Are all inclusive holidays worth it?

[Blueisthecolour1]

Just throwing it out there - I got excited and went online to book an all-inclusive holiday in Corfu next May half-term. Spent ages looking at various hotels - it's a once in a decade thing, for us so a really one-off opportunity. BUT:

Can't find many AI hotels that offer a family room with adequate space or number of rooms. Don't want to spend thousands of pounds to sleep in the same room as my two children for a week (ages 9 and 5.) I've got a better set up at home - i.e. at least one or two doors between me and them at bedtime!

Trip Advisor reviews - they really freak me out. Especially as every hotel has bad ones it would seem, which is to be expected I suppose however, a pattern of comments around the buffet-type food halls which in general, people seem to dislike after day 3 - one person describing them as cattle-sheds! Lots of complaints in general about food being under-cooked, and lots of queuing for the buffet. Clearly, you get great reviews as well but there does seem to be a theme to some of the concerns.

Lots of reviews complaining about other people - their mess, their noise, again, the queuing and overcrowding of certain favourite areas, like splash parks/play areas.

For the money, is it worth it? I know there's always a mix of opinion on these things but themes do seem to crop up with the all-inclusive topic and it's made me nervous about booking something. Some of them seem absolutely huge in terms of their layout as well - does it get a bit tedious having to make the same journey to get a bite to eat in the morning with young children, then perhaps queuing for ages to get to the buffet table? Then again at lunch, and again at dinner - some people seem to wait ages to get seated at mealtimes by which time the kids are grumpy, overtired, fed up.

I looked on Booking.com to see what properties are available for the location we're interested in and you can get a lovely 3 or four bedroom flat right by the beach for half the price - self-catering obviously. But no kid's clubs, no fun splash park, and all the easy wonders of an all-inclusive environment - IF that's what it is!!! I just don't know!

What are other's experiences opinions on this?

We like them with kids - their drinks / ice creams / snacks efc are all on tap so it’s easier.

we make sure we book somewhere with more than one restaurant though (preferably minimum 3 for a 7 night stay, more if we are away longer)

I always book 4 stars and over, and over 4 out of 5 on trip advisor too.

we also always book at least a 1 bed suite, so that we have our own bedroom and then they can camp out in the lounge.

can I ask why you are so fixed on Corfu? There’s loads more choice if you open up to different countries :)

They're not appealing to us because we don't drink enough alcohol to justify the cost, and we prefer to eat in different places every day on holiday.

We were put in an AI resort for one day and night last year when our plane home was cancelled, and it was not a relaxing experience. I don't like the queuing and canteen style dining. Maybe the absolute top of the range AI is a la carte, I don't know.

Yes! Book somewhere with at least four stars and ignore random negative reviews - some people are never happy! Also make sure there’s a few restaurants rather than just one.

Take a look at Club Med. not cheap but amazing with kids

I wouldn't do AI in Greece but yes, it can be a good experience.

AI is bliss with small children IME. Avoids so much stress and thinking. If the kids don't eat their dinner, so what, you haven't wasted any money. Unlimited alcohol for the parents 🤣 What's not to like? Don't forget review sites attract moaners. People who have a great time tend not to bother.

The huge places with several eating options tend to be better with no queues.

There was a thread here recently about 2 room suites/ separate bedrooms, loads of suggestions, if you have a browse.

Look for ones with kids' clubs too so you can get a few hours peace and have sex 🤣

If your budget stretches to it, we love Ikos resorts.

We’ve done a mixture of self catering and AI. With anything, there’s good AI and bad AI. It can definitely seem like a school canteen when you go for meals. However, when the kids were younger we liked it because they weren’t always hassling us for money for drinks and ice creams. When you read the ad reviews, ignore the ones where it gives 1 star because it wasn’t very sunny or some other thing that the hotel has absolutely no control over. Only consider reviews that the hotel has control over and worry if there’s lots of the same complaint.

They are worth it uo to a price. If you get good deals, absolutely.

Re the reviews about food buffets.
The most popular items in hotel we were in, which ALWAYS had massive queue were chips and pasta... Yeah, I would be bored too.

There will always be negative reviews about this and other people. People like to complain. But if there are some serious issues showing repeatedly it's good to take note.

But if you cannot find what you like for example the room situation, just go with the self catering. There is no point spending loads on something which doesn't suit you.

I think they are a great option when you have children. It means that they can have unlimited drinks and some snacks throughout the day.
no cooking or cleaning up (which is my favourite thing about them!) and the ones I have been to before have always had multiple food choices to suit many tastes.
Also handy if you don’t all want a full meal at the same time as you know you have the option of having some snacks later in the day.
I would always go with 4/5 on trip advisor reviews.
You will always get people complaining- if the majority of reviews are about poor food, then maybe skip that hotel.

The first post sums it up really.

Go for a decent rating.
Don't expect gourmet food.
There is a bit of queuing sometimes.

We love it. It just takes the stress out of the day.

You don't HAVE to always eat in the hotel obvs. You can do a few evenings elsewhere, but it's all there when you can't be arsed 🙂

If you have fussy eaters it’s good because everyone can just have whatever they like, however random it is. If you can afford to spend a bit more generally it’s a better experience (sounds obvious I know).

We’ve been to a few of the Tui magic life places - mainly because a lot of them like the Cala Pada one in Ibiza offer 2 bed apartments- and the food is generally very good. I mean it’s basic all you can eat stuff but it’s well cooked and never got ill etc - which is generally what everyone worries about with ai!

Love AI, breakfast, soft drinks all day, light lunch, snack bar if you are peckish and ok food for evenings, but we always eat out a few times as well. I don’t feel the need to over indulge because it’s AI like a lot of people do. For me it is the convenience of not having to worry about paying for drinks all day and the lighter meals for the days we spend at the hotel. On the days we go out to explore or evenings out we are happy paying for food and drink.

I only do AI when it’s ultra AI in destinations like the Caribbean or Indian Ocean, even then it gets boring. In Europe I’d rather book self catering and eat out which proper table service and tables with nice views rather than boring buffets that resemble school canteens. We find the price similar to SC and eat out.

We only did it once, and it was a bit of a splash out holiday (2x young kids and 2 x adults in turkey) at £2,500 for the week. But the amenities were amazing and the food was very good. Kids loved the choices including sushi some nights, fresh fruit, free milkshake bar and sweet buffet etc. and it came with free entry to another hotel by the beach, two different kids clubs, theme park, waterpark, flights etc. so lots to do.

With older kids I'd prefer a different holiday I think. But with little kids it was the most relaxing way and we enjoyed it.

2 best AIs we've had are Egypt and Italy.

First one for the sheer size of it all and the HUGE choice of food from every cuisine you can think of 3 times a day.

Italy - for the beautiful food. Menu ordering but all included. (very £££ but honeymoon so ...)

Ideal with kids and often cheaper for us. Be warned though, they are really hated on here but lots absolutely get over excited at the opportunity to mock AI holidays and do this weird fucking faux snobby thing about how they prefer to have authentic holidays, despite often staying in the same resort but self catering!

We always pick hotels with more than one place to eat. With kids its great because if you decide to have a pool day, the snacks and drinks are unlimited.

People also have this utterly weird notion that you cannot leave the hotel for two weeks because you are AI.

My job is quite stressful and my two weeks in August is my only block time off. The rest of the year is odd days and long weekends. I spend the first 3 days relaxing and unwinding by the pool then the holiday really starts.

We've been to the same AI place for the last 4 years as its exceptional and gives a bloody brilliant base for exploring the island. As a comparison, weve got 14 nights AI, transfer, return flights, 25kg baggage each, 2 adults and 2 teens for £2400. We looked at b&b and cheapest we could get was 12 nights, transfer 20kg baggage each for £2900 plus then have to factor in money for 4 lunches, 4 diners plus drinks etc. A drink in the hotel for 2 orange juices, a pint of lager and a gin and tonic is £14 euros. Surrounding bars and cafes are of course cheaper but sometimes we like to enjoy the hotel entertainment (again, often sneered at on here)

We also spend our days exploring the area, going up the mountains, boat trips, snorkelling etc and the hotel includes a packed lunch on the AI which is often breads and tapas type food.

I don't want to go away and cook or prepare lunches and the foods in restaurants are often the same as hotels and a decent AI will change their food every day, the one we go to has themes each night, so english, indian, Spanish, Greek, Japanese, Chinese, french etc and all is beautifully cooked.

The resort we are currently using also doesnt have any English speaking staff which really winds people up and that's what gets it its bad reviews along with no tv channels being in English 😂😂

Give it a go and don't let the travel snobs put you off, who think a proper holiday is travelling to far flung countries where humans have only just been discovered and you have to hunt for your own authentic and local grubs to eat while their children live free range and off the land 😂

I've hear so many good things about AI resorts in Turkey in terms of food choices and variety and general loveliness!

We've done AI in Greece for the past 2 years - Grecotel imperial in corfu and ikos.

We don't drink that much but between diet coke(my choice over water), fruit juice, snacks for the kids, multiple restaurants, ability to feed the kids in the main restaurant and then do ours later or equally have them eat in the fine dining but not mind if it doesn't go to plan - budget wise it has always worked out comparable to villa + eating out without the washing up and the driving. We stopped doing it when we only had one and she hit 11 as then we preferred to hop around on holiday and not stay anywhere for more than a couple of nights. Now we have a surprise toddler - we went back to these for the ease. We've done loads (and still do) villa holidays with friends but for pure not doing anything AI is great.

we went to one once that had fabulous food , kids desperate to go AI again and we loved not cooking but likewise trying to find the "right one" is difficult as we wouldn't normally be keen to be with the "brown food" crew who enjoy drinking and smoking all day and letting their kids scream outside 'til past midnight (sadly this is why AI gets a bad press)

It depends where you go and what you pay. The best we’ve done is Moon Palace in Mexico - it’s AI but mainly a la carte dinners (all 25 of them). Plus the spa is AI and golf if you’re that way inclined (we’re not). There’s a handmade chocolate shop that’s part of the AI, even some of the trips were included with their resort credit system. But it cost £££.

We’ve done cheap & cheerful as well, but choose ones that have proper restaurants as part of the AI as well as the buffet. We like them, because DC can have as many cokes/ice creams/chips as they like without thinking about the cost.

Aska Lara resort has consistently amazing reviews. That’s one we’re considering for next year. It has a water park 2 mins up the road that is part of the resort and you get that included and all food / drinks etc at both places. The You Tube vlogs I’ve seen about it all and the Facebook group for it as well as general reviews are really good.

There's all inclusive and all inclusive...
I hate the idea of queuing, food poisoning and a cattle feel. That just wouldn't be a holiday for me. However, I have 3 children of wide ages and I work full time. We have just found that recently self catering ends up with the drudgery of home in slightly less convenient surroundings! My children are also fairly fussy. Our holidays are a very important time in our family bonding and we are looking for a real opportunity to rest, re-charge and give our children attention. We love ikos because it gives all that convenience, amazing a la carte restaurants, some.nice activities which leaves us to enjoy our holiday.

Ikos have 2 resorts in corfu!

Don't go on a holiday you can barely afford as it is too much pressure

How about yelloh village in France. Go by car, self catering or pizza/chips. Everyone gets own bedroom. Pool, slides, beach, kids club.