In my role as a Consumer Advocate,

I have spoken with many thousands of holidaymakers who have taken this form of holiday; some not relating a positive experience.

The all-inclusive holiday has once again come into its own, partly because of economic-climate reasons and in the case of the UK, partly because of Brexit. Consumers are looking for value, trying to make sure that their hard stretched £ delivers a valuable holiday product.

All-inclusive holidays present different experiences, for example family or couples, standard or luxury. Whatever their structure, they all attract common issues that could affect the quality of your holiday.

To help you think about whether an all-inclusive is right for you or whether you are almost ready for the off, my short guide on how to manage your expectations should help you get the best out of this unique holiday product: 

1. I found that there is active encouragement from staff to drink the local water. We all see health warnings, advising us to take care when brushing teeth, or simply having a drink with your meal. I had staff telling me to either be careful of the water, because it has a higher 'mineral content' or being told that the water was 'pure'. My solution was simple; use bottled water when brushing your teeth and I told staff that I didn't drink tap water and firmly but politely requested a sealed bottle of water. Within a few days, the staff got used to my ‘request’ and I found that I did not have to keep asking for that sealed bottle!
2. Food has always been a big issue with holidaymakers. I found on the whole the food quality to be good but I did see on two separate occasions, an undercooked egg and fish. The simple question you should ask yourself is; ‘would I eat this at home’? If you wouldn't, then don't eat it on holiday and bring it to the attention of the staff. I also found the standard of food hygiene to be high, for example, staff wearing gloves, having access to cleaning gels, wearing hairnets and ensuring birds did not enter the dining room. It was pleasing to see these and other efforts; tangible results of our campaigning over 20 years. However, one aspect which caused me concern was the way in which a small number of holidaymakers approach collecting their food. One day I did not choose a particular dish because I saw British holidaymakers picking up food with their hands and in one case, put it back in the serving dish. I challenged them and pointed to the food tongs; you should do the same, we all have a responsibility even if we are on holiday! However, one factor that cannot be campaigned for is gluttony! On my recent trip I saw people overload their plates and wondered whether they overate at home? Just because you are on holiday does not mean that you have to eat your entire family’s bodyweight at each sitting! Not only is it bad for your health but it just doesn't look good!
3. We arrived at our hotel late in the evening. After a couple of hours in the room we discovered that the patio door did not lock, the toilet leaked and that we were situated directly under the air conditioning unit for the whole block. Throughout the first night we slept with fingers in our ears because of the ‘hum’ from the unit! Not deterred I went to the reception desk and complained. After a visit by the engineer I was told that the problems would be rectified. Unfortunately the ‘hum’ was not fixed and I requested a change of room. As with many holidaymakers, I received a ‘not possible’ response. A request to speak to the manager was met with ‘they are not available’. Politely but firmly I made the point that we would not be sleeping in the room that night and that if they could not resolve the matter, I would speak immediately with the tour company, the Ministry of Tourism and post on social networks that day! Within hours we were offered a new room, better appointed, minus the ‘hum’. The moral of the story is do not suffer in silence; make the complaint but be determined that you will take robust steps to resolution!
4. Many people complain about entertainment packages. Some of the complaints refer to the inappropriate shows they have experienced or poor standards. We took part in some of the activities and enjoyed some of the interesting challenges, but we did not feel obligated to sit and watch a show or take part in any of the activities on offer. In some respects, this is a little bit like the food point I have made. These resorts offer as much solitude or entertainment as you want, the trick is to do that research before you go and create the space that you want around you in the evenings. Even if research is not possible before you go, you should be able to quickly establish the ‘quiet-zones’ in your hotel, we did, in a quiet-zone surrounded by monkeys and iguana’s!
5. Finally, if you are anything like me, you might find the confines of an all-inclusive will lead to cabin-fever! The solution is to get out; take that bus to the local town, go on a tour. I like to see the real country wherever I go, so I will travel independently or find an eco/sustainable travel company to take me somewhere unusual, in turn helping local people and their economy; try the adventure, you’ll be surprised!

With planning, determination and managing expectations, this type of holiday can deliver so much more!