Or is behaviour at all inclusive hotels hilarious?

[inaminute23]

So in the last 2 months, I've been to Dubai, Cyprus and Jamaica, and now I'm in Greece, and 3/4 of those have been all inclusive hotels.

I've got to admit, and I'm as guilty as any, but it's so weird just observing behaviour at all inclusive hotels!

Getting up and starting to drink cheap and sugary cocktails straight away!

Piling 3 plates full at the buffets.

Getting up for 6.30am to nab a subbed before they all run out.

There are probably so many more but I'm just sat at breakfast, after going to get a second full breakfast (though I've had a gastric bypass so it is all relative) and it's made me chuckle.

I'd love to read any other weird behaviours typical of all inclusive holidays!

This is LIGHT HEARTED for those who soon enough will tell me I'm judgemental haha.

We need to start booking more holidays not less. If the pandemic taught me anything it's that you need to use it while you can.

When I was with an ex partner I would insist on All Inclusive mainly because he was a tight arse. He would go from restaurant to restaurant to save 2 euros on food when I would get hungrier and hungrier and more and more pissed off. All Inclusive allowed me to have food when I wanted it.

That's the dictionary definition but "travel" and "traveling" is used to indicate something more serious and exploratory than going on a no effort required AI holiday.

We have done self-catering holidays in the past. I love a foreign supermarket as much as the next person. They suited us really well when the children were small and we wanted to be able to feed them to our timetable, and once they were in bed have an apartment or balcony rather than a hotel room. Also regularly do self-catering in the UK.

But sometimes you just want to totally switch off and have EVERYTHING done for you. None of the mum can I have an ice cream, mum she's drunk all the orange juice, I want pizza for tea no I want fish.... urgh. All inclusive means they can get their own slushies and soft drinks and have what the hell they like to eat. We've also found it's made the kids more open to trying new stuff, because they can just try a spoonful of something they're not sure about it. If they don't like it fine, that's not a whole meal wasted. My youngest developed a new love for panfried squid with garlic mayo on our last AI holiday.

Currently at an AI and Greece and definitely seeing the pros and cons. Pre DC one of my favourite parts of a holiday was eating fresh bread and cheese from the local shop for lunch then wandering around a lovely marina or historic town to find somewhere nice for dinner- fresh fish etc. Perhaps hiring a car to find a quiet beach or visit some ruins.
Post DC with a 3 and 6 year old AI is much more convenient. They have eaten all the chips and nuggets they could possibly want. Ice cream is on tap. They refuse to go to the kids club but there is a playground and they love the mini disco. For me it's too busy and the canteen style dining is pretty grim but it's worth it to have a break from cooking, cleaning and concocting stuff they would eat if wer were self catering.
If anyone has a recommendation for a nice, peaceful resort with decent food which doesn't require you to remortgage the house then I'm all ears!

She didn’t say 4 holidays. I used to travel a lot for work. Like every week for years.

what a shame, there was me thinking she was having a great time!

glad you liked it though

Anyone who can say “atleast McDonald’s has flavour” and says that AI’s don’t have flavours, clearly has the tastebuds of an ashtray. I bet you season your chicken with just salt and pepper, because anything more “ruins the taste of the meat”
Mcds has absolutely no flavour, and Burger King is even worse.

Just because people enjoy different things doesn't make them snobs.

As a grey eyed redhead I have the skin to match. I can't lie on a sunbed on the beach or pool as I'd fry and I have too much sun damage as it is to want any more.

I also don't swim (allergic to chlorine) so all pools, water things etc are out as I'd be a red itchy mess after 10 minutes.

A resort hotel has little to offer me as we tend to use the accommodation for bed and breakfast only.

I just take peoples towels off the beds when I saunter down at 10 tbh.

@xsxsxsxs The hotels we’ve been to in Morocco and Turkey have amazing food, especially tagines, salads and traditional meat dishes (plus some bland and beige options!)
I judge my AI holidays on the quality of the alcohol! So far Sicily and Turkey have proved the best, and Sicily in particular had very good quality alcohol included.

I do want people to dress properly in the restaurant area - no beer bellies hanging over the salad bowl ,thanks. I mean, it's not hard to throw a t-shirt or beachy kaftan on is it?

Will you expect help with your electeic bill????

if you plan it correctly, you'll save a fortune on heating with winter holidays

There used to be a few brits who went to Spain for January and February in hotels half board and turned their heating off

If you can wfh abroad - which some of my friends can do - then going somewhere warmer for the winter might be more pleasant

How can you eat two plates of food if you’ve had a gastric bypass?

Going from wondering around little villages and marinas and eating fresh fish at local restaurants to AI with unlimited chicken nuggets and chips…

sad isn’t it?!

This made me laugh! The competitive holidaying on this thread is hilarious- but the idea that this poster would ‘prefer’ an over-heated death trap to an air-conditioned coach (the latter being ‘bell’!) takes the biscuit 😂

Is anyone else reminded of that bit at the coach station in Australia in one of the Inbetweener movies, where those absolute bell-end gap year students all compete over who’s had the most authentic travelling experience?

‘Hell’ , not ‘bell’… Freudian slip perhaps?

Also, do people not realise that all inclusive is just a meal option, it doesn’t stop you from touring the country you’re in. Just like staying in a “breakfast only” doesn’t mean you can’t chill and buy other meals in the hotel.

Exactly!

Lots of hotels now offer B&B, half board or AI. The range of hotels that do this is much greater than it used to be, and I think that a lot of posters are imagining the big resort style hotels (which you can still leave if you want, but I imagine are more likely to attract families who are happy with staying onsite while their kids are young - plenty of time (if you can afford it) for more adventurous holidays when they're older).

Re the travelling argument. Op said "her travels" she didn't say she was "travelling". In my mind, "travels" says nothing about the style of holiday, simply that she is going somewhere away from home.

Is anyone else reminded of that bit at the coach station in Australia in one of the Inbetweener movies, where those absolute bell-end gap year students all compete over who’s had the most authentic travelling experience?

Yes! And when I had my year of back packing I met soooo many people like this.

At the end of day, any travel broadens your mind imo, so it's all good.

I think the weird thing about AI hotels is the mix of food you eat. No way at home would I have chicken noodles, tapas and a bit of swordfish, basmati rice and salad all on the same plate for tea but I do on holiday

I wouldn’t describe it as sad to be able to recognise and acknowledge that things change and that at different stages of life different types of holidays work best.

I find it a lot sadder to see families with young kids desperately trying to have the same type of holidays they had pre-kids and ending up really frustrated that a city break in Paris or multi-stop trip round Vietnam isn’t what it used to be. There was a thread on here a few days ago where a mum was having a shit time with a toddler in a random hotel in Brazil. They were only there as the dad wanted some jungle adventure type holiday - he obviously hadn’t mentally adjusted to life with kids or factored their needs into his holiday plans. Now that’s sad to me.

Makes no difference whether she said "travels" or "traveling" - it's still trying to imply that it's something more exciting/ adventurous than going to an AI hotel in Dubai.

This is just ridiculous. Most people who limit their flights also limit their driving.

But pointing the finger at someone who queries having 4 flights in 2 months and assuming they must be a hypocrite is just you saying "I don't take climate change seriously and I assume no-one else does either so I'm going to call everyone who says they do a hypocrite.

I am stunned by how many people on here think flying for a short break and flying multiple times a year for pleasure is normal and acceptable.

Yes, you absolutely have the right to make those choices. But I despair as to what it will take to make us as a society face up to reality.

You can't wait for the government because they will do what gets them votes.
The furore over clean air zones in Manchester has made Andy Burnham really unpopular.

Which is fine, it's voter's choice - but as a result, inner city kids will continue to breathe the hyper -polluted air that their more wealthy peers living further away from busy roads aren't exposed to. And we will continue to use scarce resources to pollute the planet and increase global warming.

But you carry on as you are. We probably won't be around to experience the worst of it.

@TheLassWiADelicateAir

Makes no difference whether she said "travels" or "traveling" - it's still trying to imply that it's something more exciting/ adventurous than going to an AI hotel in Dubai.

Maybe look up the word ‘travel’? You could have a look at ‘pretentious’ whilst you’re there too 🤷‍♀️

@VioletInsolence well clearly it is relative... I had a small portion of things I could eat, and then went and had a little more of what I could also eat.