Why are sun holidays so Dear,,

thetyreman

Hi,it is a long time since we as a family have gone on a foreign sun holiday ie Teneriff,the Algarve,Canaries,etc,We usually travell around Ireland,England with the caravan.However this year we have decided to go abroard,mostly because of the undependable weather here,anyway i got some brochures from the travell agents today and am still in shock after looking at the prices quoted for say a week in the algarve for a family of 5.self catering would be comeing in at around 800 euro per adult and 400 per child,thats the guts of 3000grand before anything.Is this the normal kinda money that one expects to spend,i thought the world was in a recession and the travell industry in particular was supoposto be on it knees,or am i just so out of touch as it has been about 5/6yrs since we went abroard,
Feel free to tell me to wake up if you think i am liveing in the past,,,,

mikedragon32

thetyreman wrote: »

Hi,it is a long time since we as a family have gone on a foreign sun holiday ie Teneriff,the Algarve,Canaries,etc,We usually travell around Ireland,England with the caravan.However this year we have decided to go abroard,mostly because of the undependable weather here,anyway i got some brochures from the travell agents today and am still in shock after looking at the prices quoted for say a week in the algarve for a family of 5.self catering would be comeing in at around 800 euro per adult and 400 per child,thats the guts of 3000grand before anything.Is this the normal kinda money that one expects to spend,i thought the world was in a recession and the travell industry in particular was supoposto be on it knees,or am i just so out of touch as it has been about 5/6yrs since we went abroard,
Feel free to tell me to wake up if you think i am liveing in the past,,,,

Wow, that's a difficult read.

You'll get much better value booking it all yourself directly. For example, I booked a holiday last year for my parents based on one they'd selected from a brochure and saved them just under €400.

It's the first time they ever went away on a sun holiday that wasn't a package and I think they may well never use a tour operator again.

The moral is to shop around, a couple of hours of reasearch can get you a bargain.

undo

OP, you appear to be very flexible when it comes to your destination. That's good. The more flexible you are, the better bargains you can get. If you are somewhat flexible with the timing as well, you can save even more.

Look around for cheap flights to any sun destination. Then, check out hotels in the area. A website like http://www.hotelscombined.com/ will compare the prices at numerous booking websites for you while http://www.tripadvisor.com/ will provide you with reviews of the hotels you are looking at. If you find something you like, go ahead and make the booking. Good offers come and go very quickly. If you find a discounted flight today, it may be gone tomorrow - or even in a couple of hours.

Airport transfer can be arranged later and should not be much of a concern when booking flights and hotels. Or you might prefer to rent a car and do some sightseeing. A website like http://www.autoeurope.com/ will compare quotes from different rental companies for you. On top of that, if you book through them, they reduce the insurance excess to zero for peace of mind.

This would be the basic crash-course, "booking a holiday yourself and saving a fortune 101" . When you have done this once, you are likely to get hooked and keep getting better at it every year. At some point, you start looking for error fares (such as flights to the US for €150 return), various discount programs, prepaid credit cards that let you avoid airline CC charges. But the basics above should be all you need to save yourself a fortune and have plenty of spending money when you get to your destination.

enzo7

Some very good advise there, ya the price of a package holiday is crazy. I priced a week in italy with top*light earlier for myself and the 2 kids. Then i went and i diy it and i got if 500 euro cheaper also by booking seperate im getting a private transfer instead of the bus transfer the tour operators provide so im delighted:D im flying the same day and similar times aswell.

Sparklebox

Try skyscanner.com all you do is enter your destination and they will check all of the available flights on a tonne of airlines for you to find the cheapest one.

Another tip is to try tripadvisor. Put in where you want to go and it will rank the hotels in order of how they have been voted, according to people who have been there and reviewed them. You can then put in your dates of when you are travelling and they will check a number of websites for the cheapest rate e.g. 1800hotels.ie, hotels.com etc

I personally find 1800hotels.ie the best and the cheapest for finding accomodation and are rele reliable and you can ring them for more info too...very helpful!:)

johnfás

If you are prepared to fly from Belfast book with www.sunshine.co.uk - they organise your flights, transfers and hotels to mostly the same hotels that the package companies will sell you down here. We did it last summer to the Canaries and saved over 50% each on our fares. Once we got there the local reps from the tour companies were only too happy to include us in their activities even though we didn't travel with their company because they get paid a commission on their sales... so that would probably sort out some distractions for your kids.

finbarrk

The sun holidays seem to be more expensive this year than other years.

mikedragon32

That's certainly quite true. On another thread I think somebody put forward the suggestion that it's down to Budget folding, but tour operators would have had their prices set before Budget's collapse.

I never thought Budget were any cheaper anyway when you compared like with like. If you did gat a cheaper holiday the accommodation seemed to be pretty poor.

OP, have a look about to see what you might pay by booking it all yourself and decide then if it's worth it.

One tip I will give is to contact properties directly by email. They will sometimes give you a better deal than using a booking website and may allow you to pay on arrival/departure rather than having to pay upfront online.

juanyjuans

Prices "may" be more exspensive this year ( as was the case last year ) as many of the tour operators have cut there supply. This means they charge full whack for there holidays as they know there is a higher demand to supply ratio.

In 2008 there was an oversupply and there were amazing late deals! but then this year also saw the colapse of XL as they could shift all those extra holidays.

Ryanair and Aerlingus will also be charging more this year for their flights. Hotels, who have no choice but to sell all their rooms, will be offering some great deals.

shop around. look our for late deals. consider booking the flights and hotel yourself.

RubyK

Hey there, I just had a look online, and found the following

Flights ex Dublin to Faro 17th June till 24th June - 2 adults & 3 children €1,097.00 (aerlingus.com)

7 nights Club Alvor Ferias - 3 bedroom apartment (sleep 6) €630 (booking.com) http://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/clube-alvorferias.html?sid=ce56594404505ab506f03f31e0822f8e;checkin=2010-06-17;checkout=2010-06-24;show_room=RD3911406

More accommodation available on this link http://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?city=-2158139&ssne=Alvor&error_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.booking.com%2Fsearchresults.html%3Fsid%3Dce56594404505ab506f03f31e0822f8e%3Bcheckin_monthday%3D19%3Bcheckin_year_month%3D2010-6%3Bcheckout_monthday%3D26%3Bcheckout_year_month%3D2010-6%3Bcity%3D-2158139%3Bclass_interval%3D1%3Boffset%3D0%3Bsi%3Dai%252Cco%252Cci%252Cre%252Cdi%3Bss%3DAlvor%3Bss_all%3D0%3Bssne%3DAlvor%3Bradius%3D3%3B&sid=ce56594404505ab506f03f31e0822f8e&si=ai%2Cco%2Cci%2Cre%2Cdi&ss=Alvor&radius=3&checkin_monthday=17&checkin_year_month=2010-6&checkout_monthday=24&checkout_year_month=2010-6&group_adults=1&group_children=0&clear_group=1


Transfer €129 return. http://www.low-cost-transfers.com/faro-airport/airport-transfer-booking.php?goloc=102&transfer=Alvor

Grand total €1,856.00.

Sundew

To get the cheapest holiday if you plan in advance with cheap airfares and rent a villa between the whole family it works out a hell of alot cheaper then travel agents.
Thats why they are all nearly redundant now!
I priced a small bungalow beside the old town in Puerto Del Carmen,lanazarote for 4 adults in Feb, in early December and along with cheap sale flights the holiday would have worked out at less then a €1000 between 4 adults!!! :eek: Sunway Travel were charging €520 per person for flight and bungalow which was just around the corner from the one we were going to book independently. Both places were right beside the sea front.

One tip I will give is to contact properties directly by email. They will sometimes give you a better deal than using a booking website and may allow you to pay on arrival/departure rather than having to pay upfront online.

Eoghan Corry travel writer gave a very interesting talk at the Travel show in the R.D.S last Sunday, about how to get the best deals in the travel Industry.
No better time but it takes either more planning on your part or haggling as some of the websites which claim to sell the cheapest beds don't always have the cheapest price!
The Internet is your friend and the best tool to get the best deals :-)

MayoForSam

+1 on the DIY option and researching online (Tripadvisor is your friend ).

For about the 6th year in a row we have booked our flights to our destination of choice and then started looking for accommodation.

Got Aer Lingus flights for 2 adults and 2 kids to Sicily at the end of June for €700 including baggage and taxes (just after the schools close for the holidays).

We like the self-catering option and this year I have booked in 3 separate locations (Cefalu, Taormina and Siracusa - might as well see a bit of the place while we are there), 14 nights for a total of €950.

A very good web-site for self-catering apartments is http://www.homelidays.co.uk.

So with only the car hire to add in, the total so far is €1650 for a family of 4. I doubt if any tour operator could get you 2 weeks anywhere in Europe in July for that figure.

Plus with less flights out of Ireland and the demise of Budget Travel, etc. means that there is less supply, demand has reduced but is still there, therefore more expensive package deals.

ScouseMouse

I have just booked direct flights to tenerife with aer lingus with two apartments for 2400 euro. For four adults, one child, and an infant for two weeks.

Flights - aerlingus.com

Apartment:
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/los-cristianos/14334

There are loads available but I have have been to this one three years running.

Undoubtably, you can do the same.

Pythia

I went through the UK last year. So much cheaper for the exact same holiday with the same company.

finbarrk

Falcon are definatley more expensive this year. A week in Costa Dorada seems to be around €3,500 for a family of 4. And thats not even a 2 bed apt. They can keep it.

enzo7

Really??? I priced a holiday for 3 of us with them on-line for a week full-board for 1,400 4* hotel,exact same holiday was 1,100 last year . Thats the last wk in august in salou. There def put there prices up but there still a country mile cheaper than anyone else. Ive spent the last few wks trying to find a cheapish holiday still nothing booked my head is recked:mad:

finbarrk

Well maybe you are going from Dublin? We are from the west so we need to go from Shannon, so it's probably more expensive.

enzo7

nope shannon too. hotel vil la romana

GeturGun

Just booked a week in Lanzarote in May with Aer Lingus and www.ownersdirect.co.uk and it's working out at €900 all in for 3 adults.

Doing it yourself is definitely where it's at!

enzo7

Ya thats a great price, thats how much flight would cost us in august for 3 of us outa cork would prefer shannon. Were going with a package with a free-child place it working out better. Priced majorca as well diy was slightly cheaper but the flight times were very late where as Fal*on had really good times. Salou was our other option out a shannon but been there the last few years so wanted a change so its lanzarote this year i think unless i change my mind again;)

finbarrk

enzo7 wrote: »

nope shannon too. hotel vil la romana

Just checked that one enzo. It's cheaper than the first place I checked allright. Cimes in at around €2170 for us. I still won't bother with them though.
It's for July 23rd.


http://www.falconholidays.ie/fcfalcon/page/flightoptions/flightoptions.page?packageNumber=43257027921RSPVJE127990350000012799152000003254128049990000012805047000003253&selectedBoardBasis=HB

enzo7

Ya its still alot of money, tink im going to hold out a little longer and see .Someone has taken over budget not dat id ever travel with them but hopeing the competion would make the other companys drop their prices, well im hopeing anyway:)

ScouseMouse

Clubtravel have bought the name and the intellectual property (whatever that is). Still dont see it making a difference this year though.

They wouldn't be able to arrange any extra packages at this stage.

http://www.rte.ie/business/2010/0122/budgettravel.html

undo

superscouse wrote: »

intellectable property (whatever that is)

It's not even a word in the English language.

enzo7

superscouse wrote: »

Clubtravel have bought the name and the intellectable property (whatever that is). Still dont see it making a difference this year though.

They wouldn't be able to arrange any extra packages at this stage.

I hadnt heard who had bought the name, a girl i know worked for them, she reckoned the new owner would be hopeing to be up and running for this summer. dont know if she realise if it were club travel. Maybe i should just book something with a free child place then

yashinya

thetyreman wrote: »

Hi,it is a long time since we as a family have gone on a foreign sun holiday ie Teneriff,the Algarve,Canaries,etc,We usually travell around Ireland,England with the caravan.However this year we have decided to go abroard,mostly because of the undependable weather here,anyway i got some brochures from the travell agents today and am still in shock after looking at the prices quoted for say a week in the algarve for a family of 5.self catering would be comeing in at around 800 euro per adult and 400 per child,thats the guts of 3000grand before anything.Is this the normal kinda money that one expects to spend,i thought the world was in a recession and the travell industry in particular was supoposto be on it knees,or am i just so out of touch as it has been about 5/6yrs since we went abroard,
Feel free to tell me to wake up if you think i am liveing in the past,,,,

I have a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment that sleeps 6 in Alvor, Portugal, Irish satalite TV and home from home comforts. Cud do €500 a week jul/Aug or €400 May/June/Sept. PM for details

kathy2

Well I have a one bed in Fuerteventura that I am trying to rent.
Its been a real learning experience.

I can now see how hard it is, to rent a place out in future I am going to get the cheapest flight to the general area and look around the buy and sell type adds for somewhere to rent.

There is no need to spend a fortune:)

thetyreman

Well thanks folks for all the suggestions,and booking individually sure is the way to go,,after a bit of research i have came up with this,see what yous think,,,We can goto Tenerife with Alpharooms stay in Los Cristanoes,the Aquamar Hotel fora week mid Aug,bed and breackfast 576euro,
Flights with Ryanair return will be 1284euro,going from a Wednesday-Wednesday (which suites)us perfect.So a total of 1860 euro,what does everybody think of this,all the reviews for the hotel are very good,the only problem everyone had was there was no air conditioning,but can rent fans,,,,Has anyone else staed hre before....

enzo7

Havnt stayed there but sounds like a great price, glad you got something booked:). Now to sort out my own holiday plans:rolleyes:

undo

The price sounds good. I looked briefly at the same hotel on other websites - they seem to charge more. Go for it.

yashinya

Price seems reasonable for Aug but you'll need fans in August as air-con vital in most Europeans resorts from May to Sept

thetyreman

Yea fans available,,,,,,

Just a quick question ref Ryanair booking,when asked about baggage,i assume you enter no bag when you are only carrying on the carry on bag (thats under the size) Does 1 bag mean that you are putting a bag in the hold.Im makeing this complicated i know..
Im only going to carry on a bag (hand luggage)thats all,so do i enter no bag when booking ????????????????????????

undo

You enter how many bags you want to put into the hold. So for carry-on only, you select zero. You will see that the luggage surcharge then becomes zero euro as well.

paddylonglegs

GeturGun wrote: »

Just booked a week in Lanzarote in May with Aer Lingus and www.ownersdirect.co.uk and it's working out at €900 all in for 3 adults.

Doing it yourself is definitely where it's at!

+1 for www.ownersdirect.co.uk great to be able to see images of the apartment beforehand. the overseas section of daft.ie is similar too

pretty-in-pink

I'm never booking through a company again, where I can help it. Went to tenerife and by booking seperately ourselves we saved €100- each. and got better apartments then the package offer 9which was in a high rise). We got a little villa that was lovely.

shop around & book stuff yourself. 9/10 its well cheaper.

thetyreman

thetyreman wrote: »

Yea fans available,,,,,,

Just a quick question ref Ryanair booking,when asked about baggage,i assume you enter no bag when you are only carrying on the carry on bag (thats under the size) Does 1 bag mean that you are putting a bag in the hold.Im makeing this complicated i know..
Im only going to carry on a bag (hand luggage)thats all,so do i enter no bag when booking ????????????????????????

Make that 2054 euro when all is said and done,transfers/booking fee/creditcard charges/post etc...............still a good saveing and alot more resonable me thinks,,thanks again for all suggestiopns/input...