To think I win the batshit hen do game...?

[mynotsohumbleopinion]

Months ago friend asked if I would come on her hen do... cited then as a "cheap weekend in Europe". No problem says I! Well cheap isnt how I'd describe it now!

The hen do is in A well known party island. This weekend. Thurs to Sunday.And the costs have just spiralled.

We were told it was There months and months ago and asked to pay around £450 to the MOH for "accommodation and food etc". It was so far in advance that flights weren't even fully released by easyJet at the time, but she assured us it was pre-opening weekend so they'd be cheap. I've never been so why would I argue this? Flash forward another couple of months to when they are released - turns out that the cheapest return is 90 quid and only then if you go to stanstead at stupid o'clock in the morning, which nobody can really as we all live far from there... the only viable options for pretty much everyone were expensive airlines like ba. £250 later I had flights.

Most people did think that the £450 we paid MOH would be covering most things, so nobody complained really. It was only this week when we were sent the "itinerary" that it became clear how much incorrect assumption we had all made on that front... turns out that the £4500 she's had overall only pays for 3 nights in an airbnb villa not even close to town. I know we all
Should have asked but who on earth would think to?! And actually, I seem to be the only person who thinks this is actually stupid...

The list of costs we will now incur are as follows...:

-- Taxis from airport - 50 euros (we can share this if others are on our plane)
-- Taxis to the main town for each and every activity and meal.
-- All meals out other than breakfast and some snacks for thurs night.
-- Although the villa has a lovely pool, we will apparently be spending Friday at a beach club. Paying for the entry. Where we will have lunch at another cost. Then dinner I suppose. Oh and we are expected to chip in to buy the bride lunch that day at around 10 euro each (100 overall??!)
-- outdoor early evening club at a cost of 40 euro on Saturday and then a later club at a cost of 80 euro after that as it closes early. That's without any drinks or even a table.
-- no booze included at all so she wants us to pick it up duty free. There are no shops near the villa.
-- stupid dress codes for the Saturday which I haven't personally bought anything for but others have had to.
-- she wants us to contribute to a "hen survival box".

I'm broke and I haven't even got there... I'd love to pull out now but flights and accommodation alone mean I'm £700 down!

I win don't I? This is just ridiculous...

I checked my bag with the wine in it. Luckily i have status on the airline so get a free checked bag...

LaLegue, glad to know this happens a lot! I don't have much experience of all-women things like this so i wasn't sure how to approach it.

I was particularly fed up by the end because the sniping girl had spent half the night bitching at the bride that she didn't want to come and I had to smooth the whole thing out. I didn't exactly bitch about MOH but i was more on the side of the other girl; what a mistake...

That is a great run down of exactly why I hate Ibiza. Sounds like your experience was similar to mine (except no bitchy girls on mine).

Thanks for the update!

We did try to suggest that we should get normal taxis but she couldn't cancel at short notice without incurring fees.

to be fair, it is fucking impossible to get taxis to come out to villas most of the time

Villa was lovely but a bit unnecessary... it sleeps something like 15 people but there were 7 of us!

Ah, I think this actually explains a lot. I would put a lot of money (not the amount of money you spent this weekend, but a lot!) that she booked hoping for more people, and then people refused/dropped out, and so she split the cost between the remaining suckers people. Which is why it cost a fortune, and why that price that initially included 'accommodation and food etc.' suddenly just covered accommodation.

On a happier note, some of the best times I've ever had were with groups of women: if you can't go away with your friends without it being a nightmare then the problem is your friends, not all women (and you don't even sound that close to these people, OP?). And let us not pretend that stag dos are immune from this kind of thing. We might not call it 'bitchiness' when men do it, but they definitely do it.

Yep, Margaret is right, this is classic with these ridiculous 'do's that require more than a night or day out. The organiser books something like this and then people drop out because it's a sucker's game to ask people to stump up so much for a hen do.

Yeah, and she booked the mini vans thinking all 15 would be willing to throw away £500+ on a hen do/weekend. Couldn't have gone on a weeklong P&O cruise with meals included with a friend at £300 or so each. The clubs sound like a total waste of money, but anyone could have told you that. Would have been better to take a taxi somewhere, buy booze and lay up at the villa that cost more an all-inclusive holiday for 4.

Sounds like this MOH expects a lot out of friends, too, with a destination wedding.

Bet they're all telling you to hand over more dosh, too, as a 'gift', for them to splash on another holiday for themselves.

Sorry, that's could've gone on a P&O cruise.

Thank you op, great update! Sorry it was so pricey and naff as expected.

Did you at least get good weather and a chance to sit around the pool? I hope so otherwise it sounds like the most disappointing way to spend £1k I've heard of.

OP, well survived. Perhaps MNHQ could make even more money selling a guide to hen nights based on all the threads on here and serialising it in the DM. Or you could.

It is tricky even for a sensible MoH to organize - numbers, travel, affordability, booking and getting deposits in, people honestly having to drop out .. but good for you doing your best and managing the w/e,

But why do people have them? In my day (90s) we'd either not have anything, or later on did a big supper/tea/dinner with booze. No one went anywhere expensive. What is the point? At this rate people will be spending hundreds if not thousands on hen/stag/wedding/baby shower etc per person. At least until (other threads) Brexit, the General Election and us all dying because someone's advocating over the counter antibiotics.

'It is tricky even for a sensible MoH to organize - numbers, travel, affordability, booking and getting deposits in, people honestly having to drop out .. but good for you doing your best and managing the w/e, '

Not if it's just renting out a clubhouse or, if her home is big enough, just having a party there one night. Going on a pub crawl with a chippy after doesn't take any of this rigamarole.

Are those "packages" at the Ocean Club per person?

See, the villa sounds lovely. I'd have been happy just to hang out there as long as you had food and wine in, and a trip to / delivery from a supermarket would have sorted that.

Why didn't you spend more time in the lovely villa?

Anyway - i hope this didn't disappoint!!

On the contrary -we have very much enjoyed reading the thread.

I would have been disappointed if I had spent a thousand euros to be in boring clubs, though, making a couple of new enemies to bitch about me for every more.

It's a pity you didn't get to spend more time in the villa - it sounds nice.

It does sound like they were hoping more people would go. Glad you didn't go too much over budget but it sounds a bit crap really.

I agree the Mumsnet guide to wedding/hen do planning would be a great idea for a book.

I just don't even understand what the meaning of a hen do is for most people, when they already live together, own a house together or even have children, it's hardly to celebrate your last moment of single freedom?! This is why many of these hen dos are even more pointless and a waste of money! Glad your weekend didn't totally suck OP but £1k is a huge amount to blow in one weekend. A lesson learned it seems...

Thanks for the update OP. Sorry to hear it kinda crashed and burned. Sounds like you did well to keep the costs down as much as you did! Does sound like MOH was banking on more people going.