AIBU to find European summer holidays too expensive and crowded now?

That's interesting. Having just endured a week of 40 degrees in Italy, was thinking of the Netherlands for next year.

Yes,I agree when you factor in Baggage,transfers,food & spending money it's very expensive.We just booked a week in Tossa, Catalonia.We have been to different areas of Catalonia on seven holidays.We booked the 1st week in October.With Love Holidays.Its the only way we could afford a holiday.I wanted to go to Costa del sol.Just too expensive.Tossa, quite & very clean.Affordable,we go to a small local supermarket get drink & toiletries for the week.If you have school aged children.You will then obviously need to book up now for August,the price will be higher,but that location in Spain is very good value compared with Balerics,Majorca,Alicante,South of France.
Our holiday four us two with 4* hotel Breakfast,pool view, Double room & AC Afternoon flights,baggage,transfers,7 days.
£800.Please shop around,you will find something!

Agree that the extreme heat has ended the appeal of destinations like Greece and Spain. Spent two weeks this summer in Scotland and Northumberland. Beautiful scenery and 20ish degrees, bliss!

You're going to the wrong places! Get out of the main tourist areas and there are still places without crowds.

And we recently paid €4 for a beer and a glass of wine in Europe. It was a simple bar, nothing fancy but it had an amazing view. That's impossible in England now.

Equally it’s important to remember that in many places, AirB&B properties can be an Annexe to the owner’s property, or often the owner moves into the Annexe for the summer months so they can gain more income from letting out the larger part of the property, which they move back into in the winter.

lol jeesh humble brag much. You’ve found a solution so the problem isn’t a problem anymore. Why post?

@Loulou4022sorry to hijack the thread but would you mind telling me the name of where you are. It’s what my husband would love to do for his birthday and I’m looking for recommendations!

Colehurst Lake. We booked through Airbnb but they have a website too. It’s been my favourite in 5 years of Airbnb’s!! Cosy homely cabin and about 20 feet to the lake so DH loved that for fishing! It had the loveliest outdoor covered kitchen too! I hate cooking but loved cooking it it!! It was only perhaps 1/2 mile from the main road so very easy to get to but still very peaceful! There’s a wood fired hot tub too.

Within Europe, I have been to Portugal, Slovenia and Croatia in recent years. Lisbon and Porto were busy but not wildly crowded. Slovenia and Croatia were absolutely fine. Nowhere seemed wildly expensive.

I lived in Zeeland for 3 years. It's glorious when it's sunny but it rains more than in the Midlands or London. And the wind was something else. Sometimes I felt I was going to literally be blown away. It's quite rural as well, and while pretty, there isn't much to do if the weather is shit.

And it rains even more in the more northern parts of the Netherlands. It's not a cheap country either.

I'm in Ibiza in a quieter resort but it's still expensive

banging food tho 😂

"Vegetarian of tuna", interesting!

@SwirlyGates i laughed at that as well 😂