[Sala]

Is the best way to get a cheap holiday through one of the online sites, an agent, or try to find the flights and accommodation yourself?

[naughtysmurf]

I hope you get lots of replies with good info and links

In my experience it's much of a muchness cost wise (unless I'm doing it very badly) but with DIY you get to go to where you want to go rather than where the general tour operators / travel agents operate to, I might fancy the Costa del Sol but not the usual tour operator destinations like Torremolinos etc. I also get to select the accomodation I want & it tends to be of a higher quality.

Flight prices seem to be up this year which doesn't help the DIYer

[Sala]

Thanks for the reply. Yes I agree flight prices seem to be pretty dear this year so it seems to be working out that a package is cheaper, although the packages are confined to a number of areas and the accomodation isn't great.

Edit: would anyone know if it would be better to book one now (for 2nd two weeks in June) or should we take a chance and hope for a last minute deal?

[cynder]

Best time to book a holiday is in January or wait for a last min deal.

I normally book package holidays, however this year I've done everything separate, booked ryanair flights, 500 for 5 of us, car hire 150 for 7 nights and mobile home on a camping site with 6 swimming pools on the Adriatic coast for 450.


Not a hope would I get a hotel and flights in Italy for 1100 for 5 of us.

[Sala]

WoW! You're obviously used to this, that's a fanastic price! I was hoping for 1000-1200ish for the two of us. Would all inclusive be a good option? I have never booked an all inclusive package. I am a bit apprehensive as I have heard the food and drink is rubbish and I also like to go out for dinner, but if it's ot much dearer would this be a good option?

[justbmad]

Originally Posted by grindelwald

Best time to book a holiday is in January or wait for a last min deal.

I normally book package holidays, however this year I've done everything separate, booked ryanair flights, 500 for 5 of us, car hire 150 for 7 nights and mobile home on a camping site with 6 swimming pools on the Adriatic coast for 450.


Not a hope would I get a hotel and flights in Italy for 1100 for 5 of us.

Great Price, do you mind me asking, what is the campsite & where do you fly into, have you been before, is there much to do....

[cynder]

Originally Posted by justbmad

Great Price, do you mind me asking, what is the campsite & where do you fly into, have you been before, is there much to do....

http://www.canvasholidays.ie/campsite-overview.aspx?gclid=CKjpr9Gk5q8CFYRO4QodrH_4zA&id=AD08Z

The campsite is marine de venezia. It's just outside Venice. We fly to treviso about 40 miles away, we would be 1.5 hour drive from lake garda and around 45 mins from verona, we are based a 15 min boat ride and 15 min walk from Venice it's self, booked mobile with canvas holidays. But we booked in January, it's way cheaper to book in January. If we walk out of the camping site we are right on the beach...


Never been to Italy before. We did go to france 2 years ago did the same thing flew to carcassonne stayed in le sirene in argues sur mer for 1.5 weeks and then traveled to cite du azur and stayed in st Raphael for 1.5 weeks and flew out from marseille. Cost of that holiday was 2400. Cheap Ryanair flights were around 600 for 5 of us, keycamp mobile homes for the 3 weeks 1300 and car hire for a ford c max was 500. We stayed the last week of June and the first 2 weeks of July.

[cynder]

Originally Posted by Sala

WoW! You're obviously used to this, that's a fanastic price! I was hoping for 1000-1200ish for the two of us. Would all inclusive be a good option? I have never booked an all inclusive package. I am a bit apprehensive as I have heard the food and drink is rubbish and I also like to go out for dinner, but if it's ot much dearer would this be a good option?

I went to lanzarote last year with falcon holidays it was the last week in August and cost 1400 all inclusive for 1 week for 2 of us and tbh that's the cheapest your going to get. To get all inclusive for 1100 would be few and far between and you won't get higher than a 3 star. And it would be for 7 days only... Not 2 weeks.


However if you wait it out
You could get lucky with a last min deal.

[Sala]

thanks, I meant would I be better of getting flights & accomodation for circa 1200 or paying the extra money for all-inclusive? I don't want to pay the extra if the food is rubbish and I end up eating out all the time anyway, plus we aren't really the type to stay in a hotel all day.

[cynder]

Originally Posted by Sala

thanks, I meant would I be better of getting flights & accomodation for circa 1200 or paying the extra money for all-inclusive? I don't want to pay the extra if the food is rubbish and I end up eating out all the time anyway, plus we aren't really the type to stay in a hotel all day.

sorry

Depends on the location of hotel if it's in a resort of away from town, if it's in a resort then there should be plenty of cheap places to eat. We went all incisive in lanzarote - costa tequise - and found out that there were loads of cheap places to eat and if you bought the evening meal there you would get breakfast for free.

Look on trip advisor and people usually say whether or not all inclusive is worth it or not, some places are repetitive in the food they offer.

[Sala]

Thanks, you're very helpful. I'm having a look and I'm think I might only go for it if the difference in price is small. I found an all-inclusive package in Turkey for 750pp but we went there before and if you follow the locals you can end up finding great value restaurants anyway (plus we had breakfast in our package and it was rubbish)

[mikedragon32]

This is the risk with AI holidays. If the food is poor you're screwed!

Last year we (wife, 2 year old and I) went to Lanzarote for two weeks. Stayed in Costa Sal in Matagorda, booked everything myself. Flights & Hotel came to €1,100 for the three of us (full fare for daughter).

While there you had the option to pay €45 for Breakfast, lunch and Dinner for three days. This was pretty good value as you could have a full brekkie if you wanted and the three days didn't need to be consecutive either. Food was pretty good too.

Chances are you'll want to go out for dinner a few times or at least go elsewhere and have drinks on a night out. AI cuts out this flexibility as you're more inclined to stay had have food/drink you've already paid for.

[naughtysmurf]

I usually start looking at flight prices 11 months in advance, from my own experience I've found that between €700 & €800 is probably as good as I'm going to get (4 people in Jul / Aug incl bags) so as soon as I see the prices around that point, I purchase, paid a little bit more this year €860 but happy enough with that, DUB to NICE

To be honest, I'm a little bit anal when it comes to holidays, I'm a bit of a planner, waiting until the last minute...my nerves would be at me

With accomodation, as little or as expensive as you want, the missus likes nice accom!!! This tends to drive the overall price upwards, personally for me clean, safe & quiet fits the bill, my attitude is I'm not buying it just there for a couple of weeks

All inclusive, never done it before, wouldn't be our thing, like to do a bit of research on where to eat out and see it as an important / nice part of the holiday. Done half board on a ski holiday once and it worked out well but the fear is there that you pay for it and then can't eat it so have to fork out again

Personal recommendations - Always good, was having my car serviced today & just chatting to the car sales guy about holidays, he gave me a couple of accomodation recommendations for a destination I would never have considered because of preconceptions so will now have a look

All in all I prefer DIY, at the moment taking everything into account they are better value

@ grindelwald, what time of year are you travelling to Italy?

[naughtysmurf]

Originally Posted by mikedragon32

Last year we (wife, 2 year old and I) went to Lanzarote for two weeks. Stayed in Costa Sal in Matagorda.

I looked at these based on your recommendation, they seem to be having a few problems with apartments being broken into and management / local police not really interested according to some review sites

[cynder]

Originally Posted by naughtysmurf

I usually start looking at flight prices 11 months in advance, from my own experience I've found that between €700 & €800 is probably as good as I'm going to get (4 people in Jul / Aug incl bags) so as soon as I see the prices around that point, I purchase, paid a little bit more this year €860 but happy enough with that, DUB to NICE

To be honest, I'm a little bit anal when it comes to holidays, I'm a bit of a planner, waiting until the last minute...my nerves would be at me

With accomodation, as little or as expensive as you want, the missus likes nice accom!!! This tends to drive the overall price upwards, personally for me clean, safe & quiet fits the bill, my attitude is I'm not buying it just there for a couple of weeks

All inclusive, never done it before, wouldn't be our thing, like to do a bit of research on where to eat out and see it as an important / nice part of the holiday. Done half board on a ski holiday once and it worked out well but the fear is there that you pay for it and then can't eat it so have to fork out again

Personal recommendations - Always good, was having my car serviced today & just chatting to the car sales guy about holidays, he gave me a couple of accomodation recommendations for a destination I would never have considered because of preconceptions so will now have a look

All in all I prefer DIY, at the moment taking everything into account they are better value

@ grindelwald, what time of year are you travelling to Italy?

This month . Can't wait..

Next year we will do the same, but in June and in Rome. My moms also flying over from the uk and meeting us in Venice as is staying with us for 5 nights. The accommodation is for up to 8 people. She paid 60 pounds for her flights from birmingham to Marco polo from monarch airlines.

We couldn't travel in June this year and we already have kids clubs and summer camps booked for July/ August.

The place we are staying has loads of watersides and has great reviews on trip advisor, Venice is supposed to be really bust in July and August and really hot, so may suits us.