Decision guide · rules checked against official sources
Greece or Turkey all-inclusive: which is better value?
Choose between a resort-first holiday in Turkey and a Greek island break where the destination outside the hotel may matter just as much as what is included.
Greece or Turkey: the meaningful differences
| Decision | Start with Turkey | Start with Greece |
|---|---|---|
| Holiday style | The resort is the main destination. | The hotel is a base for an island or coastal trip. |
| Facilities | You want to compare large resorts, waterparks, multiple pools or extensive entertainment. | You prefer a smaller-scale hotel and will use local beaches, towns and restaurants. |
| Food | You expect most meals and drinks to be taken inside the package. | You are comfortable paying for some tavernas or independent meals. |
| Families | On-site activities and a contained daily routine matter most. | Short outings and a less resort-centred rhythm suit the family. |
| Couples | You want the hotel itself to deliver the relaxation and entertainment. | You want evenings outside the hotel and more destination atmosphere. |
These are useful starting points, not universal claims about every hotel. A well-located Greek resort can be highly self-contained, while a Turkish hotel near a town can work well for exploring.
Compare the real package price, not two headline offers
Live package prices change with dates, flight capacity, room occupancy and departure airport. A credible comparison therefore uses two bookable holidays at the same moment rather than fixed annual price ranges.
- Use identical dates and trip length. Moving one option into a school holiday invalidates the comparison.
- Use the same UK departure airport. Regional flight capacity can change the winner.
- Match the room and board basis. Check whether the cheaper result uses a family room, annex, limited view or a different all-inclusive tier.
- Add bags, seats and transfers. Do not compare an incomplete flight-and-room total with a package that includes these elements.
- Read the hotel's actual inclusions. Imported drinks, speciality restaurants, waterparks, snacks and late checkout are not automatically included.
Budget rule: if you expect to eat outside the hotel several times, add that spending before deciding that the all-inclusive option represents better value.
Compare a resort area and a hotel, not two whole countries
Turn the shortlist into a defined choice: for example, a Lara Beach or Side hotel against a specific Crete or Rhodes hotel. Confirm the arrival airport and route to each property; the country name does not tell you transfer time, walkability or which facilities are included.
A concrete Lara example: Jet2holidays' Adalya Elite Lara listing gives an approximate 40-minute transfer to the resort and 5.7km to Lara Beach resort centre. It lists indoor and outdoor pools, but warns that facilities are based on high season and may vary with occupancy, while board information is based on the previous season and subject to change. This is a planning example, not a recommendation, live quote or assurance that every facility will open for your dates.
For each shortlisted property, save the operator's transfer estimate and request confirmation of the pools, slide opening dates, children's age/height rules, restaurant reservations and any extra charges that matter to your party. Do the same for a Greek hotel; do not assume an island location means either a short transfer or easy evenings outside.
Allow for Greece's locally payable accommodation fee
Greece's tax authority, AADE, identifies the Climate Resilience Fee as a charge per daily use and per room or apartment. Jet2holidays' published guest guidance states that it is paid locally, uses the hotel's official rating and varies by season.
Clearly scoped example: that guidance lists €10 per room per night for an officially rated four-star hotel from 1 April to 31 October, and €3 from 1 November to 31 March. One room for seven paid nights is therefore €70 or €21 respectively, before any currency-conversion cost. This is a fee calculation, not an accommodation or package quote. A stay crossing the seasonal boundary needs the applicable rate for each night. Reconfirm with the hotel/operator and keep the original euro amount in the comparison.
For Turkey, ask the provider to identify any locally payable charges too; the absence of a figure in an initial quote is not evidence of £0. In either country, avoid counting included transfers or meals a second time, but include the meals and journeys you actually plan outside the resort.
Make a matched quote comparison for your party
No contemporaneous matched package quotes were collected for this review. Use the printable quote comparison worksheet for two offers, and the editable holiday cost calculator for whole-party and per-person totals.
- Define the party: number of adults, every child's age on the travel date, rooms and occupancy. Do not apply an assumed child discount.
- Match the trip: quote timestamp, departure airport, dates, paid nights, flight times and acceptable room/board standard.
- Record the complete price: package or separate components, bags, seats, transfers, local fees and required extras. Mark each as priced, included or still unknown.
- Record the differences: transfer duration, opening dates, meals outside and cancellation terms. Retain these differences beside the total rather than claiming the two hotels are identical.
A couple and a family can get different outcomes because room occupancy and child eligibility change the quote. Compare each party separately; a sample result would only establish the price for that sample at the recorded time.
Which destination suits your trip?
Entry rules differ even when the holiday feels similar
For travellers using a full British citizen passport, Greece follows Schengen rules. GOV.UK currently states that the passport must have been issued less than 10 years before arrival and expire at least three months after the planned departure from the Schengen area. Visa-free visits count towards the Schengen limit of 90 days in any 180-day period. GOV.UK says the EU Entry/Exit System is being implemented, and notes that Greek authorities have indicated they will not collect biometric data from UK travellers. Follow current official instructions and allow extra border time rather than assuming the process is identical at every entry point.
Turkey is outside Schengen. GOV.UK currently states that a British citizen passport must expire at least 150 days after arrival and have at least one blank page. Tourism visits are visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Rules can change and other passport types or circumstances may differ. Follow the official links below rather than treating this summary as permission to travel. Also read the current destination-wide advice: as reviewed, the FCDO advises against travel to specific parts of Turkey.
Five checks before paying
- ATOL: confirm the provider holds an ATOL licence and keep the certificate for a flight-inclusive protected package.
- Transfer: check whether it is included, shared or private and how long the hotel route normally takes.
- All-inclusive hours: confirm when food and drinks begin and end on arrival and departure days.
- Hotel location: map the walk or taxi to the nearest town if leaving the resort matters.
- Cancellation terms: compare the deposit, amendment charges and balance deadline—not only the total.
Use the travel booking websites comparison to build a consistent search, then compare the dedicated Turkey all-inclusive guide and Greece all-inclusive guide.