Surely you haven't felt like that for all 8 AIs!!
We have only been to 2 AIs - both because we were worried about the prices if we went SC( in Barbados). However, we "escaped" a few nights on our second holiday and realised that things were not as bad price wise as we had thought. This was proven in our third holiday there when we went SC!
We don't have kids though and I can understand why others would like AI.
I would go AI again if we were going to a place that was reasonably isolated or where it was a little dangerous to go out and about.

You have a point Fiona.

Dominican Rep........Too dangerous to go local
Tunisia..........as above really bad place all round
Maldives.no choice (best one though,Tikka masala for brekkie (heaven)
Cancun........cheap in bars/restaurants/cafes etc
Benidorm.....as above
Tenerife..as above

I agree with your dangerous locations though.

We were looking at Playa Del Carmen in Mexico and found that it is pretty difficult to find a non AI hotel! I have been told not to waste to money on AI there as everything is so cheap!

Dominican Rep........Too dangerous to go local
Tunisia..........as above really bad place all round

Erm - whats so dangerous about Tunisia? Ive not gone A/I there and have always found the food to be good and cheap and have never found the country to be dangerous

And what's so dangerous about the Dom. Rep. - went there B&B eat in local restaurants...found locals to be charming and helpful. Wondered around Puerto Plata no bother...apart from young kids wanting to be our escort.

TUNISIA.....we were on a AI and the rep told us not to go wandering off site in the evening.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC... we went to a AI in 1995 to a complex called Jack Tar Village and we had armed guards on the beach.

TUNISIA.....we were on a AI and the rep told us not to go wandering off site in the evening.

So on the basis of that I take it you never went out of your hotel so you never actually found out for yourself that Tunisia is a very safe country to visit.

If it was so unsafe there wouldnt be the amount of resturants and shops and bars that there are - all doing a good trade and more and more popping up each year

Hi Fiona

I don't know who told you that it was cheap to eat out in Playa del Carmen or Playacar. It is quite expensive to eat out. Personally, we always go all inclusive when in Mexico and we are 2 adults travelling without children. We wouldn't dream of paying for all inclusive in Europe or North Africa but in the Caribbean or Mexico it can work out cheaper. We normally stay in a 5 star resort and the drinks are certainly not watered down and the food is varied and plentiful

I've been AI twice on long haul hols to Mexico and Margarita. Both the food and drink quality was excellent.
I wouldn't consider AI in Europe at all - I think it would be a waste of money.

Re - comments about Tunisia. I guess you speak as you find but I've got to say that last month I went to Hammamet with my mum on a half board basis and we didn't find it threatening at all. Prior to that I went with my best friend about 11 years ago, we were in our mid 20's then and felt perfectly safe as two woment alone leaving the hotel on an evening to go for a walk.

Dawn

re. going out and about in Tunisia,

The place is fantastic, lot s to see, food brill and the Medinas are great(once you have got the hang of haggling). Might I suggest your rep had an hidden agenda, keeping you in so that you would spend your money on site! Where were you staying?

We stayed at the Sahara Beach in Skanes.

I can understand where your rep was saying dont leave the hotel at night, not because it was dangerous, but that there was nothing in Skannes to go visit. Its a run of A/I hotels in the middle of nowhere five minutes from the airport. Not an ideal place to visit to get an idea of the country and its people

we went on our 1st ai in august and found that it was worth every penny (we were cruising) especialy for our son who must have spent a fortune on soft drinks.

Maureen

I think people expect to much from AI sometimes.You get what you pay for as is the case with most things now.

Normally do the apartment thing and eat out all the time. As kids are getting older checked out prices of 2 bedroom apartments for summer 2005, the cost of this in School hols plus say a minimum of £80 per day spends for the fortnight was going to be prohibitive.

Ended up going all inc in Crete, yes we were all cramed in a 'family room' which is a different experience from even a one bed apartment let alone a two bed, but in terms of value for money it was excellent. Only paid a couple of hundred pounds more than I would have for an apartment holiday, but got endless amount of (not bad quality) food and drink included. Guess we might have been lucky with our choice of hotel.

Didn't go stir crazy, hired a car for the odd bit of sight seeing, knossos, shopping etc and had 4 evening meals out and a few lunches.

The key seems to be to do AI when your children are old enough to benefit from all the included food and drink, but before you have to start paying adult prices for them.

Take it from me so long as you do a bit research about the place you intend to visit the money saved with can be superb!

Example: Family of six to Benidorm staying at the Crystol Park Hotel in the old town early June (2004)for TWO weeks inc flights and transfer total cost £2377,now that worked out around £394 each,for this we got 3 fantastic meals a day including a full english if you felt the need and even a supper at 10-00pm for the kids. On top of that you got 3 FREE shows a week travelling in an open top bus to a caberate set up in the nearby hillsides of Benidorm,again all the drinks and entertainment were Free,we could also use no less than FIVE sister hotel scattered at the Benidorm skyline if we felt the need.

Now I appreciate the Costa Blanca is not to everyone's liking and it has to be said my hungry kids were aged 12 10 & 9, but for my family it was a superb deal in my opinion. Its gone up since but the deals are all still there if you look hard enough.

Rant over.

I,ll second that Musthaveaholiday!
We stopped at the Magic Rock Gardens in August.
These Amigo Hotels in Benidorm are definetley worth the money.

I'll third it if thats possible.

The deal I was on about in crete cost £2150 for the 4 of us with the kids being 12&10 and this was the first two weeks of school summer hols. All that food and entertainment and hardly needing any spends has got to be good for a family hol. I only wish I had discovered AI a few years before and ignored the bad press they seem to get. This year I have to pay for the 13 year old as a third adult. (sigh!!!!!!!!!!!)

These two hotels sound like they might be OK for me and mine sometime in the future, though I've already booked an AI for 2006 to get a free child place for youngest. Which tour operators do them?????

Hi there we flew Direct Holidays to the Magic Rock Gardens in Benidorm.They are value for money.They go 24 all inclusive in November,not sure if they all do though.