All inclusive v’s villa

[Onemoret1me]

Which do you prefer and why?

looking at Spain next year for 4 adults and 2 children 9 and 14

we tend to holiday in a villa with private pool but considering an all inclusive hotel. Would be keen to hear people options and which they prefer. I’m sure ther pros and co s to both.

I like both. But prefer villas for smaller kids and AI for older ones who eat endlessly and need a bit more entertainment.

I prefer all inclusive with restaurants on site that aren’t all buffet ones; mostly because I don’t like cooking and all the meal planning and shopping at home is such a chore in my eyes. If you enjoy cooking I can see why a villa is a better option or more attractive due to the privacy of it.

I prefer AI but there are only 2 of us so a villa would be more expensive anyway.

Would still go AI though, my DS is a bottomless pit and I don't want to be shopping, cooking and doing dishes on holiday.

We prefer AI. Ime it's been better for all ages of dc from young to teens.

Currently in a big AI waterpark resort in Greece with 16, 14 and 7 year olds. 7 year old is enthralled with the splash park and kids waterslide area. Has been in it for hours on the days we've stayed in the hotel, with dh and I supervising from sunloungers. He makes friends with the nearest kids and that's it, plays and only comes back at intervals for drinks/lotion.

Teens have been busy with the big waterpark on site and the main pools. They've enjoyed some freedom at night, staying with us for a meal and a bit of the entertainment show then sloping off to the football pitch/arcades/big screens showing sports. Again making their own mates and meeting up with them, just enjoying the resort 'nightlife'.

All 3 love wandering to the bar to get a snack/ice cream/drink at will. 7 year old is an expert on the (kids) cocktail menu and peruses it with serious thought, like choosing a fine wine 😂

When we're in contained accommodation, we still have a nice time but it feels so much less relaxed to me (the opposite of what many people say!). Having to think about food and meals and drinks. And on less active days, they all get bored...teens start to gravitate to their phones, 7 year old wants constant attention every second as there's no other kids to play with and not so much he can do independently. They start to get bored of just one pool whereas in an AI resort there's a number to choose from.

AI is usually seriously frowned upon by MN though so I expect to be in the minority!

He makes friends with the nearest kids and that's it, plays and only comes back at intervals for drinks/lotion

I just wanted to add...this sounds neglectful as hell but it's not 😂 Kids splashpark is big enough to amuse ds3 for hours but we have full sight of him, we're not letting him disappear off on his own. Lots of slides into 2 foot of water and lifeguards, plus one of our eyes on him at all times.

AI was great for the kids, free ice cream and drinks all day.

But now as adult only holidays are better spent in an apartment as we go out more.

Do look at AI hotels with self catering options on site - local restaurants can be much cheaper if you do breakfast and lunch. Then evening meal out.

We always go for Villa holidays as I like having the pool all to ourselves. Going to local restaurants and trying the local cuisine, shopping at the markets when we want to cook ourselves, visiting places of interest, seeking out secluded coves, having adventure days are what we all like and are more suited to villa holidays. Eating out somewhere new (usually at lunch time) is one of our favourite parts of the holiday so I think AI would be wasted on us. Neither of us are keen on evening entertainment either, and I don’t fancy kids screeching about in the pool, we definitely like our own space (couldn’t go to the adult pool as our child is too young to be left unsupervised).

I think I feel torn as the adults would prefer a villa, as this gives privacy, less likely to be disturbed by others, quiet at night. However the children would like the variety of pools in an all inclusive as well as the food, drinks, ice creams. I wonder if they’d get bored in a cilla

I prefer AI or a really good hotel as I find otherwise I end up doing almost as much as I’d do at home in terms of tidying / cooking / cleaning up, just in a different place. If I stay in a hotel I feel I can just forget all that stuff and relax more. (And yes I know you can still eat out every night if you stay in a villa etc, it’s just more convenient in ai etc).

I can see how AI would work for you as DC can have unlimited drinks and ice creams and also pick and choose food from a buffet.

I wouldn't go AI because I don't like buffets for lunch and dinner and don't want to pay for a la carte AI. We're also child free.

Plus I like a nose around a foreign supermarket. We normally self cater, make breakfast in the apartment and eat out at least once a day, often a late lunch while out and about although we might have something like an ice cream for lunch then have drinks, cheese and olives on the balcony/terrace in the late afternoon and then go out for dinner. If we've had a restaurant lunch out mid afternoon, we don't usually have a full restaurant dinner but might have drinks and tapas or maybe share a pizza.

@ViscountDreams which resort and hotel is this?

Will the villa also have the option of going to the beach, water park, historical sites etc?

Or some apart hotels have facilities on site but you can also stock up on drinks and ice creams from the supermarket but also go out for meals or eat on site some of the time.

So because I don't have any to cook, and I like someone making my bed - I'm being honest!

We tend to go out anyway, not that bothered by swimming much, the ai is usually barely more than hb and is convenient for days we haven't gone out all day and drinks

There's no point going AI for us, as the dc are too shy/self conscious to make friends. Unlike dh and I, who will happily talk to anyone. Drives me mad. Older dc hates the buffet and having to wander about with other people. It's his idea of hell.

Sc at a hotel works. You get all the busyness, if you want it, but can do your own thing wrt food. For us, that means bf in room. Lunch sandwiches/pies. Tea out.

A.I but one where we aren't all in one room. It's so much easier with children, they are fed and entertained with little hassle. Once it becomes just me and dh, a small and friendly hotel with breakfast. We could do an apartment but I don't like the idea of all the cleaning up. Hate it at home, want a break from it on holiday.

I’ve done my share of AI in my time and I’m now not going to do it again. I can’t stand The Regime of eating to a schedule. We recently did SC and often wouldn’t eat until 10/10.30 pm which suited us down to the ground as 6/7pm is our favourite time of the day in the pool/on the beach.

You can get some villas that are on AI resorts, so the best of both worlds is out there…at a price, obviously!

AI hands down with kids. I’m yet to find a nice villa with a pool that’s walking distance to the beach/nice restaurants etc. AI is just so much more convenient and fun, relaxing by a nice pool with someone to bring me freshly made cocktails - in a villa I’m limited to wine/beer or spirit and a mixer unless I want to fanny about buying umpteen ingredients and equipment which I don’t! Kids can have pancakes/eggs/cereal, whatever they want for breakfast without me having to shop for it, make it or clean up after. There’s kids clubs and entertainment for them, I used to be bored out of my skull in a villa as a child.

We do stay in decent all inclusives so rarely use the buffet, with plenty of a la carte options to lunch and dinner. Contrary to popular belief on mumsnet we also eat offsite when we want to try local food etc. as you’re not confined to the hotel 😂. I also don’t get the “we don’t want to be locked in a dark room with the kids in the evening”?! Most kids stay up and join in with the evening entertainment, giving the parents a bit of a lie in in the morning or sleep in the buggy. Aside from that we’ve never stayed somewhere without a nice balcony or terrace so if we needed to be in the room DH and I would sit on our balcony and take it in turns to go and get drinks from the bar, exactly the same as you would in a villa but with more variety available.

The bit thing for me is I don’t want to meal plan, cook and clean up on holiday. We’re lucky to live in a nice house so it’s just the same shit in a different country with a pool in a villa - no thanks! People often say just get nice bread and cheese for lunch, but we have a great cheese shop near home and eat well, so bread and cheese for 7 days would be a downgrade to our usual.

Neither for me - I prefer a city centre apartment. Sightseeing together, nice restaurants, space to relax in the evening

Mostly always go All Inclusive abroad - purely because I want a holiday from cooking and cleaning up haha

At that age your kids will be bored silly with just each other and 4 adults. You'll be fighting screen time battles constantly.

However, you could look at villas / lodges on a SC complex / luxury campsite?

That way your kids get all the facilities / opportunities to make friends and adults have a private space to enjoy quietly?

Villa every time.

Hate buffets.

Hate living my holiday according to a hotel's meal schedules - we often sleep in and have breakfast mid morning. And i make a big pot of decent coffee which no hotel has ever come close to matching!

Hate the whole sunbed reservation nonsense. Kids can splash around as much as they like in the pool and leave inflatables in overnight. No worrying about bagsying sunbeds or finding shade.

We do one big shop at the start of the week and we're all set. Kids eat lunch but we don't tend to bother and then we go out for dinner or do a bbq.

Some quiet days by the pool but tend to go out and about most days - water parks, beaches, karting, boat trips.

They've brought a friend each along a couple of times - the friends pay for their flights, villa costs the same and we just cover the food and drinks - works well.

Both?
We stayed here and it's lovely. The private pool villa with AI sounds magic (if v v v expensive)
https://www.melia.com/en/hotels/spain/tenerife/gran-melia-palacio-de-isora?esl-k=sem-google%7Cng%7Cc622694757768%7Cmp%7Ckgran%20melia%20palacio%20de%20isora%7Cp%7Ct%7Cdm%7Ca138894663273%7Cg17431987600&&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw_ZC2BhAQEiwAXSgClqJg2LtZSe622ImWR43M8iu8-obA1hOY0UL35CT1aTKALobd6uvMGhoCi20QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I preferred AI at that age as it took all the stress off me with cooking and entertaining.

My partner hates AI, so we go wherever he wants on the agreement that he does all the planning and booking (which I do not have the patience for).

@monkeytapper we're at Caretta Paradise in Zakynthos. It has very mixed reviews but I have no idea what anyone could have to moan about. It's absolutely fabulous here. The 'room' (more a mini apartment) is I think the best we've ever had anywhere. Two separate bedrooms, one with 3 singles, one with king-size bed, separate living room, main bathroom plus ensuite off the master. Huge double width balcony with doors off both bedrooms. It's spotless, beautiful and we have a sea view. Would highly recommend.