Too snobby for AI?

[Lookingforadvice678]

Just got back from 9 nights at an all inclusive. Supposedly 5 Star resort and whilst it was mainly good, certain aspects were not 5 star in terms of hygiene!

First did AI two years ago with DC, loved the convenience, the ease of meal times, no meal planning, no washing up!

This year, I begrudged a lot of the other holiday makers. There were men who would sit at the pool bars clearly getting sloshed in the afternoon whilst on family holidays with their DC. I will have a drink or two when around mine but don’t get really drunk! Lots of chavs who have money - think TOWIE types. Lots of kids on phones all the time, boys with fades, girls wearing make up.

The AI just felt like a feeding frenzy. I didn’t feel hungry the whole holiday.

Two of the 3 DC never been a fan of the cheesy evening entertainment, this year my youngest turned his nose up too so evenings were a bit dull. None did kids clubs or activities on offer and only one made a friend, on the last day!

I think it might be our last package holiday and next year we’ll go for a villa with pool, or Eurocamp (did this when youngest was 2 and it was fun but hard work!).

Anyone else found this?

B&B doesn't change the situation if the resort's restaurants are crap. A hotel which just offers B&B or has a small additional restaurant often doesn't have the facilities a big resort has.

Large resorts often are not in walking distance to to a decent town, you need to drive or take public transport to get dinner.

We recently stayed at a hotel on B&B basis, just a pool which suited us as we outgrew the big resort facilities. We ate there twice because the hotel is bang in the middle of a nice town with plenty of offerings, there was no big resort in the area at all. I definitely liked it but it wouldn't have suited us when DD was a lot younger.

Amy recommendations?
That sounds like the way to go but difficult to find one to suit adults and kids that doesn’t cost a fortune.

I go to beautiful resorts that have several restaurants. They tend to have a big pool, spa, pool on spa, fitness centre, water sports.

Also AI isn’t just about the food. At our hotel last week, these things were ‘free’ (included):

• Kids club
• half day boat trip
• snorkelling
• 4 evening meals at the restaurants inc one off-site in town (the other 4 evening meals were buffet included at their 2 buffet restaurants, you could pay for extra non-buffet-restaurant meals)
• Kids activities throughout the day outside of kids club
• half hour spa treatment (obviously they upsell you so I ended up having a 90 min treatment and paying for 60 mins ☺️)
• water park
• probably more that I’m forgetting! Oh, private airport transfers etc

Yes with a villa you have more privacy, and AI 5* star *is different to non-AI 5 star - it’s not Michelin! Comparing AI with a villa is like apples and oranges really. If I dont want to do any jobs or feed anybody, it’s got to be AI at this point in my life! And me and DH still barely sat down! Bloody kids! 🤣

We don't go for a villa as DS is and only child and very social, he's never done a kids club but he loves all the activities you get with an AI. He's almost 13 and loves the independence of being able to get a snack of a drink himself and sleeping in and then getting his breakfast and meeting us. They always have a gym so we use that whilst he sleeps.
We have nearly always managed to be on a beach but near the resort so we can get out and we always do lots of sightseeing and boat trips. The hotel is just a base. DS and DH scuba dives so they spend a couple of days doing that also. The hotels always do them a pack up as well as there aren't a lot of options on a diving boat..

The claw nails and matching outfits😂

OP, I’m the same. Complete snob when it comes to holidays which is hilarious and hypocritical really as I always profess to hate snobs. But I’ve never done AI for many of the reasons on this thread. I cannot deal with loutish behaviour and drinkers who start necking Pina Coladas and Pints at 9am. I mean no judgement if you want to quietly mainline G&Ts all day, I just can’t stand the idea of boorish drunk Brits and unseemly scrambles at low quality buffets.

In the years we couldn’t afford high end 5 star places abroad, we just chose not to go at all.

I am prepared to ‘slum it’ on city breaks abroad where we will be out and about most of the day and just need a base. We went to Rome a few months back and stayed in a slightly ropey hotel near the main station but it was fine. We just had breakfast there (which was amazing) and didn’t return until late evening every day.

In the U.K. we go to places like Bluestone in Wales because I tend to think chavvy families won’t be there and over the course of multiple breaks we haven’t encountered any issues with other holidaymakers. We’ve just returned from a week at a Yelloh village in France. When doing some research I came across reviews for one site someone from the U.K. complained bitterly about because “there was no British people here” and immediately booked it. I’ve heard enough horror stories about drunk Brits on these campsites. True enough, I spotted one other car with UK plates during our entire break. Had a lovely time.

Like I said, complete snob and I know I make ridiculous generalisations about Brits abroad.

We have just done two years of AI in 2023 and 2024. My daughter turned 18yrs at the start of July and she is definitely done with them, my 14yr old doesn't really get the lying round the pool and consequently we go out more and eat out more which seems to defeat the object. We have done them three times in total and there just not for us.
My kids were brought up doing Eurocamp holidays for years, whilst that is another thread entirely as to how the match up to AI holidays the one thing I will say is it gave the kids a lot of independance with freedom to roam around the large sites making friends, life on the sites doesn't just revolve around the pool and the bar.
The other thing I'm done with is that when we were in Menorca it was three of us in a room the size of my kitchen. That's not fun with one adult and two adult sized teenagers. Also the ongoing sunbed wars and waking up early just to find three beds and an umbrella....exhausting.

I'm sure that AI has a place with families with smaller children but I do think its possible that teenagers grow out of them.

We’ve just come back from a lovely AI but I do feel my 13 yo DS is growing out of it. I’m really interested in Eurocamp. Would you recommend for 13 and 10 year olds?

Yes I would actually, there not cheaper overall if you go to a really good site, and I would always take my car with me to so you need to factor that in. We are off again on Saturday, what's really nice is that we have accommodation with three bedrooms so there is enough room for everyone to have there privacy as you pay one price for the accomodation regardless of how many people are in it.
What I will say is to to look at all the companies who do these type of holidays, research different sites and read the reviews as some sites are much nicer than others.

Seeing as you've mentioned a Yelloh site (we stayed in a decent one in France two years ago) - if doing a campsite I would really recommend Union Lido about an hour from Venice. We were there this summer - in combination with the Dolomites - (albeit slightly outside regular school holidays) and it was not overrun with British or Irish families. It had a nice mixture of nationalities. Lovely place. Food a level up from the French campsites imo.