A resort listing can show the same room at five very different prices, and the difference is almost always the meal plan. The labels sound similar, but each one hands a different amount of the daily bill to you. Reading them correctly is one of the quickest ways to work out what a stay really costs.
The five plans in plain terms
Room only is sometimes written as European Plan or EP. You pay for the bed and nothing else. Every coffee, breakfast and dinner is billed at the outlet where you eat it. This suits travellers who plan to eat in town or who want a resort as a base rather than a destination.
Bed and breakfast, often BB, adds a morning meal. At most resorts that means a buffet, though some offer a limited a la carte menu. Lunch, dinner and drinks are extra.
Half board, also called Modified American Plan or MAP, covers breakfast and one other meal, usually dinner. The detail that matters is what happens to drinks at that dinner. Many half board rates include food only, so water, wine and soft drinks can still appear on the bill.
Full board, sometimes called American Plan, covers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Again, beverages are the usual exception, and some resorts include only a limited selection with meals.
All-inclusive bundles meals, snacks and a defined list of drinks into the room rate. The word is a marketing category rather than a legal standard, so two resorts can use it and deliver quite different things. Our guide to what 24-hour all-inclusive actually means explains one of the largest variations.
Where the fine print changes the price
The plan name only tells you the structure. The value sits in the exclusions, and resorts publish them in different places, often in the terms linked at the bottom of the booking page rather than in the headline description.
- Alcohol brands. An all-inclusive rate commonly covers house or national brands. Premium spirits are often charged separately, and some resorts offer a premium tier for an extra fee.
- Specialty restaurants. Buffets are normally unlimited. A la carte restaurants may require reservations, may limit the number of visits per stay, or may carry a supplement for certain dishes.
- Room service. This is a frequent exclusion or a separate charge, even where everything else is included.
- Service charges and gratuities. Some resorts state that gratuities are included, others leave tipping to the guest. Check the wording instead of assuming.
- Kids and age bands. Children are sometimes priced at a reduced rate on the same plan, and some resorts apply a different drinks policy to under-18s.
A simple way to compare plans
Do the sum the way you would actually behave on holiday, not the way the brochure imagines. Write down how many meals you expect to eat on site, how many drinks you usually order in a day, and whether you will be away on excursions for part of the week. Then price the same room under room only and under all-inclusive, using the resort’s own menu prices for the extras.
A traveller who spends most days at the pool and orders a few cocktails each afternoon will usually find an all-inclusive plan competitive. A traveller who leaves at nine for a tour and returns at six, eating lunch in town, may pay for meals they never touch. Half board can be the sensible middle ground at resorts that offer it, because it protects the two meals you are most likely to take on site.
Remember that some of the cost is not on the rate at all. Resort fees, local taxes and service charges can add a meaningful amount at check-out, and they are not always included in the comparison price on third-party sites. Our guide to check-out and departure day covers what typically happens on the final morning, including final bills.
Questions worth asking before you book
- Which drinks are included, and is there a list of excluded brands?
- Do a la carte restaurants need reservations, and is there a limit on visits?
- Is room service included, and during what hours?
- Are gratuities included or expected?
- Does the plan apply to every night, including arrival and departure days?
- What are the rules if I arrive late in the evening, after dinner service has closed?
The last question is easy to overlook. Many resorts run buffets until a set hour, and late arrivals sometimes receive a cold plate or a voucher rather than a full meal. Asking in advance costs nothing and avoids a disappointing first evening.
Using the plan name as a starting point
Treat each label as a starting position for negotiation of detail, not a promise. Put the resort’s written inclusions beside the plan you are considering, check them against your own habits, and keep a copy of the terms you relied on. If you are weighing a specific destination, our all-inclusive resorts in the Maldives page and the Maldives destination guide show a region where half board and full board are common alongside all-inclusive, and where the exclusions deserve particular attention.
Whichever plan you choose, the goal is the same: know what is covered before you arrive, so the only surprises at the resort are good ones.