Holiday prices.

[Manks]

I have just started looking at holiday prices for one week in July, southern Italy and I am amazed at how expensive they are.

A place we went to last year is coming in 30% more expensive.

Is anyone else finding this generally?

[LuS1fer]

I am but it is for 6 people. What I'm finding is that villa holidays seem to even out - it's either an expensive flight and cheap villa (Lanzarote) or a cheap flight and expensive villa (Portugal, Mallorca). the prices are certainly on the increase even with the budget airlines I look at - BMIBaby, Thomson and Thomas Cook. Even when you find a reasonable flight, the times are stupid if you have kids.

In past years I've usually been able to find a cheap flight somewhere but this year, I suppose with increased VAT and cost of aviation fuel, the hike was inevitable.

[Manks]

LuS1fer said:

I am but it is for 6 people. What I'm finding is that villa holidays seem to even out - it's either an expensive flight and cheap villa (Lanzarote) or a cheap flight and expensive villa (Portugal, Mallorca). the prices are certainly on the increase even with the budget airlines I look at - BMIBaby, Thomson and Thomas Cook. Even when you find a reasonable flight, the times are stupid if you have kids.

In past years I've usually been able to find a cheap flight somewhere but this year, I suppose with increased VAT and cost of aviation fuel, the hike was inevitable.

My search has only just begun but it looks to me like Thomson et al are restricting flight only sales. Flights are available but only as part of a package deal to one of their hotels (which are unlikely to be good value in my experience).

[LuS1fer]

I haven't had any problem with getting quotes for flights but am using Cardiff. If they are seriously that desperate, I'd wait for a last minute.
As an idea, for 6 of us, I'm looking at a £2500 average tariff for various European locations for flights and a 3 bed villa ( 7 days STB between 23/7 and 7/8) though because of the threatened Spanish airport strikes, I've reduced the search to Portugal for the moment but hell their villas are pricey.

That said, there certainly seems to be a healthy uptake of villa bookings during theat period unless you go inland a bit. Flights from Cardiff are also on some inconvenient days in terms of trying to book a week in a villa as owners are paranoid about losing rental income if you arrive on a weekday.

I imagine with more flexibility wit airports, you might get better deals.

I'm off to Lanzarote on Thursday (cheaper villas aplenty around Playa Blanca) so I may gamble on a late deal nearer the time (but not in a hotel).

[croyde]

This year is the first time ever that we have booked holidays back in January instead of last minute.

Got a pretty good deal on a Mark Warner all inclusive at the end of May and got nearly 15% off by booking early and paying out up front.

Got even more off by asking the kid's school if we could take them out the week before half term.

£1000 saved on top of the 15% deal.

[CO2000]

Have you tried Teletext & OTbeach (both internet) ? Budget flights normally though & that means 15kg max rattling about in the case GRRRRRRRRRRRR in fact about 11-12kg max taking the weight of the case into it DOUBLE GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[LuS1fer]

People forget, when buying, how heavy a case can be. A lightweight case is a real boon.

[mattdaniels]

Aeroplane petrol might be quite spensive this year. The costs get passed on.

[pushthebutton]

It's not the whole story, but it all adds up:

APD - "The campaign for a "Fair Tax on Flying" follows new research by ABTA, the travel association, which shows that a British family of four pays up to 25 times more in tax on a long-haul flight (£340) than its French counterpart (£14) and 30 times more than its Irish equivalent (£11). Only five European countries currently levy versions of an aviation tax, all at significantly lower rates than in Britain.

APD, which has risen by up to 325 per cent over the past six years, was labelled as a "green" tax by the previous government. After the tax was doubled in 2007, it declared that aviation was meeting its environmental responsibilities.

Since APD was doubled, aviation will meet its climate change costs, taking account not just of carbon dioxide emissions, but of the other aviation greenhouse effects such as NOx emissions and contrails," said Ruth Kelly MP, the former Secretary of State for Transport, in the House of Commons in April 2008.

The then government went on to increase APD both in 2009 and 2010, prompting some 40,000 Telegraph readers to sign our petition (see below) against the travel tax."

[croyde]

I was quite shocked to find that according to the BA site my ticket to the US, total cost £320, of which £230 is tax and fees.

Not sure what the fees bit is about but are they trying to tell me that if it were not for the extras my return to NY would have only been £90. Surely not?

[pushthebutton]

croyde said:

I was quite shocked to find that according to the BA site my ticket to the US, total cost £320, of which £230 is tax and fees.

Not sure what the fees bit is about but are they trying to tell me that if it were not for the extras my return to NY would have only been £90. Surely not?

BA makes very little money from customers in economy. The profits come mainly from the premium cabins. I wouldn't be at all surprised if what you've suggested is true. Margins are incredibly tight and this illustrates it.

Is that £320 return though? That's incredibly cheap!

[croyde]

pushthebutton said:

croyde said:

I was quite shocked to find that according to the BA site my ticket to the US, total cost £320, of which £230 is tax and fees.

Not sure what the fees bit is about but are they trying to tell me that if it were not for the extras my return to NY would have only been £90. Surely not?

BA makes very little money from customers in economy. The profits come mainly from the premium cabins. I wouldn't be at all surprised if what you've suggested is true. Margins are incredibly tight and this illustrates it.

Is that £320 return though? That's incredibly cheap!

It was booked back in Jan and I went last week. Very cheap, so cheap in fact that I was happy to pay the mere £124 upgrade fee to World Traveller Plus on the way back.

Enjoyed the visit to NY so much I was thinking of going back but the prices are a hell of a lot more now.

[milk2sugars]

Manks said:

I have just started looking at holiday prices for one week in July, southern Italy and I am amazed at how expensive they are.

A place we went to last year is coming in 30% more expensive.

Is anyone else finding this generally?

What part of Southern Italy are you regarding to?


Villas and farmhouses we have on our books in Tuscany are at the same level as a year or two ago..

[Manks]

milk2sugars said:

What part of Southern Italy are you regarding to?


Villas and farmhouses we have on our books in Tuscany are at the same level as a year or two ago..

Campania

Looking for an apartment or B&B hotel. The latter is a rarity in Southern Italy I think.

[milk2sugars]

Manks said:

Campania

Looking for an apartment or B&B hotel. The latter is a rarity in Southern Italy I think.

Manks,

Have you been searching through google or have you been using specific websites when looking for an apartment?

[Manks]

milk2sugars said:

Manks,

Have you been searching through google or have you been using specific websites when looking for an apartment?

Google
Owners Direct (uninspiring looking places I thought)
Kuoni (disappointing, "computer says no" type advisor)
Local travel agent
Thomson in Newark.

It looks like it will be a longer search than I was expecting, or I will have to throw more money at the holiday than I'd like.

[milk2sugars]

Without knowing your budget and requirements I can't look into it too much for you. I can expand your list of websites to look at though.

vrbo.com
vacationrentals.com
flipkey.com
holiday-rentals.com
holidaylettings.co.uk

People do not advertise their properties on ALL these websites as the cost of doing so can put a huge dent in someone's wallet. So on these websites maybe something that has not appeared on others.

It may be worth asking the place you holidayed at previously if they are offering any special offers or special prices for returning customers. It may be worth a go.

Edited to add; try looking at tripadvisor.com
Recently Trip Advisor bought a stake in Holiday Lettings (.co.uk)
You can search for apartments on there and see what previous guests thought of the place.

Edited by milk2sugars on Thursday 17th March 14:15

[Manks]

milk2sugars said:

Without knowing your budget and requirements I can't look into it too much for you. I can expand your list of websites to look at though.

vrbo.com
vacationrentals.com
flipkey.com
holiday-rentals.com
holidaylettings.co.uk

People do not advertise their properties on ALL these websites as the cost of doing so can put a huge dent in someone's wallet. So on these websites maybe something that has not appeared on others.

It may be worth asking the place you holidayed at previously if they are offering any special offers or special prices for returning customers. It may be worth a go.

Edited to add; try looking at tripadvisor.com
Recently Trip Advisor bought a stake in Holiday Lettings (.co.uk)
You can search for apartments on there and see what previous guests thought of the place.

Edited by milk2sugars on Thursday 17th March 14:15

Thanks Milk2Sugars

My budget was going to be £3k inc flights and transfers. Last year we went to Southern Italy twice and it was £2k per time; once appartment once hotel HB (but not a great hotel). So far, to get a package for anything I like the look of it has been £4.5-5k. Which I think is too much for a week in Amalfi with (I suspect) Thomson flights.

I think I need to do more research.

[milk2sugars]

Had a play around with a couple of sites and put in some dummy dates (16th July - 23rd July which is Sat - Sat) and leaving from a London airport (I chose Stansted) and arriving at Naples International airport.

OK, so using skyscanner.net for those dates for two adults it came back with €390 (£328) for 2 adults with taxes included.

As an example for a hotel I used a website called booking.com (you prob know it anyway)
and chose the Hotel Miramalfi as it got good reviews on the website.

Their cheapest room is around €1,500 for 7 nights on those dates.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/miramalfiamalfi.ht...

Otherwise, something that caught my eye which I really like is the old convent which has now been converted into a luxury hotel.

http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/grand-convento-di-...

Here are the search results.

http://www.booking.com/searchresults.html?sid=7fc3...

This is what I do over here in Italy. A private travel consultant.

Hope that helps.

Edited by milk2sugars on Thursday 17th March 20:14

[matts4]

milk2sugars said:

Without knowing your budget and requirements I can't look into it too much for you. I can expand your list of websites to look at though.

holiday-rentals.com

Cheers for the link, just managed to secure a 3 bed villa in Majorca in August.