Page 9 | Anyone disappointed by their holiday?

Panic71 · 2023-08-10T14:00:16+00:00

Here now and really trying to throw myself into despite being really gutted by the hotel which is absolutely not worth the money we paid. Trying to just enjoy it but all the extras have come as a shock for what we expected and read to be all inclusive. Turns out all inclusive doesn’t get you a sun bed either!

TucSandwich · 12/08/2023 09:54

leccybill · 11/08/2023 00:55

After two relatively disappointing holidays in the Canaries (crap food, no culture), we returned to Greece this year and it was wonderful.
9 nights half board, family-run hotel with no sunbed wars, Greek dancing, lovely tavernas nearby for simple lunches. £3k for 2a 1 teen.

Sounds daft but we all had a discussion about what each of us want from a holiday and then did lots of research to find that.
DH - lots of sport, good food and nice drinks, hot weather
Me - a town to wander around, comfy beds, good food, no riff raff or large groups, international feel
DD - big pools, good WiFi, short flight

What part of Greece/island did you go to? Sounds great.

FourSeasonsTotalLandscaping · 12/08/2023 10:01

Can anyone recommend a nice villa holiday that’s possible without driving? That’s always been the sticking point for me as I can’t drive!

TheThingIsYeah · 12/08/2023 10:05

Interesting reading about the price increases on this thread - some of which are eye-watering. I can understand in 2022 and 2023 there’s a lot of post-covid pent up demand - and a fair degree of piss-taking - but wondering how this will play out next year and beyond? Once the effects of mortgage hikes and inflation really start to bite over the coming months (not just UK but across whole of Europe) I should imagine a significant amount of people will just have to bin the idea of a trip abroad (esp HB/AI) in 2024.

Thoughts?

GnomeDePlume · 12/08/2023 10:15

@TheThingIsYeah if demand goes down then tour operators (Jet 2, Tui etc) will contract fewer spaces in hotels. So we will see supply go down.

Canvas Holidays (very similar to eurocamp) have said they wont be publishing their 2024 brochure until late September. Allegedly this is because of building a new website but I suspect they are waiting to see how this year has gone.

leccybill · 12/08/2023 10:19

I went to Kos, just outside Kos Town. Kos Town is lovely - pretty, historical, lots to see and do but not too commercialised. Cool but not too Instagrammy. Loved it!

Crikeyalmighty · 12/08/2023 10:19

@FourSeasonsTotalLandscaping we did Puerto pollensa in a villa (with pool) without driving - the area was right on the edge and it was a bit of a 20 minute walk every time to anything - but doable. Was back in 2008 but the area had lots of them so worth googling

Baba197 · 12/08/2023 10:22

inky1991 · 10/08/2023 21:21

It's threads like this that make me very anxious about my future holidays . I.e when my child gets to school age and having to holiday at the most expensive, and heaving times. I actually just don't think I will do it, as I think I'd be in the same boat as you OP . I would really not enjoy it and feel ripped off the whole time.

Is there a reason parents don't just take their kids out of school during term time for holidays occasionally and just take the fine?

I’m happy to take my son out of school- just email in each day to say they’re ill and keep your phone switched off during day in case they call. Even if did fine, the savings are much more than the £70 fine. We are going to Disney in a couple of years and will be going in term time for this reason

Original poster

Panic71 · 12/08/2023 10:31

tonystarksrighthand · 11/08/2023 08:53

We had this. The whole pool lounger thing is a nightmare.

Not going to do AI again (unless the USA or Mexico)

Agree - Mexico is where we normally go

OP posts:

Almostwelsh · 12/08/2023 10:36

I know Center Parcs gets a lot of scorn on here with people saying you can go abroad for less, but I don't really see why.

I've just had a 4 night break there. Picked the accommodation with en suites, so not the cheapest. We ate out every day and booked a couple of activities and it came to 1800 in total including everything. For 4 people. Multiply the cost to 7 days to compare with a standard week abroad and that would be 3100.

I really don't think I could do a holiday abroad for that in August, including all food and activities as my teen children are adult prices. Possibly you could if you had younger ones and got free or reduced child places, or if you cooked all meals yourself (not doing that).

Once you included airport parking and transport it would be lots more. Maybe if I booked a cheap apartment the middle of nowhere, but then I'd have to add car hire. And it wouldn't have the fantastic pool facilities center parcs has. My children are not toddlers who would be happy playing in a basic pool for a week.

Moanyoldmoan · 12/08/2023 10:41

Live and learn. I messed up last year. This year I spent shes researching and narrowed it down to exactly what we wanted. Just came back from the most fantastic week, ticked all boxes. The perfect hotels are there just need to read everything In the small print

cheezncrackers · 12/08/2023 10:43

Patchworksack · 11/08/2023 21:09

We’ve had a generally lovely week self catering n Croatia (£3k for 5 of us) but have felt a bit fleeced by the high prices of everything once we got here - combination of Brexit, crappy exchange rates and inflation. The site shop seems specifically designed to not stock anything to actually make a meal (snacks and alcohol galore though) so you are forced to go to the on site restaurants - which just seem very expensive for nice but basic food. We’ve done lots of similar holidays and have a basic formula of croissants for breakfast, bread, cheese, ham, salad for lunch and then eat out some evenings or do chilli/spaghetti etc but even bog standard ingredients are expensive. Little things like normally you leave a deposit to borrow tennis rackets etc but now they hire them for €€€/hr have pissed me off - we flew here and previously on this sort of holiday we have gone to France/Holland and driven so we could bring bikes, games, paddle board etc.
Trying to focus on the positives of beautiful weather, gorgeous waters to swim in, swallows swooping among the cypress trees….
With high costs come high expectations …..

My Aussie friend was in Croatia this summer and was horrified by the prices. One day she and her DS (she's a single parent) went to the beach and rented two sunbeds with a parasol for the day. It was €100!! Croatia used to be much cheaper than France and Italy, but now I'd say it's on a par with them. We found Spain (and my dad found Greece) much more reasonable.

cheezncrackers · 12/08/2023 10:48

TheThingIsYeah · 12/08/2023 10:05

Interesting reading about the price increases on this thread - some of which are eye-watering. I can understand in 2022 and 2023 there’s a lot of post-covid pent up demand - and a fair degree of piss-taking - but wondering how this will play out next year and beyond? Once the effects of mortgage hikes and inflation really start to bite over the coming months (not just UK but across whole of Europe) I should imagine a significant amount of people will just have to bin the idea of a trip abroad (esp HB/AI) in 2024.

Thoughts?

Okay, I'll bite and I'm afraid I'm not expecting prices to go down any time soon. Willie Walsh (BA boss) said recently that the price of aviation fuel has gone up loads and isn't going down any time soon (something to do with the war in Ukraine). Plus airlines are investing in more environmentally friendly planes, which is a good thing for the planet, but it's a big financial outlay for them and they will pass those costs onto flyers. The cost of living has gone up everywhere, as has inflation, and those costs are passed on to, you guessed it, the consumer. I really hope that, in time, the cost of holidays goes back down again, but I don't think it will happen any time soon.

justasking111 · 12/08/2023 10:48

DS went to Krakow in February. Said prices were a little lower than the UK. Europe has inflation problems generally

justasking111 · 12/08/2023 10:53

FourSeasonsTotalLandscaping · 12/08/2023 10:01

Can anyone recommend a nice villa holiday that’s possible without driving? That’s always been the sticking point for me as I can’t drive!

Use taxis. I know a non driver in Portugal she uses taxis because she's not on a bus route.

There's lovely villas but often in hilly areas

HerwiPotah · 12/08/2023 11:05

We never do AI, and because of my dh’s job we used to travel a lot to nice places. But our children asked and asked for a AI holiday to Spain like his friends. He thought it sounded amazing. When he was 16 his friends family asked if he wanted to go with them, it cost a bloody fortune but we said yes. After less than one day he called us and he said things were just fine, the food wasn’t very good and he wondered what they were going do now that they’d seen and done it all at the hotel already. The parents said this is it. 😂 He had chips all week I think.

I knew he’d be disappointed, as he is restless, he was of course polite enough not to complain and bought the family a huge bunch of flowers to say thank you, but he has never asked to go again.

drivinmecrazy · 12/08/2023 11:05

We don't have 'holidays' because my mum has a beautiful country house in the mountains ten minutes from the beach in Spain 😂
But my kids have often felt very deprived over the years.
So this year I took DD2 to Athens for four nights (Airbnb) and two nights in Madrid in a lovely hotel.
Then two weeks in the family villa.
There is no comparison according to her, the ability to swim under the stars, enjoying the local markets and just living the life far outweighs any other holiday.

While we were away DD1 went to Naples for a week with her friend who has only ever been on AI holidays with her family. She loved it.
But at the end of the trip her friend made her promise that next year they'd do AI. Needless to say DD is not looking forward to it 😂
DD2 thought, until quite recently, that AI meant you were locked in the resort and couldn't leave.
Just goes to show it's horses for courses.
Me? I'd love to give AI a go, just the once 😝

HerwiPotah · 12/08/2023 11:06

*Our son asked, our daughter suspected it would not be for her and strongly that it would not be for her younger db either 😅

HerwiPotah · 12/08/2023 11:12

I know it’s not for everyone, but for the money some mention here we’re going to Abu Dhabi and Dubai for 8 days this autumn, for less than that. 5 and 6 star hotels that really deserve every star, pure luxury, fantastic food and quiet pool time with no hogging sun beds allowed. Lounge access so drinks and nibbles are ’free’ and amazing.

poisonivy73 · 12/08/2023 11:26

Ours wasn't the best this year either tbh.
2 weeks AI mid July - it wasn't terrible but rooms, food &drinks, atmosphere and trips all just a bit meh!
We have previously been to several Greek islands and always enjoyed it and on paper hotel was in a great location and looked beautiful plus it ticked a lot of boxes but to pay the current prices for the standard of rooms and food we got has really put me off.
I am however extremely thankful for the 2 weeks of beachfront location in glorious, warm sunshine.

Kwasi · 12/08/2023 11:45

SilkenPilken · 10/08/2023 22:18

The problem with going on holiday in term time is that you still have the kids off school for another 13 weeks of the year and we get 5 weeks leave each. While financially it could add up the kids would hate having to do 6 weeks of holiday club.

I was just about to say the same thing. When you don’t have family around for childcare, you have to keep all of your annual leave for school holidays.

We went away the first two weeks of the summer holidays. We will be using holiday club for three weeks but it doesn’t run for the last week, so my husband and I are hoping to be able to work from home the last week and just kind of split the childcare. Hopefully there will be good stuff on TV that week 😂

EmmaL93 · 12/08/2023 11:48

Im a fussy eater so always been to scared of all inclusive incase I don’t like it.
We go self catering and scope out the best places on trip advisor for eating out.
For 2 adults we budget 100-120 pounds a day all in which usually covers us for food, drinks, alcohol and taxis. (Usually find a supermarket or bakery and have breakfast on the balcony instead of eating out and don’t always have a lunch depending on how big breakfast is).

Labbingtons · 12/08/2023 12:26

Monkeymonkeymoo · 12/08/2023 06:59

You definitely can (although not all hire companies offer it, especially if you want to drop the car off in a different country to where you picked it up. You also need to let them know when you pick it up so they can give you all the documents that you’ll need if you’re taking it to multiple countries).
We did a road trip through Bosnia and Croatia without any problems. We picked the car up in Sarajevo and dropped it off in Dubrovnik.

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I’d love to hear more about your Croatia/ Bosnia trip. It sounds beautiful there. DS12 is desperate to see bears!

ilovebagpuss · 12/08/2023 12:40

I would never trust my hard earned dough to a package deal unless it was something special like a one off cruise or somewhere like the carribean (not happening)

I sort flights and air bnb or hotel myself. I know you don't have the package security but you can get holiday insurance.

I think costs for average packed european all inclusives are ridiculously expensive. My friend spent about 5k for a week in Greece for 4 in a busy hotel ok food just seems mediocre.

I've seen some lovely air bnb houses with pool near to a beach, everyone gets a bedroom no pulling out a shitty sofa bed in family rooms.

SilverGlitterBaubles · 12/08/2023 13:04

My Aussie friend was in Croatia this summer and was horrified by the prices. One day she and her DS (she's a single parent) went to the beach and rented two sunbeds with a parasol for the day. It was €100!! Croatia used to be much cheaper than France and Italy, but now I'd say it's on a par with them. We found Spain (and my dad found Greece) much more reasonable.

€100 is outrageous, unless it was complete luxury and came with lunch and a bottle of champagne it would be a no from me. We went to various places in Greece and it was either €5 which included water and table service or free if you purchased drinks/ food from the beach bar at prices that were not a rip off.

ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 12/08/2023 13:06

justasking111 · 11/08/2023 08:40

Grandchildren in a lodge on a site with a swimming pool, three minute walk to the beach. All the restaurants fully booked every day. They're having a ball no-one wants to come home. Only an hour from home. Completely stressless I'm told.

Is that a UK holiday or a one hour flight ?