All-Inclusive deals

Hi,

Has anyone purchased an 'all-in' deal for a holiday (ie, hotel and all food and drink) ? I know of people who have done it in Cancun years ago but was wondering if there's a site that has a bunch of destinations like Kenya, Mexico, Maldives, Seychelles, Mauritius, Egypt.

Anyone ?

Ya, did one in Dom. Republic last New Years. Would recommend-I definitely drank and ate my moneys worth! Booked through UK's On the Beach-www.otbeach.com. Would use them again-(Not connected to them in any way).

do it every year - def find it great value, esp when you bring / have any kids with you. doesn't usually include named brand beers /spirits but they have their own local offering!!. find it great value

rjt - Thanks for the link....time to go a-hunting for a holiday!

aoc - how did you find your holiday, website or local travel agent ?

did it in the Maldives a few years back...no choice really as it was the only hotel on the island

I'd hate it!

I don't know about the other places you mention but I know people who did it in Cuba and regretted it (to the point of leaving their free accom and heading to Havana) - because all food and drink is included, you are much less likely to go out and about to see anything else of interest in the country you are staying. Have been to Egypt and Mexico and I'd have hated to miss out on jaunts hither and yon just because I wanted to stay and eat/drink at the hotel. Not saying you'd necessarily do that all the time, but the great temptation is there that, if you've paid for the food and drink there, why go anywhere else?

Sprite

We did an All inclusive this year in Barbados through Trailfinders. This also included water activities as well as food and drink. Had never done this sort of holiday before and was quite wary in the run up to it that it would be boring, we would be stuck in one resort etc but it worked out really well. There was enough variety in the hotel food wise, the only meal that was same-ish was breakfast which is always the case anyway. Having the water sports included was fantastic, especially with a child who wants to try everything but only for a few mins at a time. There was also something relaxing in itself to not to have to stir yourself to figure out where to eat, how to get there etc- you rolled down to the restaurant and that was that! it made for the most laid back holiday we ever had. we did eat out twice I think but that was when we were out shopping and couldnt be bothered returning. BTW trailfinders had lots of resorts with AI, in most of the exotic locations. no affiliation but very happy with them on price and service- we were originally booked on the Atlantic side of the island where the sea proved too choppy for our son and we emailed them to get moved to the caribbean side. This was done with no grief whatsoever, we were in the new hotel that day. we also got a refund to CC of the difference in price without even asking about it.

cormster that sounds excellent, thanks....must look into it.

TBH we're just looking to veg out for a couple of weeks and to wander if we want, not because we 'have' to !

I love wandering through the place I go to and see as much as possible but sometimes it's too much hassle and you want the option to go back to base for a couple of days and top up the farmers tan

I have gone AI lots, in many resorts you can pay between €50 and €150 to upgrade the all inclusive to include other hotels in the area.

I have done this in the Dominican Republic, Cuba, Kenya, and various resorts in Spain. Most have had water sports included (non motorised) and you get a massive choice of bars and restaurants.

I love it, I know how much I will spend for the entire holiday and I will often eat out at least twice. I can drink a fair amount so I get my moneys worth.

Have gone to mexico all-inclusive several times -
I find the 5 star in Mexico is of a very high standard.

if you're willing to book your own flights to the us, I've used apple-vacations.com before for caribbean holidays - good choice, prices and a helpful US dollar (getting less and less so though ) and good customer service

Hi we stayed AI in Cuba and found it very good, but we also stayed AI at The Casa Marina Reef in Dom. REP. which was a let down as the drink was watered badly, they even had the wine watered. We could have passed a drink driving test after hours of the watered drink. We bought our own drink in the nearest shop, and used their bars for the mixers. We had read this in the reviews before we travelled, luckily the Rum was very cheap.

Did a night in Varadero, Cuba 4 years ago in all inclusive. You are stuck in the area as another post stated and I can only imagine what it would be like there for a week. Anybody who has ever read my posts on Cuba will know that I recommend staying well away from Varadero as it is really a fake Cuba.

The other All-Inclusive I did was in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt; now that was a pretty good resort but well away from the main Naama Bay area. Was there again earlier this year but only B&B in Naama Bay and ate out in the evenings; much better food and probably worked out cheaper in the long run. Yes I know, Sharm is definitely not the real Egypt either but there is a hell of a lot more to do in the area. The only reason I ever went back and will be likely to again in the future is the fabulous scuba diving in the area.

Did an all in on my honeymoon and it was worth it.

It was barbados and the only thing I worried about was tipping. Didnt actually take advantage of it everyday but when I used it, if felt like free drink and food and thats no bad eh.

i've spoken to about 3 or people people recently who have just been to egypt AI and said it was great value....365 days sunshine