Travel Challenge: A Replacement Holiday at the Eleventh Hour
July 21, 2010 Travel Challenge
Help! My family and I (two adults, two children) were all set to go on holiday to Bodrum in Turkey with Goldtrail on 30th July. As you probably know, they ceased trading at the weekend and we have been left with no holiday. We had paid £2100 for two weeks all-inclusive in a five star resort and can’t find anything anywhere near as cheap! We chose Turkey because it is such great value for money but we have been getting quotes around £3500. We simply cannot afford to fork out this much but we don’t want to let the children down. Is there any hope of us finding another all-inclusive holiday around this price? We’re open to suggestions as long as they are hot but presumably non-Euro destinations are cheapest. We’ve got a tight window between 29th July and 16th August and need to fly from Newcastle or Teeside. Can you help? - Janet.
We’re sorry to hear about you losing your holiday. There’s never a good time for a tour operator to go bust, but right at the beginning of the school holidays is about as bad as it gets. The good news is we’ve found you a replacement holiday, but please bear in mind that last minute availability at this busy time is subject to change. Firstly, it’s unlikely that the hotel you were booked into with Goldtrail would have met your five star expectations. Many low cost all-inclusive resorts can be very basic and it seems that the star ratings are often awarded based on the quantity of the facilities rather than the quality. At Be Travel Savvy, we think it is best to go away and be pleasantly surprised by a good three star hotel than it is to be disapointed by an inferior ‘five star’ property. With all this in mind, unfortunately we can’t get you true five star luxury for your money, but you’ll probably be more pleased with the place we have found you than where you were booked into in Turkey.
You’re right about Turkey usually being cheaper because it isn’t in the Euro zone, but holiday prices are based on demand and the sudden surge in searches for holidays to Turkey means that sadly, they are more expensive at the moment. Better to consider a destination that less people are clamouring for. Take Ibiza: Demand from families to this Balearic island is often relatively low, which is a real shame. Yes, it has a clubbing scene but so do Cyprus, Corfu and Bodrum – the trick is to know where to stay. We found some bargain tickets to Ibiza departing Newcastle on 30th July and paired them up with a fortnight in a three star hotel. Located right on the beach in San Antonio Bay, Club Els Pins is far enough away from the throng of downtown San Antonio to make it suitable for a family break. It ain’t the Ritz, but the warm welcome and beautiful location should give you everything you need for a happy family holiday. A fortnight all-inclusive at Els Pins is currently coming in at £2149 for you all, based on those Newcastle flights and including shuttle bus airport transfers. Click here or call Hays Travel on 0800 408 4130.
The pine-scented beach at Els Pins
All prices are correct at the time of publication, but subject to availability and change.
