My first all inclusive holiday

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any tips on how to survive it? We have always gone self catering before but thought all inclusive would save us money and have all the ingredients of a totally relaxing break.

dont pile everything onto your plate..literally weve seen people on our AI this year put chicken curry, lasgane, pizza, chips, rice and salmon on their plate in one go!!!

Choose a meal as you would at home otherwise everything just gets all the samey and boring

We have just returned from our first AI in Lanzarote

I was a bit apprehensive but actually it was great.

Dcs went completely OTT with fizzy drinks and icecream as you could help yourself at any time- luckily we were only there week so no long term damage done!

Wine and beer on tap but I preferred to go to the bar for prosecco from a bottle as I think the self-service alcohol may be watered down.

My biggest fear was that people would get pissed all day long but we saw none of that.

I put on over half a stone in one week. Avoid the breakfast donuts at all costs.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the tips.
My concern is that as we are staying in a big hotel meal times will be chaotic.
Apparently we have to book for evening meals in one of the restaurants.

Mealtimes were fine - lots of counters so no crowding and meal times were long so there was a steady flow rather than one big rush.

We booked evening meals in 2 restaurants and it was worth it. I figured if we didn't like the food, there was time to go to the buffet after!

I like all inclusive breaks but still enjoy going out and about during the day and having the odd meal somewhere different to the hotel.

I had thought we may want to venture out for a change of scenery and food and to see some of Crete.

If there is only one buffet restaurant it can feel a bit like a canteen. Having said that I've had good food even at 3*s. If there is a choice of restaurants so much the better.
It's nice to be able to have coffees or soft drinks almost on tap during the day.
AI is perfect for teenagers when they are at that stage of eating 24/7.

It is worth paying more for a better quality of hotel with more food options if you are going to be eating there a lot is my advice.

Usually they have a few waiter service restaurants where you are allowed to book once during your stay, i.e Italian or Asian with a set menu IIRC.

It depends on the resort really. I've stayed in a few which offered two different buffet restaurants, and six waiter service restaurants, but as mentioned it was a bit more expensive. It also had an adults only restaurant. This was a large resort in Barbados.

I found it good when DS was little, as you could pick a variety of foods for him to try without risking paying out for a full plate. He was never really a nugget and chips kid so the kids menu options never really appealed to us in restaurants, and the buffet really helped then. And if he was hot or tired then he could just pick at some pieces of fruit and vegetables.

I think if you have a varied diet it, and are willing to try lots of food it usually works out okay.

But be prepared to witness uncontrolled gluttony on a massive scale.