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!

Oh, TheGreatDessert, you really are great! That looks marvellous! Clever you. I shall see what my sister thinks of that. She likes riding (or, at least, she used to before she had children and became super-anxious).

Bee I think I can probably cope with AI if I really have to. I see there's a thread about first world problems. I should probably post on there!

I third a cruise, such a great experience, we've done celebrity and is great for food and drink, but p and o are meant to be better for kids activities. All the kids would have a great time. And you could do a Mediterranean cruise from Southampton, so no driving. And all the places are amazing (apart from Gibraltar - don't bother).
Go fo a cruise and share some great photos!

Good luck! If she says no to that then you'll just have to leave her behind

What about Florida? Lovely house with pool, theme parks etc. and then off to the beach for a week? I believe Santa Maria is lovely.

FWIW, we've just come back from a camp site in Italy (albeit not Eurocamp) and we had full air conditioning in all the rooms including the bedrooms. And even in 34 degree heat in Italy in August, it was actually lovely and cold inside the mobile home (we all slept with thin duvets on the bed).

That's good to know. Thanks, namechanged. I don't think it's going to make any difference to my DSis, though! She doesn't like any of my suggestions and doesn't seem willing to compromise at all.
I found a small Greek all-inclusive place I'd be OK with, next to a lovely little fishing village, but the Tripadvisor ratings weren't 5/5 so she's not interested!
I explained that I'd like to use a hotel as a base and go out and visit places. "But you speak to the reps and they sort out trips for you - it's so easy!!" She says. She doesn't get where I'm coming from AT ALL!
I keep thinking I'll let her have her own way, for the sake of an easy life, but then I feel so miserable at the thought of being stuck in some shiny all-inclusive bubble, miles from any real local culture. It would just be such a waste of my parents' money. I'd quite honestly rather go to Butlins. No point suggesting that, as I'm sure the Tripadvisor ratings aren't good enough.

You are mistaking all inclusive for being stuck in a resort. Many high quality all inclusive so are in beautiful locations where the guests are put and about a lot doing their own thing, hire a car or whatever.
You are as stubborn as your sister in law!

Have you considered Borgo Egnazia in Italy?
It ticks both you and your sisters boxes.
Or ikos Olivia in Greece.

Have a look, lots to do but not stuck in a compound and both are classy.

Thanks for your suggestions, mouldy. I'll have a look. I think most people would say that, out of the two of us, I'm the stubborn one. Of course, I don't agree!

Holy Moly mouldy - those places are bloody expensive. I think my parents are thinking of spending about £20k on the whole lot of us (6 adults, 5 kids: our parents, my DSis + her DH + 2 DCs and me, my DP + 3 DCs).

Exactly, you aren't paying! So choose somewhere lovely!

Have you looked at Kinder Hotels? They're mostly in Austria/Switzerland. They're all inclusive, will have pool etc., loads of different activities for kids and adults. But they're in beautiful mountain locations where you'd be able to go off exploring.