Page 3 | Holiday prices gone mad in the UK

Graciebobcat · 15/10/2023 10:36

We paid <£3k for accomodation and flights for ten days in Croatia this summer- four adults basically. Airbnb & Easyjet, peak season, own private pool and apartment. Eating out was really reasonable too, a meal and drinks for four was less than you would spend at a cheaper chain restaurant here, and much nicer. Supermarket prices about the same. We had a barbecue in the garden two evenings too.

Flatandhappy · 15/10/2023 10:41

We are in Aus and it is similar. Fairly basic holiday houses in beachside locations in January (our Christmas/Summer holiday season) are thousands of dollars. We can go to places like Vanuatu/Fiji/Bali including flights for so much less.

Caspianberg · 15/10/2023 10:50

Uk prices are crazy.

We live in expensive European country. It’s lovely and hot in summer with lakes to swim in on doorstep. We rent a large 2 bedroom house (sleeps 4), within walking distance of everything, outside space, bbq, bikes etc etc. Around £200 a night peak summer. So you get the proper summer holiday experience

When we go back to uk, we ended up paying £250 a night to stay in home town visiting family. In a 1 bedroom tiny place, in small town with nothing much to do. No frills, pay extra parking locally, and Ds slept on the floor or our bed. the living room with sofa bed had no blinds or curtains so it was daylight bright by 4am . It rained most days

Premier inn in London was also £230 one night when we looked. It didn’t include breakfast, and is just one room, no suite/ no facilities/ no living room.

FKATondelayo · 15/10/2023 10:55

This year I vowed never to air bnb / holiday cottage in the UK again - the prices are extortionate, the quality is always a bit iffy (even in the 'luxury' end of the market) and the list of 'rules' you have to comply with ridiculous...

We stayed in one this summer for a weekend. It was nice enough but nowhere near the level you'd expect for the price. When we mentioned to a very friendly pub landlord that we were staying in a local airbnb, he got very frosty and inquisitive. We got the impression that there was a lot of resentment about properties that could be family homes being used as holiday rentals. This is in SE England - not Cornwall/Wales - so I do think the backlash is getting more widespread.

icantthinkwhatusernametouse · 15/10/2023 12:11

I got all inclusive water park hotel, transfers, luggage x4 22kg each plus hand luggage for 2 kids and 2 adults for 2k in Gran Canaria.

Butlins school holiday four nights not far off this

nottaotter · 15/10/2023 12:13

@Thebelleofstmarys omg you will be saving money! seriously

guild · 15/10/2023 12:16

We've started doing just 1 night away a few times a year. I think all in, it's about £500 for all three of us to go to somewhere in the U.K. (obviously not very far because it's 1 night). It's insane.

We've just booked a 2 week holiday in Japan next year. First class travel within Japan, eating out every day and staying in a few "expensive" hotels and it'll come to just over £2500 each, including £150 spending money each a day (I'll probably not use much of that at all). That's insane.

yumscrummy · 15/10/2023 12:28

guild · 15/10/2023 12:16

We've started doing just 1 night away a few times a year. I think all in, it's about £500 for all three of us to go to somewhere in the U.K. (obviously not very far because it's 1 night). It's insane.

We've just booked a 2 week holiday in Japan next year. First class travel within Japan, eating out every day and staying in a few "expensive" hotels and it'll come to just over £2500 each, including £150 spending money each a day (I'll probably not use much of that at all). That's insane.

Interested to know who you booked with if you're willing to share? We're planning a trip to Japan in 2025.

Crikeyalmighty · 15/10/2023 12:45

@yumscrummy we are off to california this week - for the 2 of us for 10 days it will be around £5400 with flights, top end hotels and spending money of around 1500 dollars and a car for 7 days of it - not cheap but have decided to have better holidays but fewer of them

Thebelleofstmarys · 15/10/2023 12:51

Yes I know its a repositioning cruise in an inside cabin but neither bothers me at all. They have other cabin types and suites still at competitive prices . And I also know cruising isn't everybody's cup of chai but it is mine . As I said earlier, I will just use it as a floating hotel with many facilities and great service .
As for the person who called " bullshit " on my post ...the offer is out there on their website so it plainly isn't...why be so unnecessarily aggressive and unpleasant to a total stranger ?

kitsuneghost · 15/10/2023 13:41

The answer is in your original post
You were hoping to stay in the UK to save money
Not we are skipping a holiday to save money

Since the lack of holidays in covid everyone sees a yearly holiday as a necessity rather than a luxury. With the cost of living everyone is looking to the UK to save money. This increases demand

ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 15/10/2023 19:36

madroid · 14/10/2023 18:43

Try a house swap. Costs nothing then...

I think you need to have a certain type of house in a desirable place for this . Not sure there's much call for holidays on a midlands council estate !

ShinyAppleDreamingOfTheSea · 15/10/2023 19:45

bakewellbride · 15/10/2023 08:01

It's ridiculous I agree. We have booked butlins for august 2024. 2 adults, 2 young kids. £1170 for 4 nights!!!!!! Just unbelievable.

Oh wow - that shows the difference with school holidays then . I've recently made a booking for my friend and I for one of the adults big weekends in March - and I was amazed that our two bed gold apartment is costing the same in 2024 as we paid over 10 years ago when we used to take DS (around £350).

rookiemere · 15/10/2023 20:01

I think it depends very much where you are looking. Out of interest I checked how much a week in Whitby costs in school holidays. We paid about £950 for a 2 bed flat with parking in 2021. It seems that there were still some central options around that price for summer 2024.

I've never seen these amazing bargains abroad that people are speaking of. Having said that just returned from Gdansk which was lovely and there is a seaside resort within a 20 minute drive that might be lovely in Summer and it was all very inexpensive.

oohsharon · 15/10/2023 21:16

Good luck with an Atlantic crossing in February 😅

I know a couple who did similar. Mid-feb repositioning. The Bay of Biscay nearly finished them on Day 1. A couple of calmer days but extremely rough and then it got worse.

They were confined to their cabins for several days as they hit the end of a storm. After 3 days a man chose to leave his cabin despite the rule and was thrown down a stairwell. He died. They call it the death cruise now and have been on dry land ever since. There is a reason it's dirt cheap! Hope you get lucky

oohsharon · 15/10/2023 21:17

Can anyone recommend house swap sites?

TenaciousTortoise · 15/10/2023 21:52

oohsharon · 15/10/2023 21:16

Good luck with an Atlantic crossing in February 😅

I know a couple who did similar. Mid-feb repositioning. The Bay of Biscay nearly finished them on Day 1. A couple of calmer days but extremely rough and then it got worse.

They were confined to their cabins for several days as they hit the end of a storm. After 3 days a man chose to leave his cabin despite the rule and was thrown down a stairwell. He died. They call it the death cruise now and have been on dry land ever since. There is a reason it's dirt cheap! Hope you get lucky

I would never have realised this. Do they seriously have to stay in cabin in a storm, how do they get food etc? And inside cabin means no windows I guess?

oohsharon · 16/10/2023 01:36

Yes, safety protocols meant they were restricted to their cabins. Food was delivered in paper bags at set times, they were all given complimentary WiFi so they could check the itinerary and announcements were made over the speakers.

The storm was a bad one, as many are in feb in the Atlantic 😅...but you know this when you book. Or you'd think so, they apparently didn't

oohsharon · 16/10/2023 01:38

Inside cabin means no windows yes. And often wayyyyy below water level. It's not somewhere I'd choose to stay but many do

Caspianberg · 16/10/2023 06:29

@oohsharon - look at trusted house sitters. It’s not a house swap, it just you staying at someone else’s places and either house or pet sitting.
It’s worth it for the ‘work’ - ie we have house sitters each summer for 2-3 week stay. they get to use our 2 bed holiday let so not just staying in our bedroom, plus the rest of the main house downstairs and gardens in exchange for feeding the cat and watering a few indoor plants once a week.

oohsharon · 16/10/2023 07:51

Thank you, will have a look. We've used house sitters but didn't stay at their house if that makes sense. In fact, one of them didn't gave one. Just moved around

OldTinHat · 16/10/2023 08:28

I'm on the IW and have started doing coach holidays with friends. Prices are from £190 for five days/four nights, half board, two day excursions, all coach travel. This is particularly ridiculous because if I take my car on the ferry to the mainland, it can easily cost £190 plus fuel, accommodation, food, trips out... I don't know how the coach company do it so cheaply!

oohsharon · 16/10/2023 12:40

@OldTinHat can you fit 60 people in your car? 🤣

TastesLikeStrawberriesOnASummerEvening · 16/10/2023 18:08

peebles32 · 09/10/2023 17:12

So we have recently just come back from a 3 night break in Scarborough which was kindly gifted to us so joined a how much it cost! Accommodation was a cottage. Nice, basic clean in the centre of town. 2 adults and 2 children.
We though about staying in the uk next year and as a comparison I put in next years holiday for 2 weeks in the same cottage. 3 grand!

Flights and accommodation to Spain doing it myself including car hire came in to less than this. (Not a package) It's a no brainer.
I understand prices have gone up but we were hoping to stay in the uk and save some money. This was just a normally run of the mill holiday cottage! Nothing flash. Dread to think how much we would spend.
I understand why the owners do because of rising costs. However, I know I booked similar cottages pre Covid and they were around but sure I could have booked a similar cottage for 800 a week. It's doubled!

You have.
I've booked a B&B in Blackpool next July, £120 for 5 nights, great reviews too, it's also a v busy week in the area as it's Lytham Festival which is why I'm going.

EnglishGirlApproximately · 16/10/2023 19:03

No passenger cabins are below sea level on a cruise ship, only crew cabins! I've been crew and have worked land based for cruise lines until a couple of years ago - the vast majority of bay of biscay sailings are a bit rocky but without incident.