What restaurants and food quality to expect at Dubai all-inclusive resorts?

On the all-inclusive plan, meals begin with lunch on arrival day and end with breakfast on departure day. Breakfast on arrival can be purchased for AED 50 per person, and lunch on departure for AED 60 per person.

At check-in, reception usually lists the available restaurants: the Italian one runs daily, while a Lebanese restaurant is added on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays — worth confirming the schedule when you arrive.

Breakfast and lunch buffets impressed with variety and quality, including beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes, and even borscht.

Dinners can be noticeably worse: grilled meats were dry, sushi rolls bland, and pasta served cold — a real contrast to the good lunch.

Cocktail quality can be inconsistent too — a Porn Star Martini ordered at dinner tasted almost like straight vodka, while the same drink was fine at lunch; if unsure, prosecco is a safer bet.

Fruit isn't served on the beach, only near the pools; if you want a snack by the sea, waiters can bring nuts instead.

If you're on an all-inclusive plan and skip a meal because of a day trip, tell reception in advance so they mark you as absent; on your departure day, check in at reception first before eating at the restaurant.