What would you rather do?

[Tractiorprincess]

I'm really stuck on what to do about holiday this year for me, dh and 2xds.

We've left it really late to book and can really only spend about 2k.

We usually go to a lovely little holiday let in Cornwall and it's great. My preference when abroad has always been Greek Islands.

Dh has this year decided he'd like to go abroad, the kids would love it I'm sure having good weather and a pool.

Obviously for 2k we are pretty limited but there are holidays available.

Portugal and Majorca seem cheap but I'm guessing they're not in the nicest bits. Dh even suggested Benidorm but the reputation it has puts me off.

Would you make do with a cheap and cheerful holiday abroad or stay in the UK?

I'm worried I'll be miserable all week if we go somewhere crap, it dh thinks I should think about wha the kids will enjoy.

I would actually go into a travel agent (old Skool) and see what they have. You can see reviews, etc. And then decide. If you Can be flexible with dates you might find something, Turkey might be cheaper as people still see the risks.

Would the kids enjoy Cornwall? I’d agree with you and go with that.

I can’t tolerate heat so would look at average temperatures of the places you are thinking of going, but if you love the heat it might be ok. If all you want is a pool and sun then those holidays might be good! For me, it also depends on the accommodation, ie is the Cornwall one a 2-bedroom cottage with living area and kitchen, and the abroad one one room in a hotel with sofabed and no fridge/cooking facilities? I’d choose bigger accommodation in that case.

The dc will enjoy Cornwall, but my eldest is desperate to go abroad. I think it's just the whole experience of going on the aeroplane, having the swimming pool, there'll be water parks we could visit, all of that appeals to him.

I like Cornwall because we can afford to go somewhere a bit more upmarket, we stay in a 5* holiday let right on the beach, separate kitchen and living area, 2minute train ride into the town, lots of fab restaurants, but I can see why the dc are bored of it now.

https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/europe/spain/majorca/alcudia/hotels/hotel-delfin-azul.html

This is the sort of place we could afford abroad.

I'm neither here nor there about the heat, if we could afford somewhere lovely abroad I'd go in an instant, but we've been cheap and cheerful before and I'm skeptical.

So yes abroad we'd be in a small hotel room likely.

It all depends, I've been looking and looking and on our budget there's always a compromise. If we want 4* it's going to be small, if we want bigger accommodation we won't be near all the amenities.

Usually when we go abroad we eat out anyway, we are looking at half board as it might be easier with the youngest then just eat out a couple of times.

Cheap flight and air bnb would be my advice. Don't all cram into a hotel room.

I'd rather SC than stay in a small room in a 3* hotel that's a 10-min walk from the beach. If you have an apartment you will get more space, 2 bedrooms, a living/dining area and probably a balcony, as well as access to a pool. It's good advice to go to a travel agent and tell them what you want, but I wouldn't trade a lovely holiday flat for a couple of poky rooms in a basic hotel, because I'd really resent it. How old are the DC and could they have an adjoining room? If not, I'd definitely go SC and you say you usually eat out anyway, so it's not like you'll have to cook. We always SC so we're not all crammed in a hotel room (which from experience is HELL), and we just get breakfast stuff, snacks and drinks and eat out the rest of the time.

Thomas Cook were good when I went in recently. The in-store deals were not the same as their website. You can filter on lots of requirements and they also have the Tripadvisor reviews and location maps to hand, and also had flights that I couldn’t see online. Maybe prioritise what you want though first, eg close to amenities or larger space, etc, in case you can’t have it all within budget. Good luck!

Try sky scanner for flights and use places like travel republic, booking.com etc. Also love holidays and suunmaster. Give them a ring and see what they have for your dates. Also ring round local travel agents and ask them what deals they have for your dates.
We always go sc and stay in basic Greek apartments which don't cost much!! Usually dates but clean!! We just use them to shower, sleep and have breakfast in!! We had a 2 bedroom apartment in Roda, Corfu last year for €800 Euro's for 3 weeks in peak season last summer. 5 mins walk to the beach. Kids love it - my 2 are teens but friends have a7 year old.
You can def have a fab holiday on a budget!!
Also try zantehotels4u if you fancy Xantech, friends got a studio for €200 a week including air con.

I'd self cater in an apartment abroad somewhere that it's quite cheap to eat out. Maybe get lunch out each day and have a relaxing evening in with barbecues or bread/cheese/meat/olives/crisps etc

Problem with UK holidays is that if the weather is shit, you spend money on inside paid activities, and food and drink are more expensive than Greece or Spain etc.

Places like Pefkos or Lindos in Rhodes, or Costa Brava, Spain or Canaries have good value apartments and are cheaper than UK for eating out. Balerics are expensive for eating out, so probably best avoided if on a budget.

Try packages too, eg jet2holidays - you can still get a self catering apartment and they are often cheaper than booking like for like separately. If you put your departure airports, dates and party size in their deals finder, you can filter for accomodation type and see what comes up

www.jet2holidays.com/deals

Abroad! Get an apartment and eat on a budget. We spent a fortune last year in Cornwall.

Try jet2holidays though fly mainly from Northern airports except Stansted but limited at the moment.

It depends on how late you could book it. If you booked 48 hours before, you could get a really good deal.

Turkey is proving cheaper than the more popular places like Spain and Greece but prices are increasing as many people are clicking onto this fact and demand is beginning to outstrip supply (that’s why they put the prices up because more interest means more likely to pay more).

Or you could always try Center Parcs Europe if you don’t mind driving.

Abroad if poss. I adore Portugal (Algarve) and I've visited most of the resorts. I'm not sure there are any nasty areas. Albufeira is lively, but nowhere near in the same league as Benidorm.