We are sometimes asked whether it is best to go ‘all-inclusive’ or purchase a meal plan when booking accommodation and the answer is, “depends”.
Some resorts offer meal plans (half-board, full-board or all-inclusive) and they can be good value but they may also be restrictive with a surcharge for certain restaurants or certain dishes. And if your accommodation includes a full breakfast, you may eat a bigger brekkie than you normally would at home and only want a snack for lunch. In Vanuatu and the Cook Islands there are lots of dining options outside the resorts that are easy to get to but in Fiji and Samoa all-inclusive can be worth considering because you may not actually leave your chosen resort.
Weigh up whether you will be leaving your resort for day tours, excursions, shopping or sightseeing/exploring. If you find yourself away from your resort at a designated meal time, you could be, in effect, paying for that meal twice if you pick up something on the go. Vanuatu is one destination where day tours and getting about outside your resort is easy and there are many excellent restaurants and cafes in and around Port Vila that are worth visiting.
Some establishments offer part inclusive packages. For example, Erakor Island Resort in Vanuatu has a Paradise Romance package that works really well for a 7 night stay – it includes bubbly and flowers on arrival, massages, a champagne picnic on a private beach, a chef’s romance dinner on the beach or in the private overwater hut, two a la carte dinners, beach movies and all-you-can-eat pizza night and the Melanesian Feast & Fire Show – so seven breakfasts, five dinners and one lunch covered which still leaves guests a lot of time to get out and about.