Half board or all inclusive

[MyYoniFromHull]

I'm taking my 2 DCs abroad for the first time on my own this year, Canaries on a package holiday

I need the easiest option but don't want to waste a ton of money for no reason.

All Inc, bearing in mind that I drink very little, but one of the children is a bottomless pit, likely to be worth it? We're going to be near easy options for lunches and it'll mostly just be toasties I suspect. But there's a £500 cost difference (altogether, not each)

I'd do halfboard. Kids usually eat loads at the breakfasts and dinners so tend to only want some crisps/ice creams during the day at lunch which is cheaper. You can just take stuff from the breakfast buffet too for lunch and keep in your room fridge. (Rolls, meats, cheese etc)

For me, the main advantage of AI is not necessarily the alcohol as we don't drink much, it's the soft drinks/water etc.

Divide the 500 by however many days by the 3 of you and think what the cost for you will be for that in drinks, snacks and lunch, things like ice-cream/lollies etc might also be included. Then you'll get a better idea of the difference in value and then you just need to add in the benefit of the convenience. It means you don't need to take money down to the pool, the DC can be more independent as they don't need to rely on you to get them drinks/food/give them cash.

That's around £23/day each on lunch and snacks (based on 3 people on a 7-day holiday). Are they likely to use that? Many places let you charge to your room anyway, so you don't necessarily have to carry money with you. From a calorie perspective I don't do AI as I find everyone tends to just pig out unnecessarily.

How old are your DC
I'd go AI if you can afford the £500. To me it helps to relax and not keep tallying up how much everything costs. It isn't about the booze really just the treats you feel relaxed about indulging

We always choose half board just because I don't want to spend all day everyday at the hotel, so going out for lunch makes a change, so I guess it depends partly on your activities, and the calculation above by a PP - it does sound like a lot extra.

I always go half board just in case the food isn't that great or not to the kids liking so we at least have the option of one meal we can choose without feeling like it's a waste of money.

I can afford it, but I'm not sure it's value for money for us. I haven't been abroad for years and it's a treat iykwim

Kids are 10 /12 ish. One lives on fresh air, the other is a big fan of food I'm somewhere in the middle, but also a 2 drinks and I'm finished type (esp while in sole charge of the children)

I'm erring towards half board I think.
The kids don't care, I did ask them.

Are you planning on staying at the hotel a lot or going out? If you're more pool people then AI might be better value if your dcs are going to want soft drinks/ice creams/slushies all the time as they can easily add up and you don't want to have to get changed to go out for lunch. If you're going to be out and about, then a quick visit to the supermarket for snacks and drinks will be considerably cheaper.

I was full board last year and there was very little difference in cost at the hotel between a pint of beer and a pint of cola (it was something silly like 5c more for a beer).

sometimes and it can be cheaper to upgrade when you check in, but sometimes not. Might be worth asking on TripAdvisor questions if anyone knows the cost of upgrading.

Another half board vote! Not because it’s more expensive to do AI but because it really does tie you to the hotel. Ok, you could still do the odd lunch out but when you know you’ve already paid for lunch at the hotel, you’re disinclined to go out at all. If you’ve not been away for awhile & add the hassle of flying to another country, you might as well go and see some of it & go & get a sandwich somewhere rather than thinking you have to rush back. I’m not s huge AI fan though (although the DH & DD are!) so you’ve got a biased answer!

if you are taking kids and plan t8 be about the hotel go AI means the kids can have drinks etc

I always did half board with my kids. We often went out of the hotels sightseeing or on trips, and even if not, it was much cheaper to just pop into the local market and get fruit or cheese for lunch. After a hearty breakfast, none of us wanted a big lunch anyway, especially as there was a three course dinner at night.
I also used to buy some big cheap bottles of water in the local shops and keep them in our room.
All inclusive has to be priced to cover the people who pig out and drink themselves under the table - it’s not worth it unless you plan to singlemindedly guzzle all day every day!

Yy can't really guzzle loads of gin anyway with the children. Plus I'm a total lightweight and a control freak. I don't like to be more than a little tipsy

HB it is.

I doubt you'd spend £23 each on lunch and drinks if your out and about during the day. We were in Tenerife recently and I was amazed how cheap the prices were out and about for toasties etc. We usually do city breaks so noticed a huge difference.

I've been to Tenerife before but it was a very long time ago. I thought somewhere vaguely familiar was less daunting.

HB is probably the right choice and you might be able to swap dinner for lunch in the hotel or a packed lunch if that suits.

From what you say, there's no way you would spend £500 in a week or even two on lunch and drinks/snacks/ice creams. Most tourist areas in Tenerife are fairly cheap for eating out.

If you haven't booked already, if you book a hotel with a kitchenette or even a mini fridge, you can stock up on things like drinks, snacks and ham/cheese for sandwiches, which will be far cheaper than buying in hotels and restaurants. I've even seen it suggested that if toasties are something you like to eat, take a toastie machine rather than buying out all the time.

Have a great holiday.

Holidays to me aren't all about the cost.
When mine were young greedy teens they loved AI because they could eat all day long. Not just ice creams but all kinds of snacks. Soft drinks on tap were also a big appeal. We always went out in the evening so never really took advantage of free alcohol.
I never did it as a cost saver as probably isn't economic unless you imprison yourself in the hotel but for sheer convenience it's great.

Half board can also be good, especially if you can just charge stuff to the room and pay at the end. We have stayed in hotels in Tenerife that allow you to swap dinner for lunch and eat out at night.

Make sure you take them to Siam Park it's awesome!

I like AI as towards the end of the holiday when money starts getting tight, you can still have a really fun day/couple of days by the pool with ice creams, cocktails (mocktails!) and snacks, without worry! It's unbelievable how much snacks and water etc start adding up to each day plus lunch out everyday as well + drinks!

We are AI in Tenerife at the moment. It’s really easy for us. DS is eating his body weight in ice cream and slushies. No need to worry about having cash plus the food has been pretty good.

Hi there can I ask where you stayed in Tenerife? I have just come back from a relaxing fortnight in the algarve. I'm looking a AI so that next year for DH birthday we don't have to think about spends, and also so dd11 would have a chance to make a wee pal or two.

We went did half board and was able to charge stuff to the room, spent loads less than AI would have cost. And the food was actually brilliant, lots of fresh options no soggy stuff and not repetitive.

Love the idea of taking a toastie machine on holiday!