‘All inclusive family holiday’ and ‘cheap’ don’t often go hand in hand, however there are many ways to make sure you’re getting the best cheap all inclusive family holiday possible, without breaking the bank.
Not sure what an all inclusive holiday is or what it includes? Check out our ultimate guide to all inclusive getaways first.
What is this guide going to cover?
Here’s what we’re going to be covering in this deep dive:
Things to Remember When Booking Your All Inclusive Family Holiday
First, we need to cover some of the basics for booking a cheap family all inclusive holiday. After all, it’s not just about the final price – it’s also about getting good value for the money that you spend.
Choose a Family Friendly All Inclusive Destination
You will know what’s best for your family, but the decision will ultimately depend on how much time you have, the age of your children and whether they (or you!) can put up with long haul flights!!
But to give you a starting point, here’s some popular all inclusive destinations that are known for their family friendly resorts.
Check the flight times and time difference at your destination
Don’t forget to check how long your flight is and the time difference in your destination once you land; this can have a big impact on bedtimes.
The Best All Inclusive Destinations with Less Than 3 hours Time Difference
Listing the time differences is frustratingly not that straight forward as not all countries operate on the same timezone rules as us! However, there are plenty of options that at most times, have a time difference of 3 hours or less compared to the UK.
Same time as the UK
- Portugal (apart from the Azores)
- Canary Islands, Spain
1 hour time difference
- Spain (apart from Canary Islands)
- Italy
- Malta
- Morocco
- The Gambia
2 hours time difference
- Cape Verde
- Cyprus
- Egypt
- Greece
- Turkey
3 hours time difference
- Dubai
Check for Child Friendly Amenities and Facilities
A standard all inclusive will have adult amenities, like evening shows and free bars. However a family hotel will have some extras for the kids to enjoy, and amenities that will make your life easier.
Here’s what to look out for:
- Play areas
- Waterpark(s)
- Children’s entertainment shows
Playgroups and clubs (children’s pool, pirate ships, crafts, sports, games console areas) - Theatre
- Bowling alley
- Sports activities
- Lifeguard service
- Babysitting service
- Equipment including cots, highchairs, baby beds, prams, carriers, seat covers, baby monitors and feeding chairs
- Baby toiletries including shampoo, body lotion, wet towels and sponges
Money Saving Tips For Booking a Cheap All Inclusive Family Holiday
Book Early
If you’re travelling with school aged children there’s a high chance that you have a specific window of time you would like to travel in. The school holidays tend to be the peak time for family travel so booking well in advance will ensure prices aren’t yet inflated by demand.
When holidays are released changes from company to company but typically it tends to range between 9 months to 12 months. Sign up for newsletters, follow their social media or follow me on Instagram or Twitter and I’ll let you know when they’re live!
Book Late
Alternatively you may be able to find cheap last minute deals for the end two weeks of August when demand begins to dwindle. You may also find last minute deals for half term travel.
However, in order to snap these discounts up, it would rely on you being flexible enough to wait and book just a few months or weeks before departure.
Check Last Minute All Inclusive Discount Pages
If you are flexible and fine with waiting to snap up those last minutes deals, then you can hold tight and see what discounts pop up last minute!
Travel agents will be able to help you find these deals, or you can search for them yourself through an online travel agent or tour operator.
We’ve compiled a whole host of ‘last minute deal’ pages for you at all the companies below.
Travel Agents
Online Travel Agencies
Tour Operators
Comparison Websites
Check Last Minute Holiday Deal Websites
Some websites very helpfully compile deals. I love using these as a springboard to find out where and when things are cheap. It’s a great place to kick off your cheap all inclusive search.
Stay in The Last Week of The School Summer Holidays
It’s usually a good move to consider the later part of the summer school break for an all inclusive holiday.
According to ABTA, the British Travel Association, prices drop big time towards the end of August and early September. This is because most people want to hit the road early during the school summer holidays, so the demand goes down and so do the prices.
If You’re Scottish, Fly from England in Early Summer
School holidays in Scotland and England have different dates, with Scottish children starting their summer break earlier.
So, for those who live by the Scottish-English border, it could work out cheaper to fly from England in June or early July.
If You’re English, Fly from Scotland in Late Summer
Alternatively, if you live in England and are close the the Scottish border, you can fly from a Scottish airport at the end of August when the Scottish kids have gone back to school.
Opt for Cheaper School Holidays
Opting to visit destinations during their lower seasons, such as May or October half terms, can lead to significant cost savings – you could save £100s by moving your big family holiday!
During May and October, all inclusive destinations like Morocco, Malta and Cyprus still experience sunny weather with temperatures well into the 20 degrees Celsius range.
Don't just search for 7 days
Well, you can if you want but the point is more that we often search for deals for traditional durations such as 7, 10 or 14 days. Therefore, it can be worth being open to searching for different durations as you may get better value overall.
Head To A Less Known Country
Lesser known destinations will have slightly less all inclusive options than the hot spot locations. However, in many cases you’ll get more value for your money.
Head To A Less Known Destination in a Popular Country
If you’re not ready to give up on your favourite country just yet, don’t worry! However, it’s definitely worth taking a look at less known areas.
For example, you could do these simple swaps:
- Instead of Spanish Islands and the Southern coast, look at Northern Spain
- Instead of Southern Croatia, try the region of Istria in the North
- Instead of a Greek island, try Halidiki which is on the mainland in the North
Make the Most of Free Travel for Under 2’s
The babies may be the true masters of the travel game. You see, kids under the age of 2 come with a fabulous perk: they often fly and stay in hotels for free!
Just remember that your baby needs to be under the age of 2 on the day you return from your holiday!
Although it’s pretty standard, remember to double check if the infant free place is included, as airlines like Ryanair may charge a small amount for your baby to fly.
Look Out for Free Child Places for Kids
If you’re booking your all inclusive holiday as a package holiday, some resorts offer free child places.
Don’t forget to check the rules as the kids free places may have an age restriction. The cut off age is usually 16 years old, but in some cases it is 12 years old.
All of the following have helpful pages to help you find these deals with ‘Free Child Places’.
Single Parent Discount
Some package holiday providers offer discounts for single parents, so it’s always worth checking the deals pages on these websites.
Both easyJet and Jet2holidays offer discounts for single parents – look out for promo codes on the pages below!
Check What Extras Are Included
Whilst it’s often assumed to be the case, it’s actually not standard for bags, seats and transfers to be included in the price of your all inclusive package holiday.
Tour operators like Jet2holidays and TUI do include all of these extras but remember, whilst they may look free, it’s probably already included in the price.
My advice is to always double check how much it would cost you to do it yourself, and then decide whether the saving is worth the extra ‘hassle’!
Find The Cheapest Dates For Your Chosen Package Holiday
We’ve got a cheeky little hack to help you search for the absolute cheapest dates for your package holiday.
Use a Comparison Website
If you know what resort and the dates you’re after, don’t forget to check a comparison website to make sure you’ve found the cheapest place to buy your all inclusive holiday from!
Check The Price of The Flights and Hotel if You Booked Them Separately
You can use comparison sites like Travel Supermarket and Icelolly to compare package holiday prices but in some circumstances booking your flights and hotel separately can work out cheaper. It’s best to check out both methods and see which one is cheaper for you.
Check out our tips on booking cheap flights and the cheapest night at a hotel!
Fly From Any Airport
If you’re locked into just one departure airport, you could be missing out on deals leaving elsewhere in the UK. Thankfully, there are a lot of different package holiday search engines that allow you to search from multiple airports. My favourites are icelolly, On The Beach and loveholidays but remember, you’re just using this as a search tool – always make sure you’re cross checking all the prices!
Check Other Forms of Transport
Who made the rule we have to fly everywhere? If you’re going to somewhere in Europe other transportation modes like trains, boats, buses, and car shares may be cheaper than flying.
Trainline is very quick and easy to use to see if there is a possible way to get to your destination by rail, though I’d recommend putting your starting point as ‘London’ for ease.
Otherwise, Rome2Rio is a fantastic website at showing you all the different transport options for getting to your destination.
Fly Part of The Way, Then Drive The Rest!
If you find a good hotel but the flights are too much, you could fly nearby and then hire a car and drive the rest. For example, I’ve flown into Athens before and then drove 2.5 hours down the coast to reach my destination – and saved a fortune because of it!
Find a Non-All-Inclusive Hotel That Has a Club Room, or 'Recreational Club'
Club Rooms, also known as ‘Hotel Recreational Clubs’ are often granted to travellers who have booked a certain level of room in the hotel – often a Deluxe room or Suite. Inside these rooms, they often have free food and drink served all day at no extra cost which is basically a sneaky way of creating your own all inclusive deal!
I made the most of this at Domes of Corfu where we opted for ‘Half Board’ but managed to get most of our other food and drink from the Club Room by upgrading our stay to a Suite. It worked out much cheaper than an all inclusive holiday of the same standard!
Get Cashback
Cashback sites give you money back when you book through their website. The money you receive back will depend on how much you spend. So, if you make a large purchase, like a family holiday, you can get can earn quite a significant amount.
However, it is worth noting that the holiday may be advertised as more expensive when booking through a cashback site. So it’s always a good idea to double check what the cheapest option is.
Save Money on your Travel Extras
It’s not just about the holiday itself – make sure you’re getting the best price possible for every part of your holiday, including airport parking, fast track, lounges, transfers, insurance and car hire.
The Best All Inclusive Hotels For Families
There are lots of all inclusive family holidays to choose from, but here are some options recommended by our Instagram followers, who have tried and tested these options to get your search on its way.
The Best Budget Family All Inclusive Hotels
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was the budget that didn’t return many answers and so we’ve have to do some snooping around the internet to find some well rated options. If you’ve got your own budget recommendation, please let us know over on Instagram or Twitter!
These hotels are well rated and you’ll find great value for money – but don’t expect a luxury experience!
Hotel
Star Rating
Cheapest Price
in Summer Holidays
Cheapest Price
in 2023/24
All prices shown are based on package holiday prices at time of search. The package includes UK flights plus 7 nights for 2 adults and 2 children aged 8 and 10, staying in the cheapest room available.
The Best Mid-Range Family All Inclusive Hotels
As you move from budget to mid-range, you start to see more 5 star facilities and more food and drink options – but always check the fine print as they may not still include things like branded spirits that you’re used to drinking at home!
Hotel
Star Rating
Cheapest Price
in Summer Holidays
Cheapest Price
in 2023/24
Mitsis Rodos Maris Resort & Spa
Rhodes, Greece
5
All prices shown are based on package holiday prices at time of search. The package includes UK flights plus 7 nights for 2 adults and 2 children aged 8 and 10, staying in the cheapest room available.
The Best Luxury Family All Inclusive Hotels
Often called ‘Ultra All Inclusive’, these options go the extra mile in not only how much is on offer but the quality too.
Hotel
Star Rating
Cheapest Price
in Summer Holidays
Cheapest Price
in 2023/24
Rixos Premium Seagate
Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt
5
All prices shown are based on package holiday prices at time of search. The package includes UK flights plus 7 nights for 2 adults and 2 children aged 8 and 10, staying in the cheapest room available.
Have I helped? Want to say thanks?
