I just want a bloody holiday!

[radiorentals]

I am struggling to find anything. I have modest standards, I've stayed in many a Premier Inn or similar, happily eat at a Beefeater, Brewers Fayre et al...yet there seems to be no choice at all, places are either super expensive or £££s.

DP and I have had a tough year, as have my DC who have just finished their exams. We have about £3k to spend. I want a weeks holiday in the Med, all inclusive, in a reasonable hotel with a pool near the beach and town so my DC (16 and 18) can go off on their own a bit.

I honestly thought that wasn't asking too much, but the choices seem to be awful run down hotels (judging by the reviews), or ones miles away from anywhere, including the airport, or spending £5k plus.

Am I just expecting too much? 🙁

£3k is a lot of money to us, it's about 6x the value of my car for a start! I was hoping to pay about £2k for me and DC, however DP was only looking at about £800, so I will have to find the extra. Hence why I don't really want to go over £3k.

Look on First choice. I just had a quick search for a week from London for 3 adults and 1 child and there are quite a few for that price

And if you can wait until the first week of September there's even more choice as schools are back then

I can't believe that you are struggling. It is quite late to be booking a summer holiday now. But even so I've never paid over £2k and always stayed in lovely places. I had heard that things have gone up this year but that seems excessive.
You will get some very lovely places at very reasonable prices in Turkey this year because of the situation. I've always wanted to go to Lykkia world or Letoonia but couldn't afford them. This year we could.

Also if you are anywhere near the north and going at the end of August then consider going from Scotland as the Scottish kids will be back in school and flights cheaper.
Travel Republic is good. Teletext holidays are excellent for last minutes. Broadway Travel have some interesting options.Think about half board instead of all inc. Also if really struggling, look on skyscanner for flights and then book accommodation from owners direct/homeaway etc

Part of the reason I think I'm struggling to find something is that we need 2 rooms rather than 1. There's lots of 1 bed apartments but they're not suitable for us.

I just did a search on first choice for 4 adults, Greece from any London airport end of August and it showed loads including eg a week in kefalonia at a lovely hotel for less than £700 per head. All inc. worth a try?

Look at flying from Scotland with Jet2 , it is considerably cheaper as the Scottish schools are back to school in August. We saved over £400 flying from Glasgow last year as opposed to flying from East Midlands

Look at Mexico. The prices seem very similar to Europe prices and the hospitality there is outstanding.

Where can you fly from?

me to LEM i often think i live in a different world to most mumsnetters i cant just magic up £3,000 or even half

Lot's of people can't afford it (I can't), but that makes no difference at all to what things actually cost.

Look at Airbnbs. Seriously, they can be SO much cheaper than hotels in the Med.

(I always book my own flight + Airbnb - works out loads cheaper when you're not in England, and I've stayed in some drop-dead gorgeous places).

Turkey? I know lots of people are reluctant to go there but we have had some fab holidays there and very reasonable.

Why not go to a travel agent and ask them to find something in your budget -we recently had an amazing deal found for us by an independent travel agent who knew how to really search for good deals (and we checked on the internet and it would have been exactly the same price to book direct).

I don't think you can get all inclusive in an AirBnB.

Turkey is cheap at the moment, also look at Bulgaria, its dirt cheap to self cater there and the food is beautiful.

www.teletextholidays.co.uk/serp-es#/allinclusive/Portugal/2017-08-19/Any_London/boardtype=allinclusive/nights=7/adults=4/minstars=3/hotel=26801/Dom_Pedro_Baia_Club

Madeira?

Lots of cheap holidays on Thomas Cook for the last week of August just had a quick look.

No, you can't get all-inclusive in Airbnb, but it's honestly so much cheaper you can afford to eat out 3 times a day and still be quids in.

I've started looking in Turkey (I'd not looked there before as had it in my head it wasnt safe) few possibles just trying to find decent flights that aren't arrive at 1am, leave at 11.30pm kind of thing.

We couldn't really fly from Scotland, we are down in the South East. Gatwick or (just about) Stansted are doable, but no others really.

Sorry, link doesn't work - I searched 4 adults/last week Aug/Portugal under the AI tab and it came up with attached.

There are some fab places in Turkey that are going for a song due to the holiday makers deserting it. I'd have been there like a shot but dh really liked a hotel elsewhere so we didn't book it.

try www.onthebeach.com

My mums currently in turkey with friends and their children. All inclusive, direct beach access, swim up room and water park and they paid under 3k for 5 adults (as two of the children count at adult prices) and one child. Swim up room is more a house really upstairs and downstairs 3 bedrooms but obviously they paid July prices not Aug but turkey is worth a look.

What about literally going last minute - 24-48hours beforehand start scouring travel agents and lastminute.com and just go!

Keep an eye on the holiday pirates website, they have plenty of family holidays for under that .