Cheapest? Half board, self catering (ie often eating out!) or All inclusive?

[indianwoman]

As the title says. I'm wondering is it cheaper to pay more initially for breakfast and evening meal and buy a snacky lunch than more bed and breakfast? Surely AI isn't better value? Just more convenient?
Just trying to keep costs down but without being a miserable holiday for me and watching costs on ice creams etc!
Probably Spain, Greece, Turkey beach type hols.

Has anyone costed this out or have educated guesses? Please?

My kids are at the age were AI is just easier now in terms of snacks / drinks / ice creams / taking themselves to breakfast. We eat out at least every other day though. I can see in a couple of years we will go back to s/c.

Yep, Dd loves just being able to go off and get exactly what she wants, when she wants without me contemplating if she's spent too much already

We stayed in Sorrento HB last year (our first "abroad" holiday since Covid having done a few years of all inclusive.

Boy, it would have been incredibly expensive to do either bed and breakfast or self cater. Our hotel did a beautiful breakfast and good coffee (surprisingly not always the norm in Italy) with a small but perfectly adequate hot buffet as well as pastries, continental, and eggs to order anyway you fancied.

Dinner was a la carte and 4 courses ... a lovely salad buffet to start then a choice of a few fresh pasta dishes for actual starter. Every meal was beautiful.

So yes - definitely price your honestly what self catering or b and b would cost you and especially don't underestimate the cost of just soft drinks and water in the day particularly if you have young kids.

Then if HB or AI seem better look at the food reviews. We really enjoyed that our hotel this time was small as it I think this was reflected in the care taken making meals.

I would also like to say there are some great AIs out there and over the years they hey served us really well especially when DD was very little as the meal time flexibility was so helpful. I do get quite pissed off with the blanket snobbery they attract on MN

We did AI a couple of times, when DD was between 7-12 mainly. No worries about another drink or ice cream, no wondering where to do lunch.

We ate out though as we always go out and explore so I am pretty sure we overpaid but the convenience was worth it.

Then 2 years ago, first time after Covid, and I was utterly disappointed. It may have been that particular resort but the a la carte restaurants were awful, the pool bars had nothing on offer during the day outside lunch, drink choices were small. And it was a 4* one, before Covid we had a lot better resorts with better value for money.

Also DD outgrew the need for constant snacks.

We would now go for half-board without a buffet in sight.

No need for the sneery tone.

As plenty of people have explained, an AI can be brilliant if you are on holiday with kids/teens where the focus is the pool/beach and convenience. We've been to ones where there is lots of variety of food always including plenty of fresh, fruit & veg, plus the kids get to try new dishes and foods which we perhaps wouldn't order for them in a restaurant in case they didn't like them.

If I was going on a couples break to Venice with DH, then trying different restaurants would be part of the experience. Horses for courses but it doesn't mean we're all 'brits abroad'.

Oh yes it does. But that’s fine cause I’ve got the rest of the world to explore, far better options and far better costings without being embarrassed by the rest of the hotel.

I've got two teens, 17 and 12. I'd like the flexibility of them just going and get what they want , when they want, but sometimes AI means you can get one drink between 10 and 12 and then nothing between 4-7pm or something like that. We will explore but it would be a fairly lazy pool/beach/trips holiday.
I'm hoping not to spend more than £2500, for one adult and two kids but I think that is only achievable with b and b or half board at a push.
On the other hand I do have extra money and I'd rather pay it up front than be saying, just have water with your meal, not coke , and then be paying an equivalent amount at the end from our room number bill!
Thanks for all the advice. I don't really mind where we go so I will think about what you've all said and keep on browsing!

@somewhereovertherain wowzers! Don't think you're quite as classy as you think you are 😉

Half board is my least favourite option.

It's probably lucky for you that you are so much more sophisticated and worldly than us plebs, I must go back to my bowl of chips and gravy.

We did AI for the first time two years ago, didn't book it initially but upgraded when we got to the hotel because it seemed like good value. We're definitely converted! With two kids it was so much easier for them to be able to help themselves to drinks and ice creams whenever and then with drinks including alcohol it did work out cheaper I think than if we had not been AI. I was slightly bored with the food by the end of the holiday and I do like eating in different places so would probably end up going back to SC or B&B when DC are too old to come with us but for now it's just the most convenient and best value option for us.
If you don't drink alcohol though it's probably not going to be financially worth it but DH and I do so it was lovely to try all the cocktails on the menu!

It's my favourite as it's often hardly any more expensive than B&B and you can usually flex between lunch or dinner so it doesn't stop you going out.

Which hotel please - it sounds awesome? particularly the good coffee, I bring coffee bags just in case but they're not the same.

I think if your budget is tight you are better off going all inclusive and having the total cost fixed. Definitely work out the cost difference between b&b and all inclusive though. We are not really resort people, our trips tend to be more city orientated, but as a guide our last trip was Malta (low season over Easter) I believe we spent £900 on food (we are 2 adults, 9 year old and a 12 year old) that was 8 dinners and 9 lunches, and incidentals ice cream or cake. Breakfast was included with the hotels. We are not big drinkers, that was a sit down meal in the evening, and a mixture of light lunches and on a couple of occasions food from the supermarket for lunch on the go. I think Malta was pretty reasonable for food prices, I reckon in other places we have spent more.

We looked into self catering and all inclusive, it wasn’t that much more expensive to do all inclusive, then look at the cost of buying food and hopefully there’s going to be a supermarket near where you’re going to be staying or decent places to eat, we’ve recently done an all inclusive holiday and only spent €150 if we went self catering then we’ll be looking at €50 for a meal for 2!
so for us 2 adults we’re sticking with all inclusive

AI is massively cheaper for us. Family of 4 where the 2 teen DC eat like adults. At 5'7 I'm the shortest in the family!

We do eat three meals a day and the DC enjoy the constant stream of snacks, drinks and iced treats. (I would have a snack instead of a meal).

We'd easily spend the equivalent of £100-£120 going out for our evening meal.

It's never stopped us going out and doing things though. One fab AI provided pack lunches! They were massive too. (Only happened once though)

For us knowing we don't ever have to worry about food or drink has allowed us to relax and enjoy our holidays. Spending money on days out and public transport.

My husband has coeliac disease so we won't risk AI due to cross contamination.
We look for apartment hotels ideally 2 beds as cant bare sharing a room together but on a site with other people or some activities/entertainment for thr kids. We then get kitchen facilities to sort our own lunch and keep some wine to hand.

We've done HB and b&b before as like to get out of onsite restaurants rather than eat in same place every night. Yes eating out adds up but weve found that's a good balance.

I LOVE all inclusive holidays. I have 3 teenage children who eat a lot.

We usually do a self catering ski trip every year and those day to day costs really add up. Meals out are really expensive. Summer holidays are usually camping in France.

We did an AI holiday a couple of years ago and I thought it was amazing. Children just helped themselves to whatever they wanted. I loved the buffet style meals, I enjoy salads and ate really healthily. I'm vegetarian so there was so much variety for me rather than one option in a restaurant.

I also tried loads of cocktails each evening. I usually would just have one as they are expensive.

I can't wait yo ho on another AI holiday!

@StiffyByngsDogBartholomew
I really want chips and gravy now

@rookiemere
We stayed at Hotel Caravel in Sant Agnello ... about 5 mins by its regular shuttle bus into Sorrento. So close enough to the buzz but almost on a residential street so lovely and quiet.

We were about a 10 minute walk tops from several nice bars and cafes too.

We loved it and would go back again. That pasta at dinner was divine

@Figgygal
my DH is coeliac also
We’ve never had an issue with the gf food at an AI although I do of course realise that some people are more cautious re cross contamination
and of course depends on the location and hotel and it might be too late if you realise when you get there it’s too risky
he does take small amount of gf bread etc
However most places we’ve been to in recent years including Turkey and Spain have been very careful and have done things like provide gf croissant or rolls individually wrapped and cooked stuff like chips separately if possible

My sister has found the same regarding coeliac, they're particularly good at the TUI blue/ holiday village type places.

Speaking for term time prices, all inclusive has absolutely been better value for us. The price difference is often only a few hundred pounds, and for 2 adults one child I cant imagine us spending less than £100 per day on food or drinks, even if we factored in at least 1 meal a day eating back at the apartment.

Would you like some baked beans to tip over it too ? I know when I go to the AI abroad I like nothing more than to slather myself in everything I gobble down at home and kick off like a right fishwife if they haven't got the right lambrini at the karaoke bar or HP sauce to go on my bangers and mash.

in relation to your well observed "I do get quite pissed off with the blanket snobbery they attract on MN "..

sadly some people on MN think that sneering at the choices other people make (eg Pandora bracelets, certain brands of clothing and makeup, AIs) somehow makes them look more clever and sophisticated, as if anyone is going to be impressed by some total nobody on the internet you'll never meet claiming they wouldn't dream of going where everyone else goes because they are far too cool. Maybe they are just jealous because you can afford it and they can't 🫢

i could tell people I spent 4 months trekking round central Africa on a camel if I wanted to and who are you to argue whether I did or didn't. I also really resemble Jodie Kidd

@indianwoman Jet2 currently have money off July and August holidays, and a few free child spots available dotted around. If you can go the very last week of school holidays (maybe miss the first day back?) there are a fair amount of 4* all inclusives available for under £2500. I was looking from Manchester, but there were others available too.