£1k for up to a week - 2 adults

[moshmoshi]

DH and I have been lucky enough to have been given £1k from his dad- who would like us to spend it on or towards a break for just the two of us.

We're a bit stuck on where to go. We're thinking of going in April or May and for up to a week. We're both quite indecisive- DH even more than me. I've had these ideas so far- city break- Stockholm, Copenhagen, Italy, Spain or Portugal, or maybe even New York. One of those activity breaks where you can spend a few days kayaking or rafting somewhere in Europe, driving the NC500, interailing. I even thought about doing one of those surprise trips where you only find out when you get to the airport but DH doesn't want yo do that.

I really want to get it right. We probably won't get this chance again so want it to feel special and be fun.

Before kids we had a range of holidays- hiking in lake district, city breaks , m
Mark Warner type trips etc.

Any ideas would be really appreciated.

Is the 1k to cover everything?

We can afford to put a bit towards it so maybe £1.5k max for everything

1k isn't enough for New York unfortunately.

Spain will be the cheapest out of your ideas.

I would recommend Slovenia. It’s a beautiful country with a diverse race of things to see - the capital is beautiful; there are castles and caves; the Spanish Riding School stud farm; the mountains in the north; the lakes…Plenty of activities available too - kayaking on the rivers, zip wires, hiking…

One of my favourite holidays ever.

For a week? New York won't be on that list, I'd try and get cheap flights to Spain inc Balearics and an air bnb. Maybe Albania if you can get cheap flights.

Slovenia sounds fab @TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross did you go as part of a package or do a fly drive and plan it all yourself?

We went on a package with Tui but once there we hired a car and explored independently as well as doing a couple of organised days out. We were based in the ski village of Kranjska Gora but the lakeside town of Bled is very popular.

If you’re good at planning holidays independently of an agent (I choose packages because I don’t enjoy the planning and find it too overwhelming and stressful) you might be able to sort out something within budget.

Tui flew into Salzburg and then there was a long coach transfer into Slovenia but obviously there are flights into Ljubljana itself.

https://www.pocruises.com/find-a-cruise/G616/G616 France and Spain for a week from 30 May. £1300 but all your food is covered

We went to Naples in October for a very reasonable price - eating out was cheap too.

Hmm - you will get more for your money in Italy or Spain. I would pick a week, and start with Skyscanner or Google Flights - better if you can be a bit flexible on which day of the week you fly. And see where looks good. Then Booking.com (or AirBNB though I hate them) and find accommodation. I would always allow at LEAST 100 euros a day for food, drinks and activities, but that's me.

NC500! I was shocked at how beautiful it is - avoid school hols and mozzy season. Campers to hire are cheaper out of season too it is bloody amazing can't wait to go again

I think your budget is quite tight for a weeks holiday for 2, I am fairly sure Stockholm and Copenhagen are likely to be well out of budget. These days anything under £100/person return is an absolute bargain for flights, and it's more usual to be paying closer to £200/person, or even more for some of the popular beach destinations. I think if you look at Poland, e.g. Krakow or Gdansk, somewhere Eastern European, you'll find it easier to keep the costs down. A hotel with good ratings in Krakow for 4 nights in May can be found for £250. You can also consider taking a 4 or 5 night trip rather a full week, if you are finding it tricky to find something for your budget.

There are some great deals on cruises from Southampton in the coming months. Have a look on seascanner or my kind of cruise.

What a lovely treat, £1000 is plenty for April and May. Depends how willing you are to do the work on arranging and how you will cope once there. My go to places for hols are
HDUK, click on the travel tab, see what is on offer, but ALWAYS check the hotel out on tripadvisor too. Some are cheap but have dreadful ratings
Seascanner - just click on the see all, then by price, there is a loopy one on there at the moment with costa for £65 for 3 nights full board (another 11 euro per night for tips - no getting out of this, and then their drink package (if you drink) can add another £100) and you have to fly there and back, but it is remarkable for being particularly cheap, not one to cut your teeth on if you are used to a full package type tour
Secret Flying - plenty of ideas
Holiday Pirates - again, plenty of ideas
None of these sites arrange everything for you, it is not like going into a travel agent and flying point to point with a laid on coach to get you from the airport to the hotel, and if things go wrong, then it is on them. Far from - the airline can suddenly decide to move your flight time, you need to get uber, but you can get a good holiday for a good price if you are prepared to do the work. Bon Voyage xx

Thank you for all your ideas, and website to use. Ive only been using skyscanner and booking.com - looks like need to get on with a bit of research! I know £1k isn't a lot for a holiday but it's a lot for us to spent not on the kids so want to get it right.