Reinventing your image isn’t easy to do – just ask any Hollywood A-lister who’s fallen off the wagon at some point. But anyone who’s been following the fortunes of the all-inclusive market for the past few years will know it has undergone a radical transformation.
A reputation for pile ’em high buffets and dodgy local plonk is waning, and the era of the upscale all-inclusive is on the rise. But amid an overall improvement in standards, some properties still stand out, proving it’s possible to combine an all-inclusive stay with seriously good food – and not necessarily at a sky-high price.
There are plenty of options out there so this list is just a handful of the best, but it should whet your clients’ appetite for their next all-inclusive escape.
1. Sensatori Resort Crete, Greece
Dining is central to this Thomson brand, which emphasises the variety and quality of its cuisine as key selling points. One look at the options available in its Crete hotel and it’s easy to see why.
There’s the core buffet restaurant, which has show-cooking stations and children’s dishes, although there’s an adult-only section at dinner for couples who want to enjoy their meal uninterrupted.
Also within the all-inclusive package is Red Saffron, a modern Greek taverna with a terrace where guests can enjoyal-fresco dining during the warmer months, tucking into meals cooked on the terrace’s stone barbecue.
The taverna also has an adult-only breakfast in July and August as well. The resort’s other dining experiences include: Tex-Mex, which serves tacos, fajitas and smoky ribs by the pool; and Five Flavours Thai, which mixes old favourites such as Thai green curry with a few less familiar Oriental options.
For a supplement, guests can also try the fine dining in Al Dente, with a menu designed by a Michelin-starred chef; beachfront grill Aroma Stone, where steaks and salmon fillets come to the table still sizzling on a hot-stone slab; and sushi in the Japanese-themed restaurant.
Book it: A seven-night holiday at Sensatori Resort Crete starts at £605, based on two adults staying all-inclusive with flights from Gatwick departing on March 31, and transfers.
thomson.co.uk
2. Sandals Ochi Beach Resort, Jamaica
If you can dine at a different restaurant every evening for a fortnight and still not have ticked off all of the eateries in-resort, you know lack of choice isn’t going to be an issue.
This Jamaica resort, which had a complete overhaul earlier this year, boasts 16 restaurants and a further 11 bars, including three new concepts for the all inclusive brand: The Southern Table, featuring food from the US Deep South; Spanish-style bites at Tapas on the Riviera; and speakeasy-style bar The Rabbit Hole.
Add options as diverse as French fine dining at Le Gourmand or Jamaican jerk chicken at the Jerk Shack, and guests are guaranteed to find food to suit whatever mood they’re in.
To wash down those dishes, Sandals started its partnership with Robert Mondavi Wines from the Napa Valley vineyard in March, with an expanded complimentary wine list and more in-resort activities such as wine tastings and wine pairings.
Plus there’s the classic Appleton Rum from Jamaica, beers local to each restaurant such as Singha from Thailand and Japanese tipple Kirin Ichiban, and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee.
Book it: A week’s all-inclusive in a Riviera Bamboo Grove Deluxe Room at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort starts at £1,769, including flights from Gatwick, transfers, tips and watersports, for travel from May 2-June 24.
sellingsandals.co.uk
3. Evason Hua Hin, Thailand
Thailand might have started off as a backpackers’ destination, with visitors more interested in pad thai or mango and sticky rice from a street vendor than a full-service restaurant.
But as Thailand has expanded into the package holiday market, all-inclusive board bases have become more prevalent among holidaymakers who want a hassle-free break (though do recommend they squeeze in the odd street-food snack as it’s all part of the Thai experience).
Among those, Kuoni recommends the four-star Evason Hua Hin as a contender for great dining options, with authentic Thai accompanied by live classical music in Kieng Sah restaurant, plus Italian-Mediterranean cuisine in Coast (dinner only), international flavours at the main restaurant, and all-day dining and music at The Bar.
Add that the all-inclusive package also covers a half-hour head and shoulder massage, daily shuttle service into Hua Hin, spa discounts, bike hire, tennis and free Wi-Fi, and it will underline the value of an all-inclusive stay.
Book it: Seven nights’ all-inclusive at Evason Hua Hin leads in at £1,433 with Kuoni, including flights with Malaysia Airlines from Heathrow and private transfers in-resort.
kuoni.co.uk
4. Lux* Belle Mare, Mauritius
When everything from the coffee at breakfast to the ice cream at dessert is made on-site, you know you’re in for a treat.
LUX* Belle Mare prides itself on its freshly ground coffee beans – the product of the resort’s very own on-site roasting rooms – and a team of baristas who possess an extensive knowledge in the latest trends and techniques in the world of coffee.
LUX* also has its very own ice cream brand, ICI, which features an array of tailor-made flavour combinations such as Sicilian pistachio variegato, bubblegum, crema with crunchy hazelnut, and Madagascan vanilla, best enjoyed in a homemade cone.
In between, the all-inclusive package covers a dizzying array of dining choices. Mixe is a cut above the average buffet, with live cooking stations, Asian and spicy curry corners, a tandoor and saj oven for making traditional breads, Japanese teppanyaki area, and a dedicated chocolate room for afters.
Then there’s Beach Rouge for tapas and wood-fired pizzas with a sea view, gastro-pub K-Bar which has craft beers on tap, and fine Chinese dining in Duck Laundry, not forgetting the Rolls-Royce Food Truck, which offers takeaway street food on the beach.
The only restaurant that isn’t part of the all-inclusive deal is Amari by Vineet. But it’s well worth splashing out to experience the subtly spiced Indian dishes created by Michelin-starred chef Vineet Batia.
Book it: A week’s all-inclusive in a Junior Suite at LUX* Belle Mare starts at £1,645, excluding flights.
luxresorts.com
5. Ikos Olivia, Halkidiki
If fresh local flavour is top of your clients’ priority list, look no further than Greece, where even the simplest ingredients are transformed with just a drizzle of olive oil and a dusting of oregano.
That local cuisine quite rightly takes centre stage at Ikos Olivia in Halkidiki, not only in open-air restaurant Ouzo, run by Michelin-starred chef Lefteris Lazarou, but also in its ‘Dine Out’ option which lets guests eat out in a nearby taverna at no extra charge.
However, those local dishes face some stiff competition in this resort with fine French dishes at Provence, run by the Michelin-starred Pourcel brothers, Mediterranean restaurant Flavors, authentic Italian cooking at Fusco and pan-Asian dishes at Anaya.
Book it: A week at Ikos Olivia starts at £5,825 all-inclusive with Sovereign, for a family of four flying with easyJet from Gatwick on August 2. The price includes a cocktail by the beach, a farewell gift, private transfers and UK airport lounge access.
sovereign.com
6. Secrets The Vine, Cancun
Like some of its Caribbean counterparts, Mexico’s rich national cuisine hasn’t always been reflected in the quality of dining at its all inclusive resorts, but if Funway Holidays product team leader Lisa Dalton’s recent experience is anything to go by, that reputation is long out of date.
Having stayed at Secrets the Vine Cancun, she says: “It was an incredible dining experience. The quality of the food was excellent, plus you don’t have to pre-book either.
Guests can choose from pan-Asian, Mediterranean and Italian cuisines, fresh seafood and an upscale Mexican buffet, but my personal favourite was the ‘build your own curry’ option.”
The lack of a need for reservations even at its à la carte restaurants is a key selling point for those who hate deciding their plans in advance, and even if guests want to take advantage of the ‘Sip, Savor and See’ option to dine at one of AMResorts’ nearby sister properties, they can make those arrangements with the concierge up to 3pm on the day.
Book it: A week’s all-inclusive at Secrets the Vine Cancun starts at £1,489 with Funway, including British Airways flights from Gatwick departing on June 6.
funway4agents.co.uk
7. H10 Las Palmeras, Tenerife
You don’t always have to splash out on a luxury hotel to be guaranteed good food. H10 Las Palmeras in Tenerife has just had a full-scale renovation, including a new boulangerie and outdoor terrace to its main buffet restaurant.
As well as the buffet, guests get one visit to each à la carte restaurant for every seven-night stay, so they can sample Italian dishes at table-service restaurant Specchio Magico and enjoy the show-cooking griddles and Japanese fare at teppanyaki restaurant Sakura at no extra charge.
Book it: Monarch Holidays offers a week’s all-inclusive from £599 based on two sharing, with flights from Gatwick on December 7.
monarch.co.uk
8. Heritage Awali Golf Resort & Spa, Mauritius
Unlimited champagne? Pancakes for afternoon tea? Those two highlights alone might be enough to convince clients to stay at this Mauritian resort, but its culinary credentials extend far beyond these tempting extras.
Its elegant, open-sided restaurants set a tropical vibe before clients even look at the menu, with all-inclusive guests free to dine at main restaurant Balafon, made up of four African-inspired pavilions surrounded by clear ponds; at beachfront Infinity Blue; to try the north Indian dishes of Zafarani, which means ‘saffron’ in Swahili; and enjoy the colourful surroundings of Cyan at the C Beach Club.
There’s also a sunset cocktail on the Awali beach each evening, and a picnic for anyone leaving the resort to go sightseeing.
Book it: A week at Heritage Awali Golf & Spa Resort starts at £1,439 through Travel 2, for an all-inclusive stay in a deluxe room, flights and transfers, departing in June.
travel2.com
9. Olympic Lagoon Resort Paphos, Cyprus
Any agent who books Cyprus regularly can’t fail to have noticed the much-heralded arrival of this all-inclusive resort, which opened in June.
Catering as much to couples as families, every restaurant in the hotel is included within the all-inclusive package, so guests can fill up on the array of Cypriot meze at the Captain’s Deck one night, watch chefs rustle up sushi and cook teppanyaki-style at alfresco Kiku Japanese, then indulge their inner child at the ’50s-themed Rock ’n’ Roll diner.
There are some charges for additional visits, but the main Royal Olympic restaurant, all-day Italian snack stop and swim-up bars are available any time.
There are adult-only areas or times in some restaurants, usually later at night, so families don’t need to worry about interrupting other guests’ meals, and couples can enjoy a more adult atmosphere.
Book it: Olympic Holidays offers seven nights’ all-inclusive in a deluxe inland view room at Olympic Lagoon Resort Paphos from £925, flying from Manchester on May 21, with baggage and transfers.
olympicholidays.com
10. JA Jabel Ali Beach Resort, Dubai
“Dubai and Arabia aren’t well known for all-inclusive options,” says Debbie Wadhams, Gold Medal senior product manager for the Middle East, Indian Ocean and Africa.
“They’re certainly renowned for offering incredible culinary options, but not all in one resort as part of a holiday package price, but there are some excellent exceptions to this rule.”
And one of these exceptions is JA Jebel Ali Beach Resort in Dubai. Its dining options span the globe in just one restaurant, with main buffet Ibn Majed Restaurant offering themed nights devoted to Asia, South America, India and even the UK.
Plus there’s Italian fare at La Traviata, light beachfront bites at Captain’s with shisha pipes from late afternoon, and unique floating restaurant Divaz which, rather appropriately, serves a fresh seafood buffet right by the water, while serious meat eaters can make their way straight to Shooters for specially selected steaks with Mexican flavour and a view of the clay-shooting range below.
“JA Jebel Ali Beach Resort continues to emerge as a destination within a destination,” says Wadhams.
“Located out of the city, its beaches are to die for and with this being Dubai, the all-inclusive offering goes above and beyond, including not only meals, snacks and drinks, but also more than 40 activities, such as credit towards a Bateaux Dubai dinner cruise and water park access.”
Book it: Three nights at JA Jebel Ali Beach Hotel starts at £739 with Gold Medal, including Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow and all-inclusive accommodation, for travel between June 7 and 30.
goldmedal.co.uk
Source: http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2015/11/18/58396/all-inclusive-10-best-dining.html
