Clueless needs help !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

edengarden

Hi

It's been five years since my last holiday - due to kids, moving etc.

I sooooo need to get away for a couple of days. Would ideally like a 2/3 day city break for 2 adults.

I've never booked on line before. Would appreciate any tips or recomendations on somewhere nice to go.

Also am on a tight enought budget!


Help Please!!!

Culchie

Hi,

You didn't say what time of the year,but, bearing in mind that the whippersnappers are not going.......

For a weekend break, you don't want to be too far away, and if on a budget, I think it is better to pay a wee bit more on the flight, than having to pay it on taxis or expensive food and drink and accommodation etc...
It's best to take a little pain up front, and not have to be watching the money all the time when you are at your destination.

With that in mind, I'd lean to maybe Budapest, Prague, Lisbon? ... Everyone is going to have their favourite.

Bearing in mind what you've described, I'd recommend flying into Lisbon, and stay in a wee fishing village called Cascais, then about 30 mins by train.
Excellent food and bars, great atmosphere in the summer, and very friendly locals....No Lager Louts !! (or you could just stay in Lisbon)



If you don't want to take the full plunge and book everything yourself...
An excellent city break company is www.arrowtours.ie, award winning agents who basically sell all the city breaks to the travel agents anyway, so you are booking your own holiday, but with the friendly advice if you need it.
I recommend them very highly.

Enjoy yourself !

Kingsize

prague prague prague !
seriously!( especially if youve never been before)

BC

www.cityscapes.ie do some good deals.

Also check out the websites for the airlines directly

Beruthiel

edengarden wrote:

I've never booked on line before

I've booked my hols online for the last 4 years or so now, tis easy peasy!


Would appreciate any tips or recomendations on somewhere nice to go

my top fav city breaks:
Paris
Prague
Rome

when are you thinking of going?

edengarden

Oh thanx for the replies!


I would plan to go sometime at the end of July - builders holidays and all of that!

I'm was hoping to stay under E300 each for flights and accom. Am I being completely unrealistic?

Culchie

Not unrealistic ... just also factor in cost of food, exchange rates (if any) as well.

I'll throw in Dubrovnik/Cavtat as well...Aer Fungus fly out on Saturday, back on Tuesday .... another amazing place, and very reasonable !!

You'll get the hang of it soon enough again, taking all these breaks.

Beruthiel

edengarden wrote:

I'm was hoping to stay under E300 each for flights and accom. Am I being completely unrealistic?

I would say you are
unless you are going in the middle of the week?

have a good look at the sites for flights, I got to prague two years ago with aerlingus for 64 euro each way, which was pretty good

if you are thinking of Paris, then Ryanair can be pretty cheap, but don't forget to factor in the bus ride to paris which takes about an hour and is about 10 euro each way
if you book now for july, you should get a good price

there are loads of bed and breakfasts on line and with pictures, that way you know what you are getting.

if you are looking for real cheap, why not go even further east?
Dubrovnik in Croatia
Riga in Latvia


these cities are on my list of places to see so I have no info on them, but I heard that Dubrovnik is meant to be fab and really cheap

Culchie

You want info on Dubrovnik ... I'm your man.

You want a nice appartment to stay in, right on the adriatic (from July onwards) ...guess what I'm your man !!

I'm buying an apartment one hour north of Dubrovnik, great base for Dubrovnik, Medjegore, Peljesac Peninsula, Cavtat, Mostar, Korcula, Ston ....blah blah blah ....I'm pimping now !!

Seriously, Croatia is the most beautiful place in Europe ... I kid you not.

edengarden

Great loads of ideas there - yeah i would plan to go during the week to keep the costs down.

Kingsize

Culchie

i agree about croatia, ive not been but i did stay in piran slovenia which is just on the border,fantastic!, gonna try dubrovnik next year.
in the meantime im gonna try 2 weeks in /around lisbon this year Any "must see" or "must do" suggestions very much apreciated!

Culchie

Hmmm, 2 weeks is stretching it in Lisbon, unless you are one of these people that can chill out doing nothing .... I prefer to be doing something every single day .... then I'm knackered for a week when I get home ...but hell, I've had a good holiday .

Lisbon area ... Lisbon itself, Estoril, Cascais, Praia Del Rey ... ferry to Troia

(if you into golf let me know, and I'll give you a list of courses).

Museums and that like are to be found mainly in Alfama district.

I'd take some days to go to Obidos, near Praia Del Rey ... and to be honest I think you should have a look at Porto area as well ... rarely visited by us Irish, but it is lovely .. more Celtic, something you wouldn't expect in Portugal.

Eat Fish as well, it's yummy, not like the ****e we eat here and pay through the nose.

The Algarve is very driveable as well, approx 4 hours or so ... plenty to do, 2 weeks in Lisbon could be too much though.

Ruu_Old

Parts of germany are amazing and very relaxing

Beruthiel

aerlingus are doing flights for 9 euro at the min!!!
I just booked two nights in Amsterdam for two people - for flights, taxes and 3 star hotel, I got it for 290 euro each

so you can do it for your budget OP

edengarden

Got sorted thanx for all the ideas!

Culchie

Where do you decide to go in the end?

edengarden

Hi haven't check the thread in a while. I decided on Barcelona. 3 days/2 nights for E570 for the two of us - so was very happy.

Thanks for all the help!

Kingsize

cheers culchie!
I shouldve said based around Lisbon,im quite prone to DIY outings bybus & train etc!!
Not into golf & i dont eat fish but everything else sounds cool .probably worth thinking about a week in lisbon & a week elsewhere then
- thanx -
K

Culchie

No bother ....check out Oporto (Porto to you and me) and the Northern part of the country.... be different !!

You can go to the Algarve anytime.


P.S ... Try the fish, I'm not a huge lover of fish here either, but over there it's amazing, and cheap.