I haven't been an on beach/pool holiday for decades and never AI..

[Lambswools]

When I was young, that's what a holiday was. It wasn't a "proper" holiday unless it involved laying in the sun and eating a drinking too much.

Over that last couple of decades my holidays have been based around "doing" or seeing stuff, and they've been great. If I had to choose one or the other forever, I'd pick the activity holiday.

However DP and I do fancy a lazy few days of warmer weather in the Autumn and we're thinking of maybe Turkey in October.

A friend has offered us mates rates on an apartment he owns, but looking at some of the package deals available, we could do AI much cheaper than his reduced rates plus flights and transfers.

But, I've never stayed in an AI complex and suspect it wouldn't be my thing. One of the best bits of a holiday is eating in local restaurants, for a start.

So, what do I need to know? Is AI out of season different to peak season? Could we use the AI for breakfast and lunch and eat out in the evenings of have the AI complexes killed all the locally run restaurants in an area? Is a bottom end AI holiday going to be awful, even if we just use it as a base?

Trip Advisor is your friend here. If you know the hotel you are looking at then read the reviews, they will tell you what the downsides are.

And yes, you can pick and choose what meals you want to eat there. We have been to AI pre season and that was as good as during the season (even better because it was cheaper and quieter!).

It's OK if you have fussy children who can pick a but of everything from the buffet. But it's very people-y. Queues for everything. Unless you pay ££££ food quality is generally not great. It also attracts heavy drinkers.

I've taken my kids away to Portugal for 5 days and we're in aan apartment. It's great- they can grab breakfast when they want, I spent £70 in Lidl for all our food and ice creams, cooking easy dinners and lots of mezze, fruit, salads that can be thrown together. We're going to a restaurant on the last night.

AI is not great value unless you eat and drink a lot tbh

Yes, these are all my fears, but for the time we're looking at, the AI cost is less than booking flights, apartment and transfers seperately, so it is good value, even if we use very few of the facilities and mostly eat elsewhere.

Much will depend on the AI place you choose, could be high end, could be bingo and chips.

I love bingo and chips.

We normally drink less on an AI holiday, it's just much more relaxed, plus you can still leave the hotel for meals and drinks if you wish, we always do.

It is true that AI has hit many of the normal bars and restaurants but that's life, things change. We love AI but I wouldn't do it in Greece as we love going out in Greece.

Surely all you need to do is pick where you want to go then check there are places open nearby?

It totally depends on the hotel. We've done quite a few AI hols and we've always picked hotels where you don't feel on top of other people. Our last AI we did also go out a few times to different restaurants although I've been to other hotels where there isn't much locally.

If it's just you and your DP I would make sure it's an adults only hotel or at least has a good amount of adult only spaces.

If AI is cheaper then there's nothing stopping you from eating out some days. We did AI this year and hired a car so we were still doing things. On those days we ate lunch out.

We choose AI hotels that have a selection of a la cart restaurants too so it’s not just the buffet. Some people do drink a fair bit, but not everyone. We don’t. We’ve never experienced really raucous drunken behaviour. AI suits my children, not because they’re fussy, but because they like to try so many new things.

It’s quite nice having different swimming pools to choose from, areas to lounge and beds on the beach. And the ease of just popping to the bar to get an AI drink (soft drink, wine, tea..) is great.
I agree with you about eating out. But there’s no reason you couldn’t just indulge in the all inclusive thing for a few days, with a few trips out to restaurants etc. just choose one that’s close to a town or wherever you’d enjoy and use it as a comfortable base.

I've never been to Turkey, but find most places with a summer peak season are quieter in October. Especially if you're able to avoid half term.

We have 4 different pools at our apartment complex and little snack bars plus restaurants if we want them. I bought 4 packs of ice creams at lidl and filled the freezer 😄 plus we have lots of soft drinks in the fridge. Each to their own.

Some AI are in the middle of nowhere si check carefully where you’re looking.

Also lots of resorts start to shut down towards the end of October so do some good research

If the AI is a good rating and within walking distance of lots of bars and restaurants I’d book it and venture out when and where possible.

We went to Side in May, stayed at the Barut (fantastic hotel) but there are a few hotels along that area, was about a 30 minute walks to Side town if you wanted to eat out.

This is absolutely not my experience of all-inclusives, but I choose carefully. Adults-only where possible, and in locations where there's something else to do. I've rarely queued for anything at an AI. Maybe it depends what you pay too.

OP, your post sounds a little snobby. In the past few years I've gone on an AI to Ibiza, B&B to a boutique hotel in a small town in Europe and eaten in local restaurants, travelled independently in Canada, and gone on a tour in Central America. All were excellent, there is no shame in going AI..! Saying that, I wouldn't recommend going less than 4* AI at lowest. A bottom end AI will likely be crap, going to be honest. I'm also not keen on Turkey. Remember the sun sets early-ish in October too. I'd probably look somewhere like Tenerife for that reason, later daylight.

If it’s not too late in the month . Gumbet is good . If it’s took late they town will be closing for winter . Can get the bus to Bodrum for £1 all day and night . We stayed AL the first year but the local restaurants are too nice to be eating AL . We book through jet2 to a small hotel called the Bronze , it offers breakfast . It’s walking distance to the shop , bars and restaurants x

Of course AI with lots of a la carte restaurants is going to be nicer than queuing for bingo and chips but that sort of AI isn't going to be cheaper than self catering and eating out, is it?

I think a good compromise is B&B in a small hotel that's in walking distance to shops, restaurants, beach etc and unless you're looking at the first week in October, the Canaries might be better than Turkey as that's a year round destination. If you get a kitchenette or at the very least a fridge in the room, you can get drinks to have on the balcony if you want to relax I your own space.

I’d go for the apartment personally - unless places like Dubai, Mauritius, Maldives, all the lesser expensive (Spain, and Mallorca in last couple of years) AI food has been absolutely awful. Just total slop or dry fast food. Cocktails dreadful, wine dreadful.
going to a villa in France this summer as cant face budget AI again

We’ve just got back from a lovely AI but it wasn’t cheap.

In Oct we do AI in the canaries but eat our evening meal out- lots of nice places by the beach a five min walk from our hotel. We only stay AI there as it’s £200 for so easily covers the drinks/ice cream/snacks for the bottomless pit DC. It works for us and we get a nice mix of AI ease and eating out locally.

@Lambswools Don’t do it! I don’t care if someone thinks it’s snobby but we avoid like the plague. Did it once when dc were under 10 but it’s not for us. We greatly prefer somewhere much smaller! We like choosing restaurants and seeing the best of an area. AI really tends to be for people who like to stay put. That’s their choice but they don’t want to explore much. I’d avoid and find somewhere stylish and small!

We did AI a couple of times, easy with a child but in general we prefer to eat out in the evening so we basically paid for the convenience of drink/snacks for DD during the day.

You need a resort which is close to a town though or take a cab/hire a car all the time.

Often resorts do offer B&B if you book via their own website or even with TUI if you check carefully/phone them.

You can get good adult-only AI as well and if you are outside the October half-term, it won't be overrun.

Also why book separately? There’s loads of companies that do packages without using AI. Plenty of options to stay somewhere smaller.

AI is great if you go 5 star. We did a lovely trip to one in Cyprus the Atlantico Mare last year and they had swim up rooms the teens loved. I really rate them but pick carefully, the Facebook groups for the hotels are useful.

How significant is the price difference? I felt a bit institutionalised the one time we did AI, and it was a really nice one.

All the AI I have stayed in do a B&b and half board rate too.

Why don't you find a package with B&B instead. That way you get the package deal but you can go out for meals too.

Love AI - but snobby AI. 5 star hotel. Gorgeous top spec room. Hire car to go out and about whenever. Then it’s absolute bliss!