Coming to the end of our first all inclusive and wondering if they’re all a bit like this…? Or if it’s our family that doesn’t fit them?

[Xrays]

We’re staying at a 4/5 star resort in Ibiza. It’s got very good reviews on trip advisor, good reviews online elsewhere etc and I know - before someone pounces on me - that we are incredibly lucky to have a holiday at all, yet alone this one, considering how much people are struggling financially right now. This holiday was booked and paid for with some inheritance money from my Mums passing just before covid and has been rebooked and cancelled many times. It’s our first time abroad as a family, Ds aged 11 who has autism and dd aged 20 (normally at university). We’re a close family, and dd really wanted to come, no issues with all being together etc (I know lots of people here are often horrified at older teens etc going on holiday with them)!

But it’s all been a bit underwhelming. Mainly the food aspect. Most of the food is buffet style with kids running riot, it feels like a school canteen with lots of kids screaming, everything feels sort of cheaply done - pizzas that are freshly cooked only have a small amount of topping in the very middle and edges bare etc, the pasta dishes are basically like pasta bakes you could make yourself from a jar from Tesco, lots and lots of chips and everything at breakfast feels like it’s sat out there for ages - except for omelettes which they cook in front of you. I’m kind of sick of omelettes now…! Feels a bit like if Haven did an all inclusive- and just to be clear, I love Haven and we go there every year but I wouldn’t consider Haven 4/5 star and pay to eat there all inclusive!

I guess what I’m wondering is if we were / are just a bit unlucky and other places are better / have more fresh food cooked to order or if they’re all a bit like this? Or maybe we’re just really fussy? (Perhaps we are). I’m thinking ahead to our next holiday and just not sure whether to look at another all inclusive or whether to go for self catering - and use that as a base and eat out (and that’s basically what we’ve ended up doing this time, we’ve given up trying to eat here, which is a shame as we’ve paid ££££ already for food…)! I don’t feel I’ve had a holiday if I have to cook as I do that all the time at home.

Looking to see what other’s experiences are and if you have any ideas of better AIs or elsewhere throw them at me….! Or just tell me they’re all like this and I’m being too fussy and I’ll look for self catering apartments etc.

Decent all inclusives eg the Rui chain in Jamaica have full al la carte menus with food from around the world. The dining rooms are beautiful, peaceful, there are no children running about and the service is exemplary. Many of the restaurants have Michelin stars. As with many things in life, you get what you pay for. Equally, the AI we went to in St. Lucia was so bad that I started to miss breakfast and spent extra to eat out. Again, we pretty much got what we paid for. A popular cheap hotel in a tourist area catering for families is not necessarily going to be the best option for those seeking something more refined. At the same time, they're pretty good for families who have many mouths to feed and whose children want to play in the pool, grab and snack and continue playing without having to get dressed to eat out.

Really interesting comments, thank you.

I had it in my head that dd (young adult) would enjoy the cocktails and food around the pool, and Ds (who has fairly complex autism and attends specialist school) would find something to eat as he can be very picky with food (used to be under a dietician for restricted eating, although he’s quite willing to try most things now!) so thought he could try lots of new things and it wouldn’t matter if they weren’t his cup of tea… ! But the overall noise is like something out of a school / nursery canteen with lots of kids screaming and running about and it all feels quite stressful, and he’s mainly had chips and dry pizza if we eat there - so obviously we’ve made him comfortable and gone on boat trips / taxi rides to local beaches and eaten there instead as we just want to have a nice time. (I’ve had a really difficult year with lots of biopsies and tests and just wanted to treat everyone).

I think in the future we will look at nicer hotels and just eat out more. I do like the idea of AI but it seems from the comments that unless we go further away maybe this isn’t a totally unique experience…!

Sounds grim.

I would never go AI if it was buffet service. In my opinion, it’s only worth it if it’s 5 star with several restaurants, otherwise I imagine it’s a bit Butlins. It needs to be a la carte (and preferably, no children).

Doesn't sound like a good AI, we went to the Hyatt Ziva in Cancun and the food was incredible. The only meal that was 'buffet' was breakfast, and even that had an omelette station, eggs cooked to order, lobster, champagne in ice buckets etc , the rest was included ala carte restaurants, I think you could also do buffet for lunch but they had lovely snack bars and streetfood trucks and we weren't always there all day, so would eat out. The pool waiters remembered your drink order and another would appear as you'd finished one. They'd bring round cooling face towels etc.
If you do AI you need to go really high end.
To be fair we went to a 4* AI this year in Greece and the food was decent, not like it was in Mexico but tasty, fresh and generous if a little repetitive at times. They also had 3 ala carte restaurants and we did eat out a couple of nights.
We're only really doing AI at the moment because it's easy with small DC. Once he's older we'll go back to boutique hotels and lots of local restaurants

I’ve never been AI but I always assumed people booked them for the endless free alcohol, rather than the food.

I went to an AI in Lanzarote for the last week of June and first week of July. The first week was as you describe, underwhelming. The second week, the quality of food improved significantly. It also got significantly busier, I came to the conclusion that July marks the beginning of the on-season and that’s when they can be bothered to put a bit more effort in.

A lot of people who use AIs just like the convenience and aren’t actually that bothered by the food. For me, AIs are worth it if you’ve fussy kids or you know you’ll get the benefit during the day so at the beach or by the pool. I don’t like to spend 100% of my holiday by the beach/pool but I like a few pool/beach days. So I factor in a few euros per drink and 6 drinks over the course of the day, a couple more euros if having an alcoholic drink, breakfast and lunch for everyone for 50% of our holiday days and if the room rate for AI is cheaper then I do it. I prefer to go out in the evening to somewhere local. DH complained about this on Lanzarote but once he worked out he was saving by not having to buy drinks, food and snacks for things we didn’t care about he was fine with going out into town for something in the evening.

I’m gking to an AI resort for the first time this year because of the kids clubs. If it weren’t for that we would be doing a different kind of holiday. Wouldn’t do a AI resort if it were just DH and me

I much prefer to eat out at proper restaurants each night. I agree AI are often like canteens with kids running around. We’ve found adult only ones are better, obviously only useful when your DC aren’t going.

Not all AI hotels are the same, and absolutely none of them are prisons - you are allowed out. I have been to a number of excellent ones around the world. I also recently went to one that was less than great. The same is true of any accomodation - just because others like it (or don't like it) doesn't mean that you will feel the same. The dreadful one we recently visited had bloody great reviews, and I wondered if the people had actually ever set foot in it! And people fo all ages go AI - there really isn't such a thing as kids being too old for it. It depends on the hotel.

We only do 5* for all Inc.

Anything else (we stay at 3 & 4 star) we do self catering.

I prefer a 5* hotels where there isn't a lot else going on outside of the resort,

We tend to like to go out all day and do activities, in which case we usually do a self catering 3-4*

I went on my first package/resort type holiday this year. We swithered over going all inclusive or not but decided no in the end.

I’m glad we did because it meant we could could eat at all the restaurants in the resort and obv had the option of going out, whereas all inclusive could only eat at the buffet restaurant. And we still spent less than going all inclusive!

I think it's horses for courses. If you have young kids it's probably great, all the food they want, pools, kids club etc. and NOISE lol.

On the other hand if you are single, a couple, or a family with older kids like OP, then self catering, air bnb, a good smallish hotel are probably better bets.

I know I personally would not any aspect of AI, or mass occupancy package hotels and so on. Not because I am a total snob, more because it is not my type of holiday! I just don't like being part of a big crowd and queuing for food, and in my shyness (!) shuffling around for a sunbed thinking everyone is looking at me. They are not, but that's what I feel!

Anyway, OP a quieter lodging or apartment might suit you better. That way you can escape the noise of kids, sit on your terrace, order in some food, and explore the nearest town for food, drinks and a little shopping mooch. And privacy, a big thing for me and something I am prepared to pay for.

Ibiza an expensive part of Spain so for the money you have paid yes perhaps it didn't seem worth it.

Did you have an Al la carte restaurants in your hotel? This usually breaks the AL food up.

I've always done Al and found good food to eat.

We’ve been AI a fair few times and mostly they are average tbh, I read rave reviews about a place in Majorca and it was dreadful (it was only 3 and we never AI 3 these days so should have known better - it was pirate themed and we thought DS would love it and he was not fussed either!)

Anyway I find mostly they are very convenient with young children, we have a 4 year old and having everything needed all of the time on demand is fabulous and makes for relaxation. But I think mostly they are geared towards people who don’t really want or need to leave the resort, which is fine, but isn’t us.

For me, if you’re getting AI for an extra couple of hundred then it’s worth it, otherwise self catering would be fine for us and we’ll probably go back to that next year. We actually went to an all inclusive in Ibiza last year and it was pretty good, but mainly because it had an on site waterpark rather than the food being decent.

I think most AI are like this and I would never do one again. They are cheaper for a reason. I did them when I was younger and when less emphasis is on food when you’re away with your girlfriends. But yes, they are all a bit canteeny and some stuff (even in 5 star resorts) resembles cat food and it’s out out every night. One year I’m sure my toddler just survived on buttered French stick all week.

The clientele who like to ‘get their moneys worth’ of lager and ice cream for the kids also put me off. Sorry if that makes me sound a snob. Really good resorts, don’t tend to offer all inclusive.

@Purplepepsi @Xrays I have just come back from Mitis Hotel in Crete Greece absolutely fabulous AL food drinks perfect it is a 5 Star resort ! Usually go bed And breakfast which I do prefer ! Only because I was sick of eating after 3 days 🤣 xxxx

Never been AI, just not my sort of thing at all. But to be honest, I wouldn't stay in a resort at all even with kids or teens. Would rather self cater or stay in a small boutique style or family run hotel/B&B and eat decent quality local food at restaurants. Occasionally we've been able to find some great small hotels like this with really good restaurants on our travels over the years.

I've just come back from an AI and have done a few when the dc were young as it's easier and cheaper. The food has always been good with lots of choice and lots of fresh food, salads and fruit. It's not Michelin star, but it was nice enough. Sounds like you had poor one.

Have you read reviews on Trip Advisor @Xrays to see how your experience compares? There are levels of AL though and you pay through the nose for the higher end ones.

We were HB at Seaside Los Jameos and we upgraded to AI for the last few days. The food was lovely- fresh fish cooked for you and a huge variety of different things you could have. I did find the AI a bit overwhelming and was glad were HB for most of it as although the food was high quality, it did get a bit repetitive going to the same place for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

We paid £4k ish for this holiday, so wasn’t exactly cheap, although yes Ibiza can be expensive (I’m not moaning about the cost overall, just whether for that much you’d expect more), we’re in a beautiful quieter area. The one thing I will say is the location is lovely. I find myself reading the comments online saying how lovely the food is here and wondering where the people have eaten because it certainly doesn’t seem to be here! And then I think maybe it’s just us that’s really fussy. So that’s why I’m coming here to post about it and judge it via people’s experiences.

The nicest thing I’ve had to eat all week was this lunchtime - a jacket potato with cheese and black olives and sweetcorn on the side 😆 I mean, that’s fine and it was nice but it says a lot if I feel that’s the best thing I’ve had all week. Just because it was simple and hot and fresh and the olives etc were nice.

I think you may just have picked the wrong place.

As to the why choose AI, it may not be the case for the OP, but the budgeting certainty and a holiday from having to handle much money would seem two good reasons to me.

Dh and I have been on AI a couple of times over the last few years, a week of no stress and no kids.
however we do take plenty of spending money so we aren’t at the mercy of the food in the hotel! Recently we went to one and it had 3 different restaurants you could go to (we tried 2 of them, one was good and one was bad but then we had the backup of the buffet!), we ate at the buffet first and last night and other nights we went out for lunch and dinner. The buffet was good and there was a huge selection but it’s repetitive.
We also haven’t encountered screaming kids or lots of shouting etc so maybe we’ve just been lucky.
With dc we never go AI, we have a villa and all have our own space/bedrooms and freedom to eat what we want when we want to.

I’ve never booked an all-inclusive holiday because I assume it’s tailored towards the type of people who are more about quantity rather than quality when it comes to food and drink.

Especially hotels in areas that are popular with the Brits and set-up for the egg and chip brigade.

Omg a jacket potato?! Jesus Christ that’s a sad sounding holiday 🫣