Where would you go with my budget?

[LoobyLou2709]

After a stressful year and a rubbish Xmas, we have decided to go away for 2 weeks Xmas 2020 and New Year, me and DH and 2 DC aged 7 and 6. We have a max budget of £8k. Where would you think of going? looking online etc everything is over our budget which is jumping out at me and want to avoid canaries or closer to home as not guaranteed good weather, and wanted somewhere really special.
where do people look for holidays? I tend to keep going to TUI and on the beach! Anyone recommend some good value travel sites?
I love the idea of Thailand (been before prior to DC) but DH bit reluctant to take the DC ? Also Costa Rica, again thinking need to up or budget for this! would love some ideas/ recommendations!

[Herringbone31]

Moon palace. Mexico.

[LoobyLou2709]

Thanks Herringbone, looks incredible! Sadly its coming in at about £10.5k... didn't really think of Mexico and a couple of hotels are coming in slightly cheaper so will do some research! Maybe we'll need to cut the trip short to 10 nights to be able to keep it within budget!

[BelfastNonBlonde]

South Africa
Loads to do and cheap as chips when there

[BelfastNonBlonde]

Same time zone (give it take an hour) and you’d hit their summer

[Rtmhwales]

Stop looking at hotel packages and price everything separately. Go to Skyscanner, choose the dates and airport you'd be leaving from, click the destination as 'anywhere' and look at your options for what would work for your budget. Then research hotels and activities from there, and purchase insurance separately.

I traveled all over South America for £3k for over two months that way in peak season in nice hotels with loads of adventure.

[mummmy2017]

Friends with children did Xmas in Barbados on a cruise, free childcare,, the children ran there each day. Food , pools lots to do and new places to see each day, while no packing.

[Fedupofballs]

Take a look at the Slate in Phuket, amazing for children and adults!

[pelirocco123]

I thought the Canaries was more or less guaranteed to be nice ?
Florida gulf coast ..great beaches there may be the odd day it could be cooler
Carribean cruise ?

[KoalasandRabbit]

At that age I would take the children to Lapland over Christmas - snow, husky rides, reindeer, santa etc - it won't be for 2 weeks but quite magical.

Prices do go up a lot over Christmas - alternative would be just spend a week in a UK cottage for c£800 or so and go on 2 week holiday another time. Costa Rica is amazing would recommend and that budget would be fine for summer, not sure about over Christmas how much it goes up. Ours was £6.2k or so plus £2k excursions in summer AI.

[bettybattenburg]

New Zealand, the exchange rate is in your favour and petrol is cheaper plus there is so much to see. You could hire a camper.

[Bickles]

Agree with a week in Lapland. Enjoy the age they are. Enough time for fancy hot holidays when you don’t have Santa believers.

[Strokethefurrywall]

I live in the Caribbean and would definitely agree with pp and recommend South Africa. There is so much to do, you can organize trips/tours that are all organized for you down the garden route for a number of days and it is incredible!

The Caribbean is great but more expensive once your here. Not to mention (depending on where you go) there are a shit ton of beaches (I live by one of the most beautiful beaches in the world) but if you're after more than beach relaxing then I'd go to either South Africa or head to Malaysian Borneo and see Orang-Utans at sepilok, diving/snorkeling, rainforest walks etc and stay at the Shangri-la tangjun aru resort. Amazing.

Or Bali, staying in one of the lovely resorts for a few days and then heading up into Ubud for the art and peace!

[BubblesBuddy]

I would look at the Caribbean - but in the Easter holidays. Christmas and New Year are sky high prices. Don’t expect SA to be cheap then either! The schools are on their main holiday and it’s peak time in the high season. Again April makes way more sense. Your money would go so much further!

[cardy1969]

We have just returned from Costa Rica and it was amazing! I would highly recommend it. I went with DH and 2 teenage dds but younger children would love it too. The wildlife was fantastic and beaches gorgeous. Costs of things were not as cheap as we'd expected, similar to the uk. We also went to Thailand in July, which I would also recommend. Happy to provide more info you you'd like to hear more.

[misspiggy19]

Sri Lanka- you could have a very luxurious holiday with money left over on your budget.

[zeebee]

cardy1969 I’d love to hear more about both trips, please. Two destinations we are considering for this summer. Kids aged 10-17. Many thanks.

[notjudgingjustasking]

I second South Africa headline price is dear but when you are there would be so so cheap.
Also Malaysia/ Singapore lots for kids

[lovelyupnorth]

Love the Caribbean and would love to do South Africa.

With your budget I’d do Barbados for two weeks in January pay the fine and save about £5k for trip to South Africa later in the year.

[lovelyupnorth]

Family of 4 ten days in Barbados cost us just over £3k but went in January

[Herringbone31]

@LoobyLou2709

How strange. We have two kids. Same age. We got it in the August holidays next year for 5200......

[scousadelic]

Speak to a Travel Counsellor. They have found really good deals for us

[turnedabout]

Check out Bangkok the banyan tree hotel as a city stopover for a few days of sightseeing before going on to a beach resort.
Banyan tree is incredible OP

[katy1213]

Children would love Costa Rica or Sri Lanka.
But does it have to be Christmas when prices rocket?

[Natsel84]

Dubai or Egypt?

[LoobyLou2709]

Wow thank you all for your feed back, lots to look in too! Sadly we are a bit restricted to Christmas as as we have a small business and shut down for 2 weeks at Christmas, DH struggles to have a day off usually during the year let alone 2 weeks, so annoying as it's the most expensive time of year, I'd have no problem going at another time of year otherwise!
Loving lots of these ideas, think I need to be braver and look in to organising it myself maybe rather than the package holidays!
Also I would Love Lapland!