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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Day 1 of holiday. Hell.

517 replies

gilesday · 02/10/2025 21:17

This will come off really bad I appreciate that but sod it I have to speak my truth.

Day 1 of our family holiday we came to Greece. Have been excited for it. It’s all inclusive which is our second time, last year we did all inclusive and same thing I hated it. Don’t know why I thought it would be different but anyway.

I hate it. The hotel is just crap. The clientele are typical of what you would expect at an all inclusive and I just seriously regret it.

The thing is, I get I’m being a snob. Let’s be honest clearly we have the same budget as these people I’m slagging off (100k combined income) so should probably be a bit more humble, but I can’t. Every fibre of my being feels like I’m not built for this. I want better. I want luxury. I’m sooooo much more at home at high end places, where as the people here would probably feel uncomfortable there and like this better.

is anyone else like this?

What do I do, just avoid all inclusive from now on and stick to nicer hotels but just breakfast, eat out and explore more?

What do people do who are like me but equally don’t have the Dorchester budget?

OP posts:
Flakey99 · 03/10/2025 10:03

Package holidays and AI are my idea of hell.

I prefer to book a tour somewhere in Southeast Asia where it’s just you, your driver and the tour guide and staying in 5* hotels.

Over40Overdating · 03/10/2025 10:03

This has to be rage bait!

Sorry to break it to you @gilesday but if you are going to the same places as these oiks and have the same budget as the hoi polloi you are not better than them, no matter how much more comfortable you think you’d be at the Dorchester.

And should you find a way to cheapskate your way into the upper echelons you aspire to, the people who actually belong there are going to view you the same way you view the people you are currently on holiday with. An oik with pretensions who is better suited far away from the quality class.

In better news, getting over yourself costs nothing, so is a luxury you can actually afford.

NeonFish · 03/10/2025 10:04

I've never understood why anyone would even want to do 'all inclusive', it always seems like an idea of sheer hell to me. I like to pick and choose where I go, what I do and what/where I eat. Having no choice in these matters, how is that a holiday? It makes no sense. I'd honestly rather stay home. For me, it's fool me once, shame on you fool me twice..... Sorry OP.

RedSkyatNight25 · 03/10/2025 10:04

You have to chose carefully for a decent holiday.

5hell · 03/10/2025 10:04

cityanalyst678 · 02/10/2025 21:37

Book a 5 star hotel, half board. Do you really need a big lunch? We go adults only and only go if it has 5 star reviews.

Agree - we did half board in a gorgeous Austrian hotel this summer (with kids), could not have been better!

mysoulmio · 03/10/2025 10:08

I dont understand why anyone does AI in Greece when its probably cheaper to book B&B and eat out at nice local tavernas.

Ive not been to an Ikos but lots of friends/colleagees have and if I was spending 23K (quote last summer for our family) I'd be in the Indian Ocean or Carribean instead.

We're going to Rhodes B&B instead for October HT.

Ginmonkeyagain · 03/10/2025 10:09

We can't afford 5 star AI (and I am not sure we would want to even if we could) so the solution is - we don't go all inclusive at all. It is perfectly possible to have very nice, independent holidays, often for a lot less than an all inclusive holiday.
for me it isn't so much about the quality of AI but the concept. I am not a resort holiday person. For me a hotel is just somewhere to keep my stuff, sleep and wash. I see no point on spending vast amounts of money to sit around - even if it a very nice place to sit around.

Of course everyone has different likes and expectations of holidays.

ChicJoker · 03/10/2025 10:12

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂. You’re not a snob you’re a wannabe.
i love an AI, it’s easy with kids, I don’t have to think about anything and it’s just for weather and leisure. I also earn much more than you and my day to day life is “luxury”. Book a better hotel or maybe just holiday more than once like me and use an ai as your “do nothing”

MzHz · 03/10/2025 10:16

I don’t do hotels because basically other Brits annoy me, too loud, few manners. They are embarrassing mostly. And it doesn’t matter what income bracket they are either, the worst offenders were on a tiny island years ago, 90% of Weybridge/Richmond/Clapham were there braying and booming. It was excruciating.

we just got back from a 5* resort (self catering villas) in Greece and it was perfect. Even the loud brits who turned up at the end of our stay were far enough away mostly not to be too intrusive. Didn’t appreciate their boombox and cigarettes next door tho. No other nationality has done that on any of the other times we’ve been there.

@gilesday spend some time looking at smaller places to stay that aren’t AI, go for individual places, get a car and explore the local tavernas. We went even further afield this last trip and found some absolutely incredible places and met the most amazing people.

RealEagle · 03/10/2025 10:23

I think al inclusive is brilliant when you got kids ,also you can venture out of the hotel if it’s not to your taste .Ive been to some really good adults only al inclusives over the years remember you get what you pay for.

WeNeedToTalkAboutIT · 03/10/2025 10:25

I have a single income household with a much lower income than you - I take my kids to Air B&Bs or rent a villa, and we do our own thing.

If you know what you want but can't afford it every year, why not do it every other year? You could do something cheap and maybe short on the alternate years.

kittenkipping · 03/10/2025 10:39

y husband is an unjustified all inclusive snob. Based on our income that attitude is all fur coat and no knickers tbh but that doesn’t change it. We go on holiday every other year- essentially we save up for the luxury end by sacrificing. Maybe try that op? (Though as the working class scum half of this partnership I don’t know why he can’t suck it up. There’s good wine. Good food. Decent weather and a clean room. Just the people that grate really. I don’t know why he can’t just ignore them? )

AliasGrape · 03/10/2025 10:41

I mean - you're not locked in? Just go out, find other places to eat? Make the best of it.

3awesomestars · 03/10/2025 10:54

We did all inclusive for a few years when the kids were pre teen /just into teens. It served a purpose, I don’t hate it but didn’t particularly like it. kids were happy and joined in the activities so I did get a holiday and could generally cobble together a decent salad from the buffet.
Now they are grown I wouldn’t go anywhere near AI. Bed and breakfast then eating out, nice food and nice wine.
Doesn't say what your family group is but I think it’s ages and stages. I see couples struggling with toddlers in nice restaurants and think to myself - you would be better at the 7pm mini disco and buffet. They are trying to have culture and probably also having a crappy time.

Era · 03/10/2025 11:01

You just have to accept that if you want to stay in a nicer hotel you have to pay more money. We often have a short break in a five star all inclusive (I would never do AI lower than 5*) but we do it because of the lower cost (although it still costs £5-£8k for a week in the summer). I know that it attracts the type of guests that I don't really want to mix with (loud and drunk) and I know that we will be crammed in like sardines around the pool and sometimes feel like we are eating in a canteen. However we avoid the pool at peak times, find the quieter bar, ask for an outside table to eat etc. It's really easy doing AI and with two teens who cost the same as adults it enables us to have more than one holiday.

Scleverley84 · 03/10/2025 11:17

You sound stuck up, rude and grumpy tbh! How rude about people that use AI holidays. Some families struggle to go on these. want better? choose better!

ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 03/10/2025 11:35

NurtureGrow · 02/10/2025 21:56

Home Exchange. You can exchange your nice home to stay somewhere also very nice. There are some great (and luxury) places on there. And no money changes hands!

Edited

This is assuming that you either live somewhere that other people want to come to, or that you have the kind of house people would want to stay in! Not to mention being happy with strangers poking around in your stuff.

ChangingWeight · 03/10/2025 11:36

Why didn’t you book somewhere nicer though? Like was cost an issue or not?

I don’t necessarily think £100k combined income is the key to be able to afford high end luxury holidays, because some might set you back tens of thousands. Depending on your living costs or savings, that might not be a realistic expense.

Lubilu02 · 03/10/2025 11:40

Visit some nices places whilst you are there, take in the weather and the scenery.

Like others have said, you are not glued to the hotel, it's more of a base.

The holiday will be what you make it and you will be home before you know it. So enjoy where you are! 😁

curious79 · 03/10/2025 11:43

Ah yes... champagne taste, beer money salary...

What you need to do is to stop expecting the same thing to deliver something different and instead get curious and book things off your own back. Right now you're paying for your lack of effort (which in itself is very low rent).

There are loads of amazing B&Bs / smaller boutique hotels that are very reasonably priced but feel more upmarket. In small towns and villages across Europe with beautiful and reasonably priced food.

ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 03/10/2025 11:45

Theif · 02/10/2025 22:12

Champagne taste, lemonade budget. Get a better job.

I would hardly call £100k household income a lemonade budget. Prosecco maybe …

Catpiece · 03/10/2025 11:49

DurinsBane · 02/10/2025 21:18

Or you could go to a 5 star all inclusive?

Yes. We did this in May to Lanzarote. Adults only too. It was bliss.

Idontpostmuch · 03/10/2025 11:54

LemondrizzleShark · 02/10/2025 22:57

AI is always going to be bad. You wouldn’t go to an all you can eat buffet in the UK and expect it to be high quality, and it isn’t overseas either.

Go half board or B&B, and that usually eliminates the people drunk by 11am, and encourages people to leave the premises to find decent food.

I've never encountered people obviously drunk. Sounds as if there are a lot of shabby places doing AI now, but it depends where you go. Yrs ago we went to an all inclusive hotel in Rhodes. They only did all inclusive and did it very well. The other occasions I've had AI have been in hotels that do both. Mostly we have half board. You mention the all you can eat buffet. It isn't true that it's never good. I've had excellent and poor, but mostly in the middle. The buffet isn't particular to AI, though. Often with HB it's a buffet. The definition of AI is that you get lunch and drinks, and sometimes ice creams from pool bar, and perhaps other snacks. It seems to be more common than full board now. I only ever have AI if the price is good enough to allow me to miss a couple of lunches and still come out ahead.

Namechangerage · 03/10/2025 11:56

You are the clientele! People book what they can afford, nobody is better than the other.

Of course if you can’t afford 5 and don’t like the ordinary population that can’t affford 5 either, you should book a different holiday.

“Have been excited for it. Last year we did all inclusive and same thing I hated it.”

  • this is bonkers

is anyone else like this?

  • no- because i know im not rich and therefore enjoy what i can afford. If I didn’t enjoy AI I would book a city break or self catering. I take it for what it is - swimming, no cooking, nicer weather than here

What do I do, just avoid all inclusive from now on and stick to nicer hotels but just breakfast, eat out and explore more?

  • well duh - YES
Offloadontome · 03/10/2025 11:58

I relate. We've had much nicer holidays when we've booked self catering then eaten out now and again in restaurants. We've had to downgrade what we're used to massively due to the cost of going in the school holidays, and we've had some really nice AI and some absolutely crap ones. They can look amazing on the site but be shit when you arrive 😂. I've decided to just go as cheap as possible and go explore and have meals out. I've adjusted my expectations a lot.
I really miss the days of luxury adult only holidays we used to have, and also going on really nice ones outside of school holidays because we can afford it then!
Is there anyone you could book and share a beautiful villa with? We did this recently and it was the best holiday we've ever had. We'd have never been able to afford it alone.