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Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

All inclusive virgin - help please!

33 replies

travellingtime · 14/05/2014 16:24

So, we are thinking all inclusive is our best chance for me and Dh to have a hope of relaxing on hols, with the DCs (4 & 7)
However, totally new to this game and have done a quick look on teletext hols to see what kind of money we are talking about .
There are some hols coming up (for 7 nights) as cheap as 400 per person, during August. I assume that you get what you pay for with this kind of thing and they will be dire?
I'm no snob but I would like it to be clean, family friendly and the food to be of a reasonable standard.
What should I expect to pay ?
3 - will it be dreadful ? Should I look at minimum of 4?
What should I try and avoid ? What locations should I avoid ?
Where is too hot for children in August ?

OP posts:
SoldeInvierno · 14/05/2014 18:45

You do get what you pay for. £400 per person sounds far too cheap to me. I think the food will suffer and the pools will not be great. Careful with AI - some of them are more inclusive than others.

Having said that, I once went to a 3 star AI in San Miguel( ibiza) and it was fine. The food was ok and the pools were clean. We paid about 600 pp in July

minipie · 14/05/2014 18:56

IME some all inclusive deals are only good value if you're planning to drink lots of booze. And some AI places are aimed at those people.

If that isn't you, you might be better off with full board or half board. There are quite a lot of places which offer full board or half board on food but kids club and activities are free.

minipie · 14/05/2014 18:59

Location wise I'd think most places in Europe would be ok. Islands or coasts are often cooler than you'd think (even if a long way south) due to the breeze.

PortofinoRevisited · 14/05/2014 19:00

Are you wanting Kids clubs?

PortofinoRevisited · 14/05/2014 19:02

I shudder at the idea of Ai and would go for one of those gite complex places where the kids can roam at will with other kids.

Lizzylou · 14/05/2014 19:05

We went to an AI hotel in Turkey, was 4star I think. The dc had an unusual Easter holiday so it was very cheap and not too crowded. Hotel, facilities, staff and food/drink was excellent. The rest of the guests not so much Confused . Just getting pissed from 11am onwards, some Dutch guests near us were horrendous.
Our dc still talk about how much they loved it 3 yrs and other holidays on.
Read reviews and that will help.

Lizzylou · 14/05/2014 19:07

In all honesty I would do as Porto says, or even Euro/keycamp. I have to say dh and I far preferred our mobile home/tent holidays in Brittany/Vendee/Gascony to AI. Also a fab gite holiday in Vendee, far more relaxed.

PortofinoRevisited · 14/05/2014 19:22

There is a lot to be said for Eurocamp/Canvas. Kids clubs are usually of a high standard. Your kids make friends with those in neighbouring mobiles and play happily in the dust whilst you drink wine and throw something on the BBQ. You get separate bedrooms and don't have to get dressed for breakfast.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 14/05/2014 19:23

Sorry but this thread title really made me snort.

No idea, sorry. AI is my idea of hell tbh.

Perfectlypurple · 14/05/2014 19:28

I've been standard all inclusive and gourmet all inclusive. With standard you do get what you pay for. It's not fantastic food but it's generally decent enough for what you need. Only once have I been to a standard all inclusive when it has been dire. It's worth looking on trip advisor as you do get an idea of what it is like.

We went to turkey for just over £700 each for 2 weeks. The food was fine if a little repetitive. I find when it's hot you don't want to eat as much and if the holiday is cheap you can always eat out a few nights.

Lizzylou · 14/05/2014 19:45

We never use Kids clubs, the one thing that has been the recipe for a relaxing holiday for us is having dc who are confident swimmers. By the pool are lifeguards and they can spend hours on slides etc while you catch up on your readingSmile

Original poster
travellingtime · 14/05/2014 20:33

Thanks everyone. Was thinking about keycamp type things as this was the hols of my childhood and look back with v find memories.
Was alarmed by the cost of them for one and also we did similar last year but taking all our own gear. I found it not so relaxing due to still having to think about food every Day. Plus the crazy cost of ferries in the summer
I could be persuaded either way I guess.
I think we (DH and I) would probably get more out of a French keycamp type holiday but, ai seems in some ways the easier option .

OP posts:
Lizzylou · 14/05/2014 21:13

Go Keycamp, seriously. Rather that than low rent AI. I say that with some knowledge. The flight over to Turkey was Thomas Cook, it was Jeremy Kyle airways.

MrsCocoa · 14/05/2014 22:08

Difficult to generalise but would be picky and scour the reviews on Trip Advisor etc before booking. Think AI can sometimes be great value and low stress if the hotel/location is genuinely a good match for you tastes/needs. Can be an ultra-disappointing hell on earth if not. Agree HB can work just as well, and not to rule out three stars (some smaller hotels can be really special - fab quality/great food etc but lack all the bells and whistles needed to get into the next box).

Personally have had good HB/AI experiences with Spanish/Greek chains like Riu, Iberostar and Mitsis - good kids facilities, strong on local cuisine options. interesting locations, and a mixture of nationalities staying. You'll need to shop around for cheap rates.

SoftKittyWarmKitty · 14/05/2014 22:23

Just so you know, a lot of the holidays on Teletext Holidays don't include baggage and/or transfers, so that'll be extra on top. Also the agents selling those holidays aren't always ABTA or ATOL registered, so be careful. I've just seen some cheap-ish AI's in the summer holidays on First Choice and Thomson, so check them out too.

I personally love AI. As a single parent who does everything at home, on holiday I want to relax, not cook, clean and food shop!

foxdongle · 15/05/2014 10:01

Hi generally we would do AI in the Carribean or on cruises and stick to 4* half board in Europe.
we have S/Catered abroad once - never again-shopping and cooking is not a holiday imo and we spent a fortune.

have you looked at on the beach? we have booked with them before and this year (end of august) for that price in 4* h/board.

janinlondon · 15/05/2014 15:10

Are the people who say they cant bear the idea of a non-cooking holiday all Delias and Nigellas, or do they make DH shop cook and wash up for the fortnight....??? Smile

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 15/05/2014 17:28

Neither. We buy bread and salad etc for lunch and pastries and fruit for breakfast and then eat out at night.

PortofinoRevisited · 15/05/2014 20:05

I alternate between eating out/buying deli takeout stuff like paella or roast chicken and chips/making a salad and getting dh to bbq stuff.

Lizzylou · 15/05/2014 20:07

We mainly eat barbecues (dh does it), salad, bread, pate and cheese in France. Lovely. Lots of vin blanc too.
Or we eat out.

Lizzylou · 15/05/2014 20:08

X posts Porto Smile

Bunbaker · 15/05/2014 20:32

"we have S/Catered abroad once - never again-shopping and cooking is not a holiday imo and we spent a fortune"

We go "self catering", but I don't cook. Breakfast isn't a big deal for us so we might just have toast or cereal and coffee. Lunch might just be some local meats, cheeses, bread and salad from the local shops, and we always eat out in the evening.

So, no cooking, and not much washing up.

I prefer the flexibility of self catering and not needing to get dressed for breakfast. I also like being able to make a cup of tea when I want.

PortofinoRevisited · 15/05/2014 22:12

Our holiday fridge is traditionally too full of beer and wine to contain much food. I tend to buy things like ham, cheese, eggs, mayonnaise, butter coffee, ice lollies, bit of salad, crisps. Buy fresh bread and croissants in the morning. Then go with flow. Spot something nice in the market. Roast chicken van etc etc.

joanofarchitrave · 15/05/2014 22:18

I've been on one all inclusive holiday and tbh it was very underwhelming - I think you need to spend a LOT of time checking out the places you are picking and reading between the lines of reviews. Yes the food is all included but IME that usually meant it all tasted the same as well. Serious boozing was the way not only to get value from the holiday but also to give us something to do as it seemed wasteful to leave the hotel complex so we ended up not really going anywhere which made the whole trip pretty pointless IMO. I also think camping with kids is more relaxing than any form of hotel but that may be because I'm doing hotels wrong!

PortofinoRevisited · 15/05/2014 22:18

The food is part of the holiday for me. Shopping in markets, finding unusual items in the supermarket, browsing a menu. I did AI once and the fecking buffet thing took all the fun out of it. We were in Cuba and there was no other alternative. On holiday, fresh bread, cheese, sliced meat, pate, salad stuff is a meal. It takes no effort. Follow this with an evening stroll and cocktails an ice cream.