Not many package deals around???

Hi,
We've just started looking at sun holidays for this Summer - we have two smallies, so are just looking at the package deals around - and there seems to be very few?? We were looking at Falcon for the first week in June, and on mainland spain they are only offering two places Torremolinos and Benalmadena?

So we are currently looking at booking seperately, flights and accomodation ourselves - we always did this prior to having smallie no 2 but because of the handiness in recent years with two small ones we've gone the package route....

Anyone else found that the package offers seem to be much fewer this year? Budget travel being gone is a big hit as well.

Thanks,
C

As a greedy(well, hungry)travel agent I have to comment. but I can't advertise myself so I'll just point you in right direction.

1. Yes, collapse of Budget means far less packages. Mind you, there would have been far less anyway due to recession more than internet. the rest of the travel tarde were delighted at budgets departure -gaVe us a chance to survive !

2. Brochures are still coming out and being delivered to agents. There are loads of family accommodations - hotels and apartments in Spain/Portugal.
I've decided to stay at home and sunbathe in garden so i don't have details but roughly the total price for a family of four at start June (I assume kids are two-plus) for one week starts at 1.500 euros for one week. (two weeks only few hundred more).
There may be free child places which'll knock another couple of hundred off- I'll check tomorrow

3. DIY. Flights -the real price with all extras, bags, etc etc - range from 800 -1.000 Dub/ORK to Malaga, depending on day of departure.
So, if you get accommodation and transfers for 500-700 euros you'll match or beat tour operators.

4. A travel agent can book either a tour operator or can do the mix-and-match bit. Main advantage of tour operator is small deposit and everything incouded -bags, transfers etc.
However, if kids were older then nothing wrong with DIY

As i say brochures only just coming out and there will be a lot of choice.

sorry to hi-jack the thread, but I'm trying to help 4 leaving cert students get package hol out of cork - easier said than done. When they went to travel agent themselves they were offered Tenerife out of Belfast! (even though Aer Lingus fly to Tenerife out of Cork) .

I'm in the process now of trying to do it myself out of desperation.

Old nick. should I wait and see what else comes available? Just looking for advise for them.

Hi ,
I have seen quite god deals on the Direct holidays website. worth a look

There are far less package holiday flights ex Cork this Summer. Operators are being cautious and concentrating much more on Dublin.

For example, the most popular leaving cert destinations recently are Cyprus, especially Ayia Napa and Crete, especially Hersonnisos (places I will not send my daughter to when she does her leaving cert in two years) - but I don't think any Greek or Cyprus destination is served from Cork.

As there are weekly Aer Lingus flights to Tenerife from Cork at sensible timings at a price of about 300 euros in midAugust I cant imagine why any travel agent would not suggest booking the flight, arranging a transfer (although a taxi shared by four would be cheaper), and getting a decent apartment. Plus, I believe, there are Cork-Gran Canaria flights with holiday companies.

It would mean a one week holiday for about 500 euros or two weeks for about 700- which in fact would be cheaper than package holidays from the tour operators out of either Dublin or Cork to most destinations.(Deduct a hundred each for grotty accommodation).
Majorca/Costa del Sol would be cheaper but most teenagers regard it as too naff for their leaving cert do.

I regret that this leaving cert holiday phenomenon has become very big recently and has caused travel companies to keep prices high. And airlines also know this. Last August when most people were cutting back on expenditure, parents were lashing out a fortune on their kids leaving cert trips.It was the busiest holiday week for the travel companies. Girls go more than boys for some reason -and,frankly, some evenings in Ayia Napa and Hersonnissos during that week are,well, interesting.
( I suggested to my daughter a nice walking holiday in the Alps with her Dad for her leaving cert holiday, but strangely she declined).

GM88 - for that week I wouldn't delay it. If Tenerife is O.K. by them , then grab Aer Lingus and a nice apartment on Alpharooms.

Oldnick, oldGM88 here! I can see why you use "old" in your title! I've spent the last few hours researching this. You're right, Faro and Salou are more certainly out of the question! Didn't suggest the alps walking tour, but might arrange a 1-way ticket for myself after this!

What I've come up with is Parque Santiago 3-4 apartments. I can get an apt for 4 for £387 stg. Must phone up tomorrow - using english website. Aerlingus flights are working at about 300 including bag. So, I'll be putting a holiday for 1 week together for just over the €400. Not bad, quoted €550 for Gran Canaria.

Have you any info on these I might want to know? (or not!)

parque santiago is popular with irish holidaymakers and quite "respectable".
If, after paying all Aer Lingus charges, plus taxis ,plus euro price for accommodation you get change from 500 euros then you are beating any tour operators prices.
I assume you were quoted for a one bedroom apt which sleeps four - if you can get a two bedroomed apt for,say, 50-70 euros p.p. extra then thats well worth it.Loads of room and no squabbling who gets the beds or pull-out sofas. (assuming they actually sleep in that place.only joking. Well, partly)

Now -if I was that Cork travel agent i would have done all that , slapped on 25 euros p.p. and presented it as a package and, accompanied by my usual waffle you/they would have been quite happy. I can't understand how so many agents stick to brochures.
Anyway, do it now, make sure you are insured.
(would you like to stay in a hotel round the corner? we arrange holidays for old people)

Dear God oldnick, that didn't even occur to me! And I thought I had thought of everything.......... That appt around the corner sounds good, but i don't know if the heart would take it!

Thanks for your input. I hope to finish work soon and get on to the crowd in england.

I would have loved if the agent had done this leg-work for me and slapped a nominal fee on it, but no, was only offered Dublin package.

Firstly the leaving cert holidays are in june or july so no need to go to the canaries. THE SOUTH OF SPAIN WILL BE just as hot. One could fly to malaga or Alicante from shannon with ryanair or from cork with aerlingus.BOOKING A FEW MONTHS BEFOREHAND ,for the flights one would get a cheap price.The hotel rooms can be got on the internet anytime.

Sunrock, they're going in August to (hopefully) celebrate the results.

Cyrstal said:

Hi,
We've just started looking at sun holidays for this Summer - we have two smallies, so are just looking at the package deals around - and there seems to be very few?? We were looking at Falcon for the first week in June, and on mainland spain they are only offering two places Torremolinos and Benalmadena?

So we are currently looking at booking seperately, flights and accomodation ourselves - we always did this prior to having smallie no 2 but because of the handiness in recent years with two small ones we've gone the package route....

Anyone else found that the package offers seem to be much fewer this year? Budget travel being gone is a big hit as well.

Thanks,
C

Click to expand...

Hi, yeah, you are right about the lack of package deals.
I do believe that you have nothing to lose by trying the internet.
It is fun putting a holiday together, transport - hotel, and you can check out the various sites, most mentioned on this thread, without making a commitment until you are happy to proceed.
Best of luck.

Well plenty of time till august. The flights can be booked in april or may or even a bit later.Ryanair and aer lingus go to many holiday sun destinations so just look for cheap flights and book the hotel on the internet too.

For low season such as Crystal was asking -early june - then it used to make sense to wait until the last minute whether booking with an operator or DIY.

It made less sense to wait till the last moment for peak periods because both tour operators and airlines didnt go too cheaply in, say, late July-August. But even then, if one was not too concerned which particular destination they went to, there were always late-deals even at peak.

This year I'm less certain about the wisdom of hanging on till the last minute.
("He would say that -he's a travel agent" Not true; I make money whether one books now or the last minute).
Tour ops have slowly realised that they must sell those early season holidays cheap with free child prices,discounts etc.
I really believe that it would be difficult to beat some of the May June deals on offer for DIY people -especially with families with small kids.

There are several holidays for under 300 euros in the tour ops brochures at that time (actually 199 euros inclusive is the cheapest I've seen in the brochures if six of you share an apt -not bad for young people on a May/June break).

The tour ops prices do include all charges,taxes, luggage, transfers etc etc.

Crystal -if I knew exact date ,ages of kids and preferred location I am sure you could go for 1200-1400 euros for four of you in a family friendly accommodation.

The big mistake of the tour operators is the peak season prices. Still too high compared to DIY prices -as we saw with gm88's query to Tenerife.
The only time it's worth buying a peak holiday from brochure is when there is a "deal"
(Free kids, free grandparents, single mother deals, -it's getting silly).
Thus, during this last week my shop has sold as many DIY packages as we have tour operators for peak season, but for low season the tour operators are difficult to beat.

Mind you, if you want anything other than a rigid one or two weeks it has to be DIY.

(I mean "DIY" to include booking different components -flight, accomm, transfers, seperately, whether yourself or through an agent, which of course is not strictly doing-it-yourself)

What has surprised me is the number of people booking cruises. Many are repeat bookings . I confess I've never been on one,but am tempted by good reports coming from men who were originally most reluctant to go on one.

OldNick - as you know, I've been on a few cruises (one particularly memorable agents trip with the long-gone CTC around Northern Europe springs to mind...) and to be honest they're a great option for lazy sods. You hop on, stay in the same cabin, get to visit loads of places for a day each, get fed relatively decent food and all you cough up for is drinks, excursions & tips. Entertainment is laid on and there's usually a pool or two.