UK breaks are so expensive!

[Bridecilla]

So we've sacked off the 2 weeks in Turkey and I've been looking for something here but the prices for self catering are ££££

Even camping is £££. Thought a cottage or lodge with a hot tub would be an idea but most are sold out or £1500 + for a week

Am I missing any gems to search? Ideally Yorkshire or just below - travelling from Newcastle for a week between now and mid August

I've trawled Hoseasons, Airbnb

Definitely depends where you are doing and how good you are at searching. We just booked a holiday cottage for next month, 7 days, 3 bedrooms detached, lovely setting with views and a huge garden, near lots of what we want to do (walking, swimming, etc. not attractions) for 750.

You’ve got mail @Splattherat

And yes to pet friendly, my dogs are loving it here

We live in Europe, so have to add in the cost of travel to the UK before anything else.
However, many years ago (2001) we were planning on having a trip to the UK, spending Easter with my parents in the south west and then hiring a car and driving up through England via interesting places to Edinburgh. The goal was to celebrate our 1st wedding anniversary at the hotel where we had had our reception. There were 3 of us in the party, me, husband and step-son.
I did an estimate of the costs, so flights, car hire and petrol, overnight stops, food, stay in Edinburgh. It came to around GBP 4000 for the 3 of us and I was being very economical. This did not include entry to anywhere we might have wanted to visit. It was rather a shock.
Then I was very naughty and went online to look at last minute holidays in sunny places. I found 2 weeks AI (not ideal, but useful when you have a teenager with hollow legs) in St. Lucia for GBP 3000.
Guess where we went? There was no contest really.

Center parcs is 1300 approx for a weekend at the end of August for a 4 bed lodge! Nothing else available!!!

Center parcs is 1300 approx for a weekend at the end of August for a 4 bed lodge! Nothing else available!!!

Center parcs is 1300 approx for a weekend at the end of August for a 4 bed lodge! Nothing else available!!! At Longleat

We booked a cottage for £720 a couple of weeks ago. That’s for 7 nights in August. The price has gone up to £950 for later weeks in August so I think booking earlier was the key.

Why it posted three times I don't know!

Just sitting down with a cuppa to go through everyone's suggestions

pGL

The accommodation is VERY basic and the food is dire!!! And I mean dire but I'm not fussy

The activities are fab tho and we did have a real good laugh.

I find hotels can work out not bad value in the UK, especially if there's a dinner bed and breakfast offer.

Have you looked at ads in a magazine like The Lady? ( If it still exists.)

They used to have good ads for self-catering.

Failing that, gîte in France near to ports?

@whenwillthemadnessend

PGL food...how dire is dire? The menu looks OK.
When did you go?

We almost always find this. We went to Italy last year for £800, the equivalent holiday in the UK (with less desirable weather) was £1000. Both without spending money.

Makes me laugh when people say "we can't afford holidays abroad". We can't afford holidays in the UK!

Uk holidays have always been costly. The other year we booked a platinum? With decking on haven August £1,500 ish and that was with an early booking discount. My mother has always joked about her two weeks aboard being cheaper than our one week uk stay. We where due to camp in Dorset for £450 this year but I’ve cancelled that and we are going more local for £150 for a week.

Worth registering for cancellations. We are currently in cornwall in a lovely four bedroom house with sea views and garden and it didn't cost much at all since it was a cancellation. That said we have then just been charged £11.50 for three ice creams...

@HasaDigaEebowai how do you register for cancellations - that sounds amazing.

Just contact the company and ask to be notified if they have any cancellations within a certain date range

PGL food don't let the brochure fool you.

Ok think hospital food. Over cooked no nutrients. Blasted to death
Cheapest sausages known to man.
Marg no butter.

White bread only.
Juice was cheap squash that made you thirst more.

The best meal I had a was chill jacket potatoes

I went last year for a 2 nighter with a mate. Our room was ok as it had furniture and the bathroom was clean.

The kids had bunks in a musty room with no furniture at all.

But it was clean. Just basic to the extreme. There was a nice pub over the road so if we ever went back we would go there one night

Saying that though we would do it again. I'd just be realistic about the food.

I imagine you wouldn’t be up for a holiday in Northumberland 😂 but we decided to book a caravan there. Haven were expensive but got a week at a park with Park Dean for just over £400. It looks a decent spec van too

I haven't read the full thread but will, for ideas, because I have the opposite problem - we almost always holiday in the UK, usually a cottage, because it is cheaper . This year (pre Covid) I was wanting to holiday abroad and looking at France or Greek islands, and was taken aback by the prices when you factor in flights, it would have been £2000-3000 for family of four, which we can't afford. We are going to Devon now, and paying about £900 for a cottage. Where are all these cheap abroad holidays? Maybe they are mentioned in the thread, I shall study it when I can!

You need to book a package, either at the last minute or a year in advance @TinyMetalBirds. If you book early you can get free child places and if you book last minute you get whatever hasn't been sold, so it can be a great price, but also a real gamble. If you look at Loveholidays, Jet2holidays, lastminute.com, Expedia, etc you can get some really good prices.

Thank you, zafferana, I shall look at those sites - I was looking at companies like Tui, and Eurocamp, and also villa sites like Emmas Villas and just couldn't get my head around the prices, as well as trying to work out plane tickets for four people.

If you want anything half decent aboard for 10 days or more for 4 people and you are tied to school holidays (as most of us are) the reality is you will most probably be paying 2-3K plus if a package. If you are flexible about dates (can fly say Mon-Wed and or at silly o clock) you may get a cheap flight with a budget airline and you can maybe pick up cheaper less centrally located accommodation booked privately with air b n b or holiday lettings etc. But you would need to factor in transfers, food, entertainment and eating out etc.

Sorry to hijack your thread, OP! But I have gone to the Jet2holidays site recommended above, put in our details (family of four, a 13 year old and a 11 year old) and where we would like to go next July - Greece or France - and it is coming back with £2,800 - £4000. Is it because I am saying two rooms? What am I doing wrong?! Do people just bunk up in one room as a whole family? I just don't understand how everyone is saying UK holidays are more expensive when we usually pay £800/900 in the UK!