All-Inclusive or European Plan?

All-inclusive or European Plan (room only)? This is always the first question faced by travelers (well, maybe destination choice is the first decision). It is a matter of personal preference and vacation style ... the ease and simplicity (and budgeting) of all inclusive or the freedom to dine when and where one pleases ... which to choose?

The all-inclusive concept is very popular. For one price, the guest pays for room, meals, drinks, and many activities. While this certainly helps with pre-holiday budgeting, there are misconceptions as well.

One misconception is that all-inclusive means less expensive. Not necessarily. Truly budget conscious travelers could spend a lot less dough by doing some of their own cooking and by making savvy restaurant decisions. Other things to think about when selecting an all-inclusive resort: Will it be the same buffet every day? How many restaurants to choose from? Any restrictions on menu selections or choice of restaurant? An advantage of the room-only, "European Plan" (EP) resorts is the freedom to choose an offsite restaurant.

Many consider the complimentary resort activities (entertainment, watersports, etc.) to be an important component of the all-inclusive concept, and they are. But these activities are often complimentary at many EP beachfront resorts as well. At all inclusive resorts tours, sunset cruises, scuba diving, etc usually require an extra payment. Be sure to find out exactly what is included in the base price and what is not!

For many, the simplicity of the all-inclusive resort will remain the best choice. It is still the best way to stay within your budget. Many holidays have been spoiled by unanticipated costs along the way. You need to decide which system best suits your vacation needs.

Now a word about particular destinations and how that may impact the all-inclusive vs EP consideration. Most destinations and even many resorts will allow you to choose which option you prefer. But, some destinations are strongly tilted in one direction or the other. For instance, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are nearly 100% all-inclusive destinations. Turks and Caicos is nearly 100% European Plan. Barbados with a tourism infrastructure dating to the 1950's has incredible private restaurants and thus the 4-5 star resorts tend to be EP, but there are two local resort groups that offer very attractive all inclusive plans in their mostly three star properties (Almond Resorts and the Elegant Hotels Group).

We welcome any feedback. What is your preference and why?