All inclusive resorts.

Guests that are used to luxury Hotel stays usually frown when they hear the term ” All inclusive”.

The idea of all inclusive is a great one.

You book your holiday, you pay for it and that’s it, everything after that is pure enjoyment!

After all, when is the last time you have seen a guest smiling at check out while they are going over the bill? No one is really happy to pay at the end of a holiday, it kind of ruins the holiday.

I have been to luxury hotels literally all over the world, from the US, Caribbean, South America, Africa, various parts of Asia and Australia and of course most of Europe.

We normally stay at branded hotels that are part of large international chains , however we also stay at numerous privately owned luxury properties which also provide us with a great experience.

The Key with All Inclusive Hotels is to do your research.

It is a fact that in some countries the 5 star rating is given very liberally.

I have had awful experiences in All Inclusive resorts in the Caribbean ranging from terrible food , to cats jumping into my room at night….I like cats ..and dogs for that matter however I don’t really want them entering my room at night and doing their business in my room.

Some had very badly kept Gardens, horrible service and non existent house keeping.

Keep in mind that this property was part of a top chain in the Caribbean.

That is when I understood why a lot of people frown when they hear” all inclusive”.

Years later I gave it another shot, this time it was in Turkey.

In all honesty, and I don’t say this often, I was amazed.

Never in any other country have I experience an all inclusive system as good as the one in Turkey. When I say this , I mean that literally everything was at top level.

My suite posed serious competition to some of the best properties in the UAE, the pools were HUGE and clean, the choice of food was immense and i was truly worry less for the duration of my 10 day stay.

Activities for kids were abundant, it was close to downtown Belek.

There are numerous sub standard all inclusive hotels worldwide, and in turkey as well. It is important, if luxury is what you are after, that you do your research when booking an all inclusive stay, for example in Antalya the place to stay, in my opinion would be Belek. This doesn’t mean there aren’t fantastic Hotels in other parts, it is simply because it has a very high concentration of very good ones.

In no other country have I ever seen the size and quality of Non International Chain Hotels, like the ones i saw there.

Some would easily put various 5 star (Branded) Hotels in the UAE to shame with the interior design, amenities, activities, gardens, F&B outlets and ambience.

Whatever the formula they implement to serve the quality of food they do as well as drinks, they should keep it safe as it is a formula for success!

Fair enough this was not a 50 euro a night all inclusive Hotel, the 10 nights in a suite cost 9200 GBP for 2 adults and a child  which i believe is around 12-14k USD . I say this because a spend of 10k USD in a luxury Hotel, depending where its located, for 10 days is pretty average, but for the stay i received, it was a total steal. It has to be said that I don’t drink alcohol therefore it was only my wife who tested the Drinks however she was very pleased!

For people that wish to try all inclusive hotels  I would suggest to always research the area where the hotel is located, check the reviews, see the real images of the property and not the photo shopped ones, do some research regarding the food.

Don’t believe the hype of the Tour Operators :-) Do your own research!

Speaking of food, a lot will say its all processed food in these resorts, and im sure a lot of them do serve only processed food but this one, to my amazement, had a food testing lab in it as well.

Turkey has exceptional Hotels in Istanbul, Ankara and many other parts of the country however in regards to All Inclusive it is definitely ahead of all others.

No country I have been to even comes close to the quality they offer in that particular sector.

Something else which i thought was at world standard were the conferencing facilities. Truly at world class level.

Was it better than the Rome Cavalieri? No.

It was a totally different experience, very well geared to families, fun and relaxation which is exactly what I was looking for and tried and failed to find in the Caribbean some years prior.

If I were a Hotelier in the Caribbean, or Egypt or anywhere where the dominant resort concept is all inclusive i would immediately grab an experienced Turkish General Manager with 5 star all inclusive experience to run the place.

Sub standard All inclusive Hotel the world over should be stripped of their 5 star rating  and dropped down to an absolute maximum of 4 stars even though i would propose 2 -3 stars.

These are the properties that give this concept a bad name not just locally but internationally.

I am not sure why or how they receive a 5 star rating but it reflects badly not only on their name but also on the name and reputation of a destination and ruin business for Hoteliers that are actually doing a great job.

Far stricter requirements should be placed on 5 star ratings and Tourist Boards should inspect them monthly to ensure standards are kept.

This VERY rarely happens.

The visits, a lot of the times, consists of having free drinks by the bar with the GM.

Sad but true!