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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Expensive hens… why

131 replies

workingitout1234 · 30/07/2025 22:18

our group of girls are early 30s in average jobs, some are mums. A hen has been planned for next year and it’s £340 each for 17 people in rural location for 2 nights with hot tub to include food (one of the girls will cook for all guests) booze and activities (games such as mr and Mrs and all low cost games like that). This is all within the accommodation - we aren’t leaving the apartment once. It looks like a lovely apartment though. This is all sharing rooms and even beds at times with others too

is this a rip off? I think it is considering it doesn’t include leaving the place at all. There is an option for 1 night at £240 but I still think that is a lot even taking inflation into consideration

we aren’t lawyers and doctors we are pretty average women

OP posts:
BananaCaramel · 31/07/2025 07:36

Tbh from your title I was going to say YANBU because it is really annoying when people plan stupidly expensive hens.

£340 seems pretty reasonable to me for 2 nights and it doesn’t sound like you will be venturing out anywhere.

I thought you were going to say it’s £2k all inclusive in Dubai!

ImustLearn2Cook · 31/07/2025 07:37

workingitout1234 · 31/07/2025 05:42

I think I’m gunna say no. I’ll be breastfeeding a 8 month old baby at the time too, and this rural venue is 2 hours from home for me plus I have a toddler who is 2.5 years old

I think you are making the right decision. It seems pretty expensive for something being shared by 17 people. Plus the travel, and all the fuss in expressing milk (finding a nice private place to express) in shared accommodation and being away from baby and toddler. Would be exhausting and more stress than it’s worth.

And I am so glad that I wasn’t the only one who thought this thread was going to be about fancy chickens 🤣🐓

ThejoyofNC · 31/07/2025 07:39

How was the cost calculated? This has the potential to increase every time someone drops out and the other people share will continue to get more expensive.

LottieMary · 31/07/2025 07:44

You really don’t have to go.
ive said no to two on the basis of cost and one hen is still one of my best friends.

ive also had some great ones that cost less than 150 for food and accommodation, and one at my mums house to save money.

they don’t have to be expensive, but you don’t have to go

Steelworks · 31/07/2025 07:48

ThejoyofNC · 31/07/2025 07:39

How was the cost calculated? This has the potential to increase every time someone drops out and the other people share will continue to get more expensive.

Good point. Had you confirmed your place and then given the price, or given the invite/cost prior to accepting?

(and what ever happened to a meal at the local Berni inn with a bunch of friends for your hen do?)

ThejoyofNC · 31/07/2025 07:51

BananaCaramel · 31/07/2025 07:36

Tbh from your title I was going to say YANBU because it is really annoying when people plan stupidly expensive hens.

£340 seems pretty reasonable to me for 2 nights and it doesn’t sound like you will be venturing out anywhere.

I thought you were going to say it’s £2k all inclusive in Dubai!

£340 for 2 nights sharing a bed, playing monopoly and eating homemade food seems cheap?

ChrisMartinsKisskam · 31/07/2025 07:53

340 x 17 people is 5.5k roughly
for 2 nights

where on earth are you staying
not a house but an apartment that’s costing that much

and I bet the hotub at a max will fit 8 people

you can guarantee that if people fall out / can’t go then the price will go up & up you could easily end up spending 400 -450 if people drop out

and you might have to share a bed
fuck off with that

ChrisMartinsKisskam · 31/07/2025 07:57

PinkyFlamingo · 31/07/2025 07:06

It must be a very expensive house to hire! But 17 people, especially some you don't know would be far too much for me and I wouldnt go! Just do it asap because I suspect that price will go up if others don't go!

It’s an apartment not a house
at a cost of 5.5 k roughly for 2 nights

SophieJo · 31/07/2025 08:00

Another disappointment as I was thinking it might give me the price of an Eglu and hints as to how to look after the hens!😂😂

SausagesAndBananas · 31/07/2025 08:02

Another one here for the expensive chickens 😂.

Honestly OP, bin off the hens, and spend the money getting some chickens instead. Much better return on your money, and long lasting fun also!

VegQueen · 31/07/2025 08:03

I don’t think sharing rooms or beds is unusual for a hen. Presumably you share with friends not strangers. It seems typical cost wise. I paid the same for a hen this year (sharing a bed and one other person in our room, shock horror). But that included a lot of activities out of the house! The accommodation was only about 160 each I think for a similar number of people and it was in Bristol so not a particularly cheap area. It was quite basic though so I guess your group wanted to spend more on a nicer place and less on activities.

FlibbertyGibbitt · 31/07/2025 08:12

I’m feeling sorry for the person cooking for 16, that’s no little holiday is it !!!

LakieLady · 31/07/2025 08:25

MaybeItWasMe · 30/07/2025 22:33

Disappointed - thought this was going to be about the merits of fancy breeds of poultry.

Me too!

I clicked on it because I was intrigued as to what breeds they were.

EternalNeau · 31/07/2025 08:33

Properties for a lot of people are expensive. I’ve recently organised a family celebration weekend for 20 plus two dogs and it was a nightmare. Everyone moaned about the cost and yet nobody actually managed to find anything cheaper that didn’t involve a dorm room.
I’ve recently been on two big birthday weekends away. One cost £350 for two nights, train, one meal and a show. All drinks, transport around the city and other food was on top of that.
The other cost £380 for two nights, train and a spa afternoon which included lunch. All other food and drink was extra.
Ours covered costs for the celebrating guests as well presumably your is covering the hen too.

EternalLodga · 31/07/2025 08:33

🙄 at all the "I thought this would be about chickens!!!" posts

Createausername1970 · 31/07/2025 08:37

Cluckycluck · 30/07/2025 23:17

Same! Truly disappointed that I now don't have an outlet to tell the tale of my journeys up and down the country collecting fancy, expensive hens.

Show quote history

Please tell.

SwedishEdith · 31/07/2025 08:40

workingitout1234 · 31/07/2025 05:42

I think I’m gunna say no. I’ll be breastfeeding a 8 month old baby at the time too, and this rural venue is 2 hours from home for me plus I have a toddler who is 2.5 years old

Oh, you have the perfect get out.

Createausername1970 · 31/07/2025 08:49

I think the price is probably OK if that is all you are going to pay and it includes a contribution to cover all food and drink etc. But as others have said, there is always "extras" that pop-up along the way.

But 17 people, and possibly sharing a bed? My idea of hell, so I personally would be giving it a miss, but I can see that others would enjoy it and embrace it, and as long as everybody there had a similar attitude it could probably be a lot of fun. But it only needs one mardy-arse to cause friction and it's difficult to pull back on track.

AngelinaFibres · 31/07/2025 08:57

It's all for the pictures. If you don't have lots of people with you then you aren't popular and are therefore failing in the rest of you life.If you haven't gone abroad/ huge house in your home country you are clearly not worthy. It's sad really because lots of the people on that hen will be stressing about paying for it/ going/ sharing a room / bed with a stranger. None of it is fun but it'll still cost everyone more than they want to pay.

AngelinaFibres · 31/07/2025 08:59

FlibbertyGibbitt · 31/07/2025 08:12

I’m feeling sorry for the person cooking for 16, that’s no little holiday is it !!!

And presumably she's paying the same as everyone else for the pleasure of cooking fior everyone else.

CaptainSevenofNine · 31/07/2025 09:00

I thought this was about re homing chickens and it costing you more than you anticipated. 😁

Bearhunt468 · 31/07/2025 09:02

That does sound quite expensive if your not doing any activities. I admit I did have an abroad hen do as did many of my friends but it was probably about £350 for 2 nights flights, accomodation and activities which often included drinks so we didn't have to spend too much more on top. But recently I've been invited to an abroad hen do that is coming up £600pp just for flights and accomodation - no activities, food or drink so it can easily spiral. I am not going particularly cos of the price but also don't want to leave my baby for that long.

CaptainSevenofNine · 31/07/2025 09:02

I see I wasn’t the first to think same! I made my post before I’d finished reading the OP. I’m not original at all.

GammonAndEgg · 31/07/2025 09:06

The cost is a rip off.
I was here for the chickens though.

Expensive hens… why
SoddingSoda · 31/07/2025 09:13

I was going to start a very similar thread.

I’m going on a hen-do that’s been restricted to one night as everyone said they’re on a budget.

£150 for one night in an Airbnb in the arse end of nowhere, hours away from where everyone lives. The MOH has said about us going out for the night which a taxi works out at £20pp (not thinking of logistics if people leave the night out early and each cab is at £80…)

Then my biggest bugbear is paying £150 for accommodation and it’s looking likely that we’re all going to have to share beds.

My definition of sharing a bed is to save costs. Aka you’ve all gone on a night out and falling into bed at 3am which you’ve split the cost of the £80 room with your mate.