All-inclusive vs half board in Bulgaria: which should you book?

All-inclusive vs half board in Bulgaria comes down to how much time you plan to spend at the hotel. All-inclusive suits beach weeks where you stay on site and want most meals settled in advance; half board suits city, spa and ski trips where you will be out for part of the day.

The short answer

Book all-inclusive if you plan to spend most of your days at the hotel, by the pool or on its beach, and you like knowing that most of the holiday is paid for before you go. It tends to suit families with young children and beach weeks on the coast.

Book half board if you will be out for part of each day, sightseeing, skiing or eating lunch in town, and want an evening meal waiting back at the hotel. It suits city breaks, ski weeks and spa stays.

Either way, the name of a plan tells you less than you might think. Each hotel writes its own terms, so read the plan on the hotel's own board page before you compare quotes.

What each plan usually covers

Half board generally means your room plus two main meals a day, usually breakfast and dinner. All-inclusive generally widens that to every main meal and more on top, while ultra all-inclusive, where a hotel sells it, is a wider tier again. Full board and bed and breakfast sit either side of half board.

The detail is where hotels really differ, so check these on the hotel's own page:

• which restaurants and meals are included, and whether you need to book any dinners in advance;
• which drinks are included, if any, and at which bars;
• when the plan starts and ends on your arrival and departure days;
• how children are charged and which ages count as children;
• whether facilities such as the spa or sports are part of the plan or extra.

Ask the hotel about anything that is not spelled out. A clear answer in writing before you travel is worth more than a guess at the bar.

All-inclusive vs half board in Bulgaria: example hotels

All eight example hotels hold the top official category and publish at least one plan on their own pages. Three are beach hotels in Nessebar, Sunny Beach and Albena, and the Albena one shows that a beach week can come with just breakfast and dinner; the others are two hotels in Bansko and one each in Velingrad, Pamporovo and Sofia. AI means all-inclusive, UAI ultra all-inclusive, BB bed and breakfast and HB half board, as each hotel's own pages give them.

• Sol Nessebar Palace, Nessebar: a private beach, an aquapark, kids activities and a spa. Check availability
• Barceló Royal Beach, Sunny Beach: 50 m from the beach, with a kids club for ages 4 to 12 and a spa. Check availability
• Maritim Hotel Paradise Blue, Albena: directly on the sand, with indoor and outdoor pools and the Senses SPA; breakfast and the evening meal are included, a good fit if you want a beach stay but plan to eat lunch out. Check availability
• Grand Hotel Bansko, Bansko: the hotel gives 180 rooms and suites and is part of Grand Hotel Resorts by Pulse; ask the hotel about ski access and facilities. Check availability
• Premier Luxury Mountain Resort, Bansko: close to the Bansko gondola by its own description, with a heated indoor pool all year, a seasonal heated outdoor pool, a children's pool and a ski concierge. Check availability
• Arte Spa & Park Hotel, Velingrad: an indoor mineral pool, an outdoor pool, children's pools, mineral jacuzzis and a spa. Check availability
• Perelik Hotel, Pamporovo: in the resort centre near the ski area, with the Body & Soul spa, an indoor pool and a ski bus. Check availability
• InterContinental Sofia, Sofia: the Hexaya Health & Wellness spa, two restaurants and on-site parking. Check availability

Choose all-inclusive if, choose half board if

Choose all-inclusive if:

• you are on a beach week and expect to spend most days at the hotel;
• you travel with young children and want fewer bills to track;
• you want a clearer idea of the total before you travel;
• the hotel's own list of inclusions covers what you would otherwise pay for locally.

Choose half board if:

• you plan to sightsee, ski or walk for most of the day;
• you want to try local restaurants for lunch;
• you are on a city or spa break where the evening meal is a bonus rather than the point;
• the hotel you like does not sell all-inclusive at all.

Compare more options on all-inclusive hotels in Bulgaria, or start from Bulgaria. For more detail, read is all-inclusive in Bulgaria worth it, what all-inclusive includes in Bulgaria, all-inclusive vs ultra all-inclusive and Bulgarian hotel terms explained.