After years of booking summer holidays for people, we can say with confidence that no single meal plan wins every time. The right answer depends on where you are going, how you like to spend your day and who is traveling with you. The cleanest way to explain it is through two destinations from our own offer that sit on opposite ends of the scale: Hurghada in Egypt, where all inclusive rules, and Crete in Greece, where half board or even just breakfast often makes more sense.
What all inclusive actually covers
The standard concept means three main meals, snacks during the day, and local alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks served within the hours each hotel defines. On arrival the reception hands you the exact schedule of restaurants and bars where you can use the service. The details vary from hotel to hotel, some add ice cream and late night bites, some keep imported drinks as a paid extra, so it is always worth asking us about the specific concept of the hotel you are considering before you book.
Why Egypt is built for all inclusive
In Hurghada the hotel is a large part of the destination. Resorts stand on their own beaches, distances between them are big, summer heat is serious, and the town is not the kind of place where you stroll out for dinner every evening. Our programs fly direct from Belgrade with stays of 6, 9, 10 or 13 nights, with departures spread across the week, so you can shape the length of the trip to your leave days. When you spend most of your time inside the resort, on the beach, at the pool and around the water sports, paying for everything in one go is simply rational. Families feel this most: children eat when they are hungry, drinks are not a running bill, and parents know the final cost before they leave home. One practical note for Egypt, the visa of 30 dollars per passport is paid separately, and this is exactly the type of small cost worth planning ahead.
Why Greece rewards half board
Crete is the opposite story. Tavernas are half the reason you go. Fresh fish by the harbor in Agios Nikolaos, dakos and local cheese in a village above Heraklion, an evening in Chania old town, all of that disappears from your trip if every meal is prepaid at the hotel buffet. Our Crete program is a direct flight from Belgrade with 6 nights and Sunday departures, and the island has rental cars, cheap and good food on every corner and a road network that invites exploring. With half board you get breakfast and dinner as a stable base, lunch stays flexible, and the money you would give for an all inclusive upgrade goes into tavernas, which is a better trade in Greece almost every time. Remember only that Greek hotels charge a residence tax at reception, from 2 to 15 euros per room per night depending on the category.
A simple way to decide
Ask yourself three questions. First, will you leave the hotel often? If yes, half board, if no, all inclusive. Second, who travels? Small children and larger groups tip the scale toward all inclusive because it removes daily math. Third, what is the destination like? Resort destinations such as Hurghada are designed around the concept, while island and town destinations such as Crete punish you for staying at the buffet. There is also a middle path, many of our travelers take all inclusive in Egypt in one trip and half board in Greece in another, and get the best of both seasons.
One more thing about the math
Compare the price difference between the two plans against what you would realistically spend outside. A dinner in a Cretan taverna costs less than most people expect, while drinks and snacks in an Egyptian resort add up quickly if paid separately. Do that small calculation for your own habits and the winner usually becomes obvious. Browse the current programs for both destinations on our packages page, and if you are torn, write to us with the hotel names, we will tell you honestly which plan we would take there.
