When did it suddenly become so expensive to holiday in bloody England!

[sandyballs]

Me, DH and the kids have been lucky enough to go abroad the last couple of years. Before this we used to rent a cottage with the in laws, in Dorset or Hampshire, or a log cabin at Sandyballs in the New Forest. The in laws haven't been away since the last time we went with them so DH suggested we did something similar next year as they'd really enjoy it and they're getting old. Thought we'd treat them.

I spent hours yesterday on line searching and I'm just stunned at the cost! I don't remember if being so bloody expensive for a week in a damp cottage in the pissing rain, most likely.

The cottage we used to rent in Weymouth is now £1700 for a week in August! £1700 , no food or flights or anything, just a cottage! A week at Sandyballs in a log cabin, which is basically a caravan with wooden cladding, is coming out at £1500 minimum!

If only the in laws would get on a plane. I really can't bring myself to pay this amount for what may be a crap wet week when for slightly more we could guarantee sun.

Just wanted to add we have had holidays in this country recently but always camping which is very cheap and great fun but in laws wouldn't be able to do this.

YANBU. Look at the youth hostelling association for a step between camping and holiday cottages though. We are firmly in the camping end of the spectrum!

Totally agree we actually like holidays in the UK (not a fan of flying) but accommodation, food and ferries to the islands are ridiculous. So much for encouraging better tourism, perhaps some of the expensive advert money could have been spent on reducing costs and red tape for tourist business owners instead.

YANBU. Unless you are happy to camp or stay in a caravan, it's just not worth staying in the UK. Personally, camping is my idea of hell, and even a caravan wouldn't exactly be a holiday, so staycations are out for this family. We travel in the UK for specific reasons, if there is something or someone we definitely want to see, but other than that, we head to Gatwick!

I think holidaying in the UK has been expensive for at least the past ten years tbh. It's really not any cheaper than and good package deal abroad where you're guaranteed much better weather. We do have a caravan and use it a lot so haven't been abroad since we had the kids (7+ years), but even so when you put petrol and food on top of site fees you're still looking at £300 for a week for four people. And then there's days out etc which you don't do as much of when you're by a pool abroad. That's what kills holidays in England is the price of daytrip excursions - that can top £100 for a family of four!

We've had holiday cottages for the last few years and I guess we go for inland ones at Whitsun half term but I'm sure we couldn't go abroad for the price. How much for a family of five to go away abroad (I appreciate that's a broad spectrum!) these days?

You're right about excursions, and eating out. In Spain last year the four of us ate out (kids are 11 so eating adults size meals) for approx 50-60 euros including wine and pud. A meal here would cost much more than that.

Plus my wine bill here would be excessive as holidaying with MIL

As an alternative, why not book your in-laws into a cheap B&B/ travelodge type hotel while you camp nearby? I agree about the prices though.

yanbu its so expensive now & can't guarantee he weather either :(
We stayed in a luxury cottage in Anglesey for 3 nights in August, it cost us £550! It was damp in the cottage (really smelt very strong) & the weather was shit. The 4 days we were there it was dry just one.
I hate flying (I am very phobic and have to get prescription pills to get on a plane) but next year we are going away somewhere warm!

We paid just over £2K for ten days in Spain last year, self catering. That included a lovely apartment with a large shared pool, good flights (not middle of the night), and spending money. We ate out most days, had breakfast and snacks in the apartment or by the pool. Had day trips, didn't scrimp.

That's an idea, in laws in b&b and us camping. What would we do at night though?

What about going just the other side of the channel - booking direct with campsites rather than Eurocamp style operators who put a sizeable margin on for their accommodation and courier service. If you get a good deal, a Dover-Calais ferry is under £100 and a mobile home on a nice site in Picardy/Normandy could be as little as £600 for a week on a site with pool, playgrounds etc. Even less if you went for the last week in August.

The UK is too expensive, the weather can be great but often isn't and it costs a fortune to do anything so we go to France or holland instead. Just as close (for us on the South Coast) as a lot of the UK but better facilities and lots cheaper.

I brought my parents camping with us to a place called Mill Farm in Somerset. The campsite also own a site a few miles up the road which has studio flats and a couple of cottages you can rent very reasonably. Whilst staying at these you are allowed full access to all the campsites facilities. The people who worked at the campsite often dropped my parents back to their accommodation on an evening. Could be an option for you??

It's been this way for years - I remember spending as much for 3 nights in a basic B&B in the fucking rainy Lake District as we did for a week in a 5* hotel in Phuket (not counting flights).
Makes me as I would be happy to support out tourist industry but it's daylight robbery. Parking, for a start!

look at gites in france via brittany ferries. they basically throw in the ferry crossing for almost free. cost us 600 quid last year gite+boat with car.

We've just booked an aprtment in S France as it's cheaper than somewhere here for the same week - and not loads more even with flights added on.