Searching For a Destination
 

My Wife and I are looking for the destination of our next trip to Europe, but I'm torn on the best spot. This place looks like a good place to help with that. Who wants to help us?

We have been to Ireland, and Madrid basically free using Airline miles and Expedia points and would like to do the same thing to somewhere else in Eurasia.

We will have enough AA miles for a flight to Europe, so timing of their cheap awards tickets is the only thing that will hold us back there.

I'm Expedia Gold Member and get double credit for my points if I stay at one of their VIP Hotels.
wwwDOTexpediaDOTcaSLASHrewardsSLASHvipaccess
(will not let me post the full link)

My wife's only requirement is that she wants to stay at an all-inclusive property so we don't have to figure out what we're going to eat on a daily basis. I'd like to get the most bang for my buck (I'm cheap), but can't seem to find a good way to filter Expedia's Website for VIP Hotels that are on the VIP Access list. This is especially hard since I don't have a destination in mind yet.

I've been looking in the Cypress, Turkey, area, but I don't know much about them.

My dream is Israel so I can see Biblical history, but giving my wife her all-inclusive stay is more important to me right now. The thought is that if I get close enough to Israel, I can do a quick flight in and see a few things and then fly back out the next day, but I have no idea how that would work.

The timeline for our trip is June-August 2020.

Any ideas for great destinations or lower price all inclusive resorts?

>>My wife's only requirement is that she wants to stay at an all-inclusive property so we don't have to figure out what we're going to eat on a daily basis<<

You want an AI . . . In Europe??? That's a shame really. You might as well not leave home. Not being rude -- but honestly, you want to eat all your meals in the same place ?

I don't disagree with you. My wife hates deciding what to eat THAT much apparently. lol.

Honestly, some of the desire to go to Europe stems from my distaste for the carribean, which is where most of out all-in's are around here. Maybe I'm grasping at straws, that's why I'm putting this out there.

Are there AIs in Europe? The only place I've seen AIs is in Mexico or the Caribbean.

Your wife might want to request a psychotherapy referral to get over her aversion to deciding what to eat.

Well sorry for the reaction (we all have our foibles), but most of us go for all of the variety so it's a difficult question. You also have some strict parameters for what you are looking for--probably best to stick to the search engines of what your restrictions are in terms of hotel points, etc.

There might be some in the mainly British tourist resorts on the sleazier Spanish coasts or on some Greek 'party' islands?? I honestly don't know -- maybe someone else has suggestions. I personally have not seen any.

I've been trying to figure out what sort of travelers you are, and frankly it's hard. You're weird, so go to weird destinations.

If you are set on an All-Inclusive resort and interested in Cypress, Turkey, Israel - seems like that would be easy enough to research... if in fact they even exist there?
https://www.tripadvisor.com/HotelsLi...fp7800097.html

Don't know why everyone's being so judgy judgy about their vacation.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/HotelsLi...fp7799137.html

https://www.expedia.com/Destinations...r-Destinations

https://www.travelocity.com/Antalya-...-Filter-Hotels

Lots of all-inclusive hotels/resorts in Israel, Turkey and Cyprus (note spelling):

https://www.expedia.com/Destinations...r-Destinations

https://www.expedia.com/Destinations...r-Destinations

https://www.expedia.com/Destinations-In-Cyprus-All-Inclusive-Hotel.0-0-d45-tAllinclusiveHotel.Hotel-Filter-Destinations

​​​​​​Lots of hits on Google for AI hotels and resorts in those three countries.

This never works, but I'm going to disagree a bit with the prevalent opinions here.

I don't know anything about Cypress or Turkey, but I bet they do get tourists that want full or half board. I'll even bet that Israel does.

I would start my search with looking for AIs in, or near, places In Europe that AA flies to. And look on AA Vacations, too.

Then I met look for AIs on Expedia.

And then I might search for places popular with British tourists who may buy packages. I don't think it has to a sleazy resort on the Spanish coast. I have stayed at places with largely British tourists. Try Rhodes.

A resort hotel with a restaurant can also be the answer to deciding where to eat each night. Just eat at the hotel.

Then, I'm afraid you'll either have to expand your parameters or maybe loosen your wallet.

In any case, I think you can try a couple of these suggestions and see what you come up with. I wouldn't say "weird" but you are fairly different from posters on this board.


MaineGG posted as I was typing.

rkierstead8, most certainly look at Cyprus. They do have all-inclusive plus short cruises are available to Israel from Limassol. Did it years ago, had a wonderful two days in the Holy Land with guided tours all the way.

Bill

Thanks billbarr. But you don't even have to PLEASE spell it correctly to get loads of hits on a Google search -lol! Not sure why everyone is being so negative here.

There are half-board and full-board places in Switzerland.

I know that the hotel I stay at in Wengen, the Bellevue, offers breakfast and dinner.

My husband and I never take it, though, because we like to dine out at top restaurants.

I think Rodos has AI resorts. Rodos is a very nice Greek island.

I don't understand why you just can't find a hotel in Paris, for example, with a restaurant and have all your meals there.

I know that my cousin, a member of the German royal family, likes to to take all her meals at certain hotels, like the Adlon Kempinski, because it is easier when she is travelling with her three children.

Thin🤳

Actually a cruise might be a very good solution -- but might not fit your budget.

Not really so long ago, there was no such thing as an all-in resort/property. You picked a destination and then found a hotel that offered what you needed. In your case, you need a hotel with a full-service dining room and any other amenity you feel you can't enjoy a vacation without. You can eat in the hotel for any/all of your meals, and you'd likely become very popular with the staff. If your wife feels adventurous after you get there, you can always try something else.

There are tour operators in the UK who specialise in AI holidays in Europe, including Turkey, Cyprus,Greece, Spain, all over the Med really. Not everyone wants to go out looking for restaurants 3 times a day everyday esp if they have kids in tow, many just want 2 weeks in the sun lying on the beach and aren't bothered about missing out on local culture.

https://www.firstchoice.co.uk/

Actually I was also thinking a cruise would be just up your alley. But failing that, I think there are resorts in Turkey that might fit the bill also. German tourists in particular go to those resorts, they are hugely popular. Just look for something beachside.

Lavandula

Turkey is a haven for AI hotels. There are also quite a few Ultra AI where you have 24 hrs of food and fully stocked mini bars. They have an open buffet plus 3-5 a la carte restaurants. There are also three excellent Club Meds,
The region is also rich with sites from antiquity including some related to the travels of the Apostles.

There are many AI travelers to Turkey on TA and you will get good recommendations from them.

I have no idea which are on Expedia VIP lists.

Unfortunately for you most of these hotels are near Antalya whose airport may not offer you flights to Israel, requiring that you fly to Istanbul first and transfer.

However, if you can extend your stay, two days in Istanbul and two days in israel would make the whole visit really memorable