Villa or all inclusive?

[ContinentalKat]

I can't make up my mind. Virtually the same price. All inclusive is convenient, but the food can be hit and miss and neither dh and I or the children enjoy the entertainment much.

I like the idea of a villa holiday, but will it be just like home with added sun and no other kids to play with?

We keep going round and round in circles, please help me decide!

A villa every time for us, hire a car and go and see places, go to beaches every other day so your kids can play with others if they want to.

We make up games when we have a villa day which we call pool Olympics - (stupid games like Lilo Wars, pool darts, diving competitions etc) which we all take part in. We also have a set of boule which is fun to play on the beach or in the garden.

If we are at the villa through the day we eat out that night, and if we have a beach day, we have a BBQ at the villa in the evening.

No noise from other people, no naff entertainment and you eat what you want every night. A simple choice for me.

Villa for me too-No fighting over sunbeds or polite chit chat at the pool.
We eat out most nights so it def doesn't feel like home.

I think it depends on your kids and what they like to do. When my kids were younger, villa holidays were great, it was fab to have our own pool, when the kids went to sleep at night, DH and I could still sit out by the pool, and weren't stuck in a hotel room while they slept.

Now the children are a bit older (eldest is 13, youngest 8), they need a bit more to do, so we go all inclusive, kids can go off round hotel on their own, make friends, play sports etc, a large hotel gives them a bit more freedom to do their own thing when they want. It just suits us all a bit better now they are older

We always choose a villa. We don't like ebing tied to a hotel and don't like 'entertainment' they offer.
We hire a car and go out and about a lot of the time but we love having our own pool too.

I think a villa it is, then. Have already wasted hours on looking at villas - there is just too much choice!

We try to go for an apartment in a complex.

That way you have most of the advantages of a villa - own bedrooms/space/ability to prepare some meals, but also the advantages of a hotel - entertainment/meals & drinks on site/ usually within walking distance of beach or restaurants/bigger pool than you get with a villa/company for us and for DS .

I don't think DH would enjoy AI - he likes going to different restaurants and having variety.

Unless we were holidaying with friends we wouldn't do a villa - my kids are best when they have others to play with...

Villa for me too. We don't "do" entertainment and prefer to do our own thing for meals as well.