How much would you expect to pay for this holiday?!

[Workin8til6]

Sorry to post in chat but I want to get a wider range of responses than in the holiday forum. How much would you expect to pay in total for this kind of holiday? I’m having a disagreement with DH (and need to prove that I’m right haha)

• One week all inclusive
• Two adults, one toddler (1) one preschooler (3)
• Somewhere in Europe. No particular location but warm and by the beach. Avoiding Bulgaria and turkey or any massive resorts eg Benidorm, would rather Portugal or Greece or italy but not tied to one specific location if that makes sense.
• reasonable flight times that don’t involve getting up at 3am or arriving at midnight
• quite fussy on standards. Don’t want a “pile em high sell it cheap” type place. Needs to be very clean, not at all “tacky”, basic but good quality food. Nowhere with stag dos.
• not during school holidays, can go late June or early September
• somewhere that offers a room big enough for us to be able to shut the kids away in the evening. So either a two bed place or at least a separate bedroom. Not just everyone together in one hotel room.

Thanks!

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g580311-d248864-Reviews-Insotel_Cala_Mandia_Resort_Spa-Porto_Cristo_Majorca_Balearic_Islands.html#/media/248864/336665265:p/?albumid=107&type=2&category=107

Booked here- I look for a clean place, playgrounds and kids pools, several pools and slides etc so kids are occupied - and nice food

I wanted to go here too but prices got silly:
www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g262055-d292114-Reviews-Olympic_Lagoon_Resorts_Agia_Napa-Ayia_Napa_Famagusta_District.html#/media/292114/393899981:p/?albumid=107&type=2&category=107

Take a look at the Tui brands, we've had great experiences with Tui blue (Lanzarote) and Tui magic life (Fuerteventura) (bonus that they offer kids clubs!), but for the level of luxury you're describing, you might want the next brand up, which might be Tui platinum or sensatori.

Haven't read the thread in detail.

We've been here - admittedly a while back before it was under Wyndham so no idea how much it's changed since then, but it was lovely.

www.wyndhamhotels.com/wyndham-grand/algarve-portugal/wyndham-grand-algarve/overview

We loved Blue Lagoon Village in Kos when our kids were small. I just priced up your requirements for 18 June and it's just over £3k for a 2 bed family room. Don't know your airport so worth a play around for flight times.

feel your pain my DH can be a bit unrealistic similar....

1.5K is too low for your requirements, it's doable for 2 people if you got a good deal but not for a family of 4.

I think the compromise is something around the 2K -3K. I would look at cheaper places like Greece or Portugal.

We stayed in EPIC SANA in portugal last year and did half board (& got snacks/booze from the supermarket round the corner for lunch) which might fit the bill.
I thouht it was good value, it has a kids club/pool and the hotel was really rather nice also had what was essentially a private beach and gorgeous grounds. the bathrooms were a bit weird though.
we got a very good deal via BA holidays.

Try the Bahia Principe Fantasia in Tenerife with Tui - just looked at early September and it came out at £2400 AI (didn't check flight times though). I did some thorough research and we were planning on going here with similar aged children, but due to pandemic we'll delay until next year now.

Half board is probably something to look at, although it sometimes isn't significantly cheaper than AI, but it depends where you go.

Presumably you won't be going in for endless boozing with two pre-schoolers anyway and they're too young to be asking for multiple ice creams a day.

If you have a decent breakfast as late as you can manage and an early dinner with DC, you might not need a lot more food and an ice cream or slice of pizza during the daytime could be sufficient, plus drinks and snacks from the supermarket.

@Totalwasteofpaper the supermarket idea is a good one. We don’t really care about drinking with meals, maybe the odd glass of wine here and there. It would more be a case of wanting a drink on our balcony in the afternoon while the kids nap or in the evening once in bed. So maybe looking for full board rather than AI would be better and avoid some of the people just trying to beat the bar as @SportsMother said. I can think of nothing worse than trying to relax on holiday in a bar or restaurant full of loud drunk people.

Cross post @BarbaraofSeville but yes this is my thinking now. Kids don’t eat ice creams anyway due to dairy allergies!

There are 5 star hotels that have apartments/Villa's as part of the complex so you could cook for the kids but order food in for yourself. Or you could eat at the restaurants with the kids (they could just have dessert if you've already cooked for them). Not ideal if you want a fully relaxing break but probably less stressful than worrying about all the ingredients in everything.

I can't remember the names unfortunately but my friends went to this type of set up in Sardinia and also Portugal. Pricey though.

About £1500 using a kids go free place with TUI (and btw Turkey is lovely, the best all inclusives I’ve been to, usually with kids parks and activities included, beautiful scenery and really friendly people)

I’ve just looked and there are three different TUI blues with two bed apartments, for under £2000 for first week of June - in Turkey though (can you tell I love Turkey? I was so surprised the first time I went as it was much lovelier than expected. Also love the Tui Blue hotels)

I'm booked in all inclusive for 2 adults for a week in Canaries next week. It cost £300 per person

There won’t be a cost as such for your one year old and much reduced for a 3 year old so it’s not really four people - 2.5 k outwith peak times for a nice hotel. Looking on TUI. Last night actually so probably 1.5 - 4K but averaging about 2.3 - 2.5.

Out of season around 2k double that in season.

I really wouldn’t go to an all inclusive with buffet if you have allergies. Even if it’s labelled as dairy/ gluten free people can just get a spoon from the other version and contaminate all the time.

You can get half board/ full board options with actual service restaurants so you can order exactly what you want, and it come directly from the kitchen without contamination if allergies an issue

£2-3k probably. We've paid around £1500/1600 for a week all inclusive to a 5 star hotel in Gran Canaria in sept for 2 adults and a 4 month old through tui.

It depends on so many things. Different resorts will be pricier than others, and whether you get a free child place for the 3 year old will make a difference. Little one should still go free. If you did get a free child place it should honestly be doable at £1500 outside of school holidays but you sound a bit fussy so also depends on your standards.

I think £3k is probably about right, maybe a bit less. We had a holiday booked for May at a 4-star AI in Canaries that we know is very good for two adults and one child staying in a premium bungalow (so separate bedrooms and living room/kitchenette) for £2,000.

Sadly had to cancel for various reasons, but we had a few good options with that price.

www.holidaypirates.com/packages/majorca-all-inclusive-week-at-4-resort-for-spring-sunshine?utm_source=UniversalAppAndroid

This is in May and £500pp AI

[quote Workin8til6]**@Totalwasteofpaper* the supermarket idea is a good one. We don’t really care about drinking with meals, maybe the odd glass of wine here and there. It would more be a case of wanting a drink on our balcony in the afternoon while the kids nap or in the evening once in bed. So maybe looking for full board rather than AI would be better and avoid some of the people just trying to beat the bar as @SportsMother* said. I can think of nothing worse than trying to relax on holiday in a bar or restaurant full of loud drunk people.[/quote]
Honestly we much prefer it.

Decent buffet breakfast and a nice a la carte dinner suits me much better.

I also get the rage at slow pool service 😬 so am much better off with snacks to hand and wine /g&t in a cool bottle

Mitsis Laguna in Crete is nice, you can completely avoid the buffet and have all a la carte meals in the five speciality restaurants. Brunch I’m the Cretan restaurant and lunch in the Italian restaurant we’re two of my faves.
There is a family sized accommodation and two really nice pools. We hired a car and went out to lots of different places.
For adults there are nice touches such as sushi in the champagne bar which has a lovely view and sunsets.

Something else that the OP might not have thought about in her quest for a higher end holiday experience, is that, unless they pay extra, or I'm not sure if it's even possible, is that the toddler won't get their own seat on the plane.

A lot of these prices will be on the basis that the youngest will sit on a parent's lap during the flight, although I'm sure that, if you get 3 seats together, apart from during take off and landing, where everyone has to be correctly positioned and belted, you can fit both DC between you in the middle seat?

Are you sure you want to go abroad and fly OP? What about Center Parcs, maybe drive to a European one? Or a nice hotel with facilities like the Bedruthan Steps or Crief Hydro?