AIBU to not want to spend more than £2000 on a family holiday for 4?

[captainfarrell]

To me and DH this is a lot of money. We earn about £50k pa so can pay more but we both feel that no week can be worth much more. We have been on holidays in cottages to Cornwall, Dorset and mobile home holidays in France mainly. A couple of years ago we went on an AI to Spain. We had a great time but spent £2500 and had our DC in the room with us so was not that relaxing as they are teens. We just don't feel we can bring ourselves to spend more and can't go out of school holidays. Any fab ideas?

Yes, well I saved the coupons in the sun and lived off super noodles for a week and that was after I sold my grandma

We spend far less than £2000 on a UK holiday. However, when we go abroad in the school holidays I find that £2k doesn't get us the quality of holiday accommodation we want. Having stayed in budget hotels when we couldn't afford anything better, I would rather stay at home than slum it.

Our holiday cottage in the UK at the end of August is a fraction of the price.

With teens they might not come with you in a few years. If you can afford to spend £2k or more then just do it, life is too short. If you were planning your last ever family holiday then what would you do?

YANBU. Book cheap flights via EasyJet or Ryanair and book a large, comfortable airbnb for a fraction of the price of stupid Eurocamp style places or nasty cheap AI hotels. You could have a great holiday on the Venice Lido for 2k that way, or in South or France, or touring and having adventures in Iceland. You save as you can cook some nights and go out to eat on others. And the beds are way more comfortable. We never do anything else these days and our budget is around that.

I think it depends. We live for our holidays so we don't mind spending a lot, we save all year round. Last year we done 2 weeks in Florida, total cost with flights, hotel, park tickets, car hire and spending money was almost £8k. We are going back this year too. Between us we earn about £32k.

We just spent £3600 on a week in Turkey at Christmas for 6 - that included airport parking, kennels for the dog, and all our spending there. It sounds to me like a large sum, but when you look at it, it was actually pretty good value!

We've done a lot of self catering in northern France and Belgium - last place, for somewhere that comfortably sleeps 6, was about £500 a week I think.

notagiraffe, there's no need to be rude about other holiday choices. I've never been to Eurocamp but wouldn't dismiss it as "stupid" or assume AI hotels to be "nasty". It's just ignorant.

If you are hankering after a villa and pool then James Villas had some for a week in school hols for about £2400. Admittedly over your budget but it included car hire and airport parking.

It depends where you want to go. You can get half board in a five star hotel in Luxor for about £30 pppn - and flights are around £350 depending on when you're going and what route you take: BUT the reason it is so cheap (and excellent value for money) is because of the security situation, primarily in Sinai, but also elsewhere, and people are not comfortable travelling there, understandably. There are some extremely safe options - but I see why people don't want to go. I personally would be more concerned about the security situation on the Turkish coast, but even there, you won't get much for £500 each, I don't think.

I would want something pretty special, personally, if I was spending £500 on a week's holiday, so Spain wouldn't cut it for me - but it might go further in Greece, maybe?

I think, though, you'd be better off with a nice cottage in the UK, totally different area from where you live: even if you have two meals a day out, and do fun stuff, you will still have a brilliant time, and might even have change from £2k.

Our annual budget for the main holiday is about £3500. For that we normally get 11 nights AI at a nice hotel in Greece/Spain. We always book on launch day and get a free child place.

This year we're spending half that and going to Center Parcs in France for a week in August (much cheaper than uk). In total (with ferries) it will be £1500.

Next year we're doing Florida at Easter (flights booked already to get a good price). Budget will be about £6000.

I don't mind paying a lot of money for holidays. I want to be able to travel when I'm young enough to not have loads of pre-existing medical conditions that make the insurance more expensive than the holiday!

For a holiday in the sun in the most expensive time of the year, I'd say £2K for what is effectively 4 adults is pretty cheap.

What we've found is it's the flights that seem to take a lot of what you pay, and it doesn't cost ridiculously more to stay for 2 weeks, so we go alternate years - About £4.5K - £5K for 2 weeks AI in August (we are 5 adults in effect), then the following year, a cottage in Wales or Norfolk for about £600 for a week, where we do a mix of cooking / take away / chippie / pub meals. It does seem a heck of a lot of money when we're booking it, but, at the end of the day, that's what it costs, you take it or leave it.

Hi we love our hols and go to a gorgeous resort in Murcia. I've just checked flights x4 from Leeds to Alicante, £888 end of July. Car hire £200 max and apartment £350. Add insurance and food in and you're still less than 2k.

We do turkey for 6 for 10 days flights about £1000 apartment villa about 300/400 transfers from airport about 40 each way (we drive and park this end about £30/40 if you book early ) when we're there we usually do our own breakfast but eat lunch and dinner out probs spend about £25 quid a day on this that's including treats, ice creams everything. So it's easily do able for £2000 for 4. Look on sites like clickstay, owners direct, for ideas. Sure you could do similar in lots of other countries too.

We are going to Mallorca in June, half board in a hotel we love: £1500 for the 4 of us (well DS will be 9 months so we are not paying for him). Fortunately we can go outside of school holidays as DD is 2.5.
£2k doesn't seem like an outlandish amount to me for 2 adults and 2 teenagers.

Our good friends are going camping with their 2 kids in the UK and suggested we join them. It would have been cheaper than Spain but I absolutely hate camping with a passion. I don't understand how anyone considers sleeping in a tent in what is likely to be horrible weather a holiday. I want sea, a beach and guaranteed sunshine on my main holiday. Most of my friends love camping though so I know I'm in a minority

That said, I also love our annual trip to Wales and it is often raining when we go but I love the place so don't really mind.

My son has paid £3,750 for 10 nights AI in benidorm at beginning of August for 5 of them . I thought that was v expensive . They had to get two rooms.

This four star hotel we are at right now is £41 per night bed and breakfast and in August is £94 a night. I really feel for families.

Live in Europe and flights seem a lot cheaper, our big holiday this year is looking to be €500 on flights, €126 car hire and 450 for villa with own pool and as a family we can't wait, really looking forward to exploring more of Spain. I don't think even with food/dining out/extra activities we will get £2000.

We have done many similar holidays to those you described op and and have enjoyed them but I would say if they are not for you why not try something else?

Now it's official that Wales will allow parents to remove schoolchildren for two weeks in term time , it's time english parents put pressure on to be given the same freedom.

We are supposed to be one country.

Having said that we took grand kids plus parents to Tenerife for a week half board in sept. schools were fine. That was £2,200 per family. Mum,dad and three kids.

CaptainCrunch you're right. My post sounded really rude. I just got so fed up of paying over a grand a week for a poky, grubby caravan with lumpy beds and without air con in the height of summer via Eurocamp, when now that airbnb is widespread, you get a really gorgeous big apartment with comfortable bedrooms and baths for a fraction of the price, as they are fixed price all year and don't spike the costs in high season.

I've never done an AI hotel but I was referring to OPs comment about poor quality AI for that price. Still, point taken! Sorry.

We are spending £1250 on 14 nights self catering in an apartment in Spain with a shared pool. I think we'll spend £500 max on eating out & food (hopefully less as its very cheap to self cater €1.50 for a bottle of cava 😀)

Sorry, 2 adults & 2 teens

We managed this. Easyjet to Marrakech, then hotel plus day trips. Hotel was half board but we don't drink much. Total cost about 2k but we booked a long way ahead. We are also flying to France plus apartment for a week for less. You have to book the flights the day the booking period opens and then get accommodation after that. Be prepared to land, overnight, train etc. We are doing Prague and Munich on the cheap too. Fly to Prague, 2 nights then train (£10 each) to Munich, 2 nights home. At Easter but booked in October.

Try sky scanner for flights and booking.com for accommodation. Much, much cheaper and you can fiddle about a bit once you have the flights.

We are going to a fantastic agrotourism place in Crete, half board for four of us for a week is £900. Car hire £100 flights £500 with easyjet. We are going in the October holidays. Two grand is my top budget for a holiday abroad. We don't do it every year.

We have stayed here, sc it comes in under £500 for the week for a family of four in August

www.alpharooms.com/halley_in_benidorm.aspx?accommodationSearchKey=61695857-d223-4f66-9140-6e224d0b086c&isDeepLink=False&noAvailability=False

We had two rooms. A nice modern bathroom. A kitchen with large fridge. A tv. Wifi was €20 and was good. A room where you wash clothes out and leave to dry.

It was very clean. It wouldn't win prizes for the best decor but walls were white and clean.

Had an outdoor pool. About 5-10 min walk to the beach. You are about a mile from old town but buses are plentiful, clean and cheap.

Yes to EasyJet or Ryanair, book an apartment through booking.com or direct - go for a less good time flight midweek for 13 nights - and maybe avoid beach area - so Lake Garda (fly to Verona) or Lisbon and hire a car or Valencia/Barcelona ?

Different families prioritise their spending differently.

We have a joint income about three times that of the OP but we do exactly the same kind of holidays, static caravans in France or camping in the UK.

I cannot imagine spending £8k on a holiday as a previous poster does.

However we probably spend more on things that many other people wouldn't consider as important.

For us holidays are about spending time together as a family. We aren't lying on a sunbed types so we aren't chasing the sun and I prefer the privacy of self catering to staying in a hotel. A caravan in a nice campsite in France or nice UK campsite with our tent is perfect for us.

We just like to visit castles and museums, play board games and walk on the beach.

Most of our friends go on expensive skiing hols at Easter and to Florida or an AI in Turkey in the summer. They all seem to have a lovely time but it's not for us.

If we were all the same...