So, you have decided to relax abroad. And you go to the travel agency for a ticket. With a country of rest you have more or less decided. But what about the rest? The travel agent can advise you on hotels where the price per room varies depending on the category of the room, the star rating of the establishment or the prestige of the resort. What about food? Here you also have the right to choose. Many hotels offer several types of food. They are indicated by mysterious Latin letters: B&B, HB, FB, AI, EALL, UALL. What do they all mean? We will talk about this in this article. Most likely, the travel agent will seduce you with the last three abbreviations, as vouchers with such power systems are more expensive. Below we will consider the pros and cons of all inclusive, as well as clarify the question of how all-inclusive meals are indicated in hoteliers' prospectuses.
What stands for abbreviations
Let's start with the simplest package of overseas pleasures. B&B literally stands for "bed and breakfast," meaning "bed and breakfast." Such a power system is provided in cheap hotels with 1 or 2 stars. But this does not mean that it is not in expensive hotels. In very decent airport hotels where most travelers stop in transit, this type of food - morning meal - is justified. HB is pronounced like a “half board”. This is half board. You can choose between breakfast and lunch, or morning and evening meals. When choosing HB food, you need to keep in mind that drinks for dinner will be paid. Half board is often practiced in Spain, Italy and other European countries, where tourists will find a rich excursion program, and there is where to eat outside the hotel. FB - these are three standard meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Well, what is the all-inclusive diet? This is all inclusive. In other words, AI.
What is included in All Inclusive?
The “all inclusive” type of food (pronounced “all inclusive”) provides for three main meals. How does it differ from a full board? Under the FB system, customers often have to pay separately for drinks at lunch and dinner. And with the AI ​​package, they are already included in the ticket price. Not only that: the bracelet that you put on your hand when checking into the hotel according to the All Inclusive system will give you the right to use many types of services outside the restaurant walls. Which ones? It already depends on the hotel. In some hotels, this is the use of saunas, spa centers or tennis courts. Or maybe with such a bracelet you will be allowed to go to the water park, if there is one on the hotel territory. And, in addition to three ordinary meals, you will be poured soft drinks in the pool bar. Or maybe even alcohol - the truth is, locally produced. As you can see, “All Inclusive” is not only a type of food, but also a certain service system.
All inclusive and other bells and whistles
What is the designation of all-inclusive meals in the French Club Med hotel line, the first in the world to launch this concept? “You pay for the full package of services at home, but don't spend a dime at the resort!” Paradoxically, in France itself, “All Inclusive” is almost not practiced. Still would! France is not a country where you should spend the whole vacation at the hotel. But in the colonies, where the local population lives poorly, and in catering establishments you can pick up E. coli, “all inclusive” has taken root. In some countries, tourists find it unsafe to go outside the hotel. Some hotel complexes are whole mini-towns where there is everything you like: boutiques, hairdressers, etc. In pursuit of a client, hoteliers come up with various bells and whistles for “all inclusive”. So there appeared “super all inclusive”, “ultra”, “extra” and so on. These packages may include, for example, surf instructor lessons, a la carte restaurants, massage courses and excursions.
All Inclusive Pros
So is it worth choosing the type of food “all” when buying a ticket? Let us first consider the benefits of such a holiday. If you worked hard throughout the year and now you want to relax as much as possible, enjoy only the sea and the beach, not think about anything or plan any expenses, then the “all inclusive” type of food is right for you. There are also such countries (for example, Cuba or India) where you have no other choice. On Liberty Island, people spoil themselves with chicken once a month, and from the street cafe in Goa, you risk going straight to the hospital. At the same time, in hotels all products are fresh. In the Middle East and North Africa, it all depends on the stardom of the hotel, although, in general, the level of service in Turkey is higher than the food in Egypt. All-inclusive on the Anatolian coast provides ice cream, pastries and natural juices throughout the day. And in Egypt, this service often comes down to instant drinks.
Minuses
To understand the shortcomings of “all inclusive”, it is worth considering: how hoteliers manage not to go broke, given the gluttony of Russian tourists? Often, cooks introduce austerity mode with "all inclusive". Vegetables left over from breakfast are cut and served as salads for lunch. And if they don’t even eat then - for dinner. If you relax for a long time, then delicious dishes that you liked so much on the first day of your stay will be sore. And in Turkey or Spain there are so many artisans outside the hotel! I want to try something local, with color. And you start spending money ... So it’s worth three times to think about how all-inclusive meals are indicated on your vacation.