# Booking a "non-package" sun holiday



## Jeremiah (17 Jan 2011)

I am planning to travel to South of Spain or Majorca this summer with wife and two toddlers.  We have always gone on "package" deals in the past and found the apartment accomodation to be variable.  Could anyone recommend how I would go about separately booking cost-effective flight and decent hotel accomodation as an alternative to taking a chance on another package apartment deal?  Any advice appreciated.


----------



## Kerrylady (17 Jan 2011)

I always book my hotel using alpharooms.com. It's a great site which has customer reviews. You can also book your transport too and from the airport. I would never do a package holiday again after calculating the price difference!


----------



## sustanon (17 Jan 2011)

http://www.sunsetbeachclub.com/ irish owned....


----------



## cuppatea (17 Jan 2011)

Totally agree we gave up on 'package holidays' after a disaster in Tunisia with a sick child a disgraceful 'hotel' and a complete lack of help from our dedicated holiday rep out there. It cost us over 3k to get home and this was all part of our honeymoon!!! Needless to say we have not been back near a travel agent since!!! That aside.... We now book our flights with either Airlingus or Ryan air and our accomodation through a website ownersdirect  (google it) and source holiday insurance online. The accommodation on owners direct is that exactly privately owned apartments you book directly with the owner. Most of them are on complexes so have all the same facilities as you would expect from a holiday but with the benefit that most are on privately owned complexes so they are kept so well. The apartments usually have all the luxuries of home like tv, dvd player & dvds, furnished terraces, bbq's, book, washing machines etc etc etc. We have booked direct through this website and also booking direct with the hotels for a few holidays and saved over 1000euro most times!!! 
Have a goo at the website and see what I mean ... best of luck


----------



## niceoneted (18 Jan 2011)

Have been doing a lot of DIY holidays in the last few years sun skiing and weekend breaks - only book a package if it is a really great deal. 
Look at where you want to go and then look at what airlines fly there. Price them all for the week/weeks you are interested in. 
Then look at sites like booking.com, expedia.com, venere.com, alpharooms.com etc for hotels. 
You could look at the likes of ownersdirect.co.uk or other similar ones for the likes of apartments/villas. 
I would also check reviews on tripadvisor. 
Most airport websites will give transport option details to nearby resorts or you might check car hire as it may be as cheap.


----------



## DrMoriarty (18 Jan 2011)

Ryanair.com - particularly if you can fly midweek and/or via smaller regional airports.
+
Ownersdirect.co.uk
+
DoyouSpain.com

...works for me (2 adults, 3/4 teenagers).

But bear in mind
(a) that you need good insurance. Read the small print re excesses/cancellations/missed flights.
(b) at 2 adults + 2 toddlers, you fit exactly into the best value packages (unlike us ). Your kids will go free in many deals. Talk to a good travel agent before committing.
(c) Even if there's a small saving, I advise strongly against very early/very late flight times and _any_ sort of layover.


----------



## manta356 (19 Jan 2011)

Book your own Flights, then Google Hotels in that region.Then check a few of the Hotels on Tripadvisor for feedback.I've done it loads of time and never had a bad one yet.


----------



## Staples (19 Jan 2011)

I haven't booked a package holiday in years, preferring the DIY option. Would agree that your "2+2" situation gives you potential savings that might make package holidays more attractive.

In my experience, you won't necessarily save money but you can be reasonably assurred of an acceptable level of accommodation and amenities. It does require some considerable research though. 

Sites I've used for accommodation include, venere.com, booking.com. and hotelclub.net.  Tripadvisor will give you good advice but you shouldn't rely on this solely.


----------



## GL01 (19 Jan 2011)

+1 to ownersdirect.co.uk and ryanair / aer lingus.
I have used them for villas in Provence and southern Italy and I've been really happy with my choices.


----------



## Staples (19 Jan 2011)

The only caveat I'd add to the ownerdirect (and similar) options is that while the standard of accommodation may well be high, you may very often end up in residential accommodation which doesn't necessarily have the "feel" of regular holiday accommodation.  Your neighbours won't necessarily share your holiday spirit.     

On the one occasion I went this route, I found myself fielding queries from other residents regarding a long-standing leak from the basement garage.  The accommodation was beautiful though and quite reasonable.


----------



## Laramie (19 Jan 2011)

Staples said:


> On the one occasion I went this route, I found myself fielding queries from other residents regarding a long-standing leak from the basement garage. The accommodation was beautiful though and quite reasonable.


 
Was this in Nerja by any chance?


----------



## PyritePete (19 Jan 2011)

we did a DIY holiday (agree with above posters regarding research & tripadvisor etc).

For the price of a 7 day package holiday, we got 10 days holidays in the same resort with better times of flights & flying with A Lingus.


----------



## SparkRite (19 Jan 2011)

I went to Lagos in Portugal in July last year for 2 weeks with Mrs. Sparkrite and 3 kids. Saved  approx 3.3K on brochure prices.

Ryanair to Faro (800euro), hired a car for two weeks (350euro), booked "Villablanca" 2 bed apt. via Alpharooms (1250euro). Total 2400euro.

Excellent deals to be had with a bit of research.


----------



## Staples (19 Jan 2011)

Laramie said:


> Was this in Nerja by any chance?


 
Nah.  Juan les Pins.  Must be a universal issue.


----------



## slave1 (20 Jan 2011)

Ryanair
+
www.holidaylettings.co.uk

Fly mid week and haggle accommodation price with owner directly. I've been doing it for years.
This summer is booked already, two adults, three kids, two weeks in Tenerife, August €1,130 for return flights and excellent accommodation.


----------



## oldnick (20 Jan 2011)

Please consider that if you book a scheduled airline and accommodation seperately ,and if that airline suddenly had a strike then you would not get all or any of your money back from the accommodation if you didnt get there ,or get there some days later. Same applies if volcanic ash, snow etc  causes long delays or cancellation of flights.
the owner of the accommodation may/will not refund you if you don't arrive thru no fault of your own.

A tour operator must refund the lot.

Naturally ,most people think a strike, weather or natural disasters will ever cause _their_ flight to be cancelled. It only happens to people on the News....and..

...if , after your stay in your seperately booked accommodation your flight is delayed/cancelled then the tour operator takes care of you .No charging and awaiting refunds.


----------



## Leper (21 Jan 2011)

Old Nick made a good point but somewhat from a Tour Operator's point-of-view.  I dont dispute what he said but not everybody who rents out holiday property behaves in such a way.

For example:- The people who rented my property in southern Spain during the Ash Cloud debacle were allowed to stay in it (and free of any charge) until they could get a flight to the UK a week later.  The people who were due to fly out at the same time were not charged a penny by  me. I presume because the airline could not fly them out they were refunded.

In support of Nick's post:-There was a UK couple in the same apartment complex  and their "owner" wanted payment for the extra week's stay from them.  The couple in our place invited the UK couple to stay with them and I had no objection and they also stayed free.

I'm not saying that I'm a modern Good Samaritan, but one must be considerate in such situations. Therefore, I would advise while faraway-fields-are-green, book with an Irish owner, if you are booking a holiday privately - not all of us are greedy. 

For the record both couples have booked with me for 2011.


----------



## oldnick (21 Jan 2011)

Ah ,Leper, that's becasue you are an honest and kind gentleman -and ,yes, there will be others like you. 

I think the main problem would arise when the villa /apt owner is faced with  a new family that has managed to arrive - maybe from another country - whilst the first family can't get back due to their national airline.

Also, as we found out last year in the ash crisis,  hotels tend to bill stranded clients -perhaps knowing that the clients can ask for reimbursement.

regards-Nick


----------



## Shawady (21 Jan 2011)

One other piece of advice to add is to try fly mid-week to mid-week if you can. We booked our own flights and hotels in the past couple of years and have often found that flights to places like Palma or Malaga will be cheaper if flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

I have basically checked out where I can get the cheapest flights and then book the hotel directly.


----------



## slave1 (21 Jan 2011)

oldnick said:


> Please consider that if you book a scheduled airline and accommodation seperately ,and if that airline suddenly had a strike then you would not get all or any of your money back from the accommodation if you didnt get there ,or get there some days later. Same applies if volcanic ash, snow etc  causes long delays or cancellation of flights.
> the owner of the accommodation may/will not refund you if you don't arrive thru no fault of your own.
> 
> A tour operator must refund the lot.
> ...



and that's why there is travel insurance, just ensure you check what's covered under your policy to ensure adaquate protection


----------



## Homer (21 Jan 2011)

We always went on package holidays until 2000, when the package we wanted to book was not available. We ended up booking privately owned accommodation by default very close to where we had stayed the previous year (i.e in the same resort) and we were blown away by the quality of accomodation we got. It was a bit more hassle, but not any more expensive. 

I would recommend doing it yourself and trawling several websites and enquiring about both price and availability. If you can find cheap flights midweek, try writing to several private propoerty owners and see what they offer. Of course, it helps if you know where you're going, as we did in 2000.

In addition to ownersdirect.co.uk there are lots of other websites where you can book directly from private owners, including holidayhomesdirect.ie. 

If you have a particular area in mind, you should also go on tripadvisor.com and check out the local forum.

Regards
Homer


----------



## johnno09 (22 Jan 2011)

Yep im out of the package holiday club too after getting a week in the sun for €280 versus over €600 package. 

So ryanair + travelrepublic = money saved


----------



## minion (23 Jan 2011)

We never book through agents anymore.
We have saved at least 30% and as much 60% on hols booked ourslves vs travel agents.
For a couple of them I even went into the travel agent, got a price, checked it at home that night and they were making €350 on one and €500 on the other.  Based on the exact same flights and exact same accommodation.


----------



## Leper (23 Jan 2011)

I wouldn't abandon your local friendly travel agent, remember he is the guy at the end of the line and at the start of all incoming flak. The travel agents "take" is small compared to the likes of Budget, Falcon etc. And this advice is coming from somebody (moi) who rents out his holiday apartment occasionally.

My advice is to shop around vigorously, ask questions, take stock, liaise with your wife/husband and family. I see people getting "screwed" financially come holiday bookings and from private apartment owners also. 

There is another caper about i.e "we want a villa with private swimming pool brigade" - sounds great and upwardly mobile but how far is the villa from the nearest safe beach (I dont mean the beach at the bottom of a cliff with shifting sands). Keep asking questions regarding:- Walking distance to nearest beach, Walking distance from restaurants, shops, etc. One other thing, remember a 10 minute drive to the nearest safe beach could mean a further 45 mins looking for parking.


----------



## Staples (24 Jan 2011)

Shawady said:


> One other piece of advice to add is to try fly mid-week to mid-week if you can. We booked our own flights and hotels in the past couple of years and have often found that flights to places like Palma or Malaga will be cheaper if flying on a Tuesday or Wednesday.


 
Yes they're definitely cheaper, but the trouble is that many of the apartment you may want to book operate on a Saturday to Saturday basis, particularly in high Summer.


----------



## Grizzly (24 Jan 2011)

Staples said:


> Yes they're definitely cheaper, but the trouble is that many of the apartment you may want to book operate on a Saturday to Saturday basis, particularly in high Summer.


 
Even in early April. Trying to book with some French owners who insist on Saturday to Saturday. These apartments will be empty and they will end up with "nil". Certainly the British owners are far more flexible...half a loaf...etc.


----------



## niceoneted (24 Jan 2011)

It still may be cheaper to book two weeks sat to sat for the accommodation and take a tues to thurs week flight than book a package.


----------



## Guest105 (24 Jan 2011)

My last packaged holiday with the kids was about 6 years ago and I swore never again. A few weeks after getting home all the kids came down with scabies and the doctor told me it was due to unclean beds in the holiday complex we stayed in.  It took weeks and weeks to wash every bit of bedding and clothes in the house and eventually we got rid of the mites.  Needless to say I got no joy out of the particular travel agency I dealt with at the time although I think they long gone now.

Nowadays I always book direct but not before I read every one of the hotel reviews.  It is far far cheaper and much more enjoyable to do it yourself.


----------

