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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Original poster

Costa del Sol anyone been (marbella area or ?)

42 replies

georgeclooneyfan · 20/04/2008 14:46

Looking for summer holidays still!, was thinking of Pollensa in Majorca now looking at possibly Costa Del Sol can anyone recommend anywhere nice to take hubby and two kids aged 8 and 6. Were looking to hire a villa for 2 weeks been shocked by some of the prices so far!! Not sure what part of Costa Del Sol is the best would be flying into Malaga airport. Thanks in advance.

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RainingCatsandDogs · 20/04/2008 20:42

Just come back from inland Costa de Sol near Ronda which I thought was lovely with white villages and mountains.Visited Seville and Cordoba.We treated ourselves to an expensive villa with pool though! (which would have been too expensive in school hols).

Have been in past to Nerja which was OK but preferred this holiday inland.However in school summer hols I think it would be very hot.It was warm last week.

Another suggestion,if your two like beaches and pizza, Sardinia has some of the best.Fly easjet or ryanair (Cagliari,Alghero) and book apartment/villa direct.I would avoid early/mid August if possible when everyone seems to be at the beach.

noonar · 20/04/2008 20:43

we loved frigiliana. white village near nerja.

Original poster
georgeclooneyfan · 20/04/2008 20:51

Thank you for the advice RainingCatsandDogs, the prices we are being quoted for 2 weeks flying from Scotland to Malaga including a villa (with own pool but not really posh decor etc (is coming in at around £4,000!!).Maybe I am just being stingy or not? I think it seems alot we are keen to go for a villa but like you say I think it will be very hot as well. I work at a school and have to really take hols in the school hols. Unfortunately in Scotland we dont have the May mid term break which would have been ideal to go away in. I have been trawling through every villa website until I am fed up now. Thanks again

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Original poster
georgeclooneyfan · 20/04/2008 20:52

Will look into Frigliana as well thanks noonar.

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LyraSilvertongue · 20/04/2008 20:53

I took DS1 to Puerto Banus when he was tiny and it was lovely. I can recommend it. We stayed at the H10 Andalucia Plaza hotel.

LyraSilvertongue · 20/04/2008 20:53

We're staying near Nerja this year. Can't wait.

LyraSilvertongue · 20/04/2008 20:55

Georgeclooneyfan, £4,000 is ridiculous. We're renting a two-bedroom villa with garden and its own pool, flying with Ryanair. And the lot comes to £1,900.

LyraSilvertongue · 20/04/2008 20:57

We're going in August btw. Who quoted you £4,000? James Villas? We booked ours independently and halved our costs.

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 21:07

Have a play around on here, gcf (it's the same website I linked to for Pollensa). I've linked to Puerto Banus but you can muck around with that (go to the top where it says "West Costa del Sol - Marbella area" and click on one of those). Most of them are apartments though, if you want a villa with a pool that's not too expensive you'll have to look inland.

Although the rentals will mostly be Sat-Sat it would be worth looking at weekday flights, even if you lose 2 or 3 days - they'd be much cheaper.

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 21:08

Marbella is gorgeous btw, so is Puerto Banus, we have had a couple of holidays along that stretch (not in July though, it will be very hot, look for air conditioning in the bedrooms)

Original poster
georgeclooneyfan · 20/04/2008 21:09

Hello LyraSilvertongue because we have left it late the flights are coming in at £1500 and most villa websites I have looked at including (james, vintage travel, meon, villa plus, villa parade, etc etc are around £1300 - £1600 per week (some include car hire) some dont and some even cost more. Mind you these were prices quoted for staying in Pollensa Mallorca and then we decided to try the Costa Del Sol and there isnt that much price difference. We are restricted a bit as we can only go the mid two weeks of July as we have a dog and the kennels can only take him these weeks. We should have got our act together earlier in the year but weren't sure if where we really wanted to go £1,900 sounds like a great price to me did you book this in advance. Thanks for your help

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Original poster
georgeclooneyfan · 20/04/2008 21:10

Thanks for the advice WendyWeber will take a look just now.

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WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 21:13

Have a look at this thread - lovely old house in Estepona, discount for MNers (no prices given though). No pool, but close to beaches, and being an old house in the old town it will be very shady and cool.

It's nearer to Gib than Malaga though, I don't know what flights cost to there - prob better to fly to Malaga anyway.

PeachesMcLean · 20/04/2008 21:15

we stayed in one of these in nerja

More like terraced houses than villas, but pleasant enough.

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 21:15

Oh there are prices, missed them before - £545 a week in July & Aug!

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 21:16

Which airport are you looking to fly from, gcf, and what dates?

Original poster
georgeclooneyfan · 20/04/2008 21:24

Flying from Aberdeen so there arent many flights really could drive to Glasgow as well but by the time you get there could almost be in Spain. Dates are 12th July for two weeks. Thanks again

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Original poster
georgeclooneyfan · 20/04/2008 21:26

Thanks PeachesMcLean haven't came across that website will take a look

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LyraSilvertongue · 20/04/2008 21:42

We booked our villa through Holiday rentals. You book directly with the owner of the property. We're paying under £600 per week for the villa. We've booked villas with them before and never had a problem. We went to Italy for two weeks for £1,200 inc flights and France last year for £1,500. Italy we booked about 2 months before and France at least 5 months before we went. Take a look at the site. there might be something decent still available.

Original poster
georgeclooneyfan · 20/04/2008 21:44

Thanks again LyraSilvertongue will have a look now

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LyraSilvertongue · 20/04/2008 21:46

You can get some amazing bargains on that site. The little townhouse we stayed in in France last year was amazing, right on the sea in Antibes, and cost the same as a 1* apartment.

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 21:54

That's the same site I linked to, gcf! We have used them twice so far and been v pleased.

You have got to drive to Glasgow - the fares from there are less than half the Aberdeen ones with a much bigger choice of dates. Easyjet fly to Malaga at 3.15pm on Sat 12th at £104 inc (£85 on Sun 13th!), and return for £146 on Sat 26, or £130 on Fri 25th, or £105 on Thu 24th.

That was from MoneysavingMartin's Flightchecker, here

Also I can really recommend hiring a car from malagacar.com - excellent prices and really good service - Ford Focus £232 for 14 days.

LyraSilvertongue · 20/04/2008 21:55

Thanks for the car tip wendy. We haven't booked ours yet and we're flying to Malaga.

WendyWeber · 20/04/2008 22:00

They are brilliant, Lyra! They meet you at Arrivals - you don't have to trail down to the car rental hall and stand in queues for hours, and then find your car in a hot dark multi-storey car park and work out how to use and where to get out along with dozens of other new arrivals!

They bus you to their compound, about 2 minutes away on the perimeter, it takes a few minutes to do the paperwork and then you're off, straight on to the road out of the airport (actually you do have to negotiate a roundabout - the wrong way round - as you come out but it's dead easy after that.

We changed our car halfway through our holiday and they were fine with that too. Really really good.

LyraSilvertongue · 20/04/2008 22:02

This is the wonderful house we stayed in in France. It was cheaper last year though.