Is all inclusive food actually good or just cheap and easy?

[roses2]

I'm currently at a 5* all inclusive for a few days in the Mediterranean. It had amazing reviews. But the food is so bland and not good quality and no comparison at all to local restaurants.

This is the second all inclusive I've stayed in and the first was similar. I've decided all inclusive isn't for me.

Why do people rave so much about the great food? Is it just because the food is there and you're not looking at the price tag?

Most people wouldn’t know good food if it bit them on the arse. So many times I’ve fallen foul of local people raving about the ‘best curry / Thai / Chinese I’ve ever eaten’ and when you visit it’s the same generic boring food as every other restaurant. It seems like very few people actually have good taste buds or can recognise specific flavours in their food. Happy for them, obviously, if they’re delighted with every meal they eat, but if I’m spending money I like food that tantalises the tastebuds and makes you really savour the blend of flavours.

I do think some of this too is very dependent on to what standard and variety you eat at home.
ive seen places raved about where I thought food was very samey and bland and whilst fresh and lots of it wasn’t actually tasty or of great quality ( even breakfasts) - but others thought it was amazing . I like cooking and good quality ingredients and as there’s now only the 2 of us can afford to do so - hence my opinion on great food won’t necessarily be someone else’s who us on a tight food budget feeding 5 . Which is one reason I don’t go AI but as others have said I would look at negative comments too - because the negatives might be positives for you .

@Z0rr0 yep - just saw your post after I had posted mine.

We've mostly had excellent food but that's booking luxury 5. Quality of food is first and foremost when looking at reviews before booking. We've had one where the food was mediocre but was a 4.

I find the travellers photos on review site really helpful too. It's not everything, but you get a pretty good idea of what the food is like just looking at the pics.

We went to one in Greece where I thought the food was really good, although some people still complain about it in reviews.

It was the Blue Lagoon Princess in Halkidiki.

If you want really top quality food I think you have to go for really top end like the Ikos chain.

PS I tend to join the Facebook groups for anywhere I plan to go and then you find out a bit about these things

I think 5* is more about what facilities they are than quality?

I tend to mainline the salads, bread, veg and fish and always do pretty well.

But we also tend to use AI as a base - all drinks, breakfasts and about 50% of other meals covered for the cost of just a couple of meals out.

We stayed at one in France that was fantastic, one in Tenerife that was very good and one in Fuerterventura that was nice. On the other end of the scale, one in Turkey that was awful. We usually go for the convenience, rather than the food quality. If it's good that's an added bonus.

I very much view AI food as a cost effective way of being fed rather than ‘meals out to enjoy.’

All inclusive i find is;
In the med - cheap food and drink for the masses.
In the Caribbean or Mexico - much better quality.

It definitely varies, had some AI holidays where food was excellent, others wher3 it was decen5 but not great, fortunately not had any that were actually bad

The ones with buffets are never going to be good food and the general experience is not something we enjoy with people wandering around all the time. So we avoid those. We went to Unico 20 87 in September 2020 (during COVID) because it was a really good deal. It’s all-inclusive and adults only (another requirement for us) but it’s individual restaurants with menus. The quality and ambiance were both perfect.

It depends on where you go. Some very bad examples out there. Stayed in India 5 star hotels recently including meals - out of this world. But - lots of discerning Indian guests - 5 star meant 5 star as in places that international diplomats stay. Sometimes it's the in-country rating that isn't on a oar with our own domestic version.

My partner is extremely fussy and hated our first Ai holiday, however after we’ve now been to a couple he loves Ai and states says that first holiday must have been a dupe, we find them so much easier with the kids and it means I don’t have to look at my purse and work off if we’ll have enough money for food if I book a trip or buy the kids a water gun.

That's a shame, I've found AI food to be excellent everywhere I've stayed.

I've never been on an AI but if I did, I suspect the main appeal would be no having to cook, not the quality.

Also isn't it going to have to be poor value because of overeaters and functioning alcoholics?

I guess it depends on the set up. Currently at a 5* in Mexico. 12 different restaurants on site, and a buffet hall. We’ve enjoyed the food, and tried lots of different cuisines.

I guess it depends where you go, and how you normally eat. I'm a good cook, and we are very lucky to eat freshly prepared meals (not necessarily expensive/extravagant, just prepared with fresh ingredients and well cooked) on a daily basis. Consequently, I find eating out - even in this country - to be a bit hit and miss as I could often cook better myself.

AI has to cater to many different tastes, so it's never going to be the same as having a meal cooked to order. Particularly if you're not there at the start of service - people leave lids open and food cools quickly.

It's very handy if the kids are happy by the pool and want ice creams and drinks all day.

I find that the key is to manage your expectations. Put it this way, I've never been in the position whereby I couldn't find anything to eat. And the food in our Greek AI was delicious - local food, which is what I want.

We once went to a "luxury" 5 star AI hotel in The Gambia through Tui. Food was all tinned, frozen and packets. There was a corridor that had a storeroom and we walked past a couple of times when the door was open, and the shelves were full of catering sized tins of baked beans, soups, tinned fruits, etc. Nothing "local" nor fresh at all in the lunch and evening meal buffets - it was all processed crap, trays of pasta, frozen chips, baked beans, frozen pizzas etc. We've had better/fresher food in cheap 3 star hotels in the Med.

The nicest food was actually the hot dogs and burgers and chips from a fast food shack on the beach which were at least hot and fresh.

I stayed at a 5* in Turkey earlier this year. Cost a fortune, but DH passed on some of a windfall, for me to treat myself. Belek Cullinan. The food was amazing. Huge buffet with many different stations and so much variety every night. The also had a 24 hour bistro where I usually had my breakfast. A fantastic beach bar that did amazing waffles filled with gorgeous fresh fruit and an ice cream/dessert parlour. Not to mention the chocolate ‘shop’. They also had several a la crates where you could book in for one meal. See attached

I really enjoyed the Turkish AIs both times - big emphasis on fresh grilled meat and salads, and fresh salads. No different to what you'd get in restaurants.

Spanish has been less enjoyable. They seem to put out more attempts at "international" cuisines.

I think All Inclusive is more about convenience especially when you have a young family. I don’t book a holiday based on the hotel food though as in all honesty it won’t have a lot of variety….which is great for a lot of fussy kids.

We always take extra cash so we can go out and about for some decent food too

Does anyone else end up with a weird combination of food at AIs? Bit of pork, some lettuce, mixed veg and some prawns. I find it hard to pull a proper meal together at most of the AIs I've done.