Hotel terms

Half board and full board, explained

Your hotel offer includes half board, and you wonder what you can actually eat.

Half board is a hotel rate that includes breakfast and one more meal, usually dinner. Full board includes breakfast, lunch and dinner. Both are about which meals are paid for, not about what is on the plate.

How will you meet it on the trip?

You will see “half board” or “HB” on a hotel quote or a tour itinerary. You will see “full board” or “FB” on resort and package stays. The hotel buffet then becomes your default meal, which matters if you eat only certified food.

A buffet is one shared kitchen behind a long row of dishes. Our guide to the five halal claim states helps you place the hotel on the scale from certified to unknown.

A tip before you accept the meal plan

Send the hotel these questions: “Is the restaurant certified halal, and by which body? Is pork or alcohol cooked in the same kitchen? Can breakfast be served without pork products?” Keep the reply with your booking. The meal-assurance comparison tool lets you put the answers side by side.

Look at what to confirm in writing for the meal items worth recording. More terms are in the halal labels and evidence hub.

If you are choosing between a hotel rate with meals and one without, send us the two offers and we will help you work out which one fits your meal rule.

Ask about a hotel

Common questions

What is the difference between half board and full board?

Half board adds breakfast plus one other meal, normally dinner, to the room rate. Full board adds all three meals. The exact meals, and whether drinks are included, differ by hotel, so ask for the meal plan as a written list before you accept it.

Does half board mean halal meals?

No. It only says which meals are included. A buffet can have a pork dish beside other dishes, and a hotel can call itself Muslim-friendly without a halal kitchen. Ask for the claim state of the restaurant, and for a certificate if you need one.

Is it worth paying for meals I may not eat?

Only if you can confirm you will eat them. If the hotel cannot show a certificate or explain its kitchen, a room-only rate and meals you choose yourself may suit you better. Compare both options with your own meal rule.

Keep planning

Halal, Muslim-owned, pork-free: what each claim meansYou see a sign that says halal, and you are not sure what it is actually saying.Meal-assurance comparison toolTwo offers both say halal meals included, and you cannot tell which one actually proves it.Ten questions for a tour operator before payingThe brochure says halal meals included, and you want that turned into something checkable.Which arrangements must be confirmed in writing?You cannot chase every small promise, so you want to know which ones really need a paper trail.