Somewhere warm (but close) first week in Nov? (Never on a plane before)

Kuva

Hi,

as title says really + a million more (silly) questions to come.

1)Is their anywhere close that is still warm (high 20s, low 30s) in November for a weeks break?

2)Maybe that uses Euro, speaks english and drives on the left? How do ye all get about when you go abroad? Is a Car essential?

3)Where is a good site to book for an all inclusive deal? Is all inclusive the best way to go?

4)Checked bags yes or no? I see Ryanair are changing their rules in November.

coylemj

Kuva wrote: »

1)Is their anywhere close that is still warm (high 20s, low 30s) in November for a weeks break?

You have to go to the southern Mediterranean or the Canaries to get those temperatures in November.

Kuva wrote: »

2)Maybe that uses Euro, speaks english and drives on the left? How do ye all get about when you go abroad? Is a Car essential?

Malta or Cyprus will match those requirements.

Tourists usually walk or get local public transport. Renting a car (especially if you've never done it before) is a minefield and that's even before you get handed the keys. A car is not essential if you're staying in a hotel and there's a town with bars and restaurants within walking distance.

You'd be mad to pick a destination just because they drive on the left or English is the local language. You'd be ruling out places that are closer like the Algarve (southern province of Portugal) and the Costa del Sol (southern Spain). Staff in most resorts speak basic English - language is never a problem with all the Brits and Irish floating about.

If you want (almost) guaranteed good weather in November, go to the Canaries.

stargazer 68

Canaries in November - we like Maspalomas - nice and quiet with lovely bars and restaurants and gorgeous beach. Taxi is around 3.50 so no you wouldn't need a car if you didn't want one.

All inclusive? nope - my recommendation is self catering. One of the best bits of a holiday IMO is picking a different restaurant each night!

Tenigate

Your flight to the sun will probably take 5 hours at that time of the year. Just try to get a direct flight with no connections. Some people like visiting their GP to get something to relax them in case they need it.

Cars aren't essential on a sun holiday. In fact, driving in many countries is an experience to be avoided.

Don't check a bag if you can help it, but don't try to overload a small bag either. If you want to take 10 pair of shoes, check a bag.

All inclusive is usually a waste of money.

Damiencm

For (somewhat) guaranteed sunshine it would need to be the Canary Islands.

You COULD get great weather in southern spain/portugal but from my experience its not as guaranteed, especially the further into November you get.

2.5 hr flight to southern Mediterranean, 4 hours to Canary isles

Edit: check out temp averages in recent years on accu weather. Its a good guide but like the financial adds...past performance isn't a guarantee of future returns!

la ultima guagua

Might be useful to know what you would like to do on holiday

- Party all night & sleep all day ?
- Culture & museums
- Laze on a deck chair
- Hill walking
- Shopping
- Water sports
........
........
........

Public transport in most of EU is much better than Ireland and can be a real option. If there are to be a lot in your party then hiring a car may be cheaper than public transport

otnomart

Seville in Spain or Marrakesh in Morocco

Tenigate

otnomart wrote: »

Seville in Spain or Marrakesh in Morocco

Funny choice of places to recommend a first time traveller.. especially Marrakesh.

SarahS2013

Lanzarote is approx a 4 hour flight and can can suit most tastes.
Puerto del Carmen would be where most people stay.
No need for a car.

pilly

If you go to a tourist resort anywhere there's no need to drive whatsoever. I never drive on holidays, we do enough of it all year round, chill out and walk around and take bus tours.

As others have said Canaries are the only place to be guaranteed good weather at that time but it is a long enough flight.

Portugal is a possibility but could be cold or wet. It's a risk.

Don't worry about a country where they speak English, in most tourist resorts they speak English anyway.

dennyk

Tenigate wrote: »

Funny choice of places to recommend a first time traveller.. especially Marrakesh.

Marrakesh might be a little exotic for a first-timer, but what's wrong with Seville? It's a lovely city with plenty to see, and temps would likely be comfortable enough in November (though not as hot as the OP was looking for, admittedly).

Tenigate

dennyk wrote: »

Marrakesh might be a little exotic for a first-timer, but what's wrong with Seville? It's a lovely city with plenty to see, and temps would likely be comfortable enough in November (though not as hot as the OP was looking for, admittedly).

I was in portugal once and did a day trip to seville. Went up the tower, took some photos. Not exactly the first place id think of when i hear package holiday.

Kuva

Hi guys, OP here,

Thanks for the replies, one of the canary islands it will be so.

I've sorted passport and booked second week of Nov off work since I started the thread, ordered this powerpack off amazon so I don't run out of power with the ould phone.

Speaking of phones, I'm with 48 here, I don't think they roam well, should I get a 3 Sim or maybe buy a Sim over there for Data for google maps, calling home etc?

Should I book accomodation with Airbnb? Trivago? Or what should I use? Flights and hotel together with expedia maybe? Would flying out of Shannon be less hassle than Dublin? Any tips you can give me about anything really!!!

Kuva

la ultima guagua wrote: »

Might be useful to know what you would like to do on holiday

- Party all night & sleep all day ?
- Culture & museums
- Laze on a deck chair
- Hill walking
- Shopping
- Water sports
........
........
........

Public transport in most of EU is much better than Ireland and can be a real option. If there are to be a lot in your party then hiring a car may be cheaper than public transport

Just be 2 people, abit of sun and see the sights.

coylemj

Kuva wrote: »

.... ordered this powerpack off amazon so I don't run out of power with the ould phone.

You're not going to the Himalayas, there will be a power socket in your room. Just bring a travel adapter with two round pins and which takes a UK three pin plug, something like this....



The powerpack you've ordered weighs 422g, you might consider leaving it at home, it will make no sense to bring it.

pl4ichjgy17zwd

You'll have to charge the powerbank eventually anyways

DivingDuck

Kuva wrote: »

Should I book accomodation with Airbnb? Trivago? Or what should I use? Flights and hotel together with expedia maybe? Would flying out of Shannon be less hassle than Dublin? Any tips you can give me about anything really!!!

AirBnB can be great, but for a first time traveler, you might want to consider a package holiday via Budget Travel or similar. They're registered so you're protected in the event of a problem, and you'll have access to a rep who should be able to help you if you need it. If you're going off-peak, you should be able to get a decent deal that will include flights and accommodation, which might take some of the stress out of it for you since this seems to be something of a new experience for you.

Find something you fancy on the website, then read the reviews on Trip Advisor. Take them with a grain of salt— every hotel/apartment complex in the world has a couple of one-star reviews from people who had an unfortunate time or are just habitual complainers, but if there's nothing but a chorus of "stay away", maybe take the hint.

I would agree with the others that a 7-charge power pack is overkill for a holiday in the Canaries. It's not camping in the Scottish wilderness! A plug converter can be bought in Tesco or Argos for a few quid and will be a lot easier and faster to use.

As for roaming, it might be useful to pick up a SIM which has a good data package and low call rates before you go rather than buying one there. You probably will be able to pick one up over there, but trying to find shops that sell them on arrival is more hassle than it's worth when it's easily taken care of before you travel.

Have a good time!

highlydebased

Kuva wrote:

Would flying out of Shannon be less hassle than Dublin? Any tips you can give me about anything really!!!

If you've never flown before then certainly easier, yes

pilly

I would agree with Diving Duck, book this holiday as a package since it's your first. They'll then arrange transfers to and from the airport, you'll have a rep you can contact in case of problems etc. etc.

Also, using your mobile in the Canaries won't be covered under the new EU guidelines so it will be very expensive for data. Try to only use wireless, most hotels have wireless at least in the lobby and a lot of bars, restaurants etc. will have it too.

chocksaway

pilly wrote: »

I would agree with Diving Duck, book this holiday as a package since it's your first. They'll then arrange transfers to and from the airport, you'll have a rep you can contact in case of problems etc. etc.

Also, using your mobile in the Canaries won't be covered under the new EU guidelines so it will be very expensive for data. Try to only use wireless, most hotels have wireless at least in the lobby and a lot of bars, restaurants etc. will have it too.

Pretty sure the Canaries are included in the European roaming agreement http://www.lanzaroteinformation.com/content/roaming-your-devices-holiday-lanzarote https://n.vodafone.ie/support/mobile/travelling-abroad.html#eu-roaming.html

pilly

chocksaway wrote: »

Pretty sure the Canaries are included in the European roaming agreement http://www.lanzaroteinformation.com/content/roaming-your-devices-holiday-lanzarote https://n.vodafone.ie/support/mobile/travelling-abroad.html#eu-roaming.html

Hmm, I'm not convinced. The Canaries aren't actually in the EU. I'll do some research with 3 though because I'm off to Tenerife myself at Christmas.

pilly

This is what I found on 3.

http://www.three.ie/roaming/prepay/ic

€1.01 per MB data which is very quickly used.

chocksaway

Free with Eir and vodafone anyway

pilly

chocksaway wrote: »

Free with Eir and vodafone anyway

Are you completely sure?

chocksaway

100%

pilly

chocksaway wrote:

100%

Any back up for that?

chocksaway

Canaries are part of the EU under Spain with special Tax status https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/business/vat/eu-vat-rules-topic/territorial-status-eu-countries-certain-territories_en

if you click the link i posted for vodafone you'll see the roaming details there.

Eir: https://www.eir.ie/roaming/#/europe_zone_1/spain

scroll to the bottom to see the countries you can use your allowance in. your roaming allowance is a portion of what you have at home under whatever plan you have

Three: http://community.three.ie/t5/3MadeEasy/Roaming-with-Three/ba-p/757184

DeepBlue

Kuva wrote: »

....ordered this powerpack off amazon so I don't run out of power with the ould phone.

A bit off topic but how did you get that shipped to Ireland? Was looking to get an Anker powerbank myself but got stymied by that "this item does not ship to Ireland" disclaimer.

Btw 48 months do have EU roaming but only if you're on the GUIDO plan afaik.

pl4ichjgy17zwd

DeepBlue wrote:

A bit off topic but how did you get that shipped to Ireland? Was looking to get an Anker powerbank myself but got stymied by that "this item does not ship to Ireland" disclaimer.

Try the addresspal service!

AryaStark

dennyk wrote: »

Marrakesh might be a little exotic for a first-timer, but what's wrong with Seville? It's a lovely city with plenty to see, and temps would likely be comfortable enough in November (though not as hot as the OP was looking for, admittedly).

I love Seville and have visited there a lot. I would not recommend it to the op. There is nothing translated to English i.e the Menus in restaurants and the people do not speak much English. As it is not a region that rely on tourists they do not make the effort.

la ultima guagua

DivingDuck wrote: »

AirBnB can be great, but for a first time traveler, you might want to consider a package holiday via Budget Travel or similar. They're registered so you're protected in the event of a problem, and you'll have access to a rep who should be able to help you if you need it. If you're going off-peak, you should be able to get a decent deal that will include flights and accommodation, which might take some of the stress out of it for you since this seems to be something of a new experience for you. ........

Very much agree that a packaged holiday would be a good idea for a first timer.

Also consider Falcon. They are part of a very large organization ( TUI ) and generally run a very good shop.

28064212

pilly wrote: »

Hmm, I'm not convinced. The Canaries aren't actually in the EU

They are though: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_member_state_territories_and_the_European_Union#Outermost_regions

The outermost regions (OMR) are territories forming part of a member state, situated a significant distance from mainland Europe, which are part of the EU

la ultima guagua

pilly wrote: »

Any back up for that?

Have a bit of a browse through the 'Talk To' <Three> / <Vodafone> forums the question has been asked many times over there

la ultima guagua

"The outermost regions (OMR) are territories forming part of a member state, situated a significant distance from mainland Europe, which are part of the EU"

Hey!

That raises the totally off topic but interesting ( to me ) prospect that places like Reunion & Guadalupe might be included in the 'free roaming within the EU' rules.

28064212

la ultima guagua wrote: »

"The outermost regions (OMR) are territories forming part of a member state, situated a significant distance from mainland Europe, which are part of the EU"

Hey!

That raises the totally off topic but interesting ( to me ) prospect that places like Reunion & Guadalupe might be included in the 'free roaming within the EU' rules.

They are: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getAllAnswers.do?reference=E-2017-000347&language=EN

The Roaming Regulation (Regulation 531/2012(3)) applies to the so-called ‘outermost regions’ mentioned in recitals 92 and 93 and in Article 16 of this act. French overseas departments, DOM (French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, La Réunion, Mayotte), as well as Saint Martin, belong to them. Therefore, the abolition of retail roaming surcharges foreseen from 15 June 2017 by Regulation (EU) 2015/2120(4) will also apply to those regions

dennyk

AryaStark wrote: »

I love Seville and have visited there a lot. I would not recommend it to the op. There is nothing translated to English i.e the Menus in restaurants and the people do not speak much English. As it is not a region that rely on tourists they do not make the effort.

Eh, I did fine with English and the odd random bits and pieces of high-school Spanish that somehow survived hidden away in my head for the past couple decades. There were definitely folks who didn't speak English, but it was easy enough to communicate; just smile, look apologetic, point at things and gesture, and learn a few polite words and phrases. Google Translate on your phone helps with menus and signs and such as well.

But yeah, the OP seems to be wanting a bit of a sun holiday rather than a city break, so Seville's probably not what they're really looking for.

AryaStark

dennyk wrote: »

Eh, I did fine with English and the odd random bits and pieces of high-school Spanish that somehow survived hidden away in my head for the past couple decades. There were definitely folks who didn't speak English, but it was easy enough to communicate; just smile, look apologetic, point at things and gesture, and learn a few polite words and phrases. Google Translate on your phone helps with menus and signs and such as well.

But yeah, the OP seems to be wanting a bit of a sun holiday rather than a city break, so Seville's probably not what they're really looking for.

I would not recommend it to the op. I would recommend Seville to anybody who loves to travel and enjoys a bit of a city break adventure. For me Seville is where my heart is... I love it and speak enough Spanish that the language is not a barrier for me... but it would be for an inexperienced traveller.

finbarrk

Seville wouldn't be a place for the OP. As said already, the Canaries is the best option. And forget about the hire car.

Kuva

If you're on medication, the pill for example, is their anything you need to bring 0r once it's in its original box it's ok?

Kuva

DeepBlue wrote: »

A bit off topic but how did you get that shipped to Ireland? Was looking to get an Anker powerbank myself but got stymied by that "this item does not ship to Ireland" disclaimer.

Btw 48 months do have EU roaming but only if you're on the GUIDO plan afaik.

As booters said I used addresspal, they've a UK address, parcel motels isint even accepted now up the north.

_Dara_

coylemj wrote: »

You have to go to the southern Mediterranean or the Canaries to get those temperatures in November.



Malta or Cyprus will match those requirements.

Tourists usually walk or get local public transport. Renting a car (especially if you've never done it before) is a minefield and that's even before you get handed the keys. A car is not essential if you're staying in a hotel and there's a town with bars and restaurants within walking distance.

You'd be mad to pick a destination just because they drive on the left or English is the local language. You'd be ruling out places that are closer like the Algarve (southern province of Portugal) and the Costa del Sol (southern Spain). Staff in most resorts speak basic English - language is never a problem with all the Brits and Irish floating about.

If you want (almost) guaranteed good weather in November, go to the Canaries.

The Costa Del Sol and the Algarve are not guaranteed the weather the OP wants in November though. Malta would be a better bet in that regard. Though, to be honest, anywhere in the Med is unpredictable at that time of year.

What about a Moroccan beach resort, OP? As close as the Canaries and Greece.

JCX BXC

Three are most definitely covering the canaries in their EU package. If you don't know, don't suggest otherwise! Data limited to 5gb though. Was there in June, the free internet was amazing!

I'd echo package holiday. Well used to booking holidays here on my side so we'd be able to weed out the good from bad (I'd never use AirBnB for a holiday resort though). You probably wouldn't!

Puerto del Carmen is the resort I'd highly recommend for Lanzarote. Try stay away from Matagorda, it's lovely there but quite windy.

Also, get booking soon as prices will only go up!

From Shannon you've the choice of Aer Lingus and Ryanair. Sunway offer packages from Shannon with Aer Lingus flights, as well as 20kg checked luggage per person and transport etc.

Enjoy!

Also, language is most certainly not a barrier in these highly English geared resorts! Even in Arrecife (the main city on the island), you'll find English speaking staff in bars and restaurants.

And finally, tobacco and alcohol is much cheaper over there! Keep in mind if you're thinking of bringing some home you're limited to 200 cigarettes and a liter of spirits. (Alternatively 2l of sparking wine, sherry etc 4l of still wine or 16l of beer)

DivingDuck

pilly wrote: »

Hmm, I'm not convinced. The Canaries aren't actually in the EU. I'll do some research with 3 though because I'm off to Tenerife myself at Christmas.

Just checked my bill from earlier this year with Vodafone while I was in the Canaries:

Data while you were abroad
In Spain ▶ Vodafone preferred network is Vodafone Spain
...
Total 363.30MB €0.00

You should have no problems if you're with them. And I assume if one company is doing it, they all have to?

JCX BXC

DivingDuck wrote: »

Just checked my bill from earlier this year with Vodafone while I was in the Canaries:

Data while you were abroad
In Spain ▶ Vodafone preferred network is Vodafone Spain
...
Total 363.30MB €0.00

You should have no problems if you're with them. And I assume if one company is doing it, they all have to?

The law is inclusive of the canaries. Think Gibraltar is still left out though.

DivingDuck

JCX BXC wrote: »

The law is inclusive of the canaries. Think Gibraltar is still left out though.

Shop and bloody collect still won't let you use their service if you're traveling there, though. (I've had this fight with them more than once.)

Something the OP might also want to be advised of if they're considering any duty-free shopping in Dublin airport. It's a massive pain.

JCX BXC

DivingDuck wrote: »

Shop and bloody collect still won't let you use their service if you're traveling there, though. (I've had this fight with them more than once.)

Something the OP might also want to be advised of if they're considering any duty-free shopping in Dublin airport. It's a massive pain.

Shop and collect isn't applicable if you're flying to destinations where you can purchase duty free funnily enough! Only to EU destinations, except Canaries, Channel Islands and Gibraltar.

coylemj

Kuva wrote: »

If you're on medication, the pill for example, is their anything you need to bring 0r once it's in its original box it's ok?

Thousands of people pass through security with pills every day and they never get stopped. If you have liquid medication in a container that exceeds 100ml then you need to bring documentation like a copy of the pharmacy receipt and/or doctor's prescription but there will be absolutely no problem with pills. The only thing that might cause a problem would be an unlabelled bottle of pills so make sure the pills are in the original packaging.

As you have never flown before, let me recommend that you bring any essential medication in your carry-on luggage. In fact, it's a good tactic when flying to assume that your check-in bag will be delayed by 24 hours i.e. you will arrive at your hotel with your carry-on bag and the bag you checked in will not be delivered to your hotel until 24 hours later.

Kuva

Hi guys,

Any recommendations as to type of luggage from Argos or Amazon?

Kuva

JCX BXC wrote: »

Puerto del Carmen is the resort I'd highly recommend for Lanzarote.

Any place in particular?

JCX BXC

Kuva wrote: »

Any place in particular?

Cheap and cheerful, Lomo Blanco is somewhere I've always found perfect. It's up a bit of a hill, however it's within easy distance of both new and old town.

They have apartments with stunning sea views, however these are slightly further up the complex, personally I prefer the apartments near the main pool.

Caranica

Kuva wrote: »

Hi guys,

Any recommendations as to type of luggage from Argos or Amazon?

With luggage it's important to see it physically if possible, quality varies so much. Weight is also a factor. My advice would be to go for 4 wheels not 2, your shoulders and back will thank you for it. Debenhams have a sale on at the moment and I have a number of Tripp cases from there that I'm very happy with