All-inclusive vs Eurocamp - Help find a a solution!

[GrumpyDullard]

My parents have come into quite a bit of money and want to take my sister and me and our respective partners and children on holiday next summer. Brilliant! Of course it is, but...

I am longing to stay at a Eurocamp place on Elba. I have stayed with Eurocamp twice in France and once in Italy and my kids and I love it. We've always gone for smallish sites but there's still been loads for the kids to do, nice bar and restaurant, great pools and usually a couple of waterslides. But not too hectic and you get your own little mobile home (or tent) to hide away in. I like to potter about and visit local restaurants and bars and take in some of the local culture. Otherwise, you might as well stay at home!

However, my sister is pining for an all-singing, all-dancing, all-inclusive resort. She doesn't want the bother of cooking (fair enough!) and doesn't want the stress of ordering food in a foreign country.

She tried to sell it to me as being able to lie by the pool all day drinking endless free drinks while the children are entertained - no stress, nothing to think about, everything laid on for you. I would quite fancy one day of lying by a pool, but 14 days?! No way!!! The days would all blur into one and you'd have no great memories of your trip to take home with you.

Does anyone have any suggestions for something that might keep us both happy? I don't want us to go on holiday separately because my DCs will be really upset if their cousins aren't there. They won't care where we go, as long as we are all together.

Thanks for reading!

I should have mentioned that my parents have said my sister and I can choose the holiday and they'll pay. Money no object! (Pretty much - I think they're not imagining much more than about 20k.)

Lucky you!

I'd vote for none of the above and rent a big villa with a pool.

Could you do a week of camp followed by a week of all inclusive?

You can go out exploring with all inclusive though. We are going to Holiday Village in Rhodes in Oct and there is a waterpark there as well as the kids clubs.

Yes, lucky us!! I do realise it's pretty ridiculous to be finding fault with this piece of remarkable good fortune. I have suggested hiring a villa with a pool and employing a cook but that doesn't seem to be a go-er.
Maybe we could have one week each. And then a vote at the end to see who was right!

Why do you have to go together?

Of course, I could leave my sister at the poolside on an all-inclusive while I go out exploring. My unadventurous DP would probably prefer to stay behind too. That's as long as it's near civilisation. A lot of the big all inclusive places seem to be miles from anywhere remotely "authentic". God, I sound like a tosser!

I want us to go together for the sake of the kids. The cousins are all very fond of each other. I did wonder if I could just take my sister's kids and leave her behind!

Yes, eurocamp have air conditioning. I sympathise op, I'd agree with you! I would also suggest making it a 2 centre stay. If you go to eurocamp type thing second, your DCs might be up for the occasional outing.

I would find an aparthotel and go all inclusive but have a few meals out - you would get sick of the all inclusive food anyway !

You aren't a tosser. You wouldn't get me in an all inclusive hotel for love or money, certainly not for 2 weeks!

I can't believe DSIS turned down the villa with cook option?!

What about a week of Elba camping then hop on a ferry to Corsica for an all inclusive week?

FWIW I never cook on holiday! I just don't stay in all inclusives. I go to restaurants/cafes/bakeries.

I've done about 6 Eurocamp holidays over the past few years and enjoyed them but they are not for everyone and I only did them because they are cheap compared to other package holidays and great for young kids.

We did Eurocamp in the South of France last year and while it was a great base to explore the region and we did loads of trips out, coming back to a hot and sticky ( even with the air con ) caravan was not great. The a/c is only in the living area and not in the bedrooms. It would barely make a difference during the hottest part of the day. Cooking in a caravan in the heat was a complete no no.

After our last Eurocamp trip I told my husband that I would only do another if it was outside of the main summer holidays and it would have to be an absolute bargain as I was fed up with the tiny beds and the lack of space in the accommodation now that our kids are getting older.

We can't quite bring ourselves to go all inclusive so we've booked a weeks bed and breakfast in a lovely small hotel in Sorrento. We can walk into the main square for meals and can do nice trips out to explore the region. I think that's a good compromise between self catering Eurocamp and an all inclusive resort.

Just seen your budget! Have you thought about a cruise? No stress about eating out and you get to explore the ports you call at. I wonder if your DSis is like my DSil who refused to leave the ship because she liked chilling by the pool while everyone else was out exploring.

I thought a cruise would be a nightmare but I actually loved it and have been on three now.

You want different things. Go on two different holidays and meet up with cousins later, else you will have to compromise and you will both be annoyed that your lovely unexpected holiday isn't really what you want.

How many of you are there?

this place looks fab...

We've had Eurocamp holidays because that's all we could afford and stayed May or October half term, so I hadn't really considered how hot a caravan might get in the middle of summer.

I guess it's pretty unimaginative of me to want the same sort of holiday we've always had, now that I have a big budget to play with...

Pre-kids, I would opt for backpacking and travelling around on local transport. My sister preferred a package holiday with her mates. We are very different! But we get on pretty well.

My sister doesn't want to have to order food in a foreign country. I guess she thinks all-inclusive is OK because it usually works as a help-yourself buffet, so she won't have to interact with foreign staff. Or the staff will have such impeccable English that there won't be any communication problems. I think that's really sad, but she is a terribly anxious person. I like to think I'm pretty laid back, but my horror at being forced to go on a luxurious all-inclusive holiday makes me think I'm probably not!!

There's 11 of us altogether, 6 adults and 5 kids under 12.

Anyone who anticipates being 'stressed out' by having to order food in another country , probably may just want to stay at home. Let 'em, I'd say.

I second a cruise

That place does look great, Dessert but isn't quite big enough for all of us as we need to fit our parents in too.

I have some (negative) preconceptions but I don't really know anything about cruises and hadn't considered one. I'll look into it. Thanks.

I think the cruise suggestion is a great one here. You can all have the kind of holiday you'd like. If you're looking at a big budget you could get balcony cabins/ suites. I used to think they were awful (cruises) but they're actually great!!

Tbh if I were you I'd suck it up and just do the AI. It's a one off and least stress for a big group. Food on tap. Pools and enough space for everyone. Maybe try to find somewhere with its own beach/water sports so it feels a little bit more special than just a pool resort. Mark Warner could be an option. You can find decent AI type plans if you look but you'll never convince gmyour sister to your way of thinking.

Next year you can go back to slumming it with some culture 😄

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