Hi,
the reason Im considering all inclusive is because I really dont like the hassle you get from people the minute you walk out fo the hotel, from the taxi men to the shop keepers. I know it takes away from the culture of it all, but I just want a relaxing holiday, in nice surroundings, with fab weather, and underwater activities to enjoy. This year I have been to el gouna, and I loved that you didnt get hassled (theyre not allowed to there), and we really got to experience soem lovely food! I have had enough visits to egypt now to have experienced the cultural side of things, now I'd like to go and completely relax, which is what I plan to do in september!

We do alsorts of holiday types; from independently booked fly drive /self catering villas, hotel BB or HB.... all the way through to AI.
We just enjoy different types of holiday it all adds to experiences.

The reason we pick AI, if we do, is simply if it seems a good deal, in a place we will probably not be hiring a car. or is fairly isolated......... AND it normally has to be a 4+* to 5* hotel otherwise, it is not generally worth it.

Also, with 2 small kids that have run themselves ragged all day it is often the easiest option to eat in the hotel premises, as they are too tired and niggley to go out for a meal -
Considering how unpredictable their appetities are we also find the flexibility of AI quite helpful.

More often than not though, choice of hotel rather than type of board is more important to us.

I was quite set on an AI in Sharm for next Feb (amongst other holiday destinations /types we were considering) but seeing your post has made me think again ..

....... hhhmmmmmmmmm

we go AI as we have 2 kids and find that they want to drink all the time(non alcoholic) and we find its always the soft drinks that cost so much. its going to be very hot there and they and us need plenty to drink. we are o.k. with water but kids prefer juice. also the food for AI with kids is great. i know its not ideal but with the buffet if they don't like the first thing they have then they can get something else. can't do that in a resturant, you have it, pay for it and if you don't like it you go hungry. also as for cost of hotels AI verses BB i find very little difference in price. everybody has opinions at what they prefer, it wouldn't be good if we all liked the same would it?

This year we are AI because once we've shelled out on the holiday
RoadTax for two cars
and other house related bills there's not a lot left and we got a good deal so....................
We liked strolling through Naama at night not as difficult as it is at Fantasia (Alf Leila XXXx forgot the rest) at Ras Um Sid at least you could stroll relatively peacefully in Naama

Hi my reasons similar to the last comment, i have 3 children and when we used to go self catering all our money went on drinks and ice cream and with all inclusive at mealtimes if they dont like something they can try something else, the last few years my 11year old daughter has ended up meeting new friends and towards the end of the hol they have had their evening meal on their own so they can hang out together without waiting ages for me to get ready i tend to eat approx 8pm and the last few hotels we have been to have started the kids disco etc about 7pm so that works out great for them and myself and hubi have managed to get a few evening meals on our own, the other reason is my hubi dives approx 5 times during our 2 week stay and i dont have to take the kids out to a restaurant at lunchtime on my own they can just eat when they want without having to leave the hotel, it works great for us i guess everyone and every holiday is different, at the moment with 3 young children and hectic lives hardly getting any time at weekends either for a rest we have enjoyed going on holiday and staying put

Thanks very much for answering the above, of course i hadnt thought of children, at least you all have peace of mind. I just like eating out to be nosey, watching the world go by and people watching

We go AI as we tend to pick hotels that are a bit isolated... I just want to relax, and having to choose where to eat would upset my senabilities as I'm so incabale of decisions....

When I go outside Europe on package beach holidays, A/I is best. Most days are spent lounging by the pool or on the beach and as I go to hot places, it's important to keep hydrated. With a/i you get unlimited drinks, it's safer than having to take money with you and if you are like me and get too caught up in your book and foregt about your drink, you can get a fresh one. When I went to Kenya, I would not have felt safe going out at night to get food and I try to pick hotels with several restaurants to get more choice. btw, I have no kids.

I must confess that i always thought A1 were resticted to hotels being out in the sticks so to speak, but having a sense of relaxation does sound very nice. I think i would get bord with my own company I like shopping so much. having children wanting drinks and food is very important, the last thing you need is someone being really poorly if on a budget. I would go A1 in the caribbean as food is so expensive.

I have to agree with some of the comments. Im choosing to go to Egypt all inclusive because i am travelling on my own with my child who will be 4. Ive never been to Egypt before, but ive heard it is safe to eat out, but i dont want the hassle. I want a relaxing holiday this time. Ive just come back from Goa, we went bed and breakfast and it was great as the food was so cheap out there and the people are lovely. I wouldnt go all inclusive to Goa because theres not much point, but thats only because ive been plenty of times. If it was my first time id probably go all inclusive.
And with children it can get expensive, constantly wanting ice cream, snacks, juice, pop. Its just easier to go all inclusive.
Im looking forward to it as this will be my first All inclusive holiday ever

I've just come back from a weeks B&B in Sharm and think that next time we might try AI as we ended up eating alot in our hotel anyway, but paying a la carte prices(it did have a couple of very nice restaurants though). Also my youngest would order something of the menu and because it was presented differently to what he is used to he then didnt want it so it was wasted. If we were AI he would have been able to look at the food before he chose it from the buffet and made more informed choices.

The couple of times we ventured into Namma bay I wasn't too keen on the hassle anyway. Don't they realise that we don't want to be harrassed as we are on holiday. Plus the costs of going back and forth all the time in cabs mounts up and is dead money really that could have been spent on other things. I guess as ever it's down to what suits individuals and their families.

My boyfriend and I are going to stay at the new Calimera Habiba hotel at Marsa Alam in September.
We had no option but to go A/I as we have heard that the hotel complex is right in the middle of the Egyptian desert with nothing else around!

Even if there were other places around, i don't think we would've chosen any different as we would not know what the other resturants are like and don't want to risk becoming ill.

It's also hassle free and we can nip and get food and drink whenever we need too, i didn't want to have to worry about budgeting for food.

I usually prefer to go half board or self catering....When Im with OH we like to stroll along trying new food etc. but will usually opt for a half board just in case we feel like being lazy!
In nov I went to the maldives and it was the first all inclusive place I had been and I loved it! not having to worry about money!

So my friend and I have decided our girly holiday to egypt is to be hassel free (seeing as our last holiday together we ended up with no money for the last two nights....eating noodles hehehe)

Just coz im all inclusive does not mean I wont want to eat out!
I see it more of a safe net and I do not have the mentality that coz I paid for it there fore I must get my money's worth!

Never done it..... have always eaten locally..... its cooked fresh...have always had upset tums from Hotel Food..... just come back from Alexandria where me and Mr perfume have our home..... have bought food from the street, not covered, not refrigerated, no problems.

If you are on a complex, miles from anywhere, then you have no choice but to be pampered, and have everything cooked for you.

I hate the dining hall mentality of it... a rush for fresh chips etc..... it can be a bit of a stampede or drunken exhibition when there are large groups of eastern europeans who cannot get fresh fruit and veg in their own countries......

I like to dine in the open air, under the stars, not at hotel buffet times... but I don't have children, so can see why it's ideal for families.

it can be a bit of a stampede or drunken exhibition when there are large groups of eastern europeans who cannot get fresh fruit and veg in their own countries......

So people from eastern europe don t have enough fresh veg and fruit to eat in their own countries. Is that so! As Romania and Bulgaria grow most of their own produce and are nearly self sufficant unlike some countries in western europe. Poland alone accounts for 11% of the EU exports. Now the 10 new EU states joined they account for 30% of the EU's agricultural exports. This figure will rise even higher when Romania and Bulgaria will join. In fact for a a majority of eastern europeans farming and agriculture is a large part of their economy.

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