Pippa

I do not think that AI holidays are all about eating and drinking and certainly I will not be staying by the pool all the time.
My AI holiday was not cheap 2 adults and 1 child 2 weeks 3,800 euro.

Carol

You get what you pay for some AIs are very expensive. You are always likely to pick up these bugs and expensive doesn't guarantee safe but usually the standards expected are higher. Also if people are not used to this type of holiday consuming vast amounts of food or alcohol for the sake of it together with the hot weather can bring on stomach upsets. Choose your hotel with care and don't overdo it.

nick

I have gone all inclusive many times now and we have never picked up anything,perhaps we are lucky.It certainly isnt all eating and drinking dont forget many all inclusives reflect leisure facilities and entertainment too.

last few years we have done AI never had a prob the last time we had a tummy upset on hol was the last time we did self catering

In theory you should be safer with AI as you are eating out of one kitchen, so provided that kitchen is up to standard all should be well.

If you go SC and eat out a 14 different restaurants you are at the mercy of 14 different kitchens cleanlinest standards.

Any problems with buffets could be food being kept warm indefinately, whereas food is normally cooked to order when eating out.

we always go AI and the only place i have ever known anyone pick up any sort of bug was at a hotel in CT, Lanzarote. Standards in general were very poor at this hotel and remember on that holiday at least 40 people being ill with a stomach bug. I know this was not due to over indulging as generally the food was so bad the people ate out!!! This was the same holiday i picked up a chest infection and was ill for over a month. This hotel was advertised by Thomas Cook as the 3* but it was more like 2 keys and believe me there is a difference.
On the other hand, we also have stayed in 4* AI and the food was absolutely superb and cleanliness was of the utmost. On that holiday, none of us over ate or spent all our time over indulging by the side of the pool.

In general, i believe you get what you pay for but there is always an element of risk. If i feel unahppy with food, the way it looks, smells etc or i feel it has been stood for too long or stored incorrectly, i just dont eat it.

Anyone remember the illness in alcudia pins one year?....loads came down with a really bad bug...and this is a self catering property

The Alcudia Pins outbreak was confirmed as a vius in the pool water, the hotel had the pool emptied and cleaned which removed the problem. I seem to remember the Beach Club in Torremolinos having a problem for a couple of years but that has now been cured.

The main culprits at the moment seem to be cruise ships, my parents were on the Aurora last year and everyone came down with the Norwork virus.

Sorry to say this but it is not always the hotel's fault regarding stomach bugs. Yes if the pool has not been cleaned regular that could have implications but surrounding serious stomach upsets it can sometimes be the fault of the holdiaymakers and their lack of hygiene.
I have been in public toilets around the hotel when chilling around the pool and guess what, loads of times I have been astounded to the amount of women who do not wash their hands, even when they have assisted their children

Nothing to do with all inclusive establishment This is my humble opinion of course.

kazee

We have just returned from our first A/I in Lanzarote. We did a lot of research before we booked and went off people's reviews (all of which were really good). We enjoyed our holiday, the hotel was part of a chain and a 4*+, I don't think I would go A/I for any less than 4*. I suppose the food is going to be re-cycled, we normally go HB and the food is re-cycled then, but the day after! Stomach bugs are going to have a field day when there are lots of people all in one place, I think that's more likely to be the reason they break out. We would certainly go A/I again, but not without researching first.

J

i think you are right kazee.And i also think if a virus is bought into a hotel it is very hard to get rid of what with the aircon circulating all the air and people in and out of the pool

Just returned from Flamingo Oasis in Benidorm and havn't heard of any problems here except for ear infections, obviously from the pool, hubby and son were poorly with there's, although ours was cleaned every day.
I do agree with the point of people not washing there hands, I couldn't believe how many people were paying a visit and walking straight out without washing there hands and going into the restaurant. Dirty mares!

Have stayed in accomodation where there are poolside toilets and you'd be safer NOT using them to wash your hands! They can be appaulingly dirty.
Helen

Would not stay where you have been going then Helenward.
The fact that you state they are dirty says alot about the hotel.
Does this mean that you agree with women/people not washing their hands then in a less than perfect toilet/washroom around the pool If they are that dire then surely people would not use them and take themselves to their own rooms.

Sorry, no excuse for not washing hands in any public toilet

kazee

Trouble was, the rooms were miles away (Jacaranda, Gran Canaria) from the pool and the bar so we tended to use the pool showers for an all over wash if we had to use the wc while swimming.
We solved the problem by moving into a superb timeshare which we later bought and where "less than perfect pool toilets" don't exist.