Expensive accommodation - am I doing it wrong?
Discussion
We are a family of 4 who have had modest holidays over the last decade, but in 2018 we started doing "quality" UK breaks mainly on Airbnb (houses with pools etc). This has developed over the recent years into going abroad, and selecting similar high end accommodation. Last year we did 9 days in Sardinia and I booked a serious Airbnb at around £650 a night, no regrets and a great holiday, but when we totalled up the full cost of flights, accommodation and spending money it worked out at around £7500 for our week away. I don't know how we have arrived at spending so much when we were camping in Devon around 8 years ago for nothing.
This year we are doing our final hurrah which is 2 weeks in Europe (next year see's a carer change and a re-mortgage). Broadly we fly to Vienna for 2 nights, train to Florence for 4 nights, boat to Croatia for 5 nights. The only area where I have spent large is the accommodation for the final two places, however, having done a rough total of the cost, the holiday is going to breach 5 figures, easily. A large bulk of this is the accommodation, Florence is £3200 for 4 nights and Croatia is £3400 for 5 nights.
I was perusing daytime TV this week and they were showing breaks in Tuscany this year for a week, around £270 per person. Although I can't remember the fine detail of that example or whether flights were included, it got me thinking, are we doing this all wrong? That is a significant saving compared to what I am spending. The last 2 holidays and this years (which is all booked) seem to be mega money, but in reality, they are all just standard breaks in Europe.
In 2024 we went interrailing through 7 countries, and that holiday was around £6k, so in total we are looking at having spent in the region of £25k when you factor in spending money across 3 holidays. Is that just the norm these days or could I be doing this better? The obvious question is why spend on this accommodation, all I would say is that we do relish the luxury of having entire places to ourselves, with decent pool and amenities, and usually in nicer places. Hotels are restrictive, and although we have stayed in many apartments / flats / basic accommodation even these can be fairly pricey on Airbnb too.
I would be interested to know the consensus of how important shelling out on accomodation is for people's holidays...
This year we are doing our final hurrah which is 2 weeks in Europe (next year see's a carer change and a re-mortgage). Broadly we fly to Vienna for 2 nights, train to Florence for 4 nights, boat to Croatia for 5 nights. The only area where I have spent large is the accommodation for the final two places, however, having done a rough total of the cost, the holiday is going to breach 5 figures, easily. A large bulk of this is the accommodation, Florence is £3200 for 4 nights and Croatia is £3400 for 5 nights.
I was perusing daytime TV this week and they were showing breaks in Tuscany this year for a week, around £270 per person. Although I can't remember the fine detail of that example or whether flights were included, it got me thinking, are we doing this all wrong? That is a significant saving compared to what I am spending. The last 2 holidays and this years (which is all booked) seem to be mega money, but in reality, they are all just standard breaks in Europe.
In 2024 we went interrailing through 7 countries, and that holiday was around £6k, so in total we are looking at having spent in the region of £25k when you factor in spending money across 3 holidays. Is that just the norm these days or could I be doing this better? The obvious question is why spend on this accommodation, all I would say is that we do relish the luxury of having entire places to ourselves, with decent pool and amenities, and usually in nicer places. Hotels are restrictive, and although we have stayed in many apartments / flats / basic accommodation even these can be fairly pricey on Airbnb too.
I would be interested to know the consensus of how important shelling out on accomodation is for people's holidays...
Edited by Ubiquitous2024 on Wednesday 7th January 07:17
Depends entirely what you want from the holiday to be honest.
If you're in a resort and unlikely to leave then more expensive accomodation is of greater benefit vs a holiday where you're spending the majority of time outside of the hotel to go out and explore local culture/sights/safari.
Have to say that I personally struggle to spend more than £100/night for ourselves - general go-to is booking.com and being ruthless on location. Then sorting all that remain by review score/not staying anywhere with a rating <8.5.
We generally stay in some great places and don't break the bank, although we've never really been into uber luxury.
If you're in a resort and unlikely to leave then more expensive accomodation is of greater benefit vs a holiday where you're spending the majority of time outside of the hotel to go out and explore local culture/sights/safari.
Have to say that I personally struggle to spend more than £100/night for ourselves - general go-to is booking.com and being ruthless on location. Then sorting all that remain by review score/not staying anywhere with a rating <8.5.
We generally stay in some great places and don't break the bank, although we've never really been into uber luxury.
TrevorHill said:
Avoid Airbnb and the likes and book direct. You will find accommodation when you get there and in most cases they prefer cash.
It s a win win for all parties. The property owners get paid directly and you save.
Not averse to that but it does have some associated issues. I know Airbnb after service is diabolical, however, it is at least something that you can fall back on if you really had to. Booking direct can leave you wide open if the hosts just cancel last minute or if things are very different to described.It s a win win for all parties. The property owners get paid directly and you save.
Equally, we were offered a reduced rate direct booking with a previous Airbnb host in Croatia this year which we were going to accept but logistics didn't work. He wouldn't accept a bank transfer owing to "taxes" between countries. Cash was the option however I can't visit my bank and just take out over £3k in cash in another country - impossible. And also I wasn't prepared to travel through 2 countries with all that cash in an envelope either, so in the end we booked elsewhere via Airbnb.
Ubiquitous2024 said:
I was perusing daytime TV this week and they were showing breaks in Tuscany this year for a week, around £270 per person. Although I can't remember the fine detail of that example or whether flights were included, it got me thinking, are we doing this all wrong?
Even less than £270, inc flights: Try here: https://www.loveholidays.com/holidays/?destination...I think it's gone mad though - we stopped going to DisneyWorld as the cost became insane, yet in Sept last year spent £7500 on a week for two in Kos.
TrevorHill said:
Avoid Airbnb and the likes and book direct. You will find accommodation when you get there and in most cases they prefer cash.
It s a win win for all parties. The property owners get paid directly and you save.
How does finding accommodation work in practice, when you turn up at some random place with a family of four in tow?It s a win win for all parties. The property owners get paid directly and you save.
I have done it years ago in the US )before smartphones) but they seem much more geared up for that sort of thing.
Sheepshanks said:
Even less than £270, inc flights: Try here: https://www.loveholidays.com/holidays/?destination...
I think it's gone mad though - we stopped going to DisneyWorld as the cost became insane, yet in Sept last year spent £7500 on a week for two in Kos.
Interesting site, but a bit of a play with dates (July/Aug 2026) and the prices rocket up... plus looks like these are fixed 7 day stays which don't fit with our niche dates required. Also looks like most are multi occupancy or shares accommodation. I am not averse to any of that but for this year we have select dates only to fill. I can post a link to the place we are staying at in Florence for comparison if of interest.I think it's gone mad though - we stopped going to DisneyWorld as the cost became insane, yet in Sept last year spent £7500 on a week for two in Kos.
Ubiquitous2024 said:
Interesting site, but a bit of a play with dates (July/Aug 2026) and the prices rocket up... plus looks like these are fixed 7 day stays which don't fit with our niche dates required. Also looks like most are multi occupancy or shares accommodation. I am not averse to any of that but for this year we have select dates only to fill. I can post a link to the place we are staying at in Florence for comparison if of interest.
I wasn't in a million years suggesting one of those holidays - just showing you something similar (probably) to what you saw on TV.If I booked something at that level my wife would probably kill me.
kiethton said:
Depends entirely what you want from the holiday to be honest.
If you're in a resort and unlikely to leave then more expensive accomodation is of greater benefit vs a holiday where you're spending the majority of time outside of the hotel to go out and explore local culture/sights/safari.
Have to say that I personally struggle to spend more than £100/night for ourselves - general go-to is booking.com and being ruthless on location. Then sorting all that remain by review score/not staying anywhere with a rating <8.5.
We generally stay in some great places and don't break the bank, although we've never really been into uber luxury.
I'd agree with this. Our average cost is around £30/night/person (family of 4).If you're in a resort and unlikely to leave then more expensive accomodation is of greater benefit vs a holiday where you're spending the majority of time outside of the hotel to go out and explore local culture/sights/safari.
Have to say that I personally struggle to spend more than £100/night for ourselves - general go-to is booking.com and being ruthless on location. Then sorting all that remain by review score/not staying anywhere with a rating <8.5.
We generally stay in some great places and don't break the bank, although we've never really been into uber luxury.
Ubiquitous2024 said:
I would be interested to know the consensus of how important shelling out on accomodation is for people's holidays...
I have been taking holidays (and rental villas) in Europe (mostly France and a few in Mallorca) for many years.The main question I would ask is - are you going to spend most of your time in the villa with BBQ's in the evening etc? In which case you'll probably want a pool. Maybe aircon too. That puts the price up. If you're going to be eating out most of the time and near the sea - then that can influence the type of property and price.
I have used Vrbo for a few years who have been very reliable and when we were a family of 4 taking our holidays I guess at today's prices I'd pay £5k for two weeks for a house with a pool in Mallorca peak season and maybe £3.5k for something similar for two weeks in France. I have had rentals at double that price, but it seems a waste when you're hardly there - for us anyway.
Sheepshanks said:
I wasn't in a million years suggesting one of those holidays - just showing you something similar (probably) to what you saw on TV.
If I booked something at that level my wife would probably kill me.
For a 7 night break I actually thought it looked quite good. Only thing being proximity from accommodation to city and logistics of travelling about. Not against sharing a pool as long as its a nice one!If I booked something at that level my wife would probably kill me.
nvubu said:
I'd agree with this. Our average cost is around £30/night/person (family of 4).
£120 per night is where everything starts for the likes of Booking.com / Airbnb and the like. That would be a 1 bedroom apartment with a sofabed, minimal amenities and in a very average area. In the holiday season I am not sure that would be even be achievable. NDA said:
I have been taking holidays (and rental villas) in Europe (mostly France and a few in Mallorca) for many years.
The main question I would ask is - are you going to spend most of your time in the villa with BBQ's in the evening etc? In which case you'll probably want a pool. Maybe aircon too. That puts the price up. If you're going to be eating out most of the time and near the sea - then that can influence the type of property and price.
I have used Vrbo for a few years who have been very reliable and when we were a family of 4 taking our holidays I guess at today's prices I'd pay £5k for two weeks for a house with a pool in Mallorca peak season and maybe £3.5k for something similar for two weeks in France. I have had rentals at double that price, but it seems a waste when you're hardly there - for us anyway.
Prices sound same as what I am facing. Regarding where we spend time, it is both out and in. Generally we would do a daytrip one day and return home in the late afternoon, followed by a lazy day at home the following day, alternating. So each day would have good use of the accommodation for meals and leisure. Our kids are just reaching teenage and they also appreciate some downtime each day, bit of gaming or pool use, plus they are old enough now that spending that kind of money is worth it for making genuie memories. When they were younger they don't recall many of the holidays we had, not properly anyway. The main question I would ask is - are you going to spend most of your time in the villa with BBQ's in the evening etc? In which case you'll probably want a pool. Maybe aircon too. That puts the price up. If you're going to be eating out most of the time and near the sea - then that can influence the type of property and price.
I have used Vrbo for a few years who have been very reliable and when we were a family of 4 taking our holidays I guess at today's prices I'd pay £5k for two weeks for a house with a pool in Mallorca peak season and maybe £3.5k for something similar for two weeks in France. I have had rentals at double that price, but it seems a waste when you're hardly there - for us anyway.
Ubiquitous2024 said:
Prices sound same as what I am facing. Regarding where we spend time, it is both out and in. Generally we would do a daytrip one day and return home in the late afternoon, followed by a lazy day at home the following day, alternating. So each day would have good use of the accommodation for meals and leisure. Our kids are just reaching teenage and they also appreciate some downtime each day, bit of gaming or pool use, plus they are old enough now that spending that kind of money is worth it for making genuine memories. When they were younger they don't recall many of the holidays we had, not properly anyway.
It all sounds very familiar.You probably also want to rent somewhere that is comparable to your own home to some degree - another pricy thing to do.
'Welcome to test match cricket' as a mate of mine used to say.
Sheepshanks said:
Ubiquitous2024 said:
I can post a link to the place we are staying at in Florence for comparison if of interest.
Would be interested to see what £800/nt gets you? That s Ikos deluxe ultra AI level of cost.If you're in Florence you're presumably exploring the city so I'd be interested how you're justifying that much on just somewhere to sleep.
Sheepshanks said:
Would be interested to see what £800/nt gets you? That s Ikos deluxe ultra AI level of cost.
There are plenty of places far dearer. Split, Croatia in particular is ridiculous, some places there were coming in at around 6 to 8k for 5 nights. There are others at 15 - 20k for the same duration.This is the Florence gaff : https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/1110143378735932993...
The great thing with Airbnb is that you can switch and change bookings as much as you want right up until the last minute, with no cancellation fees or charges.
Shaoxter said:
Same. That's pretty much at Maldives levels.
If you're in Florence you're presumably exploring the city so I'd be interested how you're justifying that much on just somewhere to sleep.
As above it will be well used in conjunction with visits into the city - it is a choice to splash out a bit more to give us that added "specialness" I guess opposed to a hotel or budget/simple accommodation option. If you're in Florence you're presumably exploring the city so I'd be interested how you're justifying that much on just somewhere to sleep.
Dont go skiing OP, your eyes will water!
It does all feel quite mad these days though. We do a range of cheaper camping holidays (kids like it) and more luxury breaks and the costs are pretty wild.
I priced up a trip to Singapore recently and we were looking at 15k per week which just felt like robbery looking at the hotels.
It does all feel quite mad these days though. We do a range of cheaper camping holidays (kids like it) and more luxury breaks and the costs are pretty wild.
I priced up a trip to Singapore recently and we were looking at 15k per week which just felt like robbery looking at the hotels.
Edited by DoubleSix on Wednesday 7th January 12:34
Edited by DoubleSix on Wednesday 7th January 12:34
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