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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

What do you think a reasonable cost is for a weeks holiday for family of four (excluding spending while away)?

68 replies

ellasmum1 · 24/04/2010 16:50

Including flights/car hire/ferry etc.home or abroad.How much do you budget for?
Am just interested,am i just tight?
Am very shocked by some prices when browsing!

OP posts:
Original poster
ellasmum1 · 24/04/2010 21:49

Kiwinyc- is it mousses you are going to?
I should have said NOT in school hols-We definitely can't afford a holiday in august.
Thanks for the link Wynken, looks lovely

OP posts:
schneebly · 24/04/2010 21:56

The 4 of us are going to Andalucia in Sept (after schools are back) and the cost of a 3 bed villa with a private pool and a view, reurn flights and car hire adds up to 800 pounds which I think is very reasonable. Wouldn't/couldn't spend more than 1000 quid.

duckyfuzz · 24/04/2010 22:01

OP if its not in school hols then surely you shoudl be able to find something for £1500?

Clary · 24/04/2010 22:02

We are spending £1300 for two weeks' SC in a lovely big house (5 of us) in a seaside town in Wales we love.

That obv doesn't include food or travel but the cost of those will only be about £300 max as we self-cater (lavishly).

I think that's OK. That is July-Aug btw.

Have been told that a gite in France and ferry/driving would cost the same or less and no doubt that's true but can't face the mega drive tbh.

lilolilmanchester · 24/04/2010 22:05

(kiwinyc, was that in Vaals??)

Kiwinyc · 24/04/2010 22:07

I haven't been to Mousses but have been to 3 other Simply resorts with childcare, unfortunately we appear to have the kiss of death and every one we've been to stops being a Simply destination the year after we've been...

But we had done:
Corsica
Zykynthos
Crete (which is still there but moved to different accommodations)

If you are looking for childcare for younger children I can't recommend ST more highly, our experience with them has always been fantastic, facilities and staff were brilliant.

Kiwinyc · 24/04/2010 22:15

lilo - yes, thats the one!

Also v. close to Drei Land Punkt - where the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands meet.

Lovely area!

lilolilmanchester · 24/04/2010 22:21

yup, we went there about 8 years ago. Loved it! Very cheap at the time I seem to recall, but then suddenly got much more expensive (think they'd wised up to UK hols being different to the rest of Europe, way before exchange rate became too much of a factor).
Lovely memories of the DCs at the Dreilaenderpunkt hopping round the bit in the middle saying "Holland, Belgium,Germany", over and over!!

Linnet · 24/04/2010 22:22

We only go abroad every two or three years but we got for two weeks rather than one and usually pay between £1500-£2000 and it's usually long haul.

This year we may go away for a week short haul to Europe, if we do it's going to cost just under £1000 and that's not inculding accomodation which luckily will be free. Our problem is that we are in Scotland and we can't get a direct flight to the destination so it bumps up the prices, plus one dd will be 13 by the time we go so she is counted as an adult.

Original poster
ellasmum1 · 24/04/2010 22:29

ducky- I can find something but I wanted to see if my idea of average price for a week was on par with others- Looked at the highly mumsnet recommended country kids and loved the idea of it until I looked at the prices- 4000 euro for a week- before flights!!!
Maybe alot of mumsnetters are very well off.

OP posts:
Original poster
ellasmum1 · 24/04/2010 22:35

linnet I would consider that but I get really when people tell me about their hols and so many friends of mine go away more than once a year and I just wonder where we are going wrong financially!

OP posts:
Linnet · 24/04/2010 22:52

Ella I know exactly what you mean I have friends/family who go on holiday every year sometimes they have two holidays a year and I also get very

We just can't afford to have a holiday every year so we save up and have a big holiday every two or three years. Last year we didn't have a holiday at all, not even within the UK, but we'd had a big holiday to Canada the year before so we didn't mind. I also wonder where we go wrong with our money when others can afford so many holidays and we can't and we don't live an extravagant lifestyle.

We have been offered a flat in Barcelona so all we have to find is the flight money,it's still going to take some saving though.

I keep hoping to win the lottery

lisaleelu · 24/04/2010 23:07

Depends if school holidays an where to

cat64 · 24/04/2010 23:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

selby · 25/04/2010 00:48

Before our eldest hit school age, we took our main holidays in June & September to avoid peak prices and still get last minute availability for great places - big tip for shorthaul (if you're organised enough) is to buy your cheap budget flights when they're first released and book the accommodation within a month of departure. Having to work around school holidays now, we holiday abroad at Whitsun & stay in the UK in August. Last year, a week's HB in Sardinian resort in June (2 interconnecting rooms) with car hire & flights (booked separately)came to £2.2K excluding spending. The year before that, we were able to holiday during the 1st week of Sept (due to inset days) and had a s/c week in a gorgeous Tuscan converted granary and car hire + flights came to £1.5K. If it's shorthaul, I normally budget £100 each for flights and a week's car hire is about £250 - £300 and then accommodation depends on where you go and what you want. For s/c 2/3 bed with pool, I would budget up to £800. This year, I haven't been as organised so we're taking a ferry and doing a week at one of the Centre Parks/alternatives recommended on MN (haven't decided which one yet). The ferry is £300 (the more expensive but convenient Northeren route) and I estimate the accommodation to be

Original poster
ellasmum1 · 25/04/2010 09:08

cat64- yeah i know that! thats why we take dd out of school,and why we only go for 1 week!

OP posts:
mummyofexcitedprincesses · 25/04/2010 09:23

Totally agree with geordieminx- avoid travel agents for better deals.

We have to go in holiday time (my job) so it can be very expensive. This year we are avoiding the eurozone as everything is just so expensive. We have booked 2 weeks in Turkey for just under £3000 all inclusive for 4 of us.

Last year we paid a bit less for 2 weeks all inclusive in Mallorca. I have used the same company online a few times now- your holidays dot com.

My sister booked with them but had to miss her break due to the volcanic ash. Instant refund, no hassle.

They are fully atol and abta protected too.

Ruthiebabes · 25/04/2010 09:35

We are tied to school hols now, and it is difficult to find reasonably priced hols.

This year we are going to a gite for 2 weeks near La Rochelle in France. It is on a complex of four gites so dcs will have playmates. Loads of stuff for them to do as well on site.

Cost gite per week = £595
Ferry = £130

Obviously petrol costs and spending money, but still a good price for August.

LynetteScavo · 25/04/2010 09:41

Ruthiebabe - that sounds fantastic....can you give a link? I 'd love to do that next year!

Original poster
ellasmum1 · 25/04/2010 09:44

ruthie that is good, can you link/give name of the complex please?
didn't realise you could get ferry for only £130! who was that with?

OP posts:
Ruthiebabes · 25/04/2010 09:47

No prob.. we are staying at www.bestfrenchgites.co.uk.

There are loads of similar gite complexes in that area of France when you do a google search. Our dcs love having other children to play with, so a small complex is ideal. Went to one in Wales last year which was lovely, but very mixed weather. Decided to head South this year, although weather not guaranteed like the med, it will be much better than Wales!!

Ruthiebabes · 25/04/2010 09:49

The Ferry is Dover-Calais, so will be a lot of driving the other end. We are breaking the journey half way at Le Mans at a b&b. We could have managed it without an overnight stop but decided to have a break.

fruitful · 25/04/2010 10:03

Sorry, posted and ran yesterday.

Last year we shared a gite with another family of 5 and split the cost (it was plenty big enough for us all though). If you google "bargain gites" there is a website listing a lot of good ones. Cheaper to book direct through gites for france though. And we got the ferry on Tesco vouchers/Airmiles. £220 + £10 for ferry + petrol + insurances.

This year I've booked flights with easyjet (eek) and villa through Holiday Lettings (private renters). The flights are the expensive bit though - littlest dc is 2 now, was a bit of a shock.

Tortington · 25/04/2010 10:18

we slways went keycamp or similar, and i wouldnt spend morethan 600 for ALL 5 of us

foureleven · 25/04/2010 10:27

ellasmum - yes we got a good kids club. I have a friend who has been with every holiday provider you can think of and recomended first choice holiday village and thompson superfamily.

Both our girls are super energetic and need constant enetertainment or activities, my boyfriend and i work about 200 hours a week so we just want to rest! Little one is only 4 so wouldnt feel comfortable leaving her in a kids club that was, say, ran by the hotel by locals or teenagers.
They have loooads of cool activities like pamper parties, drama classes etc for the older one and lots for little one to do as well. Also, the only real source of tension on familiy trips out for us is 'can i have an icrecream?' can I have some chips?' etc etc so we wanted all inclusive so that we can spend a week saying 'yes you can' for a change!!!

A bit dubious about the evening 'entertainment' but will try to embrace it!