Has anyone been to any all-inclusive resorts in Europe? l''m having a hard time finding any...

[gwendolyn]

Just killin'' some time by daydreaming the afternoon away looking up possible places to go for our honeymoon. If we can find one that''s not that expensive to fly to from England, we might opt for that instead of a domestic honeymoon, but finding one has been really difficult. Apparently Turkey offers some, and a few places in Spain, but other than that...seems like nada?

Has anyone been to any? We are on a fairly restrictive budget, but want to see if there even ARE any options out there for an all-inclusive that''s near enough to be affordable. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[mrscushion]

German tourists love all-inclusive resorts, and they typically find them, as you say, in Turkey and in Mallorca/Menorca and the Canary Islands. Perhaps Greece, too and nowadays also Croatia? Otherwise, I think not so much.

IMO, you''d best go to a travel agent''s office and pick up a few catalogs. I''m always surprised what nice travel can be had in Europe for very little money. This is very different from the U.S.

 

[KittyBling]

There''s always a deal to be had if you book around a month or a couple of weeks in advance. I know thats leaving it quite late but you can find a really good deal that way. I''d look online though because you can find better prices rather than going to a travel agent. A friend of mine when to a resort in Egypt for a week (all inclusive) for only £250.00. Turkey and Greece are quite cheap too. How about going on a honeymoon in the US after your reception?

 

[zipzapgirl]

I agree with mscushion. Spain or Greece are your best bets for all-inclusive in that sense.

You might consider a cruise. We went on a marvelous cruise from Venice to Croatia, Greek Isles and Turkey. It''s all-inclusive and as relaxed or adventurous as you want it to be. There are a lot of cruises leaving from Barcelona, Venice, and then some others from smaller ports like Rome. We did Royal Caribbean and it was quite affordable ($750 ea, upgraded to outside cabin).

 

[cinnamongurl]

zipzapgirl - What cruise line did you go through? That sounds like an awesome cruise you went on!!

 

[dcgator]

Hey Gwendolyn,

I second the notion of Turkey and Spain. There are a few more places there, than any other country. I really don''t think are any in Greece, but you might be able to find one or two.

Also, check out ClubMed. They are a European all-inclusive resort company, and have resorts spotted throughout the world, including some spots in Europe.

Also, I know it may be a bit of haul, but with the exhange rate and super cheap rates, even in American dollars, Mexico is not a bad go. I went to the Excellence Resort in Riviera Maya (just south of Cancun) and almost 50% of the couples there from UK, so I can''t imagine its that difficult or pricey to get there.

Good luck!

 

[noelwr]

I looked at holidays as FI and are getting bored waiting for the wedding day to finally come (Sep) and thought we would get away for a week. there are lots of all-inclusives in Turkey (beautiful sea) and some even in Greece, Spain and Canary Islands. I also looked at Mexico hoping there would be a good last-minute deal but now that it''s European school holidays everything is so expensive. anyway, I''d recommend the Turkish Riviera - and go 5 star as anything less is not 4 or 3-star you are used to in other European countries.

 

[zipzapgirl]

zipzapgirl - What cruise line did you go through? That sounds like an awesome cruise you went on!!

It was Royal Caribbean. The ship was Slendour of the Seas and we stopped at Split (Croatia), Santorini, Corfu and Ephesus. We usually like to do our own thing and we''re pretty experienced in Europe, but after ushering 40 family members around Italy for the DW long weekend, it was nice to kick back and not be in charge of anything!

 

[Pandora II]

Try Turkey or Tunisia...

 

[4ever]

I second the Club Med suggestion.

http://www.clubmedplanet.com/zone.asp?CAT_ID=12 looks like there are many europe Club Meds to choose from.

I have been to one before (New Caladonia) and although it was a long time ago I remember it well because it was just great! The food was amazing, huge buffets for almost every meal, the place was beautiful, there are tones of great activities all included in the price so you can chill out by the pool or go rock climbing or snorkling etc and the staff were so helpful and friendly and really made it a fun experience.

 

[iheartscience]

Does it have to be all-inclusive? Why not just go to the French Riviera (or somewhere else equally gorgeous) and stay in a pension or smaller hotel? I stayed in a fantastic pension in Nice that was literally 1 block from the beach in a great old apartment building. It was pretty inexpensive, more so because you can eat a meal or two a day there. I also stayed at a great hotel in San Raphael (smaller town on the Riviera that''s about 1-2 hours away from Nice.) It included breakfast and dinner. I forget the name (it''s been a few years) but I can try to find out if you''re interested!

 

[ilovethiswebsite]

They had some in Spain (Ibiza to be exact) when I was there about 4 years ago

 

[katamari]

I have to agree with Thing2, Gwen. All inclusive and Europe just don''t seem to mesh to me. Where in particular do you and James want to visit? I would be happy to provide tons of travel recs for anywhere I have been.

 

[Samantha Red]

Hi Gwendolyn

My recommendation would be to contact a company called Trailfinders. They have a honeymoon specific department and cover the whole world including Europe. They have existing packages and can put personal ones together for you. I know there are some all inclusives in Cyprus which is a fantastic destination. In terms of cost effectiveness Turkey cannot be beaten, I have some friends who did an all inclusive there last year and said it was amazing. Have fun finding something

 

[gwendolyn]

Hey, ladies, thank you for your replies! Have any of you actually stayed at any of these resorts in Turkey or elsewhere? Your reviews of specific resorts would be very helpful if you have stayed in these places.

No, it certainly doesn''t *HAVE* to be all-inclusive (this is just one aspect of our honeymoon search), but I am checking them out (hoping some of you had stayed in some of the resorts so there was a--sort of--personal recommendation but nevermind that) mainly because budgeting really stresses me out. I hate watching every penny, analyzing the budget to see if we have to drink tap water at a meal or if we can splurge on a soda, y''know? So all-inclusive would allow me to actually relax and enjoy our honeymoon without much worry that half the time, I''ll just be pinching pennies. I have had one all-inclusive experience (on a cruise) and it was absolutely wonderful, not having to think about finances all the time.

We have other options too, please don''t misunderstand. We are looking at hotels in the Lake District, and renting a self-catering holiday home in Italy, as well as other more economical options...but I more or less know where I stand with those.

This query is just to see if any of you have been to any of these all-inclusive resorts in Turkey or elsewhere in Europe to see if they are a hit or miss, and to see if you knew of any that I hadn''t found yet. Thanks again for your help!

 

[gwendolyn]

Date: 7/22/2009 3:31:49 AM
Author: Samantha Red
Hi Gwendolyn


My recommendation would be to contact a company called Trailfinders. They have a honeymoon specific department and cover the whole world including Europe. They have existing packages and can put personal ones together for you. I know there are some all inclusives in Cyprus which is a fantastic destination. In terms of cost effectiveness Turkey cannot be beaten, I have some friends who did an all inclusive there last year and said it was amazing. Have fun finding something

Thanks for the tip, Samantha Red! Do you think you could find out the name of the all-inclusive your friends went to in Turkey for me, please? That would also be a huge help, if it''s not too much trouble. Sounds like that could be the perfect compromise for us!

 

[gwendolyn]

The ClubMed suggestions were good ones--thank you, dcgator and 4ever! I will definitely have a look at those!

zipzapgirl, the cruise idea is one that keeps drifting in and out of my head--I think I will check them again to see what''s available in April. Thanks!

KittyBling, we might end up leaving it that late--who knows? I can be very indecisive when it comes to travel because I want to do it all! And J is fine (more or less, he doesn''t want anywhere really hot) going wherever I want to go, so anything goes, really!

mscushion, aye, I might stop by a travel agent to pick up some brochures. Good idea--I usually forget they''re out there because I always book my travel myself. Thanks!

noelwr, yeah, Mexico is probably too far to be really affordable, plus I''d like to go somewhere we haven''t been before, and Turkey has me very intrigued. Will definitely look at the Turkish Riviera and go 5-star, thanks.

Pandora, thanks for the suggestion. Have you been to both places? Would love to know your personal preference if you have.

Thing2, we''re looking into those sort of places too, no worries.

Ooh, the place in San Raphael sounds nice, and a half-board place (or whatever it''s called when breakfast & dinner but not lunch are included). Small towns are more our kind of thing! We''d love the name of the place, if it isn''t too much trouble!

ilovethiswebsite, thank you! I did look at Spain but didn''t find any--will definitely keep looking. Thanks!

katamari, the thing is, there are dozens of places we''d be happy going, and he more or less will be happy with whatever I choose (he just doesn''t want anywhere really hot). I would prefer to go somewhere new (have only been to England and Italy), somewhere where I can completely relax and not worry about anything (especially money), where I don''t have to cook or do chores, and where there are cool places to see if I feel like it, or nice relaxing places to nap or chill out if I don''t. Both of us would love going somewhere that has some sort of historical significance and places to see (like, I nearly jumped out of my skin when the all-inclusive in Egypt I found did a day trip to Petra!). But somewhere naturally beautiful, like say the Alps, would be absolutely amazing too. So...yeah. That wasn''t helpful at all, was it?

 

[Samantha Red]

Date: 7/22/2009 5:38:40 AM
Author: gwendolyn

Date: 7/22/2009 3:31:49 AM
Author: Samantha Red
Hi Gwendolyn


My recommendation would be to contact a company called Trailfinders. They have a honeymoon specific department and cover the whole world including Europe. They have existing packages and can put personal ones together for you. I know there are some all inclusives in Cyprus which is a fantastic destination. In terms of cost effectiveness Turkey cannot be beaten, I have some friends who did an all inclusive there last year and said it was amazing. Have fun finding something

Thanks for the tip, Samantha Red! Do you think you could find out the name of the all-inclusive your friends went to in Turkey for me, please? That would also be a huge help, if it''s not too much trouble. Sounds like that could be the perfect compromise for us!

No worries I will check it out with them and find out what I can

 

[Londongirl1]

Try looking on Tripadvisor.co.uk - there are tons of all inclusive places in Europe. Alternatively Egypt is only a 5 hour flight from London and has plenty of A/I hotels and resorts

 

[iwannaprettyone]

The south of France in the aquataine area has one I believe.

How the heck are ya gwennie do?

 

[iheartscience]

My twin sis found it, gwen! Below is the info:

Hôtel Jardin des Arènes
31 av Gén. Leclerc
Saint Raphaël 83700
+33 4 94 95 06 34

We stayed there literally 10 years ago (that makes me feel old!) but it''s still listed as a recommended place to stay on the website of a French language school my brother''s FIL runs. So hopefully that means it''s stayed the same. The food was DELICIOUS and the owner (Rosie?) was awesome. It''s only a one star, though, so it''s definitely not the lap of luxury. So if you want a super luxe place to stay this would not be for you! However, the town is great and of course the beach is gorgeous. (I remember it being a sand beach, by the way-not rocks like Nice.) Plus you could always go to Nice for a day or two by train-it was a quick trip when we did that.