“You’re not seriously going to haveafternoon tea?” asked my partner onday three of our holiday at Grenada’sSpice Island Beach Resort. It was afair point: on one hand the scones andcakes were free, on the other I’d

already practically danced a jig of delight before the fivecourse evening menu posted outside the restaurant – agourmet feast also included in our room-rate.

I considered my strategy over a complimentary cocktailand decided I’d just have to work up an appetite in the pool.

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let’s try n all-inclusive holidays

All-inclusive holidays have beenaround for over 60 years, but with theeconomic crunch squeezing pursesever tighter they are becoming anincreasingly popular option, offeringvalue for money and allowingholidaymakers to budget for theirentire stay. Debbie Ward looks atwhat’s on offer

All out for all-in value

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n Diving iseven includedat some all-inclusiveresorts

n Tuck in – thefood is free

n Antigua resort Hawksbillin all-inclusive only

Rex Resorts has seven properties on five Caribbeanislands – Antigua, Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia andTobago – as well as an all-inclusive beach resort plus aluxury safari lodge in Kenya. Most of its Caribbeanresorts offer all-inclusive stays as an option, althoughHawksbill in Antigua is all-inclusive only.

Another group with Caribbean all-inclusive offeringsis Spanish company Barcelo. It offers its Club Premiumall-inclusive product at five hotels on Mexico’s RivieraMaya and two on the Dominican Replublic.

These and other Caribbean all-inclusive resorts proveparticularly popular for weddings, offering a basic cere-mony and trimmings for free, or the opportunity toupgrade for additional cost.

One of the biggest draws of all-inclusives can becomplimentary childcare. Mark Warner and Club Medare particularly known for this. Club Med’s children’sclubs are free from four years up; Mark Warner’s are freefrom two years, as is its evening babysitting service.

These brands also major on sports and activities, withtuition from tennis to sailing and windsurfing to circusskills. Club Med even has a flying trapeze academy atsome resorts!

coloured beadsClub Med, a French brand, claims the first all-inclusive– a sports camp on Majorca in 1950. A few years later itintroduced bungalows in Tahiti – reached by boat forthose who could afford to take a four-month holiday.More accessible resorts followed, with guests wearing

coloured beads to let the bar staff know they were on anall-in tariff.

One of the early successes of the all-inclusive conceptwas to entice nervous travellers to exotic climes at a timewhen travel was still all a bit, well, foreign. Worriesabout unfamiliar food or personal safety were allayedbecause guests didn’t have to leave the resort.

All-inclusives helped open the Caribbean up to masstourism and the islands are still one of the big strong-holds for this style of holiday.

The Mediterranean also has a proliferation of all-inclusives, with some resorts such as Belek and Antalyaon Turkey’s southern coast having most accommodationon this system, and most of them four or five-star. Popu-lar all-inclusive hotels in Belek include thefamily-friendly Cornelia De Luxe, adult-only CorneliaDiamond and the Rixos Premium, which features theTroyaqua water park and a dolphinarium.

Other all-in hotspots include: Egypt’s Sharm ElSheikh, with hotels including the Sultan Gardens ResortSharm, Hilton Sharks Bay Resort and Royal GrandAzure; Mexico’s Caribbean coast, where the ElDorado Royale and El Dorado Casitas Royals inPlaya del Carmen and Cancun’s Riu Caribe andBarcelo Costa Cancun are among all-inclusiveofferings; and Bulgaria, at beach resorts such asSunny Beach and Elenite, where the Elenite HolidayVillage is among hotels featured by several UK touroperators.

They have also recently become established in luxury

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let’s try n all-inclusive holidays

All-inclusives vary from little more than a full-boardhotel with a buffet to upmarket affairs with a choice ofrestaurants and water sports thrown in.

Some, like foodie Spice Island, cater for special inter-ests. The common theme is that you pay for virtuallyeverything you’ll spend on your holiday up front.

Since we’ve been in recession, the concept hasboomed. Cash–strapped couples and, especially, parentslike the idea of controlling their budget. First Choice,part of Britain’s largest tour operator TUI, announced itwas selling only all-inclusives from 2012, sayingdemand for this holiday type had grown by around one-third over five years.

A typical family could save more than £500 a weekchoosing all-inclusive over a standard holiday, FirstChoice claims. While some have quibbled over themaths, there’s no doubting that for the right kind of holi-daymaker the savings can add up.

local v premium alcoholSo what’s typically included? A key difference is acrossthe food and drinks. Some resorts have all meals in thesame buffet restaurant; others have a choice of al lacarte venues.

Soft drinks are usually limitless – but the complimen-tary alcohol in your package will vary from local wineor beer with dinner to an open bar with a choice of local-brand booze or premium-brand spirits.

Kids clubs and sports facilities – from tennis courts toa range of non-motorised water craft – are othercommon inclusions.

Some of the more upmarket resorts take things a stepfurther. In the Caribbean, the dominant adult-onlySandals and Couples brands (which also have sister

hotels aimed at friends and families) not only throwin all meals and snacks, premium drinks andsports tuition, but also provide free boat trips,water skiing, diving and, at some resorts,unlimited golf. Couples also includes selectedexcursions and Sandals has complimentarybutler service with some suites. SuperClubs offers what it calls Super-Inclu-

sive at its Breezes properties on Jamaica, theBahamas and in Brazil, which includes all meals

and drinks, land and water sports with professionalinstruction – and no tipping is allowed.

68 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Summer 2012

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sustainable travelAll-inclusives have come in for some criticism because the nature of an all-in tariffdiscourages guests to spend money out in the community they’re visiting. Consider taking excursions during your holiday or choosing hotels that offer

dine-around schemes where you can eat in local restaurants some nights for noextra cost. Also check out the hotel’s sustainability credentials; some have won Green

Globe awards and similar.

all-inclusive tipsl Think what you really spend on holiday. There’s no point paying for all-inclusive

sports, kids clubs and premium drinks if you’re child-free teetotallers who liketo laze by the pool. But families will appreciate water sports.

l Some all-inclusive properties fall down on the food. In largerresorts, look for a good choice of restaurants rather than onebuffet.

l f you’re considering an all-inclusive wedding, ask how manythe resort handles a day and in how many venues, to avoidthe “conveyer belt” effect.

l If you like variety, look for chains that let you use facilitiesat their sister resorts during your stay.

l Check the resort’s location if you like to explore. Some all-inclusives are quite isolated and you could be reliant on taxisto get around.

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“A typicalfamily couldsave morethan £500 aweekchoosing all-inclusiveover astandardholiday”

nPrivate island at Green Globerecipient Sandals Royal Caribbean

n Free water sportsappeals to families

n Check resorts’food choices

n All-inclusive ispopular in Bulgaria

n Cooking up somefun in the kitchen

n Flying highwith Club Med

Indian Ocean haven, the Maldives, where you can stay atmany of its resort islands on an all-inclusive basis.Mauritius is another destination in the region where theconcept is now popular, with Beachcomber Hotels offer-ing it as an option at several properties on the island aswell as at its Seychelles spa resort.

The odd all-inclusive is also found in destinations lessknown for fly-and-flop holidays. Brazil, China, Japanand Senegal in Africa are all featured by Club Med, forinstance, while in Vietnam, Fusion Maia in Da Nangclaims to be Asia’s first all-inclusive spa resort with twospa treatments a day included and all villas featuring aprivate pool and garden.

skiing and divingEven if you think all-inclusives are not for you, it’sworth checking out the special interests catered for bysome resorts on this tariff. Skiing is the most obviousexample. Club Med and Mark Warner specialise in thissector as well as beach breaks, while some ski touroperators including Crystal and Neilson offer selectedall-inclusive hotels. Inclusions vary, but along with youraccommodation and meals you may get some combina-tion of ski passes, ski hire, lessons and free day orevening childcare.

Sandals and Couples can work out very cost-effectivefor daily diving; you can even learn to dive at theirresorts.

Some diving is also included at wellness-focused LeSport and Le Source resorts, in St Lucia and Grenadarespectively. These resorts also throw in daily spa treat-ments plus a host of exercise classes and sports fromarchery to fencing to water skiing. Golfers, meanwhile,can tee off on an all-in tariff at 45 Club Meds.

And if the words “clothing optional” light yourcandle, you’ll find an all-inclusive for you. Jamaica’sHedonism II resort (part of SuperClubs) boasts “openbars and open minds”. Accommodation is split into Nudeand Prude parts of the resort and by night you can dress,or undress, to impress at fetish and mask parties.

let’s try n all-inclusive holidays

all-inclusive facts

Debbie Ward spent her first week as a travel journalist ata Caribbean all-inclusive hotel, reeling at the concept of aswim-up bar with free cocktails. She warns that whenreturning home from an all-inclusive holiday remember youcan no longer leave restaurants without paying.

all-inclusive specialists include:Club Med: www.clubmed.co.ukMark Warner: www.markwarner.co.ukSandals: www.sandals.co.ukCouples: www.couplesresorts.co.ukSuperClubs: www.superclubs.comAM Resorts: www.amresorts.comAlmond Resorts: www.almondresorts.comBeachcomber: www.beachcomber-hotels.comRex Resorts: www.rexresorts.comBarcelo: www.barcelo.com

individual resorts include:Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada:www.spiceislandbeachresort.comFusion Maia, Vietnam: www.fusionmaiadanang.comHalf Moon, Jamaica: www.halfmoon.rockresorts.comPestana Porto Santo: www.pestana.com/en/pestana-porto-santo-hotelLeSport, St Lucia: www.thebodyholiday.comLaSource, Grenada: www.theamazingholiday.comJumby Bay, Antigua: www.rosewoodhotels.com/en/jumbybay

tour operators offering all-inclusive holidays include:Thomson: www.thomson.co.ukFirst Choice: www.firstchoice.co.ukThomas Cook: www.thomascook.comCosmos: www.cosmos.co.ukCrystal: www.crystalholidays.co.ukNeilson: www.neilson.co.ukVirgin Holidays: www.virginholidays.co.ukKuoni: www.kuoni.co.ukFunway: www.funwayholidays.co.ukHayes & Jarvis: www.hayesandjarvis.comClassic Collection: www.classic-collection.co.uk ITC Classics: www.agents.itcclassics.co.ukSunshine.co.uk: www.sunshine.co.ukGolden Holidays: www.golden-holidays.co.uk

sample packagesKuoni offers seven nights on all-inclusive basis at LaSource, Grenada ina luxury room, from £1,989 per person, including flights based on twosharing with Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick and transfers in resort. Theprice is for September/October, 2012. www.kuoni.co.uk

Funway Holidays offers seven nights staying at Sandals Carlyle, Jamaica,including return flights with Virgin Atlantic from £,1245 per person basedon two sharing between August 20 and September 15, 2012.www.funwayholidays.co.uk

Hayes & Jarvis has a twin-centre break to Vietnam with three nightsat the four-star Halong Plaza, Hanoi, and then four nights at the five-starFusion Maia Da Nang, with inclusive spa treatments. A September 11departure costs from £1,499 per person, and includes flights fromGatwick, internal flights and transfers. www.hayesandjarvis.com

Club Med’s new Pragelato family Italian Alps resort opens inDecember. A seven-day all-inclusive package starts from £1,060 peradult, £954 per child, including flights, all meals, drinks and snacks,ski/snowboard tuitir to 17 inclusive. www.clubmed.co.uk

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n Enjoy all-in tariffs on the slopes

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