Self catering vs all inclusive

[Pickingmyselfup]

I'm just looking at the prices of hotels for a holiday and all inclusive works out as being £1500 more expensive for a week for a family of 4 than self catering. That works out at £208 for all of us a day.

That needs to cover all meals and drinks as well as snacks. I think if we went self catering the liklihood is that we would spend less but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't much.

We just spent 4 nights at Butlins and whilst we weren't being either flash or frugal I bet we spent at least £500 on all food and drink and that was with some good discounts. We are going to the Canaries where food and drinks are cheaper but I bet not by much. We ate out 3 nights, 3 lunches, one breakfast, no desserts after our meals and not many treats like ice cream either.

All inclusive appeals for the ease, we don't need to worry about what the fussy kids will eat, if they want an ice cream or dessert it's not an issue.

Self catering appeals because we can visit different places and we aren't stuck with what the hotel has to offer but if we ate out every day I could imagine it wouldn't cost that much less if you did it like for like. I always get stuck doing the cooking as always and would feel like we had to be careful about letting the kids have dessert or ice cream.

We are going to visit family really so we know where to eat and drink so that's a big plus for self catering. We are happy to have breakfast in our apartment but it's the dinner and little extras that I like to spend money on and I like a drink too.

I really can't decide what is best to be honest so please let me know your experiences.

The family consists of:
Me-eats most things, drinks alcohol
Husband-fussy eater, drinks a little out but hardly anything
Children aged 7 and 9 by next year and currently are very fussy, would rather graze than eat a meal and love an ice cream.

We haven't been overseas since 2016 when my eldest was a baby. We've had a couple of Cornwall breaks and Butlins so I don't want to have to scrimp.

We are looking at almost 4K for an all inclusive holiday or a bit under £2500 for self catering. 4K is affordable but it seems so expensive for a week, I might be out of touch though.

TheBirdintheCave · Yesterday 20:51

MrsSkylerWhite · Yesterday 20:25

The second is a holiday, the first isn’t.
Well to me being trapped in one place for a week isn't a holiday 🤷🏻‍♀️ Good job we're all different! 🙂”

Why are you trapped in a hotel? You can walk through the gates and get on a bus/train/walk. We’re not resort people at all. Don’t like lounging on a beach but do enjoy being catered at mealtimes and not having to tidy up a rental when you leave.

My preference is always b and b. I hate eating in same place every night and my kids love hotel breakfasts (and I never need lunch then). Stayed somewhere recently that was b and b apartments which was perfect. Breakfast paid for, had lunch in apartment (or out if we were out for day) and then somewhere different each evening.

@MrsSkylerWhite Are most AI resorts not in the middle of nowhere with the idea being that all you do is stay there? I happily stay in hotels in cities.

TheBirdintheCave · Today 10:20

@MrsSkylerWhite Are most AI resorts not in the middle of nowhere with the idea being that all you do is stay there? I happily stay in hotels in cities.”

We stayed at one on Crete when the children were young and they were a relatively new concept. There was a bus stop right outside and we could access all of the sights, Knossos, etc. easily. The kids got to do a bit of beaching and we didn’t have to cook/clear up.

near retirement now, probably wouldn’t go again but it was ideal with children.

@MrsSkylerWhite I don't cook on holiday either, we always eat out bar breakfast which is only toast and cereal so very limited clearing up.

Glad you had a good time when you went to an AI :) I'd love to see Knossos one day.

Depends how good the AI is. Is it 4/5star? If not I think it's hit and miss. We've been to canaries a few times and always did SC but ends we go to turkey we always go AI as I find the standard is better. Canaries is quite cheap and lots of choice.

All inclusive for me as it tackles the drinks and ice cream aspect for kids. If kids want an ice cream every day at €3 per kid, that soon mounts up on top of meal costs, buying enough water, other drinks.

I would just read reviews beforehand to see what the food is like.

We did AI once but it wasn’t a good option for us, I found it boring eating in the same place every day. We ended up eating out 4 nights out of 7. We also didn’t really eat much for lunch as we were full from the big breakfast. It wasn’t cost effective for us at all.

I think SC or breakfast only is a better option.
More flexibility and works out cheaper for us as a family of four. We are also one of those families that love looking round the foreign supermarkets!

I'm pretty sure we have decided on AI just for the ease of dealing with the kids. Based on how they are now if they are hungry they want food quick and they aren't bothered about different restaurants and neither is my husband. I've eaten in many of them over the years but my favourite ones aren't really the kids scene.

I want to stay closer in though so we can wander around, have some drinks and an ice cream on occasion but the hotel is nearby if we want to eat a proper meal. Plus it's nearer to my parents house so easier to meet up and go to theirs too.

I think self catering would be perfect for me alone, I'm not fussy and I love to try out different places but the other 3 family members are awkward sods.

So another question, anybody had any dealings with holiday gems? They are cropping up on the comparison sites, sometimes cheaper than Jet2, sometimes not but I've never heard of them.

Just cooking and washing up is worth extra £1.5k to me

Just had a brilliant AI holiday with my kids. 14 and 9. It was just so relaxing!

Younger one is quite fussy so it was a bit of a weight off not having to think about “will he eat anything here” each day, or having to cook.

We’ve done SC both in the UK and abroad before and there are definitely plusses, but I think if you eat out all the time it works out more expensive.

OP, I think if you always end up cooking, and others are fussy, I’d go for the AI

To get an all inclusive with restaurant quality food we would be looking at £5/6+ in the summer hols for our family.

b&b and eat out for lunch and dinner cake to £3.5k. So much cheaper and able to try lots of different local places to eat. So much better.

I hate all the constant getting up to go to the buffet of most AI places.

I have never heard of Holiday Gems either, we always go via TUI (or old Thomson / First Choice) if we are doing a package and never had an issue. Jet2 most people seem to say are fine. Holiday Gems have some shocking reviews. I would be wary.