When did holidays cease being value for money?
Discussion
REALIST123 said:
The Moose said:
hollydog said:
Me and the wife went to Ibiza last year. Stay in a nice hotel. We were impressed so decided to return. Same hotel same time of year. But one big difference . A massive 30% increase. And it seams its the same in most of the main resorts in Europe . Europe's is just out pricing its self I am finding. Going further a field it cheaper.
What do you expect? Thanks Brexit!
Last year the GBP/EUR rate was circa 1.4. It's now 1.14. If all the prices were exactly the same, it'd immediately be approx 20% dearer.
ks. The first half of last year it averaged, at best, 1.25. It only spiked to near 1.40 immediately before the referendum, for obvious reasons. The true increase is more like 8/9%. Of course that doesn't stop profiteering but there's an easy way around that.
Withdrew last year from cashpoint in August and it was 1.19.
Yes, I am afraid it is down to increased demand as other destinations get ruled out by terrorists.
I always book a villa in Southern Spain, inland, with a pool, which is all kids really want.
However, even in March last year, I struggled to find a villa that wasn't already booked and had to scour some more obscure sites and came up with a beautiful little villa and pool in Ronda for £1100 (2 adults, 3 kids went)in the summer holidays.
It also pays to shop round for flights and airports via Skyscanner or the like.
We went from Cardiff, using Vueling, to Malaga and managed to get the flights for about £800 all in.
The flight prices this year are currently a lot higher but it's a question of waiting for the prices to dip. The downside is you can't book the villa until you get the flights.
The villa price, this year, is looking to be around £1500-£1600 for an inland 4 bed villa with pool. can't use the one we had last year because we're taking my mother and the spiral staircase rules it out.
We do the odd day trip to the beach but kids (8-17) atre quite happy with a nice pool.
I always book a villa in Southern Spain, inland, with a pool, which is all kids really want.
However, even in March last year, I struggled to find a villa that wasn't already booked and had to scour some more obscure sites and came up with a beautiful little villa and pool in Ronda for £1100 (2 adults, 3 kids went)in the summer holidays.
It also pays to shop round for flights and airports via Skyscanner or the like.
We went from Cardiff, using Vueling, to Malaga and managed to get the flights for about £800 all in.
The flight prices this year are currently a lot higher but it's a question of waiting for the prices to dip. The downside is you can't book the villa until you get the flights.
The villa price, this year, is looking to be around £1500-£1600 for an inland 4 bed villa with pool. can't use the one we had last year because we're taking my mother and the spiral staircase rules it out.
We do the odd day trip to the beach but kids (8-17) atre quite happy with a nice pool.
We've noticed the cost of accommodation hasn't changed too much but the flights haven't yet come down to what we would 'expect' to pay - maybe they will or maybe they won't, we are holding out to see.
We've booked an apartment at end of May half term in Ibiza, about £400 for the week. Flights are still around £1200 for the 4 of us and car hire £120 for the week, we haven't booked these two yet and are waiting via the Skyscanner alert to see that happens. We did the same last year to Majorca but flights £750 and car £50!
We went to Ibiza last October to see friends who live there and it was noticeable how much prices had gone up, which was exacerbated by the exchange rate. Used to be able to get a pizza for 6eur, now 8-10 eur etc. Luckily as we were with 'locals' the drink and food costs were sensible.
In summer we are considering heading to the Dordogne. Friends are off to a Eurocamp and have asked us and another family to come and join them. Having seen that a week in a static caravan (in July, in France, so should be nice and oven-like) was £1800 we decided sod that. Had a look in Owners Direct and found a gite with pool that sleeps 8 at the end of July for £1350. We now just need to sort out travel - ferry is £380 and diesel is the same, or can fly to Paris CDG for £350 for 4 and hire a car for £160. I think a week for c£1250 for the 4 of us is pretty good going.
We've booked an apartment at end of May half term in Ibiza, about £400 for the week. Flights are still around £1200 for the 4 of us and car hire £120 for the week, we haven't booked these two yet and are waiting via the Skyscanner alert to see that happens. We did the same last year to Majorca but flights £750 and car £50!
We went to Ibiza last October to see friends who live there and it was noticeable how much prices had gone up, which was exacerbated by the exchange rate. Used to be able to get a pizza for 6eur, now 8-10 eur etc. Luckily as we were with 'locals' the drink and food costs were sensible.
In summer we are considering heading to the Dordogne. Friends are off to a Eurocamp and have asked us and another family to come and join them. Having seen that a week in a static caravan (in July, in France, so should be nice and oven-like) was £1800 we decided sod that. Had a look in Owners Direct and found a gite with pool that sleeps 8 at the end of July for £1350. We now just need to sort out travel - ferry is £380 and diesel is the same, or can fly to Paris CDG for £350 for 4 and hire a car for £160. I think a week for c£1250 for the 4 of us is pretty good going.
soxboy said:
We've noticed the cost of accommodation hasn't changed too much but the flights haven't yet come down to what we would 'expect' to pay - maybe they will or maybe they won't, we are holding out to see.
We've booked an apartment at end of May half term in Ibiza, about £400 for the week. Flights are still around £1200 for the 4 of us and car hire £120 for the week, we haven't booked these two yet and are waiting via the Skyscanner alert to see that happens. We did the same last year to Majorca but flights £750 and car £50!
We went to Ibiza last October to see friends who live there and it was noticeable how much prices had gone up, which was exacerbated by the exchange rate. Used to be able to get a pizza for 6eur, now 8-10 eur etc. Luckily as we were with 'locals' the drink and food costs were sensible.
In summer we are considering heading to the Dordogne. Friends are off to a Eurocamp and have asked us and another family to come and join them. Having seen that a week in a static caravan (in July, in France, so should be nice and oven-like) was £1800 we decided sod that. Had a look in Owners Direct and found a gite with pool that sleeps 8 at the end of July for £1350. We now just need to sort out travel - ferry is £380 and diesel is the same, or can fly to Paris CDG for £350 for 4 and hire a car for £160. I think a week for c£1250 for the 4 of us is pretty good going.
£300 for a return flight to Ibiza? Are you sure that's rightWe've booked an apartment at end of May half term in Ibiza, about £400 for the week. Flights are still around £1200 for the 4 of us and car hire £120 for the week, we haven't booked these two yet and are waiting via the Skyscanner alert to see that happens. We did the same last year to Majorca but flights £750 and car £50!
We went to Ibiza last October to see friends who live there and it was noticeable how much prices had gone up, which was exacerbated by the exchange rate. Used to be able to get a pizza for 6eur, now 8-10 eur etc. Luckily as we were with 'locals' the drink and food costs were sensible.
In summer we are considering heading to the Dordogne. Friends are off to a Eurocamp and have asked us and another family to come and join them. Having seen that a week in a static caravan (in July, in France, so should be nice and oven-like) was £1800 we decided sod that. Had a look in Owners Direct and found a gite with pool that sleeps 8 at the end of July for £1350. We now just need to sort out travel - ferry is £380 and diesel is the same, or can fly to Paris CDG for £350 for 4 and hire a car for £160. I think a week for c£1250 for the 4 of us is pretty good going.
jamoor said:
£300 for a return flight to Ibiza? Are you sure that's right
Yes, both Jet2 and Ryanair from either Manchester or Leeds. To be fair it is half term, it just is more than what we had paid before. Perhaps we had just been too comfortable with the low cost of flights.Just checked for the Saturday - now £460pp!!
Edited by soxboy on Friday 27th January 14:19
soxboy said:
Yes, both Jet2 and Ryanair from either Manchester or Leeds. To be fair it is half term, it just is more than what we had paid before. Perhaps we had just been too comfortable with the low cost of flights.
Just checked for the Saturday - now £460pp!!
Christ on a bikeJust checked for the Saturday - now £460pp!!
Edited by soxboy on Friday 27th January 14:19
Why not just fly further away to Malaysia or Thailand where your flight will be a bit more but everything else will be loads less?
soxboy said:
We've noticed the cost of accommodation hasn't changed too much but the flights haven't yet come down to what we would 'expect' to pay - maybe they will or maybe they won't, we are holding out to see.
We've booked an apartment at end of May half term in Ibiza, about £400 for the week. Flights are still around £1200 for the 4 of us and car hire £120 for the week, we haven't booked these two yet and are waiting via the Skyscanner alert to see that happens. We did the same last year to Majorca but flights £750 and car £50!
We went to Ibiza last October to see friends who live there and it was noticeable how much prices had gone up, which was exacerbated by the exchange rate. Used to be able to get a pizza for 6eur, now 8-10 eur etc. Luckily as we were with 'locals' the drink and food costs were sensible.
In summer we are considering heading to the Dordogne. Friends are off to a Eurocamp and have asked us and another family to come and join them. Having seen that a week in a static caravan (in July, in France, so should be nice and oven-like) was £1800 we decided sod that. Had a look in Owners Direct and found a gite with pool that sleeps 8 at the end of July for £1350. We now just need to sort out travel - ferry is £380 and diesel is the same, or can fly to Paris CDG for £350 for 4 and hire a car for £160. I think a week for c£1250 for the 4 of us is pretty good going.
we've booked the Dordogne as well, but end of August. Driving down via Poole/Cherbourg and then Nantes overnight. Approx £2600 plus spends for the week. £2k cheaper than a family of four to a nice hotel in Spain or wherever. Which leaves us money to N Wales in early Aug. I can't justify £5k for a week in the sun.We've booked an apartment at end of May half term in Ibiza, about £400 for the week. Flights are still around £1200 for the 4 of us and car hire £120 for the week, we haven't booked these two yet and are waiting via the Skyscanner alert to see that happens. We did the same last year to Majorca but flights £750 and car £50!
We went to Ibiza last October to see friends who live there and it was noticeable how much prices had gone up, which was exacerbated by the exchange rate. Used to be able to get a pizza for 6eur, now 8-10 eur etc. Luckily as we were with 'locals' the drink and food costs were sensible.
In summer we are considering heading to the Dordogne. Friends are off to a Eurocamp and have asked us and another family to come and join them. Having seen that a week in a static caravan (in July, in France, so should be nice and oven-like) was £1800 we decided sod that. Had a look in Owners Direct and found a gite with pool that sleeps 8 at the end of July for £1350. We now just need to sort out travel - ferry is £380 and diesel is the same, or can fly to Paris CDG for £350 for 4 and hire a car for £160. I think a week for c£1250 for the 4 of us is pretty good going.
pherlopolus said:
Have you tried owners direct and booking travel separately?
We do this. OK there are only two of us, but we normally go with friends. Last year we managed HK for £550 pp including flights and accommodation. Booking a decent hotel (i.e. one that wasn't actually a shoebox) near central where we stayed was absolutely stratospheric.
Having said that, its not the most relaxing of experiences. This was the second time the home owner bailed on us only a week from departure! We had some long hard searches to find replacement accom.
Give me a B&B down Cornwall way any day of the year though. Pick the right beaches and its something like a tenner for suit and board hire for a day and you can play in the waves till you go blue in the face. Then go for cream tea. Winner.
Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Saturday 28th January 19:48
EDIT: Reminds me of what my parents used to do when they took us on holiday. They'd book some flights to Florida, then wing it; turn up unannounced at the car hire desk to haggle something decent and then set off for the nearest motel for the first night before planning where to go next. I can only presume doing it this way worked out much cheaper than booking in advance.
Edited by Otispunkmeyer on Saturday 28th January 19:51
Supply and demand. Combined with the gradual decline of Sterling over the last 10-15 years.
People are increasingly getting wise to the maxim "you can't take it with you";
We're also getting increasingly wet/unpredictable summers in the UK;
...and increasing pressures/stresses in everyday life (i've noticed this post the 2007/8/9-crash);
...so a holiday is now far more of an 'essential' for some people than it might have been 5/10 years ago.
Finally, the cost-of-living / rent is also rising faster than wages for the last 10 years, so disposable income is squeezed and people are trying to get more VFM out of everything - those who may have gone long-haul for a sensible price 10 years ago may now find they can't afford to, so are increasing the pool of people looking for European breaks...
People are increasingly getting wise to the maxim "you can't take it with you";
We're also getting increasingly wet/unpredictable summers in the UK;
...and increasing pressures/stresses in everyday life (i've noticed this post the 2007/8/9-crash);
...so a holiday is now far more of an 'essential' for some people than it might have been 5/10 years ago.
Finally, the cost-of-living / rent is also rising faster than wages for the last 10 years, so disposable income is squeezed and people are trying to get more VFM out of everything - those who may have gone long-haul for a sensible price 10 years ago may now find they can't afford to, so are increasing the pool of people looking for European breaks...
essayer said:
Egypt and Turkey getting knocked out of the options can't have helped with Europe holiday prices either.
I can't understand why UK hotels charge so much. £250+ per night for pretty average stuff. Who actually pays this?
The tour operators, booking.com will pay far less when booking blocks, they may bundle it into packages/re-sell at those rates however...I can't understand why UK hotels charge so much. £250+ per night for pretty average stuff. Who actually pays this?
We did about 10 years of villa renting in the canaries and Costa blanca, from the more basic end to high end marble laid luxury. (last one we did was about 2010/11, so not sure how rental prices have moved, but we did owner direct and James villa.)
Bigger issue for me was the diminshing returns on the exchange rate, as I valued our spending money more than the price of rental.
All started to go south after the euro. I seem to remember whan the peseta was around the cost of an evening ,meal in a nicer beachside restaurant was about half the cost of a F&B or Nando's etc. here.
After the euro, it's down to about £+50%, then 33%, and now it's one for one. So the attraction from a value for money basis is gone.
We now spunk it all away on cruises!
Bigger issue for me was the diminshing returns on the exchange rate, as I valued our spending money more than the price of rental.
All started to go south after the euro. I seem to remember whan the peseta was around the cost of an evening ,meal in a nicer beachside restaurant was about half the cost of a F&B or Nando's etc. here.
After the euro, it's down to about £+50%, then 33%, and now it's one for one. So the attraction from a value for money basis is gone.
We now spunk it all away on cruises!
SidJames said:
We now spunk it all away on cruises!
This!Haven't looked back since nervously trying out a four day cruise as an experiment about five years ago. If you can look past the naff image there is a lot to like.
We tried P&O for the first time last year and had a wonderful time so have just booked again for later this year - a two week Med cruise for £1100 p/p.
When you break it down on cost per day it is remarkable value for money. And prices on P&O are in £ with a reasonable tipping policy.
But you're trapped on a floating steel box with 3,000+ other people and can only escape when you go ashore (at which point the local market traders hastily erect their "rustic village market" and set out to fleece the passengers for as much as humanly possible - I've seen it happen).
Not for me, I'm afraid.
Not for me, I'm afraid.
schmalex said:
But you're trapped on a floating steel box with 3,000+ other people and can only escape when you go ashore (at which point the local market traders hastily erect their "rustic village market" and set out to fleece the passengers for as much as humanly possible - I've seen it happen).
Not for me, I'm afraid.
+1Not for me, I'm afraid.
Can't imagine anything worse than being unable to go where I want, when I want.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff