather pay for a villa and eat out/buy local goods than pay for a shit experience (queuing, boring buffets) at a not so good AI

We stayed at an Iberostar Selection hotel and the food was amazing. Only ate in the main restaurant and it never got boring. I look for hotels where you can eat outside. I hate being in a huge air conditioned hall.

Is there anywhere anyone would recommend for very fussy teen vegetarian? Also I don't want to be stuck with loud entertainment going on day and night. We went to Corfu in a fairly small resort and there was an AI on the beach that seemed to have non-stop music and compere announcements blasting out day and night.

If you are usually eurocamp or villa think very carefully if you are all inclusive type people

I'd recommend the Royal Son Bou in Menorca lots for kids and it's not massive like some of the other All inclusive resorts. Son Bou is just lovely and has the most gorgeous beach which you can get to via a wee tunnel from the hotel no roads to cross.

Also check out Zafiro Hotels, they have a few around the Balearic area. We've been twice to the Zafiro Palace Alcudia when my son was a toddler. It's lovely but we didn't really leave the resort and I don't think it would be the best if you were keen to go out exploring. The hotel was great though. There are about 3 a la carte restaurants I think (the Japanese one is excellent, the Italian/Mediterranean not so much) but we mostly ate at the buffet which was varied and lots of fresh food (grilling stations etc where they prepare to order).

The ikos group is outstanding on every level. The service is superb, food is amongst some of the best I have ever eaten, it’a not noisy. It’s absolutely stunning and it includes everything including mini bar and room service. Absolutely not cheap but it’s absolute 5*++

Budget??!!

In my experience
Go as high end as you possibly can

It is wonderful. Love it

@SMabbutt

Is there anywhere anyone would recommend for very fussy teen vegetarian? Also I don't want to be stuck with loud entertainment going on day and night. We went to Corfu in a fairly small resort and there was an AI on the beach that seemed to have non-stop music and compere announcements blasting out day and night.

Porto Sani

Exquisite

It’s like asking

What car I should buy
Or what house

Budget is what everything hinges on

My Rec you won’t get change from £10k

We went to the First Choice Holiday Village in Paphos, Cyprus and loved it. We were meant to go to the one in Ibiza (which PP mentioned upthread) last year but.. you know…

@SMabbutt any of the Ikos hotels. Every restaurant has a vegan and vegetarian restaurant and they’ll make anything you want anyway if it’s not on the menu

Sorry I meant a vegan and vegetarian menu in every restaurant

@GoogleWhacked

www.atlanticahotels.com/hotels-in-crete/atlantica-akti-zeus Went AI here a few years ago, it was the first time we ever went AI and I think it spoiled us for others haven't seemed to live up to same standards. There was a different theme for dinner every night, plus usual staples, and I found the quality of the food excellent! It has a small water park, big enough for my DC who were 10/11 ish at the time. It's also right in the beach, for a change of scenery. I'd love to go again and get a swim up room!

I’m so pleased you’ve said this. We’re booked here next summer in a swim up room and I’ve been a bit apprehensive about what it will be like. It will be our first AI holiday, we normally camp in France but decided we wanted a full on relaxing break instead.

We've been cheap and cheerful AI and mod range. I would say there isn't a lot of difference between them. Having been to devon this year as well, I agree with you about self catering being exhausting especially in the UK.

Some of our best holidays have been cheap and cheerful AI tho. We used it for snacks, breakfast most days, drinks and icecreams. Kids might have lunch etc. But evening meal we go out for. We did 2 week AI like that when dd was 3 maybe and had a fab holiday. It was nice to know we didn't have to leave the hotel some nights if we couldn't be arsed, but also nice to still have the budget to go out.

Don't go AI in Greece, their entire tourist industry is based on self catering or B&B. AIs Don't tend to employ many locals, apart from the lowest paid staff like cleaners. Last time we went to Greece an AI had opened up near a small town. We'd been to the area before and it was buzzing ,this time there was no-one around and the place looked derelict.

Talking to people they only had stories of people losing jobs and tavernas going under as they didn't have enough customers. If you want to go AI look at th the Caribbean islands as their infra structure has been built around it.

I wasn’t that blown away by Ikos. The service and decor is amazing but I thought the food was only average at best. Lots of cheap ingredients like chicken drumsticks and slow cooked lamb.