I am going on an all inclusive holiday...but how much money will I need?

I'd decide what I was prepared to spend: tours, presents, a meal or two out (it's usually tempting) odd jaunts and snacks (you may get bored or just want to explore) and take £50 a day as a minimum anyway. If you get currency from an exchange that exchanges back on your return you could take more than our estimate. If you have no idea of the cost of living I'd Google a bit to gauge the prices.

Well firstly, certainly take some emergency money, just in case!! Tipping is normally around 7-10% of the bill but as you are all inclusive, you won't know the amount charged. Think about eating in at home, how much would the meal cost you? Then take 10% from that figure. I wouldn't pay too much as it can become a very expensive holiday!! You have already paid for your food so don't feel as though you're being stingy by only giving them a small amount. Surely, whatever amount you give them, they should be happy with...
Also, you may want to buy presents for family/friends so you'll need money for that.

I'm going all inclusive to Fuerteventura in October (not quite as exotic as Mauritius!) and plan to take £200 spending money - this should do me for tips, taxis, drinks out, maybe a dinner out. We're going for a week so reckon this should do and I'll have a credit card for any emergencies. Enjoy your holiday!

My parter and I went away on our first all inclusive holiday last year and after taking far too much money I think we spent 100 Euro's between us for the week as we didn't go out on any excursions. Didn't tip everyone, but on the last day left money for friendly staff who we had found helpful such as certain waiters, barmen and the maid.

Most items apart from unprepared food are subject to 15% VAT. There is no clear rule about whether this tax is included in prices quoted for meals, rooms and activities. If it's not clear, be sure to ask or you may be in for a nasty shock. Top-end hotels and restaurants sometimes add a service charge of about 10% to 15%. Meals in resturants vary but you should allow about Rs 700-800 per person per meal. (£1 is about Rs43) Taxi fares should be negotiated in advance for the trip or for a day's tour, (they don't use a meter) however,if the driver has been particularly informative or helpful taking you around, an extra Rs100-200 shows your appreciation. In a restaurant, even if a service charge is added onto your bill, and although tipping is taboo you should leave a few loose coins or a small note for good service. Do ensure you give the tip to the person whom you want to receive it though as the cash tip will not necessarily be shared.

The whole point of an inclusive holiday is that you know what you have spent before you start. But it is very likely that if you can afford to take extra money, it will be worth taking enough for a couple of trips or tours - you can research the approx cost of these online. As mentioned, you may feel like leaving a small tip for the staff at the end of the holiday - that won't need to be a large amount. And always have some emergency money or your credit card with you - remember the ash cloud or the riots in Thailand recently?? You don't want to end up sleeping on the airport floor and going hungry if a problem or strike occurs at the end of the holiday.

i spent £350 when i went to malta self-catering. but i ate well and did a few activities, as i understand its about £1 to 47 rupees. that tends to imply that it will be quite cheap. as you wont have to pay for any meals assuming you eat in the hotel, you wont need as much. i'd say £200 will give you plenty. Also i understand that the common way of currency exchange is to do it in mauritius and to take travellors cheques as you get a better exchange rate rather than cash. i would also take an emergency fund on a credit card/debit card in case it all goes wrong. have a good holiday!

Tips? You expecting great service?? I have been on a few all inclusives and never felt the need to tip. Often service is just okay, most places do not seem to expect that the holidaymakers will carry cash so the staff don't put themselves out (unless you are going somewhere really posh?)
Not been to Mauritius so not sure about excursions but credit cards will suffice.
Have a great time.

This depends on how you intend to live are you a smoker, do you intend bringing gifts and duty free home at the end of the day only you can work out your holiday budget.

Whenever we have holidayed all-inclusive we never needed any money. We always took a small amount in case (there's always something we forget to take with us!)and a credit card for trips but in the main we liked the idea that we knew how much we had spent and wouldn't get any nasty surprises on our return. A couple of the places we went to specified no tips but I don't know if that is still the same.

I went on an all inclusive holiday to Mexico in May of this year. It was for my brother's wedding and we did stay in a very nice hotel and although I would not normally spend anywhere near this amount of money on a 2 week holiday it was a special occasion. I took £400 with me and whilst this may seem a lot when you are all inclusive we did go on a couple of excursions which probably accounted for just over £100. Whilst it wasn't a necessity to tip I liked to when I felt that the service we received by the waiters around the pool or in the 7 restaurants within the complex was of a high standard I really did want to be able to tip. We were advised that a $1 tip was sufficient but we did leave more than this at the restaurants if we felt the food and service were good (there were 14 of us).The staff work exceptionally hard in extreme temperatures and I just wanted to be able to show my appreciation where I felt it was deserved, although I don't think you receive a lower standard of service if you don't. I always like to bring gifts back and I did return with about $60. Take what you can afford and I hope you have an excellent holiday.

Hi,
I went on an all inclusive holiday in February. I took about £400, but came home with £300 of them!
I did go on a couple of excursions and bought a couple of little momentos, but in all - there isn't much there to spend money on as everything really is included...

If you are buying gifts though, you'd probably need a little bit more...

I've just got back from my first all inclusive holiday with my 6 year old daughter and it was excellent because we didn't have to worry about being able to afford treats and snacks for her. We did spend about £100 but that was mainly on inflatables and gifts to bring home.
Hope you have a lovely holiday :)

I would suggest taking a couple of hundred pounds just to make sure you have enough. You can always change it back when you get home if you dont use it. All inclusives are great. Make sure you check when you can have things. My sister went on one recently and they could only have icecreams between 3pm and 5pm. So make sure you check on any limitations.

When we went all inclusive we wondered the same thing and took far too much money. We ended up bringing most of it back with us. One tip, though, make sure you get the head barman on side and he will keep you well lubricated!!!