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.

With Spanish hotels, always take a star off their claimed rating. A Spanish 4 is a 3 in Greece, Portugal, etc.

I remember us going once when I was a child and my parents saying never again!
We (husband, children and I) went last year for the first time. We thought we'd treat ourselves after COVID and we reasoned that we needed a break from cooking.
Can't say we loved it. It was ok but everything feels so greedy and such amounts of food three times a day +drinks was far too much. I just don't have the discipline to stop after a salad!

We went to an AI in Ibiza too funnily enough and on the Sunday we walked in to all union jacks draped around the dining hall and they was serving a Sunday roast 🙃 it’s just not my cup of tea.

i really do appreciate some people just want home from home cooking, but when I’m on holiday I like to have seafood or something more local.

Both AI I've been to have been way better than this. Doesn't sound 5 star at all. We went 4 star .

i really do appreciate some people just want home from home cooking, but when I’m on holiday I like to have seafood or something more local.

I love AIs for the seafood and there's always local dishes too. Obviously bad ones exist too though but there's always been plenty of seafood at any I've been to.

This is interesting. You see I’ve heard the same said about hotels in Turkey (how a 5 star in Turkey is more like a 3 star elsewhere) but it seems from the comments here that Turkey AI is in really different league - in a good way. It’s all so baffling when you’re trying to decide where to go, I guess that’s the lottery of travelling in some ways!

We have done AI before and it has been the food that lets it down. the best one we did was quite a cheap one - but all the bad reviews on trip advisor were about the food.... 'kids wouldn't eat anything' 'no nuggets' 'too much Turkish food' 'only had kebabs one day' etc

That sold it to us - we were really happy with the food at that one and would happily go back there (but not going to go to Turkey again for political reasons).

😁 This made me laugh. I guess this is why reviews are so subjective aren’t they. I mean if you asked my ex dh if he enjoyed the food on the holiday we went on to Switzerland 20 years ago he’d probably have said it was amazing - he literally lived on chips, bread and cheese the entire time. He was the pickiest eater ever, but thankfully there was a lot of chips, bread and cheese. I tried everything and anything in as many places as I could and enjoyed it in a very different way.

All inclusive is a really mixed bag in general. If you’re looking for luxury and want a really lovely experience in Europe, I’d recommend looking into the Ikos resorts or Sani resort. Admittedly more expensive than what you’ve paid to go to Ibiza. Otherwise, I’d recommend somewhere further afield like Rixos the Palm in Dhabi, some lovely luxury resorts in Maldives. Alternatively, book self catering/B&B/half board and get a nicer hotel and eat out more.

Sorry, Rixos the Palm is Dubai. Abu Dhabi is lovely too!

Gosh, more than happy with that for a week though we do usually branch out a couple of days and mostly eat lunch out.

Thank you. Lots have mentioned these - especially Ikos. Going to enjoy having a think about it all and a browse later.

Just came here to say, most AI I have been on and paid that amount of money, I would say what you experienced in Europe is typical.

If you pay more and go to an Ikos resort or club med they have much better food.

I book mine via travel counselors who are an amazing travel organisation with great advice

We have been to Ikos twice, rated one of the best AI in the world. It's a lovely holiday and very relaxing, so great with small children. But if you are properly into food (we live in London so have our pick of some excellent restaurants, and we don't go out often due to small kids so when we do, we go to some great places), the food isn't all that. People seem to think it's incredible though. It's nicely presented and you won't get a bad meal. But it's not particularly tasty. And I don't want a random fusion of "Asian" food or a French restaurant in Greece thanks. Greek food is lovely, I don't understand why anyone would go to Greece for a holiday and want French food instead. This year we went self catering and basically just ate out every night at the best local restaurants. Self catering doesn't mean you have to cook all your meals - we just did breakfast at home and a few lunches. It was so much better than Ikos purely because of the food, and a darn sight cheaper too.

We do perhaps a week's AI per year. Usually in September when it's quieter. I always have a relaxing week but I don't go for the food, I go for the ease. We'd usually do a 2-week long-haul, multi-destination holiday, another couple of weeks in Europe and some weekends away, all of which are B&B or self-catered with planned and researched itineraries I enjoy the AI offering as I can simply flop, read in the pool with a glass of wine and not really have to think too much about the holiday. The buffet experience is pretty ubiquitous but usually there are several a la carte options available and depending on the hotel (thinking Ikos and MarBella Elix in Greece) the food and wine offerings can be particularly good.

@TonTonMacoute I agree and the thing is you will have people on here saying the food was amazing somewhere and like the OP you find it's all chips, poor quality pizza and miscellaneous looking meat in gravy etc and semi ok salads - most of which has been mangled by the buffet system. One persons amazing is another persons adequate- it all depends to what level you eat at home- and that's why we opt for s/c or B&B only- if you are in an AI and have paid you feel kind of obliged to eat there every night coz you've paid for it. If you go to a crap restaurant if you are S/c you just don't go back

That sounds really bad! Although we've only been to AI hotels twice, and both were ClubMed (Mauritius and Dominican Republic) - the food at both was amazing, with beautiful fruit / veg sculptures every day, different stations for freshly cooked meat/fish/stir fries/pasta/specialities from all over the world - different each day.
But we do go half board regularly. If 4/5 stars, at breakfast there is normally a hot food buffet which is kept fresh, an egg chef who will make omelettes, fried eggs, eggs benedict etc, another one for pancakes. Lunch can be a buffet, but nothing like you've described - fresh salads, various dishes to choose from like curries, pasta etc.
I think you were unlucky.

I suppose the closest I've been to AI is a mini cruise, and food is a big part of cruising. We first went on Celebrity Cruise and the food was fantastic. Then I bigged up cruising to my sister and she joined us on P&O - OMG the food was awful except at dinner. Cost was the same but I'd never ever go P&O again, and if that had been our first experience would never have gone on a cruise again
And I think it's terrible that people feel they have to apologise for spending money on a holiday and have to explain and justify it. Surely we are mature enough to understand that people are on different incomes/different priorities/different circumstances and not castigate them if there's an issue for not 'reading the room'?

Stunning resorts but would be well out of my budget!!

@IamSallyBowles that's the my H would book too!!! Lol

I've also found in lower star AI hotels that they often have some specials on that in my experience are largely ignored by British customers. I've had some really nice Spanish dishes and great fresh fish and also bizarrely some good sushi.

They do if they go to Ikos.

I wouldn't stay at an all inclusive which doesn't have more restaurants than just the buffet.

We did our first all inclusive last year and came away feeling the same (like you, we did a lot of research into the hotels)...the meal times just felt so rushed. Like we were all on a conveyer belt & not much atmosphere.

We also have ND kids, and I think being tied to eating at certain times, and the busy atmosphere didn't help matters either.

We had a nice enough time, but won't be booking another one.

Quite simply because not everyone likes Greek food or wants to eat it every day.

If you are looking for a gastro experience AI won’t deliver it ime. But it has its advantages in other ways, no extra spend, I find the dc love being able to order their own food and drink etc.

5* AI I wouldn’t do personally because if I was going to spend that much on a holiday I wouldn’t want AI.