Pros and Cons of All Inclusive Resorts
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Staying in an all inclusive hotel seems like the best way to go on holiday. However, it can be depending on what you’re looking for. We have come up with a pros and cons list of what we feel affects all-inclusive resorts. This way you will be able to weigh up the good and the bad, then make an informed decision on what is best for you. We hope that this will make your life that little bit easier. That way when the day comes that you’re going on your all-inclusive holiday you’ll have no second thoughts of what you could have had instead.
Pros to All Inclusive
Food and Drink
This is one of the biggest selling points to going on an all inclusive holiday. It means you don’t have to think about food or drink when being there as it all comes with the hotel. This is great for people who are going away for a relaxing holiday that just want to enjoy the sun. One of the best benefits for all inclusive resorts is for those travelling with children. It will save you money on countless ice-creams and snacks. This option would also make your life easier as you wont need to worry about where to eat. Most of these places have very good meal times so you wont have to rush around trying to get everyone ready. You’ll be able to relax a little bit more and worry less.
Activities
Another big thing with an all inclusive holiday is that they will have a handful of activities to do throughout the day and night. Theses consist of kids club, water sports, dance classes and could even have gym classes during the day. At night you will see more dancing, live music and entertainment for children. The hotel bars sometimes even have fun nights like bingo! All inclusive hotels can be a brilliant idea if you are not wanting to travel away from the hotel but may also want the chance to do something fun. Once again if you have a family to think about you are guaranteed something for the whole family to enjoy while doing a trip like this.
No Need to Leave the Hotel
Depending on the holiday that you’re looking for, the idea of not having to leave your hotel will be an awesome thought. Knowing everything is taken care of, you can wake up whenever you feel like it. Not having to go very far to get everything you need sounds like the life right?! A lot of people when they go away just want sun and to not think about anything or do anything they just want to chill out.
All inclusive is for you if you feel like that. Unless you really want to go somewhere else for the day, you don’t need to leave the hotel at all everything is taken care of, just for you. All the credit has to go to the staff for making an experience like this. You feel at home but BETTER since someone else is doing the washing up. This is also why all inclusive is always more expensive. If your main question is “is it worth it to pay for all inclusive?” we would say it is if you really don’t want to go anywhere and just relax. Don’t get us wrong you can still go places but you wont feel the need to when staying somewhere like this.
The Staff
Staying in an all inclusive has most of its benefits because of the staff. They work day and night to make sure everything is perfect for their guests. This makes an all inclusive stay even better as they treat you so well. That being said, make sure to always show respect to the people that work in these hotels. It’s not an easy job and they do deserve to be spoken to with that respect. The staff that work at places like this are all about helping you and making your stay as good as it can be. If you need anything they will help you as much as they can.
When we stayed at an all inclusive hotel in Hughada there wasn’t anything that the staff wouldn’t do for you. If you became friendly with them they will take special care and always checking up on you. They will make sure that you have everything you need. Staying at an all inclusive hotel is a good idea for anyone that would like this treatment and wants to be able to put their feet up. All we will say is that when it comes to the staff make sure you are nice to them. They really will go all out to make sure you’re happy because they always want you to come back if you’re a nice guest at the hotel.
Won’t Need To Plan Your Day As Much
Having an all inclusive holiday means that everything you could want is right there at the hotel. Most of the time if you want to do something you would need to plan it well in advance. With the all inclusive package you just need to wake up and feel like doing it for the most part. Obviously this won’t include day tours that are outside of the hotel. If you wish to go out on a boat trip you’ll probably need to book this at least a day before.
Some hotels have things you can do straight away such as quad-biking. The hotel we stayed in Hurghada had a quad-bike tour on the hotel grounds. This made it easy for us to book and ride on the same day which was an awesome experience. Going around the desert on your very own quad-bike was awesome. Everything is so accessible which will make your life easier when it comes to just wanting to see what happens. You can wake up and see how you feel on the day. This is much better than having to plan your whole week before even getting there. We like the idea of being able to wake up in the morning and not know what is going to happen. Having a stay like this makes it more possible to do exactly that.
Cons To All Inclusive
Wont Want To Explore
For us, going travelling means getting to explore the local places not just the tourist areas. Due to this, at times we feel that all inclusive can be a bit of a con since you wont feel like leaving the hotel and seeing the real area around you. Missing out on the local places could mean you don’t get to see the real country. At the end of the day most, if not all, all-inclusive hotels are international. This means that it will in some way lack the culture of the country just because they are trying to accommodate for so many different people at one time. It’s not the hotels fault in anyway! However, it is hard to see the area that you are visiting when you’re basically locked behind walls. This is one of the disadvantages of all inclusive resorts as you won’t be able to explore as much as you would staying off a resort.
Wont Get To Try Local Food and Drink
A big part of travelling for us is getting to try the local food and drink. When you choose to go all-inclusive, you’ll find that the food you’ll be offered for breakfast, lunch and dinner will be the same meal day in, day out. You will also find yourself sticking to what you know as well because why try new things when you know what you like right? Well if you were to not go all-inclusive on holiday you would go out for meals. This means you will have the chance to visit local restaurants or bars and try the cuisine. By doing this, you have the opportunity to try new things made the traditional way. We feel that going out on these small adventures can sometimes make your holiday even better.
Making the Most of Your Money
We all know that all inclusive hotels can be expensive but the thought of not having to worry does make it better. We find once you’re there you will get the overpowering urge to get as much as possible out of it. You’ll find yourself trying to get your 15 year old child into the kids club just so you can say you have used it. We all know this feeling of getting your moneys worth. However, sometimes it makes you feel like if you do relax and do nothing all day that you’re not making the most of it.
Alternatively, if you were to go self-catering then you will be able to sit around, do nothing all day and enjoy the sun. For some reason, this makes you feel less guilty and without the need to make the most of it. At the end of the day, sometimes you do need a holiday to just do nothing and recharge. You don’t exactly want to come back from holiday and feel like you need another one to recover from it. Saying all of this we do find ourselves always coming home needing another holiday. Not necessarily because we need one but more like we just want to always be away enjoying the best parts of life.
You’ll More Than Likely Be Around Families During The Day
No matter if you’re a couple or a family going away, the whole point is that you want to get away with each other and have a good time. With all inclusive hotels, you will more than likely be surrounded by other families doing the same thing as you. More often than not wanting to do the same activities as you as well. This is a positive thing if you’re travelling as a family. However, as just a couple you may want to be around more adults. There are quite a few all-inclusive hotels where it is adults only. You may find though that this will attract a lot of people just wanting to get drunk.
It’s hard to find a place within the hotel grounds where it can just be your group. Even though other families will be as respectful as possible, it is still hard to do. Even the simple things such as looking for a sunbed to sit at with enough sunbeds next to each other. Also, the dreaded early morning wake up to ‘reserve’ a sunbed. This is something we’ve always hated when it comes to all-inclusive hotels.
You’ll find yourself waking up in the early morning just to get good seats at the pool. For us this isn’t what a holiday is about. A holiday is for you to not worry and relax. Maybe even wake up in the afternoon just like a teenager again. No one should be in a race in the morning when you’re away. We find that when you go to self-catering hotels, you have less of a fight for sun loungers. Most families will want that all-inclusive package to make their life easier.
Can’t See What The Local Area Offers You If You Stay Within The Hotel
It is amazing how many people have gone away on holiday and haven’t actually seen the place that they have visited. This is mostly because of the all inclusive package. It pulls you away from experiencing the amazing culture of wherever you are visiting. From the local shops to restaurants and even just walking around the area. Just by doing this, your holiday becomes so much more better, never mind the activities you may be doing. Getting to speak to local people will let you see the real parts of the country. These are the kind of people that will know all the best places to eat and see.
We had this exact experience when visiting Portugal! We went out looking for dinner and asked some locals where they would recommend. Next thing we knew, we were in this lovely place called the Old Tavern. It was a very small place but the food that was made here was unforgettable! The people that worked here were so nice and welcoming they even gave us some local drinks to try. It really does show you that by locking yourself away in an all inclusive hotel might just stop you from experiencing something awesome!
Is All Inclusive Worth It?
Everyone loves a holiday and sometimes it can be hard to figure out where to start with it all. We hope this has helped you weigh up the pros and cons of all-inclusive resorts. In our opinion, nothing is better than self-catering and staying in hostels. This is so you can do some sightseeing and experience the local cuisine. Saying that, everyone deserves a holiday where they can sit by a pool and enjoy the sun without a care in the world! We also hope this may have given you a push to try something new and possibly go out of your comfort zone.
