We have booked a AI for next year because its cheaper than what we paid for SC at the same hotel in 08 in Lanza

We last went AI in Fuerteventura and loved it but still managed to spend over £1000. It all comes down IMHO to what each person wants out of an holiday. I feel we put back into the local area we visit, we tip, I leave at least half of my holiday clothes for the staff ( all new just for the hols ). I don't think anyone should be made to feel bad no matter what they spend on their holiday, they have worked hard for it or in my case my dear beloved

tootsie,
that is an amazing amount of money,to spend in one week!
my husband now thinks our £900,isn't so bad afterall,so thank you
is that for a family or just 2 of you?
there was only me & my huband.i was paying 10 lira,for a southern comfort,in altinkum & like you,i could drink a bucketful & not even have a wobble on.i said to my husband,i wouldn't pay over £4,for a sothern comfort,at home,its crazy!
tracy

tootsie wrote:

On our AI for two weeks we spent around £700..........mainly becuase we just didnt like the complex and ethos of the compolex but I wouldnt judge others just becuase we had a "bad" one!

In contrast to that we were self catering in Alcudia last month and spent approximately £1500 in ONE week, a lot of it on overpriced watered down drinks that had you drunk 10 of them you still wouldnt feel the effects.....when you asked for Smirnoff you were served something like Tossoff(!) ..........so I tend to have a lot of sympathy with Millie and a lot of the others who DO like to do all inclusive.

But lets not try to take the moral highground on here about what ANYONE wants to do - so long as its legal theyve paid their money and worked hard for their holdiay. :wave:

PMSL at that one tootsie. Brilliant. I do agree with whay you say about the moral highground. Dread to think what I spent self catering a villa in Spain this year only thing I totted up was supermarket bills, I cant say total amount as didn't dare add it in the end (too scary) probably similar to you but without the enjoyment of drinking Tossoff. But I love AI as well, I like the relaxedness of it and not constantly having purse/cards on us and sometimes going out everynight hunting for a restaurant becomes a chore, especially if you find a good one the first night and then the 2nd and 3rd are not as good, you just think, what was that all about, & left feeling you wish you went back to the first one, so disappointing.

What i really need is three hols a year, one AI, one in a gorgeous villa and one in a top notch 5 star being waited on hand and foot, with a waiter bringing drinks to the sun lounger, when you flick the funny little card on the back of it up. Oh well a girl can dream.

Thanks girls!

Ive got to just say that we spent that amount of money due to having two 14 year old boys who were too old for the kids clubs and too young for clubbing and wouldnt sit on their bums for a second..........had to be doing things - so it was waterparks days out aquariums gokarting and banana boats none of which come cheap!

Normally if its husband and I we would be lucky to spend half that amount!

Bit similar for me Tootise, but I think my downfall may have been a 14 year old boy who seems to like fillet steak, ribeye steak infact anykind of steak and not the 8oz variety, must have hollow legs as there is nothing of him. My purse fondly remembers the days when I could buy him & his DS a margarita pizza and ask for two plates.
Hopefully by the time they are old enough for cubbing they will be old enough for earning.

we lived in spain for 7 yrs when it was the peseta,then it changed to euro,god what a difference.i have only been once on a1 for 5 days,we spent 4 euro each on flipflops,and yes we did go out and about,fortunatly we were able to visit any other hotel along the coast in the same group,so we sat by a different pool every day,had lunch and dinner in a differnt resturant every day and saw different entertainment every day and met differnt people ever day,what more can you ask for,currently looking for a1 for april/may and wouldnt stay anywhere in europe without a1,because as far as i,m concerned the bars, restuarant got on the bandwagon when they canghed to euro.they now charge more than my local bars and restuarants. and after all we all like a bargain,just look at the topics on here, anyone know of cheap flight,hotel guesthouse etc etc etc

In the 30 years I've been holidaying without my parents I've been AI twice (3 if you count the one I've just booked for next year)

The first time we went AI we did a full board tour and AI stay in Playa del Carmen Mexico many years ago before we were married and I really enjoyed it. We spent around £150 in total for both weeks. After a week of touring it was nice to chill out the 2nd the week, albeit we did do 2 day trips but it was so nice being able to eat/drink when you felt like it.

The second time was a 2 week AI stay in Margarita which for us (due to some personal circumstances with family illness was a belated honeymoon) was the perfect choice as it meant we could be pampered and relax. I can't remember exactly but we must have spent less than £50 that fortnight; but to be fair we didn't do anything outside the complex either; after what we'd been through we needed the chill time and that was why we chose AI in the first place.

We have booked a 7 tour of Cuba, followed by 7 days AI in the Iberostar Varadero for next June. I'm planning on taking £500 to be on the safe side as our tour is only HB so we'll need to eat out on an evening.

Personally I am choosy about where I will stay AI and I certainly wouldn't go AI in Europe as we usually prefer SC but I can totally see the reason why families etc on budgets pick them. Life is full of choices and if we all made the same ones, we'd have nothing to talk about!!

We're a family of 4 doing AI in Cuba in 3 weeks. I'm planning on swimming with dolphins (no one else wants to do it. ) and the boys are hoping to do a fishing trip and maybe horse riding one day. How much do you think we'll need to take?