half board, full board or all inc??

[steiff1]

Which would you recommend?

[Roach-Rampino]

It all depends on where you are going and who with. Stay somewhere where straying from the hotel is a no-no or if you have young children with you then go all incl.

Stay somewhere with your other half, mates or another couple/s where there is a good range of local restaurants within a short taxi ride or safe walking distance? then go bed & breakfast and get out and enjoy your surroundings.

Personally I like to sample local restaurants and mix with the locals but this is only suitable if it is safe, clean and practical i.e. if you have to take a 20 mile trip on the back of a clapped-out moped driven by a gun-totting 8 year old, in order to eat in a ghetto back-street where you are likely to get mugged/shot/raped/or all three then this is not ideal.

[evilsatan]

Depends what you are looking for. All inclusive is generally very well priced, however you are limited to food and drink at the venue which may not be of high quality and if you are a drinker it usually only includes local beers and spirits. International beers and brand name spirits will usually be available but at additional cost.

If you like to eat out and try different places than all inclusive might not be for you unless it is really cheap!

[russbeer]

Like RR says, depends on the country. If it were Spain i'd say eating out at different places is part of a holidays charm so go self catering, but if you go somewhere that has dodgy areas that you don't want to be around after sundown then go all in.

I read something somewhere the other day that all inclusives are the best value as self catering in europe for a family of 4 adds on average about £520-something quid to the cost of your hols!

[Realist]

I always choose all inclusive cos there is not a lot in saving my going hald board or self catering and at least by going all in you have the choose to eat in or out of your hotel.

[liveseytowers]

Last holiday I had was half board in Corfo. We didn't leave the resort all week and the food was quality. Id imagine all inclusive could suffer with lower quality food. Grecotel for the win!

[CzarJunkie]

I had a 2 centre holiday last year, one week was all inclusive at Jigwood Sands Family Park at Skegness and the 2nd week was self catering at Himalaya Chalets in Mablethorpe.

The kids loved the all inclusive as the desserts were proper nice, with mint choc chip ice cream most nights and unlimited wafers. The crafty fuckers knew how to sting you for stuff 'off the menu' though and make you spend a bit more. The local drinks were thrown in free, so as much Batemans as me and the missus could drink. But one night I fancied a bottle of something exotic and plumped for a Beck's Bier (German I think, comes in a green bottle), fucker cost me nigh on £3. Suffice to say, we stuck to the Batemans for the rest of the time there.

The 2nd week was understandably less extravagant given we were self catering. However, one night I did treat the family to a 'Chinese' at the Golden Panda on the promenade and we had a 4 person banquet between the 8 of us. It's a good job we didn't opt for the 6 person banquet, as the missus wanted to, otherwise we'd have been stuffed. As it was we left with 2 trays of egg fried rice, two cantonese rolls and a tub of OK sauce, which the missus had for her supper.

All in all it was a great two weeks, but the family did prefer the all inclusive.

[Mr Men]

If you have kids it's all inclusive all day long