Half Board Holidays

What are half board holidays?

Half board means your hotel stay comes with breakfast and one other meal included, usually dinner. You rock up in the morning, load your plate at the buffet (or order from a set menu depending on the hotel), head out for the day, and come back to a proper sit-down dinner without reaching for your wallet. Drinks are typically not included, though tea, coffee and juice at breakfast usually are.

It's the middle ground between room-only (where you sort all your own food) and all-inclusive (where everything from cocktails to midnight snacks is covered). If you're the kind of traveller who wants to explore local restaurants for lunch but doesn't fancy the faff of finding somewhere for dinner every night, half board is your move. Or if you're sober, or travelling with kids and not going to drink much, it could be a winner.

Our favourite half board hotels

Below we have selected a few of our favourite hotels offering half-board accommodation for you, from gorgeous Greece to sunny Spain. Each of these properties can be booked with half board as an option. None of these quite floating your boat? Then search through all of our hotel properties using the search form at the top of this page and filter by half board.

Why choose half board over all-inclusive?

All-inclusive is brilliant if you're planning to stay in the resort all day. But if you'd rather spend your afternoons wandering through local markets, trying street food, or eating lunch at a harbour-side taverna, you're paying for meals you'll never eat (and booze you aren't drinking). Half board holidays give you a safety net (breakfast and dinner are done) while leaving your days completely free. No meal-time pressure, no rushing back to the hotel because lunch closes at two.

It's also lighter on the budget than all-inclusive in most destinations. You still get the convenience of two meals a day at the hotel, but you're not paying the premium for unlimited drinks and poolside snacks you might not use. For couples who want to eat out at lunchtime and families who spend their days at the beach or on excursions, half board is often the smarter booking.