Many of us have been there, pricing up the value of doing a holiday self-catered vs going all in with the all-inclusive package - the added bonus with the latter being unlimited booze, of course.
There's a number of factors that come in to play. But it mainly comes down to who is going on the holiday and how much do they eat and drink - both hard and soft options.
But there's one little known rule if you're heading on holiday to Spain that could see you wanting to think twice about going all-inclusive if you enjoy a fair few margaritas or piña coladas.
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That's right, there's a new measure in place called the 'six drink rule'.
But before you let those alarm bells ring and you look to get a refund on your holiday to the Mediterranean, let us clarify the situation for you.
What is the new 'six drink rule'?
The six drink rule was established in 2023 and limits the number of alcoholic drinks a person can have while on an all-inclusive holiday.
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The rule states that all-inclusive guests can have three boozy drinks with their lunch and then another three with their evening meal.
You can have more, but you have to buy them on top of paying for your all-inclusive package.
The rule was brought in following a rise in unwanted poor behaviour from tourists that was being fuelled by unlimited drinks from all-inclusive hotel guests.
It wasn't the only rule brought in to combat this, with happy hour offers, party boats and organised bar crawls stamped out by politicians.
Where is the rule in place?
Thankfully for those who love going to Spain, it's not every resort.
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In fact, it's quite the opposite and is also not in place on the mainland.
Instead, the six-drink rule is a thing only in the Balearic Islands to the east of Spain in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea.
There's actually 151 islands in total, but only five of them have people on them. They are Mallorca, Minorca, Ibiza, Formentera and Cabrera.
And of those islands, only two have the six-drink rule in place. And they just so happen to be the most popular with tourists.
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On those, four areas enforce the rule, which will be in place until at least 2028:
- Playa de Palma, Majorca
- El Arenal, Majorca
- Magaluf, Majorca
- West End of San Antonio, Ibiza
So the focus is mainly on the party spots on the Balearics. Popular, more chilled resorts such as Alcuda, Santa Eulalia, and Santa Ponsa will not bring in the rule, as well as the entire island of Minorca.
What are the fines for breaking the rule?
Your all-inclusive holiday will get a lot more expensive if you break these rules.
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We're talking individual fines of between €1,000 (£855) and €1,600 (£1,368).
But the fine is even bigger for the hotels themselves, which if caught, can be slapped with fines from €60,001 (£51,302) up to €600,000 (£513,018).
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock ImagesTopics: Food And Drink, Holiday, Travel, UK News, World News, Alcohol