Ratgeber
All-inclusive on your honeymoon: is it worth it?
Honeymoon recommends all-inclusive above all for remote island resorts, where you can hardly eat elsewhere. In destinations with many restaurants, such as Phuket or Mauritius, half board or breakfast only is often more flexible. The price differs greatly by season and category, so a direct comparison is worthwhile.
Von Honeymoon, Stand
Schritt für Schritt
- Note how often you want to eat out or try something new.
- Check how many restaurants and bars the resort has.
- Look at drinks and spa: what is included in the package, and what costs extra?
- Compare half board and all-inclusive as a total amount for the whole trip.
- Watch out for minimum stays and dinner times.
- Report special requests such as dietary requirements before booking.
Checkliste
- Eating and drinking habits discussed
- Number of restaurants in the resort checked
- Included drinks and brands clarified
- Excursions and spa calculated separately
- Total price of both options compared
- Dietary requests reported
- Dinner reservations clarified early if needed
All-inclusive is worth it if you want to eat little outside the hotel and the resort offers few alternatives. In the Maldives, that is often the case. In Mauritius and Phuket, half board with restaurant visits can suit better.
What the board types mean
With breakfast only, you pay just for the first meal, and everything else goes on the bill. Half board includes breakfast and one dinner, usually as a buffet or set menu. All-inclusive generally covers breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks. Also ask whether spa treatments, water sports and the minibar are included in the package, because that is where the most common extra costs arise.
The same name stands for different services from one property to the next. Some properties exclude premium drinks, others have surcharges for certain restaurants. Read the description of services carefully.
On a honeymoon especially, it is worth asking about romantic dinner options on the beach. These are not always included in the package. It is also relevant for a honeymoon whether there are quiet areas for couples.
The calculation using the Maldives as an example
On a resort island, there are usually only resort restaurants. If you pay for each meal separately there, it adds up quickly, especially for drinks. A package then often makes sense. If you like a long breakfast in the morning and several courses in the evening, you will appreciate the menu variety of a package.
Also check how many days you will actually spend on the island. On excursions to neighbouring islands, individual meals fall away, and the package is less worthwhile. Ask about packed lunches.
A simple calculation helps as a guide: estimate your daily costs for food and drink honestly and multiply them by the number of nights. Then compare with the surcharge for the package. If you do this in a spreadsheet or on a scrap of paper, you will quickly see where the package pays off.
Mauritius and Phuket: more choice on site
In Mauritius and Phuket, there are restaurants and markets outside the hotels. If you like to try new cuisines, you often do better with half board. That way you save the flat rate for lunch and stay flexible. Small places with a sea view are often more authentic than a resort buffet and a good complement to half board.
At the same time, the trip costs time and money. If your hotel is far out of the way, all-inclusive can still be more relaxed. The location is decisive, not only the country.
Also ask which drinks are included. A good glass of wine in the evening is not part of the package everywhere.
Where all-inclusive does not fit
Couples who want to discover new things sometimes feel confined in packages. The appeal of discovering a local restaurant is missing. For special diets too, packages are not always the right solution.
If you drink little and eat small meals, you pay in the package for services you do not use. Then half board or breakfast only is fairer. This applies above all to longer trips, where variety becomes more important.
A middle way is packages with credit for a speciality restaurant. That gives room to move and a touch of romance, without pre-ordering everything. The evening stays special without the budget getting out of hand.
Avoiding typical pitfalls
Minimum stay, dress code and dinner times are often overlooked. In some resorts, dinners are only possible in certain time slots. Clarify this beforehand. One example: if a gala dinner is served on Sundays, there may be no à la carte option on other days.
Check extra costs, for example for water, minibar, coffee or water sports. Some properties charge these items separately. Ask for an example of a bill.
Honeymoon is a Swiss travel agency with video consultation. We place two options side by side, so that you can see what the package really means in day-to-day terms.
How to decide as a couple
First describe your ideal day. If it consists of sleeping, swimming, reading and dinner together, a package is usually a good fit. If it includes excursions and market visits, half board suits better.
Then work out both options with realistic consumption. A couple who drink little alcohol often pay extra in the package, while a couple with a good appetite and a cocktail in the evening save.
Discuss the decision before booking. A later change is not possible everywhere or costs extra depending on season and category.
