First package holiday/AI - what do I need to know?

[Justajot]

We've never done a package or AI holiday before, but I fancied somewhere warm and easy. We are going to Tenerife in May. All booked through Jet2.

Does anyone have any advice about what to pack, what to do, etc, please?

Slightly more specific questions: how does it work if you arrive before your room is ready or leave a few hours after checking?

What to pack depends on what you’re planning to do but generally I’d say a few bikinis/cover ups for day time. I usually wear shorts and t shirt or a cover up over swimwear for breakfast and lunch then shower and change into a nicer dress before dinner. If going out to explore/day trips then pack accordingly.

Beach towels and toiletries are usually provided but take your own conditioner. I always use the hair dryer in hotel but my hair is easy to manage.

If you arrive early you can leave your bags with reception and will likely be given your wristband so you can use the facilities including restaurants and pools etc. Packing a beach bag with essentials that’s easy to grab from case is handy if you foresee this. If you leave late you can either pay for a late check out if available or book a shower room and store your luggage at normal check out time until your departure. Have a lovely trip!

Not sure the relevance of it being a package holiday has on what you need to pack . I'd be thinking more about what the weather is going to be like and what activities I'm planning to do.

What time do you land and what time is your return flight? If you arrive before your room is ready, you might be able to leave your luggage near reception and go out for a wander, or use the pool etc - just get changed in the toilets.

Jet2 often do in resort check in, so see if that is a feature for your hotel - they will take your suitcases directly from the hotel to the airport and you won't see them again until you land. If you have an evening flight out, you can usually leave your suitcases in a luggage room at the hotel and go out for the day, or use the pool - you probably won't get lunch on the last day, but obvioulsy check.

Do the resort check in with jet2 if you can. It's great.

In terms of packing - we are more used to holiday cottages, so have to bring our own pool/beach towels and things like that. We mostly holiday in the UK, so I'm not sure whether there are other things we should be taking for a sunny holiday, other than the obvious.

Take some typical first aid things. While you do get everything locally I found that it is easier having pain killers, plaster and some antibacterial cream with me than hunting down a pharmacy.

Lots of suncream.

We normally have one piece of handluggage with swimsuits and some kind of cover up/t-shirt and shorts so you can change straight away if your room can't be accessed.

I would take 1-2 beach towels, you want a dry one to sit on and one to dry off and most hotels only issue one per guest. We have these microfibre ones DD takes camping and they pack really small and are lightweight.

Check if there is some rules about clothing for dinner. Some say long trousers for men.

Depending on the age of your children - have some kind of entertainment in the suitcase for the flight back. English magazines etc are very expensive abroad and by the time the holiday is over DD was ready for some new stuff.

My essentials are
Medicines. Don’t want to be rushing to pharmacy
Suncreams I like

Toiletries I like
Light clothes for pool cover up and breakfast
Nice dresses play suits etc evening
Sandals
Flip flops or beach shoes in case it’s stoney
Things for kids to do in rooms. Colouring. iPads maybe. Cards
Books
Sunglasses hat and reading glasses.

If I were planning day trips I’d take shorts and a more substantial t shirt.

Check the hotel rules, many insist on long trousers in the restaurant after 6pm. Otherwise it's like any holiday. You might want to double check what actually included too so no nasty surprises.

Oh yes, take beach towels not all hotels are as inclusive as they make out!

Thanks - first aid kit hadn't crossed my mind and DD2 is convinced that plasters make anything better. I'll have a look at beach towels too.

The weather in Tenerife will be lovely in May. Maybe a cardigan for evenings.
It's true you can buy everything there but with Jet2 you get a good luggage allowance so I would take my own sun cream etc as it's much cheaper here.
Most hotels provide pool towels but not beach towels. I actually like to buy beach towels in resort as a souvenir and they are very cheap. If you have older DC they will want to go to Siam Park and you would need to take towels for that.
It can be breezy in Tenerife and you can burn easily so hats and long sleeve tops for when out and about.
Long trousers for men is a pain but features in most decent hotels. My DH and DSs always resent being told what to wear but if necessary they will pack one pair of long trousers and change back into shorts after dinner.

I always book a taxi from the airport to get a head start and avoid lengthy bus journeys. If you are at Costa Adeje end of Tenerife it's very close to the airport.

Siam Park is awesome. White knuckle water rides. If you go, go early and head for the beach (dodging the photographers). Avoid Loro Park as it has performing dolphins

Brilliant thanks. Would an 8 year old and 4 year old get much out of Siam Park or are they too small still?

Thanks for the information about the dolphins, really sad that still goes on anywhere and we will definitely avoid.

They might be a bit small, it's quite a big waterpark with extreme rides. There's also Aqualand nearby that might be more appropriate for younger DCs.

Be aware that Siam Park search your bags on the way in to confiscate any picnics or drinks, don't know if they do the same at Aqualand, but you might get away with anything hidden at the bottom and you could always try to claim allergies if they want to take anything off you - they just want to sell you their overpriced shitey catering, which is a shame, because I've usually found Spanish attractions to behave better than that - the catering is usually decent and reasonably priced, but Siam Park at least seem to have adopted the Legoland type business model.

There will be an induction talk probably on the first morning of your holiday. It’s worth going along to and you can book any excursions you want to go on while you’re there and they’ll give you information about local transport etc. Check what time your all inclusive is valid until on your last day. The boat trip is excellent to see whales and dolphins and has an opportunity to snorkel and some limited availability to scuba dive with an instructor for a fraction of the price of a proper course. The trip to the volcano is also excellent but is a long day with a lot of coach travel so might be a bit much for little ones.

Check out the times in the board for entertainment. Kids will likely enjoy the mini disco so we usually eat to be there 15 mins before it starts. Kids love it.

Near the end of your holiday check the folders at jet2 desk in reception for your coach pick up time. On your second to last day they will put a note under your door telling you what time you can do resort check in on the day of your departure.

• take lots of clothes. You will be eating all of your meals in restaurants which mean you need to be dressed and presentable for meals ... my DC were really messy when younger so often ate breakfast in PJs and, if we were at home, it wasn't unusual for them to eat tea still with a stain from lunch down their top. That doesn't seem acceptable in a restaurant!
• people really dress for dinner. Quite complicated hair styles, lots of make up, heels. This was a complete shock to me after years of self catering or activity holidays when evenings just involved putting a thick jumper & an anorak on over what you had worn during the day
• check what times meals are served. It isn't unusual for breakfast not to start until 7.30/8.00. If your DC are used to breakfast at 6.30, they will get hungry. When the DC were you get, we used to take packs of bagels or croissant or something with us & the DC had one of those shortly after waking.
• take things to do in the hotel room. If they are early risers, there is little to do before breakfast but you will be conscious of people in the adjoining rooms & that they might be trying to get some sleep. Quiet activities like sticker books, card games can keep them distracted.
• depending on your attitude, you might want to set some expectations around food. Whilst it may be AI, our DC are only allowed one fizzy drink & one ice cream a day. I don't care if the child on the sun lounger opposite is on his fourth coke and third ice cream in the time we've been sat by the pool, my DC don't get to do the same.

Got to disagree with the last post. Although some people do dress up a bit I've never seen what is described there with the complicated hairstyles etc. That sounds wedding level.

I never ever take heels on holiday and we've done AI plenty of times. The kids wear swimming shorts and T-shirt in the day and a different shorts and t shirt at night. Most people will be quite casual.

One Ice cream a day on AI? Poor kids. Mine have at least 2 and slushes

Agree with @whitesoxx . I've been on a few AI. I take a nice summer dress for evening and wash my hair and always feel quite dressed up. Not many heels/fancy hairstyles. One warning, on our last AI, the restaurant was v hot in the morning and early evening and hubby sweated straight through his TShirts. Vest/cool tops are a must.

I let my kids eat and drink whatever they want, whenever they want but they have never binged despite knowing that I would say yes if they asked. They had a fair few slushies but only got a burger from the snack bar once as they were always full from the continuous feeding schedule of breakfast, lunch and dinner. Also, they were too busy in the pool to waste time eating!! The good things about AI are:
The break from budgeting money
The chance to be that easy going parent (I love the shock on my children's faces when they ask 'can I have...?' and I say 'yes'.

So much of the year is spent being cautious, AI is a chance for everyone to feel a bit free and indulged.

Cons: they tend to be big and busy.

Pack stretchy clothes lol, I always put weight on, on all inclusive holidays, nothing worse than a 4hour flight home in clothes that are uncomfortable

Sunshine I love letting them have the freedom of me saying yes all the time too! And it's surprised me too that they never over indulge even though they can.

Quite complicated hair styles, lots of make up, heels.
Never seen this even in 5* AI except on a cruise ship and even then it's not compulsory.

Free access to drinks, ice cream and snacks is the whole point of AI. It was perfect when we had unfillable greedy teenage boys.

I never take make up or heels with me and not even in the Caribbean 5* we went to last year I saw many women being “dolled up”. Most people take not a new dress each day, most wear some again as you most likely freshened up before dinner and temperatures drop enough not to sweat everything through. DD loved to dress up though but she loves dresses and sparkly clothes while I do not.

I do agree to some talk about food expectations beforehand if you do things like that. DD could have ice cream, puddings and drinks but only if she would eat decently at mealtimes. Fizzy drinks were mealtimes only, she drank juice and water during the day. AI can be overwhelming, depending on the hotel.

One ice cream a day on an A/I? Surely not?

Just to say that Siam Park perfect for your age kids. We always have a day trip there and thoroughly enjoy it. There’s free buses across the resort that take you there. I think it’s a a really good park catering for all ages. Yes there’s some extreme rides but there’s loads for younger kids too. They’ve just recently added an extra area for younger kids called coco beach, which has a smaller version of the beach and wave pool (there’s a big version too). Oh and they don’t search and confiscate! If you took in a big picnic hamper they might have something to say but a few sandwiches or snacks rolled up in a towel is fine . No issue with taking in drinks either.