To ask if it’s worth having a holiday in the UK?

[TigerLils]

Right, I’ve coped pretty well so far, the past 16 months has been pretty difficult for many and I feel pretty bad about this but I need a holiday. A change of scenery! Some nice weather chilling food and drinks. Obviously it’s limited where you can go at the moment and we are looking at a staycation perhaps (it’s just me and DP) but everything is booked up or seriously overpriced in the UK.

Not sure if it’s worth it but I’m pretty desperate here… ( I need this for my mental health)

Can any of you recommend places to go for a couples getaway in the UK?

Like many, I've not booked a UK holiday this year as a) I've got a foreign holiday from last year we rescheduled (although we could have gone last year, it felt wrong to do so and now I'm annoyed at myself for not going), and b) everything thing seems too expensive for what it is.

We have had a couple of nights away in the UK already at May half term.

I'm now looking at those 2 weeks dh has booked for for the holiday that won't be happening and trying to decide what to do with them. Wait and see if anything goes green? Book whatever is available last minute in the UK when I can see the weather forecast? (Spending a couple of grand to stay somewhere that would normal be £500 is bad enough when the weather is nice and you can get out and enjoy it, if its pissing down, all the local indoor tourist attractions will be rammed and therefore shit).

Or do we do lots of day trips?

In your situation, id book the ferry to Jersey. Theres lots of nice hotels there. Or Gibraltar.

I have definitely rented the wrong cottages then! would be interested in where to find decent ones. Are they super expensive? I expect they're all booked up for this year anyway.

Yours looks nice Speakuptomakeyourselfheard

It is definitely worth it. I've been booking one or two weekend breaks a month for the last two months and will continue for the next few just to keep myself sane.

I have just realised my passport will expire on June 29th. Because no holiday last year I did not even notice.

We just googled! Make sure you look at pictures of inside - and choose one you like. We're usually at the lower end but haven't rented anything run down.

Self catering holidays in the UK are surely like staying at home but worse You've still got to trudge round Tescos then stay somewhere with sticky carpets and kids moaning the wifi's not as good while you cook dinner with less utensils than usual and then wash up. All at great expense to stay there because this year prices have gone up and it's a rip off.

If you say so. 10 of my extended family are about to spend a week in a gorgeous house on the beautiful Devon coast. We'll eat out a couple of evenings, and then dividing the cooking of the remaining 5 dinners between 6 adults shouldn't be too strenuous. Big supermarket delivery the day we arrive, so no trudging round Tesco .

Not sure why you'd think the wifi would automatically be bad in all holiday locations. I live in a very popular rural holiday area, and my wifi is fine thanks! We (including my teenage dc) can't wait! I'll keep an eye out for those sticky carpets - never seen any in any other holiday homes I've stayed in though tbh!

Why do people think so many tourists come on holiday to the UK from their own lovely countries?

Because people like visiting other countries rather than just always staying in their own

Yes, but there are quite a lot of countries to choose from. Why would they choose one whose main characteristics are apparently that 'you get fleeced, have shit weather, beaches are covered with dog shit and there's no parking anywhere'?

@Chickpeasorchips look for local holiday cottage companies rather than national ones, they tend to have better ones available. I'm very picky when I book, and every cottage I've stayed in has been lovely and nicer than my own house! I tend to go for an independent cottage/villa/gite/cabin or apartment when I go abroad too and they've always been amazing. I spend hours and hours trawling websites though, it's part of the fun of planning a holiday for me.

Lucky you lazylinguist but I don't even have 10 extended family. Sounds nice though I hope you have a nice holiday.

I guess a lot of this kind of thing depends on peoples situations and budgets. Travel abroad can mean cheaper meals, new food, more sitting outside because the weather's guaranteed, not having to be in traffic, a sense of truly getting away from it all, all sorts of things that a UK holiday can't provide, for me anyway. Glad that some people enjoy them.

Thanks Pigeonpocket

Uk city break seems reasonably priced unlike other Uk breaks. Our only holiday booked is 3 nights in a v luxurious city hotel with pool, spa etc.

We'll wonder the city, shop, show, restaurants.

Don't really like UK beaches much anyway, except Dorset, Devon, Cornwall... but those places are extremely expensive and will be unenjoyably busy.

@Chickpeasorchips

Self catering holidays in the UK are surely like staying at home but worse You've still got to trudge round Tescos then stay somewhere with sticky carpets and kids moaning the wifi's not as good while you cook dinner with less utensils than usual and then wash up. All at great expense to stay there because this year prices have gone up and it's a rip off.

There are some lovely parts of the UK of course but that's not everyone's idea of a great holiday. It feels like on this thread we're not allowed to want to go abroad! absolutely bizarre

I have never stayed in a self catered holiday cottage that matches your description. Not even the caravan in Dawlish Warren or the holiday chalet in Colwyn Bay was as bad as that.

I want to be as comfortable on holiday as I am at home, so I make sure I book somewhere that offers the same level of comfort, even if it is a little more £££.

It is undeniably true in many cases that it can be more expensive to holiday in the UK, especially this year, but we factor that in when booking a holiday.

I think some people's expectations are unrealistic though. I don't book a beach holiday in the UK in the expectation of it being like a beach holiday in the Med, so I pack accordingly. We were lucky enough to have some hot very weather in Wells-next-the Sea one year, and some really hot days in Tenby as well, but we went on holiday expecting the worst and hoping for the best.

And as for cooking - we eat out more on holiday or eat more simply when I cook. I also take my own knife, chopping board and knife sharpener.

I’ve never fancied a cottage type holiday as I think they may be a bit like my normal weekends (I’m very fortunate to eat out a lot, visit places, live nearish the sea and beautiful countryside). I do however love UK hotels, if only they were a bit cheaper.

I think it's best to plan differently for a UK holiday. Keep it short, have specific goals and activities, and accept that it will cost more than the same abroad.

I would favour a citybreak and hotel over a cottage or seaside break in the UK. After reading an earlier post I checked Haven in Wales - almost 2k for 4 nights Mon-Thurs in a trailer in August? No way. There are much better and cheaper options.

London is actually really good value this year! No good for me since I live here anyway.

London is actually really good value this year! No good for me since I live here anyway. But you will probably find that Edinburgh, Glasgow, Belfast, Cardiff, Liverpool etc. etc. are equally economic.

Preaumably people look around when booking abroad. Same here!

Weymouth Bay Haven starts at 570 for 2a 2c if you go last week of school holidays (mon 30th - fri 3rd sept).

We dont tend to pay summer prices when we did Haven though - go when its cheaper/quieter!

I've just looked on tui - a week in a 2 bed apartment in Majorca with a pool for the of us would be about £2.5k. So £2k for a haven holiday is insane.

I do wonder how many people will be busy cancelling UK holidays with those great cancellation policies if they let double jabbed people go on proper holidays.

I do wonder who pays 2k for a Haven holiday tbh...

@Chickpeasorchips

Self catering holidays in the UK are surely like staying at home but worse You've still got to trudge round Tescos then stay somewhere with sticky carpets and kids moaning the wifi's not as good while you cook dinner with less utensils than usual and then wash up. All at great expense to stay there because this year prices have gone up and it's a rip off.

There are some lovely parts of the UK of course but that's not everyone's idea of a great holiday. It feels like on this thread we're not allowed to want to go abroad! absolutely bizarre

Be my idea of utter hell!! I've never gone s/c in my life and NOTHING could ever convince me to, ever. And in the U.K.? Arrrrgggghhhhh

Who’s paying 2k for Haven! 😱😱😱

Our Haven cost £316 for July.

We’re off to Northumberland. Beautiful part of the country and so much to do.

I’ve just been looking for a weekend break in the next few weeks. Trawled and trawled, but almost everything was £500+ which I just refuse to pay for a weekend (go into the summer hols and it was more like £800-1000).

But I was thrilled to bits to find and caravan break (possibly the last caravan in Cornwall) for a reasonable price yesterday. So I’ve just paid £284 for 4 nights, which I’m happy enough with. Though it’s double what I’d normally pay at short notice at this time of year!

I love being self catering. I like quiet at night and find many hotels too noisy. I like all the space you get in a whole house, having access to a large fridge. Eating meals when I want not when I've booked them. I quite enjoy cooking on holiday. I can choose nice wine to have with the meals. My favourite Galloway cottage has a peat fire, tapestries on the wall and a 4 poster bed. I love it there. It's easy to buy ready meals if you don't want to cook or we can take to bus down to the excellent real ale pub with its own brewery by the sea that is 20 minutes away.

Be my idea of utter hell!!
I've never gone s/c in my life and NOTHING could ever convince me to, ever. And in the U.K.? Arrrrgggghhhhh

You obviously don't have teenagers

A "self catering" holiday doesn't involve much cooking as far as I'm concerned. I also like having more rooms to spread about. DH gets up stupidly early, so being stuck in a hotel room with nowhere else to go isn't practical for us. And I don't have to nag DD to get up for breakfast.

I like the space hiring a cottage/house. And less people in the pool if you have a pool!