Anyone disappointed by their holiday?

[Panic71]

Here now and really trying to throw myself into despite being really gutted by the hotel which is absolutely not worth the money we paid. Trying to just enjoy it but all the extras have come as a shock for what we expected and read to be all inclusive.
Turns out all inclusive doesn’t get you a sun bed either!

We've decided self catering/b&b is the way forward now, especially with teenagers. We like going exploring so always end up eating lunch out anyway, and evening entertainment is never anything to write home about, so going out for dinner in new places is a good way to fill an evening.

AI easier with the toddler though, but she's much easier pleased than moody teens so she is lower down the priority chain when it comes to holiday planning!

@theleafandnotthetree we have done this too- zell is fab!!

@Panic71 I wonder if you would be better if you like stuff for older kids somewhere like mark Warner's or sunsail etc?

We've done several Kinderhotel holidays in Austria, different hotels. They have all been brilliant. Austria is such a beautiful country and swimming in the lakes in summer is heaven.

@leccybill we like that kind of thing and you know the saying 'the public want what the public gets'. Our son learned to enjoy just lazing around , being in the sea, pottering in towns, he never demanded water parks and slides and constant activity and constant drinks and ice creams because he never got it.

@Chrispackhamspoodle where on the islands are you staying?

We are just back (3am) from AI in Gran Canaria. It was lovely. We had a few days out. Waterpark and up in the mountains. Had lunch out twice and evening meal twice to break up the sameness of the main restaurant.
Sadly it cost over £5k for 10 nights for 3 of us, but we have had a rough year and felt we deserved a treat.

AI isnt something I would have done with young or even older teens to be honest. you can get more for your money if you book flights, holiday let with pool and a car and can go out and about. if the kids are older then they can take a turn cooking in the kitchen and things are just a lot easier if you arent tied to someone elses timings in terms of food. we did AI once and realised it really wasnt for us and our kids. speaking to friends also those that have always done ai are now opting for a more bespoke holiday which they pull together themselves. thats why places like centre parcs etc in the uk are really struggling. its not what people want or are prepared to pay the massive premiums for any more.

Is there a reason parents don't just take their kids out of school during term time for holidays occasionally and just take the fine?
You can still have great holidays abroad at a good price during school holidays as long as you are creative about it.

@Crikeyalmighty we’ve always done AI or half board but don’t drink and endup eating lots of crap because it’s there! Never go into the pool as it’s so packed and spend time out or on the beach instead - never get the fascination with sun loungers!

booked a Villa for end of August, in mountains with private pool - first time doing car hire too so hopefully will be a different but amazing holiday!

friend just came back from an awful AI full of drunk and loud Russians up late at night - she was more stressed when she got back

Aww that's awful a broken bone and a spider bite, hope you are both ok.

Where did you go?

Ha! I love restaurants! And choosing them for myself and DH. But, honest to God, the thought of doing lovely restaurants every night and the DC's refusing their food breaks my heart! It's an essential compromise.

When they're older I fully intend to go back to self catering, campsites, fly-drives, etc!

Those early years with the kids are moderately crap whatever you do. Then you hit the sweet spot of 6-13 or so, when they’re good company, can swim by themselves, don’t moan when everything isn’t about them, can take a book to a cafe and might even enjoy a cultural side trip.
For me at that age, ai would be a total waste.
Having said that, none of us are keen on lying in the sun or being in the pool all day. Living in Australia we’re so conditioned to keep out of the sun that it wouldn’t occur to me to try to tan.

Our ideal holiday is doing something in the morning, maybe snorkelling or going on a boat, lunch by the beach, back in the afternoon for a read and a swim and then dinner out in the evening. Add in a couple of things like water park or a day trip and that’s my perfect summer holiday.

Greetings from a terrible and expensive time in Disneyland Paris

I genuinely don’t understand AI. You can get a villa with private pool and eat out every meal for less money, and avoid the crowds and noise. I guess you don’t get water park swimming pools, but my kids are totally content in their own pool with whatever hideous inflatable they’ve picked up this year.

There are eye-watering sums of money mentioned here. I love cooking and trying out different places to eat so AI was never on the cards for us; we're just back from a week in a lovely house with pool in Spain, flights were 700 for five of us, house 800. Half of the days we had a (4 course with wine) menu del dia for lunch for 10-12 euro a head. Delicious supermarket-bought wine and light home cooked meal in the evenings. It would be a nightmare to be stuck somewhere with crappy food and scrums over sun loungers

all inclusive holidays are the pits - i did one once and will never do it again! can do so much better planning my own holidays

Sorry you saved so hard and ended up dissapointed

We’ve had really good resort type holidays, we choose carefully

Not saying the op didn’t but I’m aware some are not that good

All inclusive sounds ideal as I'm lazy, greedy, and love a vino collapso. Couldn't be done with the pfaff of eating out every night or traipsing round the mercadona every 5 mins.

That said, I'm not sure as a family we have ever done a package holiday in the summer purely due to the cost. Spending £5k+ for 4 of us would stress me out as it just ratchets up the expectations. We book separate flights and book direct via hotel websites on HB basis.

Two weeks ago we went HB to Menorca for 4 nights in a perfectly adequate 3 bedroom apartment. £500 each. And this was all booked only 5 days before departure.

On the subject of sunbeds while I'm here, we never had any bother as most of the clientele were French / Spanish; they'd turn up for a bit of a swim, relax on a lounger, then go off and take all their stuff and return later. If it was the British, Dad would be down at 7am unfurling 6 towels (no make that 7 incase Nanna might pop down). Then you wouldn't see any of the fuckers til lunch.

@MarmiteRoll @theleafandnotthetree
Can you recommend an area please you think it would be good for lake swimming and cable car mountain thank you

Im hugely sceptical that unless you got really high end you get good quality with ai.

I prefer places with character not bland white newly built hotels and everyone chasing around a pool for loungers.

You get amazing air b and b, local hotels / b sbd b.. Beautiful local restaurant etc I can't get ai. Not in Europe anyway..

Could I please ask where you went? PM me if you don't want to say publicly

Sounds like just what we are looking for next year. Our AI was pretty awful this year so I'm not doing it again.

Thank you

@Summerwashout the problem is the big hotel chains realise there is good money to be made on AI and people paying ridiculous amounts because they don't think sideways or kids demand on site water parks etc. they then gradually cut standards down, water down drinks, make the separate restaurants 'add ons' etc. It feeds into the greed factor of 'as much as you want' - problem is with 'many' at the medium and lower end of the markets it's as much mediocre crap as you want. There are some amazing high end ones in Europe but it's massive bucks and some great ones in Caribbean and Mexico etc- because the mainly US and Canadian clientele just wouldn't pay out these huge amounts for really mediocre standards.

Have only been to Zell am See and would highly recommend as a base. I think the Kinderhotel we stayed in (the only one just there I think) might be closed temporarily but it really was special. There are lots of kinder/family type hotels in that part of Austria and in Bavaria, you can combine with a few nights in Salzburg and/or Munich (so much to do there) as we did and really have an amazing time. The sea is the only thing missing! But lake swimming is a big thing and they are beautifully clean and refrahing. That 2 weeks was the best family holiday we ever had, the Austrians are at the top of their game in terms of the tourism product I think.

Why would anyone want to pay eye watering sums of money on an AI holiday with other red faced string vest wearing Brits?! Surely you are setting yourself up for disappointment if you choose a place with sun loungers anyway? Aren't you embarrassed about elbowing others out of the way for one and then guilty for lying down in one knowing all eyes will be looking disapprovingly at you?!

Surely you know beforehand that once you've paid up front the resort management will be laughing all the way to the bank and fobbing you all off with the cheapest bulk bought food and bargain basement drink?!

You get what you pay for.