To feel like I'm being fleeced - glamping

[SaffronYellow]

£1,000 plus, to stay in a TENT for 1 week in Devon?
Some are £1,200 for 1 week.
Just seen one for £1,500 for 1 week.
This is to stay in a bell tent in a field.
To me, these are insane prices!!
AIBU to think over £1,000 to stay in a tent for a week is absurd?
I can't afford to stay in a holiday cottage.
Air BnB prices are out of my price range.
So I thought camping might be an affordable alternative.
I just want to go away for a week in this country in the school summer hols with my 2 DC, I want to give them a week away. Devon is my favourite place, used to go there as a child.
I'm not well enough to take my own tent and put it all up by myself, I've got ME and fibromyalgia and long Covid, so I really need a tent that's already erected and one that has a few more comforts to it than sleeping on an air mattress on the floor.
I thought a tent in a field would be a financially viable way to go away with my DC, who really deserve a week away, but the prices are eye watering and completely unaffordable.
I'm not asking to go abroad anywhere....just a week in my own country! But I'm priced out of this! I can't believe it, feel so sad for DC.😥

Another vote for caravan park. If you don't mind waiting til closer to the time, they sometimes drop the prices. Some places might take Tesco vouchers that you could put towards the cost if you have them.
Agree that the UK is stupidly expensive. We tried to book a week in a 3 bedroom cottage but couldn't get anywhere nice for less than £2k. Yes some cottages do exist but they were pet friendly, only had one toilet, no WiFi etc. So we're going abroad for the same price instead.

You’ll get more for your money if you choose somewhere other than Devon. You’ll be a bit disappointed, but the kids won’t care where they go.

Unfortunately, they don't offer this anymore.

We have a week in a chalet at brixham holiday park last week of August for £800 . There's no entertainment programme etc but a pool a beach lovely walks and on site bar/restaurant with good food.
I'd look at airbnb again, cottages for you or similar there's lots of holiday park options there.
Would keep costs down over food too if you can self cater

Good luck op

I can recommend a YHA. Get a private family room. They often have a games rooms, there will be a kitchen, lounge and dining room with a lovely breakfast each morning. Most have beautiful gardens too. They are clean, and friendly and cosy

We invested in a family tent. About £150 I think. That was 21 years ago and it's still going strong. Some lovely holidays, especially when the children were little, and camping doesn't break the bank.

Caravan much better and cheaper. I always book a private hire, they're usually much nicer and loads cheaper than the ones owned by the sites (and have toilets/showers/hot water unlike a tent!). I use caravans4hire.co.uk
Most of the private hires have extras like dvds, games, netflix etc. last one I hired had built in blue tooth speakers, private garden etc. So plenty to keep kids amused in the evenings whilst you chill on the decking. Hope you manage to find something.

Lovely of you. This is the reason I stay on mn. Women helping women!

Sorry that should have been ukcaravans4hire.com

You can get a Monday to Friday here for £700. I’ve just got back from staying in a silver caravan at woolacombe bay and it was lovely. The park is so well maintained and the caravans are well equipped and lovely and clean. Great evening entertainment and lots to do locally. Beautiful beaches too.
https://www.woolacombe.co.uk/book/holiday/grade?type=holiday-homes&nights=4&arrival_date=26%2F08%2F2024&adults=1&children=2

I looked for weekends where we have a random inset day as it's cheaper to go in term time. A week is a long time too, I would do three or four nights.

Glamping has recently been added to the list of things I’m cross about. Fair enough when it was an option offered alongside camping as an alternative for people without all the gear or for whom putting up a tent etc isn’t possible but now they’re just another excuse to rip people off and because so many campsites have either changed exclusively to Glamping units or devoted loads of their space to it, it’s reduced the availability and increased the price of actual camping too.

Not really - if I have electric hook up I take a small heater for morning and nights it makes it quite snuggly!

For future years, try and look a bit earlier.
I've just looked and the caravan that we booked in the first week of January for £815 is now £1555 for the same week we've booked in August.

I think part of your problem is looking for a holiday in the South west. The prices are often crazy there in Devon and Cornwall. Can be lovely if you strike lucky with the weather but….
As previous posters say you CAN get a holiday home for less than £1000 even in August.
Shocked by someone saying they paid so much for a Haven property. Try Parkdean, much cheaper. I’d know as I own a Parkdean lodge in a lovely part of the Lake District and could only dream of £1000 rent for August. That’s for a 2 bed 2 bathroom comfortable lodge. You should not be paying that much for glamping - a right royal rip off that sounds!!!

Choose a different place maybe? Norfolk is seriously underrated, the beaches are amazing!

I really agree with this. Glamping is expensive and uncomfortable IME. I hope you find something terrific.

Part of the fun of camping (with kids especially) is going back to basics. Choose a no-frills campsite, take a deck of cards and embrace having to enjoy each other's company and the beautiful countryside. There's definitely way cheaper campsites in Devon and Cornwall even in the summer hols and on the whole that whole area is stunning. Try www.pitchup.com

I’d recommend private rooms in YHAs as well. I’ve stayed in a few and they brilliant. A lot of youth hostels are really nice - the Stratford upon Avon one looks like a mini stately home.

We are having a week in 2 bedroom cottage, sleeps 4, with central hearing, fuly equipped kitchen, bathroom, patking etc in summer school holidays for less than £1k.

Its a pretty area though cottage is plain but comfy.

Try somewhere less popular than Devon maybe

Cheapest holiday we ever had was at Butlin’s, the accommodation is pretty basic but so are the prices, you don’t have to do stuff on site, you can just stay in the accommodation and go out for the day to explore the surrounding area.

If we go to Cornwall we usually stay in these little chalet’s that are about £800 a week, I think they’re the cheapest in Hoeseason’s website. The UK is just quite expensive to go on holiday, why not check out if you can get a last minute holiday abroad, sometimes you can get a real bargain, I once got a week in Spain for £900 for four of us and the food was really cheap while we were there, a lot cheaper than the UK.

I’d recommend looking at the accommodation options on the local tourist website. Most have listed providers of holiday cottages - some of whom might not advertise on the big holiday cottage websites and are therefore cheaper. Glamping is always ridiculously expensive for what it is in my opinion.

I think glamping is a bit of a fad so it is expensive. Not for me, I think either proper camping or get a room somewhere, don't see the point of the in-between. Anyway, hope you can find something OP.

In my opinion, if you can’t afford school holiday prices then I would take your children out of school for a few days mid term. If you choose days that include a weekend and an inset day then you can get a week with them only missing 3 or 4 days. Ignore the school when they get arsey with you, and pay the fine if it comes to that (which will be a lot less than the difference in price anyway). life is about more than school and if it’s the choice between a holiday during term time or no holiday then give them the family experience of a holiday. It will be something they remember forever.

Glamping does seem overly expensive but it would be such a fun experience for children compared to an Airbnb cottage or static caravan. The tents usually come with fire pits you can cook on each night / roast marshmallows, they are often on farms or on sites which are generally wilder and more fun to explore / play in than a caravan site. Your children will find others to run around with. They get to experience the dark with torches, and waking up to nature right there in front of them. Birds and dew etc. You can teach them how to build a fire. Usually lots of space for bikes, football, other outdoor games.

Other people have mentioned doing it yourself with air tents and blow up mattresses etc. We’ve done a lot of camping and i think even with air tents etc it would still be too much for someone who is going on their own esp if you have health issues. It’s meant to be a holiday for you too! Even just laying out the big air tent (which is heavy), getting it straight, pegging it in, etc etc is quite physical work. Packing up all the stuff you need to set up yourself (bedding, cooking equipment, washing up stuff etc) and setting it up, then breaking it all down again at the end is also a lot of work. I would find a cheap week at a glamping site and take the view you are paying for the service of having all this done for you

Try a holiday park - doesn't have to be a caravan, you can have a lodge or apartment, plus you get amenities like a pool and entertainment

www.hoseasons.co.uk/search?adult=2&child=2&infant=0&pets=0&range=3&nights=7&accommodationType=holiday-parks&start=03-08-2024&regionId=21997&regionName=Devon&destinationURL=%2Fholiday-parks%2Fengland%2Fdevon&page=1&sort=priceasc