All inclusive holidays vs self catering

[musingonhol]

Which would be your choice?

Love the convenience of AI but can see why some hate it… especially at buffet time! I often think self catering must be peaceful but paying all that money to come away and have to do a food shop and wash up?!

Is there a compromise?

AI wouldn’t be my choice for a holiday. I’d hate to feel stuck in one place, seeing the same people, eating in the same place, queuing for sunbeds, etc. I’d hate a cruise too. For me the joy of a holiday is exploring new areas, eating where the locals eat or finding a great restaurant with a soul-warming view and perfect service. Our last few holidays have been 3-centre and self-catering but that basically means we eat breakfast at home and eat out the rest of the time. This summer we’re staying in 4 places in 2 countries, travelling by train - I can’t wait to eat my way around them!

I think it depends really. If I'm absolutely burnt out and need to rest for a week then AI seems good. We do self catering and usually eat out/takeaway in the evenings.

We do cruises which is pretty much AI but a selection of different types of eatery. I don’t like buffet style dining options with AI and cruising gives you more formal restaurant dining options.

We often eat out for lunch when we are off the ship so it’s a nice balance.

If I did a land based AI, I would need a bit of variety.

In the UK we used to do self catering but eating out for lunch and dinner makes it as expensive as a cruise when rental costs are factored in!

On god yes, can’t eat in restaurants every day for a week on a UK self catering holiday, that’s super expensive!

We did AI once years and years ago in Cuba, and TBF, Cuba was just starting to think about catering to tourists (and not doing a brilliant job), but it doesn't appeal, and we've never done it again.

I guess our holidays are usually quite active - out in the daytime sight seeing, would usually have lunch while out, then maybe a light easy meal in the evenings - neither DH nor I really have the stomach for big meals 3 times a day, so any kind of full board wouldn't appeal to me. Last summer we travelled around 5 countries, so AI not really an option 😂. I have to admit to also like having our own quiet space, so a villa with enough bedrooms for all, and not sharing amenities with strangers. When we do stay in hotels, they would tend to be relatively small city hotels I guess rather than big resort hotels (and we wouldn't stay more than a few nights in 1 hotel).

SC in Europe, AI further afield. AI is great as long as you only pick hotels with top ratings for food. I stayed in one once that didn’t, and it was a massive mistake, but I’ve never had bad luck with a highly rated one.

We always used to do SC, but then started doing AI when we had kids and found it so much easier - everyone just gets what they want to eat, no fussing about whether there's something for everyone on the menu. We also tend to choose hotels with more than one restaurant, and loads do a few a la carte restaurants that you can visit one or two times as part of the AI.

We decided to change and did SC last year. We stuck to simple breakfasts and lunches, and then cooked dinner most nights, but would then go out for a few drinks after dinner. Had a couple of meals out.
It cost an absolute fortune! Totted it all up at the end and we'd spent way more than our AI holiday we've booked for this summer...

The biggest pain for me was having to buy stuff like oil, salt and pepper, cleaning products, squash, teabags, coffee, ketchup, mustard... Loads of which we had to leave behind. Dinners had to be kept really simple to avoid having to buy loads of ingredients we'd have to leave behind, and so I was really bored of basically meat and salad by the end of it!

So back to AI for us.

We do both, and I like both options, but I don’t do any cooking when we go self catering! I do all the cooking normally, so on holiday DH will cook breakfast or we’ll just have something simple, we buy bread and cheese and deli type things for lunch and then go out for dinner.

SC all the way. Eat out for our main meal every day. Have nice local breads, butters, cheeses, meats, and wines in the house. Everyone gets their own room.

Sooo relaxing for everyone to wake up on their own schedule, pop some bacon on, have coffee in your pjs while cuddling kiddies and discussing the plans for the day! We like lots of space and our family bubble though and would hate having to go by dictated meal times, specific menus, plus sharing small rooms/limited toilets.

We've almost always gone AI, even as a couple.
We usually choose a couples only hotel, or at least one that offers a no children dining area.
We don't laze round the pool or on the beach all day, we like to get out and explore, sometimes hiring a car to do so.
We buy food and drink outside the hotel when we're out and about.
I like to have the option when I'm on holiday.

SC all the way . About €100 on breakfast ,cold drinks ,snacks ,cold meat cheese for lunchtime for a week. For a family of 4 about €100 for meals out in the evening. So for a week including ice creams etc about €1000 .Definitely cheaper than AI .edit because I underestimated the total.

We usually go AI as it's easier for DD/lazing round the pool kinda days. We do budget for a couple of meals out and about though. We did SC once and it didn't feel like as much of a break, plus we spend LOADS more than our usual AI plus days out budget.

We always go AI, but just this weekend decided to have a look for a holiday in the Feb half term next year. Decided to look at Europe as it's only a week so checked out SC as well - the bloody prices were the same! So it's a no brainier for us, AI will work out cheaper for what we want, even if we eat out a couple of nights.

We always choose 4* and over, and always hotels or complexes where you have a choice of a La carte as well as buffet, so we've never got bored of the hotel food. Plus we get out and about every couple of days which means we try local cafes, bars and restaurants.

I love self catering as I like to eat out. Even now we have children I prefer self catering as you tend to get more space than a hotel room at an all inclusive hotel.

I only do AI in longhaul places where there is little other choice. In Europe it's SC always although that involves eating out every day. It doesn't save money but the quality and location of meals is far superior.

Always self catering for me. We go out exploring during the day, pick a new restaurant to eat at lunch. Browse the local markets for exciting food for an evening meal at home (or if we are having a bbq day by the pool). I love cooking and trying new foods. My husband doesn’t find loading the dishwasher particularly taxing.

spending my holiday with loads of other people around a pool isn’t my idea of a break. I want my own pool, no set meal times, and new adventures each day. We have a 3yr old though so a hotel would be a nightmare!!

Aparthotels for me. I like breakfast buffets, having a bigger room than in a normal Hotel, daily cleaning and we book ones with pool. I also like being in a town not (like most AI Hotels) being in a town full full of AI Hotels. I don’t like buffet food 3 times a day, it gets so boring and repetitive and you tend to overeat. And I tend to run around for most od it as the kids want different things and are often too small to help themselves.

I agree.We recently went to Italy and it definitely doesn’t save money to eat out every day, but the food is amazing and you went get any comparable pasta or seafood for this price in the Uk.

Am I the only sad person in the world who LOVES shopping in different countries supermarkets? 😳😳😳

To me that's the best part of SC. Browsing fresh bakery bread, local jams, meats and cheeses, fresh fruits. I'm already excited for this summer. 😅

These days I've lost the tolerance for AI. And as a single parent I never really enjoyed waking up a napping kid because you've paid for breakfast in a B&B, just to watch them nearly snoozing into a bowl of yogurt.

I'd rather let him sleep in, and sit on the deck with my coffee and book enjoying the early morning sun and solitude. I don't find cooking or clearing up that bothersome because there's just two of us, and I like to potter in and out when I'm too hot and need a cool down anyway.

Evenings we'll usually eat out every other, but I love the flexibility.

I prefer AI. I don't want to lift a finger on holiday, certainly don't want to be food shopping or cooking anything. I like a drink so having it included is great. We still go out to restaurants and on day trips, just means that when we're at the hotel everything is sorted. I know it's not amazing quality food and I'm fine with that.

We've usually saved around 1000 on SC, after switching a few years back. I put that into the spending money for dinner out every evening.

We did lots of AI with the DC when they were younger as they loved the sports & activities at them. You just don’t get that at most self catering places.

Now they are grown (still come on holiday with us), we have graduated to either BB or a villa and enjoyed both. BB we don’t bother with lunch and eat out in the evening, villa the DC skip breakfast as asleep lol so we have lunch either at the villa once DH & I have been out for the morning exploring, with dinner out all together - or a long leisurely lunch out and chill at the villa in the evening. It’s also nice finding different places for a coffee/alcoholic drink etc whilst out.

As for the activities, they can now just about cope without being entertained 24/7! We do usually either hire a car, if in Europe, or arrange interesting tours/sightseeing if further afield.

That's the kind of holiday we have just returned from. It was perfect for us (Greek island, 2 adults)

So, like AI merits; not having to decide where to eat every single meal (and compromising on places depending on company my Sister is a low fat vegetarian, mother won't eat spicy food, 3 year old not keen on chips ... )

One of the many reasons we don't go away with extended family. Part of the attraction for a holiday for us is being able to eat somewhere different every night.

I developed really bad diarrhoea on the two half board holiday where the food was served buffet style. I will never book that kind of holiday again.

We usually self cater in the UK, but if we eat in I stick to simple meals like pasta and salad. We eat out a lot on holiday.

We prefer self catering. We book an apartment with a kitchen so we can eat breakfast there. We buy cold meat, cheese, bread and salady stuff for lunch and either eat it by the pool (if allowed) or in the room. Then we eat out every night. We don't have small children any more, but even when we did, we'd do this.

We’ve been doing AI more for several reasons: holidaying with friends removes any budgeting hassle- don’t underestimate this! Also one of their DC has additional needs and finds the buffet best to be fed quickly and we go with what’s easiest for them so they have a good holiday.

When it’s just us, we go to a nice all inclusive with places nearby to wander to. So we eat dinner in the hotel and then walk along the beach to go to live music in a bar/get dessert. Means we enjoy the overpriced restaurants on the beach without eating rubbish food.