Do you ever wish you’d just booked an all inclusive?

[raffamooie]

Dh and I love travelling and seeing new places. Like everyone we have limited annual leave.

We take one 2 week break a year and then shorter ones. We’ve just returned from 2 weeks of travelling around South Africa. Amazing trip. Saw and did so much. But it wasn’t hugely relaxing. We’ve come back from the trip feeling tired.

We sorta wish in future to simply book a 5* all inclusive in the med in September for 10 days. Not worry about anything other than relaxing.

I think we’d be a bit bored and feel we’re wasting a chance to see different places and cultures.

There's room in life for a bit of everything. Make your next trip away an all-inclusive relax-fest and enjoy the time to just chill.

I'd definitely like to try that sort of holiday. The thought of not having to think or plan anything for a week or two sounds very appealing. It wouldn't stop me doing a bit of exploring I don't think; I wouldn't feel like I'd lost much if I left the hotel and had to pay for drinks and food on a day out.

A holiday doesn’t have to be one or the other, mix it up with a bit of both. A few years ago we took our 8 month old to Central America, 4 hotels over 14 nights, jungle lodge etc, however one of the locations was 5 nights all inclusive at a 5*, gave us the chill time in the middle of the holiday, not thinking about where to get food for the little one, it was perfect! We have since recreated this in a trip to Croatia/bosnia/montengro. Lots of day trips, 5 different hotels/lake houses, but ended in a 4 night all inclusive.it was the most relaxed I’d felt in ages. It’s my favourite way to holiday now, especially with a 4 yr old.

After my first experience of them, I feel like a week AI every year would be just the ticket. I love road trips, going to different cities and driving around or taking the train here and there, but it’s tiring and a lot of thinking when you have to keep checking into places, finding them, deciding where to eat every night. Fun but can be exhausting. AI can be monotonous after a while but 5-7 nights is pretty sweet.

Do a few days of all inclusive at the end OR come back a day or two early and have a couple of days to rest at home before work

road trips or trips with multiple destinations / activities are great, but you do need a holiday from your holiday
2 weeks in a all inclusive, just staying there would be my idea of hell
but if does not have to be one or the other
not so long ago we did a week and a half in a all inclusive in Turkey, we spend one day at the pool, 2 days on day trips, one lazy day the hotel, 1 full active day, 1 day at the hotel, then sightseeing- I never came back more relaxed! It was great
we also tend to do it for the grandparents- we go out first a week and a bit sightseeing and road tripping - stay in cheaper hotels and at the end we meet with them for a 3-4 nights in the all inclusive - that way we do get quality time with them and we enjoy the relaxing after a week and a half of long active days

i hear you, I’ve only ever really done adventure travel, this year for the first time I’m doing AI 5* 10 days of doing nothing!!

It wouldn’t be for me. We hire a villa and spend our days exploring. Eating in different restaurants is my favourite and I’d get sick of the same thing all the time. Some hotels you can get a day pass. We were thinking of doing this once, but decided against it in the end as it was a lovely day and we wanted to be out and about!

Echoing pp's, do a bit of both. For example we have done 10 days in Portugal, AI for 3 days maybe and self catering in a different area for the rest. It really does break up the holiday too.

For me 2 weeks/10 days AI without doing anything means I feel I wasted my holiday.

We found the ideal scenario is a 2/3 Center holiday with either a relaxing break in the middle or at the end.

Last year we did Boston and New York and had 4 days Newport in the middle to hang out.

This year we do 5 days Berlin and a week Chiemsee and walks/sitting at the lake or the garden of the holiday home and do as much or less as we want.

We often to 4 nights somewhere and then go to an AI for the remainder of the holiday. I like the best of both worlds.

We try to schedule in a couple of days that are beach/pool relaxation days for this reason, or sometimes half days of relaxation.

The last full day as a chill out day works well

Just go for a week and not 10 days.

I never understand these threads, you do know you can leave an AI resort you don't have to stay there. Since having DS we do a 4/5* AI but hire a car and make sure there are other things to do within driving distance. Some relaxing days, some exhausting days, lots of activity, but great facilities.

No. I’ve never gone on an AI holiday. I doubt they’re for me.

We go on one AI trip per year, either turkey, Mexico or Caribbean. I would only go AI to 4/5* places. I don't see the value in going AI to 'safer' European countries as we like eating out different places. I love being able to totally relax on at least one trip a year.

I also vote combining - by all means book an all inclusive resort and spend most of the time by the pool/beach relaxing. But hire a car, even if just for a few days, to explore some local sites, or see if the resort offers some day trips or boat trips or whatever.

god no never! I much prefer doing my own thing - going out to eat in different places !

I do usually do a holiday with a lot of exploring and then another one later in the year to relax - but never AI - i'd do an apartment with a pool or a villa with a pool - mostly sit around the pool relaxing -but heading out for meals and drinks / beach days etc

I've only done one AI and found it so boring. We usually combine some travelling around, seeing cities etc, with a beach break, so a week of each.

I get bored easily...yes relaxing for a few days in a hotel is lovely, but I would absolutely need day trips out doing something more exciting or cultural if there for 4+ nights

In fact my biggest complaint about AI is that people become so focused around the availability of the food and spend so much more time in the buffet/eating and this to me is really boring than actually doing something.

All inclusive attracts a certain sort of people!

We do all inclusive but don’t spend the whole time eating, drinking by the pool. We go out for meals and day trips and enjoy some lazy days too. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Never!

I hate all inclusive!

We usually do full on holidays too. The one time we tried the All Inclusive holiday, we only survived the week because we booked a 1 day trip and hired bikes for another day.
We wouldn't be able to lie on a sunlounger for a whole week never mind two.