Last Updated on 25 August 2025 by Dan Wilderness
Hello everyone! Up until a couple of years ago I was a bit of a cynic about the all inclusive holiday and it’s merits. I wasn’t sure it would be my thing given I tended to like slightly more adventurous holidays, and thought the food and atmosphere might not be up to my expectations.
However after a busy period at work I decided to give one a go (the Olympic Lagoon in Paphos, Cyprus), and I confess I absolutely loved it – although don’t think I could do it every holiday! We have followed this up with the Atrium Platinum in Rhodes.
However not all inclusive resorts are built equal, and not all of them represent good value.
So we’ve written a guide to get the most of them and to consider if a good option for you, with the things to consider and account for.
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Things to consider when considering an all-inclusive holiday
What do you want from your holiday?
Ok, I’m starting with the obvious here but for an all-inclusive to be good value you get the most out of it by largely staying in the hotel.
If you’re looking for pure relaxation by the pool most days, that’s absolutely fine but if you’re looking to get out and about sightseeing, this will deplete the relative value. Everyone’s idea on what makes a good holiday varies, so this one is up for you.
Do you like to know your holiday will cost a fixed amount?
For some people the real value of all inclusive is that you have a pretty clear idea on what your holiday will cost at the end of it! This tends to appeal to two groups in particular:
- Those who want to plan and allocate quite a specific amount to put towards their holiday, and ensure they don’t go over it.
- Those who know they can get carried away with holiday spending and so find all inclusive as a good way to manage that.
Will you use all elements of all inclusive?
If I could summarise this section it’s really that all-inclusives can have different specialisms and things they offer, so this is more about things that can help you find package which focuses on the things which matter to you.
A few considerations below:
Alcohol and Drinks
One thing that all inclusive tend to focus on can be provision of drinks, including more expensive alcohols. If you’re a non-drinker or only like the odd glass of wine at most this may affect your thinking, but some (although sadly relatively few) hotels offer a “soft only” option which may be a bit cheaper.
If you particularly like your drinks, it may also be worth looking at exactly what is served as part of the all inclusive – some will use cheaper local alcohols, others will use branded name spirits.
Restaurant Options
More foodie focused all inclusives may focus on offering a set of premium restaurants which offer premium options – but if you’re not too fussed about the food and just want the basics or something more plain, this might not be for you.
Activities
This one is rarer as even at all inclusives activities can remain paid add-ons, but if you have kids or are particularly active it may be important to you to have activities.
Adults only or child friendly?
You may have different objectives depending on if you’re going for a romantic couples trip away rather than going with kids!
Different hotels can have different vibes on this but it’s worth noting some will still actively separate the two – for instance, the Olympic Lagoon we stayed at was a family friendly resort, but had an adults-only wing and pool exclusive to adults, and they clearly made a point to put the adults in a slightly separate area in the main restaurant.
What is included outside of meals?
Most all inclusive will also cover snacks, ice creams etc. as well outside main mealtimes and have provisions for this, but the occasional one won’t.
How much more is it than a non all-inclusive?
Once you’ve answered the above to the determine the type of holiday you want, another criteria worth looking at is how much more is it than a non-all inclusive?
This is really your value point – if you think you’d spend close to the same amount eating and drinking out, or really value the convenience of having to all inclusive may definitely be worth considering for you.
Is the food good at an all inclusive?
This was really important to me as someone who really enjoyed their food, and my perception was that food quality would be poor. However, I’m pleased to say on each occasion we’ve stayed at an all inclusive the quality hasn’t just been good, but truly excellent.
We’ve put plenty of research and care into our holidays though, and would always recommend taking a look at reviews to ensure you know what you’re getting!
Where’s best for booking all inclusive?
Best All Inclusive Package Operators
The online street travel agents are a good place to start as all-inclusive is a big part of their market and they put a lot of focus into providing extras at this end of the market, plus many also operate accompanying flights which can help manage costs.
We particularly recommend Jet2 (their latest deals here) as they continue to score incredibly highly in customer service satisfaction tables.
TUI (their latest deals here) are fantastic for their range of choice worldwide, and we’ve seen them have good management and representation at the hotels we’ve been at.
And if you’re looking for the US or Caribbean then Virgin Holidays (latest deals here) are a particular specialist in this to make the most of the Virgin Atlantic Network.
Best All Inclusive Booking Sites
Beyond that, we tend to check what deals the hotel is operating directly (often free transfers etc. are included) we tend to book through Hotels.com or Booking.com.
The reasoning for this is both have loyalty schemes which we find have either provided discounts or additional loyalty cash benefit to what we’ve been able to find booking direct.
Our picks for best all inclusive hotels
We’ve compile some guides to some of the best reviewed all inclusives hotels out there.
We’ve tried to do this by having one for each region, and then divided them into categories based on different aspects that you might be looking for out of the all inclusive.
All of the below Hotels are established and highly rated, with everything a 4.5 greater on Tripadvisor (and most a 5, which frankly you expect given all inclusives are not a cheap option!)
Best All Inclusive Hotels for Luxury
These all inclusives are not (at all) cheap, but if you’re looking for absolute luxury with everything being top quality here are a selection of some of the very best:
Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera, Cancun
Best All Inclusives for Foodies
These All-Inclusives focus on the benefits of food and offering great dining as part of the package.
Best All Inclusives for Families
Hotel Xcaret Arte, Mexico
Olympic Lagoon, Paphos, Cyprus
Titanic Mardan Palace, Antalya Area
Atrium Palace Thalasso Spa and Village Resort, Rhodes
Nana Golden Beach, Greece
Best All Inclusives for Non Drinkers
Given if you’re a non drinker you can often find yourself paying a significant amount extra for included alcohol you don’t want at all-inclusives, we’ve found some of the best options that offer a dry all-inclusive package. (Although I’m afraid finding a dry all inclusive package is something of a rarity).
Best All Inclusives on a Budget
As discussed in the article, All Inclusive do not tend to be a cheap option for a holiday – so we’ve enclosed a list of All Inclusive where the prices are lower but the value of what you get remains strong!
(Please note – budget is a relative term when it comes to all inclusives…..)
Grotto Bay Beach Resort, Bermuda
Side Star Elegance, Turkey
Where are your favourite all inclusives?
We know some of our readers will be seasoned travellers so we’d love to hear about your own favourite all inclusives! Just leave us a note in the comments below with your experiences.
What about non all inclusive holidays?
We’ve written a fantastic guide here to our extensive tips and tricks on booking a great value holiday!
Any questions?
If you have any questions or thoughts to share on your own all inclusive holidays we’d love to hear from you! Just drop us a note in the comments below.
And if you’re looking for your holiday to be all inclusive right from the start, you may want to see our review on if airport lounges are worth it in the UK!
And that’s it!
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