An all-inclusive getaway might appear to be an appealing option, but it’s hard to work out whether you could have made savings by choosing a self-catering break and had more cash left over. Ed Chapman, a YouTuber, chose to put this notion to the test. He made a booking at an all-inclusive resort in Turkey and kept a detailed record of everything he ate and drank to discover whether he could make his holiday “profitable”.
It wasn’t until the fifth day of his five-day break that Ed managed to “turn a profit” from the arrangement. And he concluded that you can only achieve the best value on such holidays if you enjoy a drink or two, reports Birmingham Live. Ed paid out £965 for his TUI break. He subtracted amounts from the total for the basics, saying: “We need to knock off about £165 for the return flights to Turkey with checked luggage and then maybe like another £500 for five nights in the hotel. That leaves us with roughly £300 paid for the ‘all inclusiveness’.”
He plunged straight into his mission, grabbing a sandwich and the first of numerous strawberry daiquiris. He then found himself at a silent disco where, rather strangely, everyone was moving to different melodies.
Ed said there was a unique party atmosphere, with three DJs performing simultaneously, saying: “You can change between the different channels … just weird to be trying to dance with yourself. This is the first time I’ve ever done a resort holiday by myself, so this is going to obviously be a bit weird for us all.”
However, he quickly settled into maximising his spending allowance, tucking into a Turkish-style breakfast before making his way to one of the resort’s numerous swimming pools.
Spotting a possible security gap at the resort, Ed remarked: “One thing I do like about this hotel is that there’s no wristbands or anything like that. Sometimes, in these places, you get really annoying wristbands that are fiddly and scratchy, but there’s nothing like that here. They don’t even ask your name at breakfast or at dinner or anything, so you could in theory just waltz in [and eat what you like].”
By sticking to his own rules, Ed succeeded in eating his way through his original £300 allowance, regularly grabbing beverages and light bites, and even using the resort’s fitness centre and wellness facilities, which carried an extra £15 fee for the week.
He struck lucky with the weather, basking in a steady 27C apart from one spectacular thunderstorm. This enabled him to take full advantage of the swimming pool and the aquatic slide.
Having spent his theoretical £300 by early on the fifth day, he enjoyed his midday meal and treated himself to several congratulatory beverages, all of which were essentially free.
Looking back on his holiday, he determined that the all-inclusive deal was a shrewd decision, particularly for those who appreciate their alcohol more than he does.
Ed revealed: “We have managed to make a profit, and let’s face it, I’m not a massive drinker. If you’re a bigger drinker than me and you had five, six, seven or eight alcoholic drinks a day, you could easily add another £150 onto that total.
“So, the reality is if you’ve got the money to be able to do all-inclusive, and you are somebody who drinks quite a lot, it’s absolutely worth it. If you’re somebody who doesn’t drink too much, like me, it’s still probably worth it if you’ve got the money.”
Despite some criticism of all-inclusive holidays, Ed discovered the whole experience was “pretty decent actually.”