First time all inclusive

[Cuwins]

Looking at the possibility of doing an all inclusive holiday for the first time next year. Looking for recommendations on where to go. Would be 2 adults and DD 2 years.

We would probably be looking at Oct time as we don't like it very hot- max mid 20's.

Would be DD's first flight so not more than 4hrs ideally and with transfer of no more than 1hr to resort.

DD likes to swim but not water parks etc and neither my partner or I are massive pool people so doesn't need massive fancy pools.

We would like a sandy beach near by but also other things to do- a town a short distance away for instance as we are not people to spend all day on beach or by pool.

A playground would be a big plus for DD as would any activities for her age.

Something that's not too noisy/not a party hotel is essential as we are not nightlife people at all.

Food is important to us but not fancy just plenty of variety and tasty ideally somewhere we can try some of the local food as it seems a shame to go abroad and not do that.

Does such a place exist?

Portugal has great beaches and a short flight time.

We've been to Fuengirola the last few years in October. It's a nice temperature. The hotel we've been at has a beach directly across the road, shops/bars/restaurants nearby and a bus into the main town directly outside. May be worth looking at.

Thanks. What was the hotel called?

Kumara Serenoa in Maspalomas, Gran Canaria, ticks all of those boxes. We've been twice with Jet2. Food is themed each night and good quality, with lots of choice. Playpark near the bar and each room has it's own terrace area, ideal to sit with drinks after the little one goes to bed.

That looks nice but jet2 only fly from Stanstead which is a bugger for us to get to. Needs to be Gatwick or at a push Heathrow

What is the budget OP? If you can stretch to IKOS Resorts, they sound perfect for your wish list. Not cheap but ultra all inclusive, would recommend.

Not set one at the moment as we aren't really sure what we will have to spend to get what we want. However we can be flexible with dates to get the best deals

We just came back from Malta and had a lovely time. The weather was sunny and warm. We stayed at an AI resort in Mellieħa for its sandy beaches and did full board. The buffet restaurants were great and there was plenty of variety. I'm sure you can do half board or opt out if you wanted to eat out. For the kids there was a kids pool, kids club, games room, bowling etc. On the island, there were plenty of things for the kids: the national aquarium, a Playmobil Fun park, Meditteraneo marine park, a water park, and Popeye's village. The island is relatively small and places to explore include Valetta (known for its restaurants and architecture), Mdina (The Old Town) and Gozo.

I second the Algarve. We stayed at the Tivoli Alvor this summer and it had everything you’re looking for. Uber was super cheap as well so easy to get into the local town for dinner etc when we were a bit bored of buffet food. Beach is just across a bridge or they have a little train you can hop on.
Another plus was that there’s no time difference to the UK.

We’ve just got back from Ikos Olivia and I would say you’ve perfectly described it in what you’re looking for. It’s not cheap though, I found the best value by booking flights myself and then booking accommodation direct with Ikos (they then include free private transfers). It’s all inclusive but they offer a dine around option where you can eat in a local restaurant, we hired bikes for a day so we could explore the local area and you can have use of a Tesla for a day to explore further afield. They have excellent kids club options and the beach was lovely. We went over half term so it was full but still felt lovely and calm and peaceful everywhere. The food was excellent.

@Cuwins it's Globales Gardenia. Was a good mix of ages at the hotel too.

By October pools maybe starting to get too chilli for a 2 year old. I’m a big fan of the TUI blue family concept for young children.