Short answer: All-inclusive holidays are excellent value in Turkey, Egypt and Cape Verde, destinations where local eating and drinking is expensive for tourists, or where resort isolation means you'd spend heavily on meals regardless. In Spain and Portugal, where local food and drink is cheap and good, you often pay a premium for AI that you'd never recoup.
What Does All-Inclusive Actually Include?
This varies enormously between hotels, and misunderstanding it is the number one source of disappointment. A typical all-inclusive package includes:
- Three meals per day (buffet, sometimes with à la carte evenings)
- Snacks between meals (often limited hours)
- Alcoholic and soft drinks (during defined hours, typically 10am–midnight)
- Some non-motorised watersports (kayaks, pedalos, snorkelling equipment)
- Entertainment programme and kids' club
What's typically not included in standard AI:
- Premium or branded spirits (often upcharged)
- Speciality à la carte restaurants within the hotel
- Motorised watersports, excursions and spa treatments
- Mini-bar, room service or drinks outside AI hours
- Meals or drinks taken outside the hotel
Premium or "Ultra All-Inclusive" packages from hotels like Rixos do include premium drinks and multiple speciality restaurants, and they're priced accordingly.
When All-Inclusive Is Worth It
Turkey, Almost Always
Turkey is where all-inclusive really earns its keep for British travellers. The large resort hotels on the Antalya coast, many of them vast, 500+ room properties, have invested heavily in their food and entertainment operations. The standard of AI buffets in top Turkish hotels is genuinely impressive: extensive, fresh and varied. Alcohol is also expensive in Turkey compared to Spain, which makes the "unlimited drinks" element more valuable.
The price difference between AI and bed & breakfast in Turkey is often modest, sometimes only £200–300 per person for a week, meaning the break-even point (eating and drinking outside for a week) is very achievable. Turkey AI is some of the best value in the world.
Egypt, Strongly Recommended
In Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, all-inclusive is effectively the default booking type for British tourists, and for good reason. The resorts are largely self-contained, many are beach compounds with limited restaurants and bars nearby. Eating outside the hotel involves transport and navigating a much smaller selection of options. AI makes practical sense here, and the prices for full-board packages are extremely competitive.
Cape Verde, Yes, for Most Visitors
The main Sal and Boa Vista resorts are relatively isolated, with limited dining options outside the hotel complexes. All-inclusive makes logistical sense, and the prices are good. The food quality varies by hotel, so research specific properties.
When All-Inclusive Is Often NOT Worth It
Spain, Usually No
Spain has one of the best restaurant cultures in the world, and eating out, particularly at lunch (the main meal of the Spanish day), is genuinely affordable. A three-course menu del día (set lunch menu) with wine costs £10–15 per person at a local restaurant, including in resort areas. Tapas bars serve excellent food for very little money.
In this context, paying a significant premium for AI means you're tying yourself to a hotel buffet when the food outside is better and the experience more authentic. For couples who enjoy eating out, AI in Spain is often poor value. For families who struggle to get children to try new food and want the simplicity of knowing meals are covered, it can still make sense.
Portugal, Generally No (for the Algarve)
The Algarve has excellent local restaurants at very reasonable prices. A week of eating out well, with wine each evening, is unlikely to cost more than the premium you'd pay for AI. Spend your money on the food instead.
Greece, Depends on the Island
Greek food and local tavernas are generally good value and excellent quality. In popular resort areas like Corfu, Rhodes or Crete, eating locally is part of the experience and not expensive. In more remote locations or very large, self-contained resorts, AI can make more sense.
How to Calculate Whether AI Is Worth It for Your Specific Holiday
Here's a simple framework. Take the price difference between an AI and a bed & breakfast room in the same hotel. Divide by 7 (days). That's your daily break-even spend on food and drink. If you'd realistically spend more than that eating and drinking locally, AI wins. If less, go B&B.
Example: AI is £300 more per person than B&B. That's £600 for a couple. Divided by 7 days = £85/day. If you'd spend more than £85/day as a couple on meals and drinks outside the hotel, AI wins. In Turkey, you probably would. In Spain, probably not.
Tips for Getting the Most from an All-Inclusive Holiday
- Check what's actually included before you book, "all-inclusive" means different things at different hotels
- Read recent reviews specifically about the food, hotel food quality is inconsistent and can vary significantly by season and management changes
- Allow yourself at least one meal out, experiencing local food is part of travel, even on a resort holiday
- Book a higher-category AI hotel, the difference in food and drink quality between a 3-star and 5-star AI is dramatic; the mid-range AI hotel is often a false economy
- Check drink brand policies, some hotels serve house spirits that many guests find unpleasant. Upgrade to premium drinks if important to you