How much has your holiday cost and where are you going?

[crazymumofthree]

Just looking into holidays for this year, we haven't been abroad for about 4 years, we have been to cornwall the last couple of years and love it, generally it's about £1000-£1300ish for a cottage 7 nights in August and then spending money about another £6-700 but can be lower or higher depending on weather/activities etc. So around £2000 all in (we are a family of 5!)

This year I have been looking at centre Parcs (if anyone can recommend the best one down south - all three are about 2 hours from us in Surrey so any recommendations welcome) our children are 4,6 and 8.

We are also considering a week abroad now the children are that bit older, and basically looking at different options, comparing prices etc so just wondering what your holiday plans are and how much they have cost.

I would love to go to somewhere different, we love animals and sea life, somewhere where the kids could snorkel would be fantastic or see animals in their natural habitat. Obviously the kids are still younger and don't just want to lounge by a pool all day but at the same time don't really want to be traipsing round too much in the heat so they are bored and whiny! So a mix of the two would be fab!

Sorry for the lengthy post just looking for some inspiration!

On my list of places to go is Canada, Thailand and Hawaii however at the moment we aren't looking to spend this much or perhaps go so long haul as both boys have recently been diagnosed as diabetic and so we are a little nervous of going too far out to start with logistics etc.

2 bed cottage in shripshire....8 nights costs 390. It's a lovely cottage with 2 bedrooms... all on one level so safe for toddler ds. It's spotless, all modernised and has a lovely kitchen and wetroom. Secure, safe garden which isn't overlooked by anyone. Fantastic patio with views over fields and hills. Kids get to feed the lambs.
We gave been for the last 4 years and can't find anything to best it.
Lots of great properties nearby... national trust etc. Also go to Chester zoo, tattoo park, trentham gardens. Etc.
With petrol, food etc probably costs 1000/1200 in total

We are going all inclusive to Lanzarote for a week in June. Just wanted a relaxing beach holiday that doesn’t cost the earth. We always find going AI works out cheaper in the long run to be honest.
It’s just under £1300 for 3 of us.

We were in India a couple of weeks back but my husbands work paid some of the costs so it was only about £5k total, I think.
We’re going to Abu Dhabi in March for five days. Again, costs are reduced because his work is paying for his flights (he’s going out three days ahead of me). So my flights are around £2.5k and hotel is about £1500. Not many expenses when we arrive as work will provide a car. Only real cost is alcohol.

We’re going away in the May half term holiday, one week, to Lanzarote, all inclusive, costing £2,000 for the 4 of us.

Two weeks in California with Virgin £3500 in August, limited to school holidays though so thats why its so expensive. 3 adults and 1 child.

We've stopped going on holiday in the UK because of the poor value.

We usually go in a static caravan to the Costa brava (nice part) and do 2 weeks in summer holidays for around £1500 plus spends. Flying from london/ se.

This summer we are potentially going to hochschwarzwald in Germany. It is phenomenal value. Cheap to fly to and rent cars for, cheaper still to drive. Apartment costs about £400 per week and that includes one family activity per day ( go ape, cable cars, monster scootering, epic swimming pool with lots of slides indoor and outdoor, pony rides, etc etc etc). Downside is no certainty about weather but doesn't bother us as there will be so much to do.
Skiing we usually do for £1500 for 2 adults and 2 kids feb half.term, s/c, + food and non- ski activities (one under 8 so free lift pass) but we don't put them in lessons for that price. Also theye miss 3 days school. To go sat-sat or sun-sun half term would at at least £1000 to the cost and probably more.

Definitely look at De Kempervennen Center Parcs in Netherlands. There is an indoor ski centre on the site that do lessons from 4 yrs old. There are big fish tanks in the pool so it feels like you’re snorkelling with the fishes. Some of the activities would only be suitable for your eldest but my son did a kids scuba diving class (age 8+) which he loved and was a great experience for him. It was a brilliant holiday and we’d definitely go back again.
We always do the overnight ferry Harwich-Hook of Holland (using Tesco clubcard vouchers to part-pay)

YY to tesco club card vouchers. They've paid for many a channel crossing for us.

We’ve booked a gite in Vendee, France (around 6hrs from Calais) week for 4, for £500. Using Tesco Clubcard points for the crossing.

Canada (Rockies) is super pricey in the summer holidays. Looking at at least £700 each for flights, plus at least £200 plus per night for accommodation (if going to the popular places - Jasper/Banff/Vancouver etc). Plus, I really don't think a road trip is best with small children..

For better value and with the age of your children, I'd be looking at Barbados (snorkelling, hummingbirds, monkeys, beautiful beaches on West coast). Barbados is pricey for eating out though. However, I wouldn't even think about that for a week, so I think you need to look closer to home.

When they are older, put Borneo on your list.

£150 for me and three children for 3 nights in a caravan in Essex.

I agree with others about the European Center Parcs being better value even when you factor in travel costs. You also get additional discounts for booking early and sometimes get another discount on top for having a child under 13. They also give you 3 free activity vouchers if you book more than a couple of months in advance and you get to choose the location of your lodge for no extra cost. (can be over £50 in the UK) If you look at the end of August the price tends to drop as most schools in Holland, Belgium and France go back to school that week. They have just built a brand new park next to Disneyland Paris.

We are going to Lake Garda for May half term. We have booked through Venue holidays (like Eurocamp but cheaper) and the 3 bed static home has cost under £300 for a week as you get 7 nights for the price of 5. We got cheap Easyjet flights so the holiday has cost us under £1000.

My son has 3 development days before October half term so we have booked a week in a nice all inclusive hotel in Tenerife for just under £2000 with flights. We booked hotel and flights ourselves rather than book through Thomas Cook and saved ourselves around £500.

We went to duinrell the last two weeks of August last year with dc aged 3 and 5. Good ages I think especially if they like swimming as the tiki pool is great. Lovely little theme park and great beach nearby too. We did Harwich hoek ferry then it's only 45mins drive from there. Lots of opportunity to hire bikes/trailers and we did a great day trip to leiden. Cycling is a world away from this country with seperate lanes etc. Two weeks was a bit too long for us as the accommodation is quite basic, even the supposedly premium ones. It cost around 2k for the accommodation and ferry was around 400.

This year we've just been to Seville which was beautiful but for summer may look at Stockholm and a lakeside cabin. We've also been to lake garda and that was fab with loads to do. But I'll be boiling in August.

Gran Canaria for a week during Easter holidays, jet2, AI 3 star, family of 5 (3 adults and 2 children - 2 rooms) cost £2,700. Booked last July.

Also booked 11 nights in Turkey with Jet2 again, 4 star plus AI, family of five again (3 adults, 2 children in two rooms) cost us £5,200. A family of four currently costs £4,300 for end of July holiday.

Recently paid all inclusive to Mexico, Rivera Maya for 2 people around £3,000 for 14 days

Kos, two weeks AI, June, roughly £1600 for two with Jet2..Dubrovnik, 2 weeks b&b for 2, last week August, first week September, Jet2 £1700..Prague, 5 nights b&b for 2, mid December, Thomas Cook, £600.

We took our six month old to Tenerife last month, it was a really nice AI hotel for some relaxation and was £2,500 all in.

May we're going to Italy to a villa for a week with another family and I think it's about the same. Then we have a wedding in Spain in July but that one is almost entirely free as my family is paying 🎉

We're going to Mexico for two weeks, just me and DP and it cost £2.5k altogether for 5* all inclusive.

We are going to Lake Garda in May-june at half term. Family of 4. Flights Ryanair £500. Apartment with shared pool £1,400 11 nights. Car hire £400, spends maybe £1,000 plus. I guess at least £3,300 total.

Booked a gite in the Dordogne for end of august beginning of sept, back the day before school starts. Costing about the same as italy trip for 11 nights, could be more as will want to do lots of trips and meals out.

Am planning on 4 days away in October half term to Bruges or Vienna or Budapest just dh and I. Not booked yet.

Will also stay 3 nights in grasmere just ds and i at start of summer hols. Usually only costs about £300 cos my df pays for food!

Weekend away with girlfriends in the lakes at easter. Dirt cheap!

Feel lucky writing this down. I also hadnt realised how much we spend on holidays!

France, 4 of us, 1 week in a gite with a pool followed by another in a cheaper gite without a pool. Overnight ferry. Booked through Brittany Ferries when they had a sale on and it cost £1800. We will need food and petrol money but hopefully only about £700 as we're only driving a couple of hours and we self-cater and are happy not eating out. We hope to just do beach and sightseeing things so won't need to spend much on days out.

Sorry, forgot to say we are going in August.

Because of this thread we are now going to Kampervannan centeparcs! We have booked the children three days of skiing lessons there too. Dd wants to do lifeguard training ad well. Im vey excited!

We will also go to skeggy butlins, as we do every year. They love butlins.

Egypt, 1 adult 3 children April half term 2200. One week all inclusive. Good for diving/snorkelling.

My son was diagnosed with diabetes last year, 3 weeks before our holiday to Greece.

Invest in a frio pack and get some advice from your support team. We had a great holiday with no problems at all.

Hoseasons holidays have really cheap lodges currently with some good offers on. We are now going to Wales ( snowdonia way) in a lodge with a hot tub that accommodates 6 people for £350 for 4 nights. Luckily as my parents are coming we get to half that cost!

Also, we flew to Nice in France last year and then hired a car and toured the South of France which was beautiful using several Euro Camp sites which was very very cheap but a really nice experience and we got to visit Monaco, St Tropez etc.

On the Thailand front, it is amazing and so so cheap! Just book your return flights and then get your hotel rooms via bookings.com they are next to nothing and this way works out far cheaper than via a package deal and you get amazing rooms/pools etc for the price.

I personally rate Bali as a magical place for the holiday wish list.

Just been skiing Feb half term - Family of 4 chalet board £4K (2 rooms) Lift passes, ski hire & lessons were another £1.5K so £5.5K in total.

10 days in Lake Garda Jul/Aug. Flights x 4 = £400. 3nts Hotel - £500 & 7nts - 2 bed S/C apartment with shared pool = £600. Car Hire cost £300 so £1800 in total with food/spending on top.