Sun holidays ......

jo06555

Any good ideas cheap villas or apartments for 2 adults 3 kids ..... im not sure if we can afford it yet thats why im here finding out , i will be looking around travel agents too and pricing but some of yee may have some ideas on good places in the sun with kids (dont say tramore) maybe some of yee have bein away last year or planning on going , lets just spread the word here as if i dont go this year il probably never get to go as this recession will only get worse before getting better i assume so while i fortunate to have a job i want to do everything in my power to get a break iv not bein away in over 6 years and im hanging out for one

blue note

There are decent apartments down by the beach in tramore. I'd find the caravans a bit more fun though.

dark_shadow

blue note wrote: »

There are decent apartments down by the beach in tramore. I'd find the caravans a bit more fun though.

I dont think the OP will get much sun in tramore hence why he said don't say it:rolleyes:

calvin_zola

I think you could make a big saving if you where to avoid the travel agent... do it yourself like!!

Self and 3 mates went to South of Spain 2 summers ago and got sorted for 250€ each hotels and accomodation......

If i was to recommend a place for yourself with a family and keep it as cheap as possible check out some of these places on donedeal -

http://www.donedeal.ie/find/all/for-sale/Ireland/spain%20villa

Fly from Cork or Dublin to Malaga -

blue note

dark_shadow wrote: »

blue note wrote: »

There are decent apartments down by the beach in tramore. I'd find the caravans a bit more fun though.

I dont think the OP will get much sun in tramore hence why he said don't say it:rolleyes:

Tramore isn't as expensive as you'd think. You'd get a week there for not much more than a week in the Algarve. Better bingo too.

calvin_zola

blue note wrote: »

Tramore isn't as expensive as you'd think. You'd get a week there for not much more than a week in the Algarve. Better bingo too.

each to their own

ex_infantry man

www.alpharooms.com you will have to book flights seperate, aer lingus have sale on now ya could be lucky enough to get good deal, did it that way couple of times and saved myself few hundred euro plus alpharooms can arrange airport transfers on the other side for a small fee

calvin_zola

ex_infantry man wrote: »

www.alpharooms.com you will have to book flights seperate, aer lingus have sale on now ya could be lucky enough to get good deal, did it that way couple of times and saved myself few hundred euro plus alpharooms can arrange airport transfers on the other side for a small fee

yeah its very easy to do, save a nice wad of cash and do it yourself! bring a big bag between yourself and the misses and give the kids the handluggage!

Sully

jo06555 wrote: »

Any good ideas cheap villas or apartments for 2 adults 3 kids ..... im not sure if we can afford it yet thats why im here finding out , i will be looking around travel agents too and pricing but some of yee may have some ideas on good places in the sun with kids (dont say tramore) maybe some of yee have bein away last year or planning on going , lets just spread the word here as if i dont go this year il probably never get to go as this recession will only get worse before getting better i assume so while i fortunate to have a job i want to do everything in my power to get a break iv not bein away in over 6 years and im hanging out for one

How much are you looking to spend? You could get a decent apartment in Lanzarote for €300 a week, in the old town. Aer Lingus are giving good rates on flights atm, got flights over and back in June for around €500 for two people.

http://www.lanzarote-portonovo.com/ (for couples, but they should be able to point you to apartments in same complex that cater for families)

Croatia is a nice spot, on the Island of Sutivan but its a bit trickier with flights and might be a little bit quiet if the kids are coming

http://www.sutivanapartments.com/

Tbh, id go with Lanzarote. Sun, Sea, Sand, lots of cheap restaurants, taxis are very cheap and you can get accommodation (self catering) pretty cheap also. I prefer flying with Aer Lingus mind you.

Booking directly with the apartment owner always works out cheaper as going via a travel agent or some tourism websites can cost more. Check out these sites for looking up holidays in other locations, not just Lanzarote.

www.ownersdirect.co.uk

www.homelidays.co.uk

tiny-tyno

I am after booking a holiday for March for myself and my partner, flying to cork to malaga and staying in torremolinos for 5 days flights, apartment with half board accomodation (brekkie+dinner) all together €355 which I think is excellent i love going over that side of spain and went last feb again a group of us went and it was only 100e each between flights and accomodation,

It is all about looking out for the cheap flights with ryanair and if you go to findabed.ie you can search for rooms there as it will bring you in to see booking.com also from that page.

deisemum

We were looking at Sanguli/Portaventura but it's too hot for me in the summer so might leave that until next year and go at Easter.

We might go to Blackpool this year as my lads love rollercoasters.

Crusty Blaa

Sully wrote: »

How much are you looking to spend? You could get a decent apartment in Lanzarote for €300 a week, in the old town. Aer Lingus are giving good rates on flights atm, got flights over and back in June for around €500 for two people.

http://www.lanzarote-portonovo.com/ (for couples, but they should be able to point you to apartments in same complex that cater for families)

Croatia is a nice spot, on the Island of Sutivan but its a bit trickier with flights and might be a little bit quiet if the kids are coming

http://www.sutivanapartments.com/

Tbh, id go with Lanzarote. Sun, Sea, Sand, lots of cheap restaurants, taxis are very cheap and you can get accommodation (self catering) pretty cheap also. I prefer flying with Aer Lingus mind you.

Booking directly with the apartment owner always works out cheaper as going via a travel agent or some tourism websites can cost more. Check out these sites for looking up holidays in other locations, not just Lanzarote.

www.ownersdirect.co.uk

www.homelidays.co.uk

I'd second Lanzarote. Stayed in Playa Blanca myself a few times, usually just after Christmas and it's always been a great holiday. Only stayed in a villa once, more of a hotel man myself.

The really good thing about Lanzarote compared to mainland Spain is the amount of stuff you can do - daytrips to the volcano, camel rides up the mountains etc. Loads of watersports too, which is one of the highlights for me. Relatively cheap for decent food aswell. Weather and the quality of the beaches will never let you down either.

batm!ke

Would Lanzarote be good for a young family? A 9yr old girl and a 1yr old baby? Just doing a bit of Google mapping there, where is decent near the airport, this would be our first family holiday as such and I'm trying to sort it so that it will be as stress-free as possible! Tramore will have to do without us this year

calvin_zola

batm!ke wrote: »

Would Lanzarote be good for a young family? A 9yr old girl and a 1yr old baby? Just doing a bit of Google mapping there, where is decent near the airport, this would be our first family holiday as such and I'm trying to sort it so that it will be as stress-free as possible! Tramore will have to do without us this year

Puerto del carman b nice main spot, very short taxi from airport,,I'm sure they do bus transfers aswell

SillyMcCarthy

batm!ke wrote: »

Would Lanzarote be good for a young family? A 9yr old girl and a 1yr old baby? Just doing a bit of Google mapping there, where is decent near the airport, this would be our first family holiday as such and I'm trying to sort it so that it will be as stress-free as possible! Tramore will have to do without us this year

With such a young family I would suggest http://www.lagrandemetairie.com/en/175/the-brittany-region/carnac/
40min' drive from L'orient & I think you can fly from Waterford.
Beautiful spot!

Crusty Blaa

batm!ke wrote: »

Would Lanzarote be good for a young family? A 9yr old girl and a 1yr old baby? Just doing a bit of Google mapping there, where is decent near the airport, this would be our first family holiday as such and I'm trying to sort it so that it will be as stress-free as possible! Tramore will have to do without us this year

With a 1 year old, who I presume would be in a buggy, it would probably rule out the volcano tours and camels as it mainly involves a lot of bus time and reasonably rough terrain walking.

I suppose a lot would depend on what accommodation you are going for. There are plenty of family orientated apartment and hotel resorts in Puerto Del Carmen which is the main holiday resort. The "Old Town" would probably be better as the "New Town" tends to attract the younger groups because of the bars and clubs. The Rancho Texas zoo on the outskirts of PDC is a great day out for all ages, loads of shows throughout the day. There are tons of affordable, kid friendly restaurants in Del Carmen. The only downside to the place (for me) is the lack of a decent beach.

Places like Playa Blanca and Costa Teguise are much smaller and once you are there, you are stuck there unless you hire a car or spend a fortune on taxis. I love Playa Blanca, but I don't think it's designed for young kids.

michellie

batm!ke wrote: »

Would Lanzarote be good for a young family? A 9yr old girl and a 1yr old baby? Just doing a bit of Google mapping there, where is decent near the airport, this would be our first family holiday as such and I'm trying to sort it so that it will be as stress-free as possible! Tramore will have to do without us this year

We've been to lanzarote with our 1 year old and we loved it. 10 min transfer from the airport.

We went in September and it was lovely, it can get very hot during the peak summer weeks. We stayed in the cinco plazas in peurto del Carmen and it had a sun sheild over the baby pool, I thought it was great, never seen that anywhere else before!

Last June we went to salou and it was brilliant, very family orientated and shorter flight!

kryogen

Not exactly a sun holiday yet, but going to Paris next month, flights are 90euro pp with Aer Lingus, great range of hotels to stay in, can get very good deals at the moment. Of course it is Paris so unless you spend a bit of time shopping around (in terms of hotels) you may not find the good deals.

Not a huge fan of the place myself, but the OH is and has never been so promised her Id take her

Edit: Plenty to do and see there, and of course there is Disneyworld or land, whichever it is over there for the kids and adults alike!

jo06555

Thanks for all replies I'll get to look at them all properly after work

dermo909

I booked a holiday a couple of years ago to fuerto ventura through the travel agents across from argos. To get us the best deal they went through the same online sites that I would have if I did it on my own. Price worked out exactly the same as if I did all the booking myself.

When you do your own bookings your have to figure in transport from airport to apartments/hotel. That can be costly and hard to figure out if you are'nt sure of the location or language.

Sully

dermo909 wrote: »

I booked a holiday a couple of years ago to fuerto ventura through the travel agents across from argos. To get us the best deal they went through the same online sites that I would have if I did it on my own. Price worked out exactly the same as if I did all the booking myself.

When you do your own bookings your have to figure in transport from airport to apartments/hotel. That can be costly and hard to figure out if you are'nt sure of the location or language.

A lot of people would ask where they are booking for that. In the case of Lanzarote, you walk out the door to a taxi and ask them to bring you to the name of the complex. Very cheap.

Siamsa Sessions

I'm biased but I'd recommend Lanzarote as well.

Puerto del Carmen is 10-15 mins away (costing approx. €15) in a taxi from the airport and has a playground in the Old Town harbour that has a number of restaurants within 5 yards of it.

We've been there twice with our little fella (once when he was 11 months and once when he was two-and-a-half). What might be handy too is if you stay some place where there are other families with children. It'll be company for the nine-year-old around the pool.

The only downside is that Lanzarote is approx. a four-hour flight.

Re price of flights and accommodation: no matter what travel agents and websites I looked at, I could never beat the price for booking flights and accommodation separately (unless maybe you booked at the last minute - try latedeals.ie or sunway.ie for those).

If you want to book in advance, then Ryanair or Aer Lingus are best for flights and lanzarote.com is great for accommodation.

eagerv

Have been to the same apartments in Puerto Rico, Gran Canaria for last 3 years. Irish owned and run. Probably best weather in Canaries, particularly during our winter. Private complex with small patio/garden. Heated pool and fully equiped incl washing machine, fridge freezer, proper cooker, microwave and multi channel tv.
Our 10 year old loves it. And plenty of restaurants and bars down in the centre.
€50 per day, suitable for 3 adults or perhaps 2+2. Last year flights cost us less than €100 each Ryanair. Owners pick us up and return us to the airport for €55 total, about 40 mins.

jo06555

Alot to take in here and i will im thinking a villa would be best option with 3 kids as i would only be paying for the villa and not by person staying would i ? plus the relaxation of your own pool and villa is just so tempting Lanzarote sounds great and iv never being their so if i could find cheap cheerful accomodation their with things to do to entertain kids id be happy , but some villas iv priced are just way to over budget 2-3 grand :eek:

Sully

jo06555 wrote: »

Alot to take in here and i will im thinking a villa would be best option with 3 kids as i would only be paying for the villa and not by person staying would i ? plus the relaxation of your own pool and villa is just so tempting Lanzarote sounds great and iv never being their so if i could find cheap cheerful accomodation their with things to do to entertain kids id be happy , but some villas iv priced are just way to over budget 2-3 grand :eek:

Maybe give the Fariones a try? They would have lots of kids activities on.

http://www.farioneshotels.com/

Nas10

Id have to say you wont get better than this site www.homeaway.com Its all rentals for all over the world and very cheap too. Hit the south of France and rent a villa, flights to Nice are dirt cheap and there is a beautiful place near by called Villefranche-sur-mer. I have been to all Canary Islands and most of Spain and I will never go past south france again.

nkay1985

If you're going anywhere in Spain or its islands, alpharooms.com is excellent for accommodation. They list the tripadvisor rating of the apartments etc. What I do is narrow it down to the price range I want, then start cross referencing with tripadvisor to see what kind of reviews the places get.

Decide your budget first and then fit a holiday around that.

Longer flights and in-demand flights will obviously cost more so if you can be flexible with dates, that helps a lot.