Half Board vs Full Board: Hotel Meal Plans Explained
· 4 min read
Half board means your room price includes breakfast and one other main meal, almost always dinner. Full board includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. Neither normally covers drinks beyond water, tea or coffee with meals, which is the main difference from all inclusive. In Britain, half board is often sold as "dinner, bed and breakfast", sometimes shortened to DB&B, particularly at country hotels and inns.
The main board types
| Plan | Meals included | Drinks | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Room only | None | None | City breaks with plenty of places to eat nearby |
| Bed and breakfast | Breakfast | Tea, coffee and juice at breakfast | Short stays and busy days out |
| Half board | Breakfast and dinner | Usually extra at dinner | Rural hotels and relaxed evenings in |
| Full board | Breakfast, lunch and dinner | Usually extra | Remote locations and slow resort stays |
| All inclusive | All meals, often snacks | Selected drinks included | Beach holidays where everything is on site |
Self-catering sits outside this list entirely: you have a kitchen and no meals are provided.
What half board usually covers
A typical half board stay gives you a cooked or buffet breakfast and an evening meal each day. How dinner works varies more than many guests expect:
- Set menu: a fixed choice of two or three courses, sometimes with a few options in each.
- Dinner allowance: a set amount per person to spend on the à la carte menu, with anything above it added to your bill.
- Supplements: certain dishes, such as steak or shellfish, may carry an extra charge even on a half board plan.
- Fixed sittings: dinner may be served at set times, especially in smaller hotels.
Some hotels let you swap dinner for lunch on a particular day if you ask in advance, which helps when a long day out is planned.
What full board adds
Full board adds lunch, which might be a sit-down meal, a buffet or a packed lunch for walkers. It makes the most sense where there is little else nearby: a hotel on a Scottish island, a lodge deep in a national park or a resort where leaving the grounds is not part of the plan. Elsewhere, being tied to the hotel at midday can feel restrictive, and it is easy to end up skipping lunches you have already paid for.
Half board vs full board: how to decide
- Look at the location. In a city or a lively seaside town, room only or B&B leaves you free to try local places. In the countryside, where the nearest pub may be a drive away, half board saves planning and the need to drive after a glass of wine.
- Think about your days. If you will be out walking or sightseeing from morning to evening, lunch on the move is easier than heading back to the hotel.
- Compare the real cost. Price up dinner at nearby restaurants and set it against the board supplement. The guide to saving money on holidays has more on weighing up trade-offs like this.
- Check dietary needs. Set menus may not suit vegetarians, vegans or people with allergies unless the kitchen knows in advance.
- Consider the children. Fixed mealtimes and food already paid for can make family trips simpler, and some hotels serve an early children's tea.
Half board vs all inclusive
The difference comes down to drinks, snacks and flexibility. All inclusive usually covers soft drinks, house wine, beer and spirits and snacks during set hours, so you rarely need a wallet. Half board leaves afternoons free and generally costs less, but drinks with dinner and anything from the bar are extra. Read the inclusions closely, since premium spirits, better wines and speciality restaurants are often excluded even on all inclusive plans.
Common questions
Does half board include drinks?
Usually only tea, coffee and water. Wine, beer, soft drinks and anything from the bar are normally charged separately, and the usual habits around service apply; see tipping in UK hotels for what is customary.
What does "room only" mean?
Just the room. No meals are included, though tea and coffee in the room usually are.
Is a B&B the same as a bed and breakfast rate?
Not quite. A B&B is a type of small property, while "bed and breakfast" as a board basis simply means breakfast is included, at any kind of hotel. The property types are compared in the guide to B&Bs, guesthouses and hotels.
Where does half board make most sense in England?
Anywhere the evenings are dark and the villages small. The regions in places to visit in England, from the Lake District to the Yorkshire Dales, include plenty of spots where dinner at the hotel is the easy choice.
