Topic: Holidays 2024 - What's your plans?

[RainbowFlick]

I love watching the Reds abroad. Just had 2 and a half weeks in Thailand watched the United cup game in Pattaya with loads of reds and unfortuantely mancs which was a killer. Then watched the Brighton game in Bangkok which was brilliant with loads of reds from all over the world. Its great hugging fellow reds from all over the planet when we score or get the win.

I actually plan my holidays around reds games and other sports events. Its great when your a solo traveller.

definitely agree. interesting to see what the match culture is in other countries, even if quite a bit different from being 'there'. also love just seeing our kits around the world.

[kavah]

^ yea. They love the religious stuff in Varanasi, I did find it a cool place. I’ve just lost my father so found a lot of the spiritual stuff quite healing. Regarding the east some folk were recommending Calcutta (and Dhaka - for the more adventurous) you can live like a king in the Oboroi for a fraction of a 5 star in Delhi.

[.adam]

Anyone been to Bilbao? Any recommendations? Looking to pop over for a long weekend maybe July/early August.

Plenty to see and do over a weekend. We went in February a few years ago and it absolutely pissed down all weekend. Ended up skipping bar to bar, enjoying a pintxo and a drink before moving on.

Guggenheim is good fun (including walking around the exterior) and the city is very walkable.

[SamLad]

definitely agree. interesting to see what the match culture is in other countries, even if quite a bit different from being 'there'. also love just seeing our kits around the world.

agree completely, you come away with some really unique memories watching in foreign locations. for some reason I've been away when we played Spurs - seen games in Florence, Athens and Bangkok - plus MU (Valencia) and Chelsea (Chiang Mai).  great memories.

[redgriffin73]

Anyone been to Bilbao? Any recommendations? Looking to pop over for a long weekend maybe July/early August.

It's an amazing place for a short break, cheap as well if you live on pinxtos and local wine like we did! The old town is lovely, a walk along the river is also nice or they do boat trips too. There's a funicular up to a park with great views over the city. Football stadium is pretty central too if you want a look at that. Guggenheim of course is worth a visit as well. Great place all in all and everyone was very friendly and helpful. San Sebastian is close by if you have long enough and fancy a day trip as well.

I'd imagine it's very hot and busy in mid-summer though if you don't have to visit at that time.

[LiamG]

Me and the missus thinking of booking a trip over to Salou next month to go to Port Aventura theme park - Anyone from here been before?

[Roady]

Off to Krakow for four nights begining of june with the mrs.going to Rhodes in September for a week again with the mrs.agust bank holiday weekend have four nights in an air b and b with 9 mates in ambleside.since returning from spain a few years ago these will be my first trips ive had abroad so looking forward to them.

[Lfc19ynwa]

Off to Krakow for four nights begining of june with the mrs.going to Rhodes in September for a week again with the mrs.agust bank holiday weekend have four nights in an air b and b with 9 mates in ambleside.since returning from spain a few years ago these will be my first trips ive had abroad so looking forward to them.

If you both like duck, then go to the Black Duck restaurant ( Czarna Kaczka ) & have the whole duck main course to share, it’s delicious

[Wabaloolah]

Me and the missus off to Crete for a week on 17th May (didn't realise it was the final weekend of the season when we booked it!)


We've booked a private swim up pool this year for the first time so at least we avoid the early morning rush to grab a sunbed by the main pool.


We normally go self-catering but we've gone All-inclusive this time as there's two al acarte restaurants on the site as the missus can't abide the buffet foods they put out in these hotels after her Mam got food poisoning at a place in Torremolinos we once went to.


We'll try those two restaurants and we'll eat out too.


Can't bloody wait now!

[bradders1011]

Me and the missus thinking of booking a trip over to Salou next month to go to Port Aventura theme park - Anyone from here been before?

Years ago - 2001 and 2003 as a kid - but we've booked 10 days there in June. Port Aventura was great, not been since then but remember enjoying it. Salou was lively but not Benidorm-levels, but I think it's become a bit bigger these days, my parents went again a few years ago and there were more bars etc.

Hour to Barcelona on the train too.

[rob1966]

Me and the missus off to Crete for a week on 17th May (didn't realise it was the final weekend of the season when we booked it!)


We've booked a private swim up pool this year for the first time so at least we avoid the early morning rush to grab a sunbed by the main pool.


We normally go self-catering but we've gone All-inclusive this time as there's two al acarte restaurants on the site as the missus can't abide the buffet foods they put out in these hotels after her Mam got food poisoning at a place in Torremolinos we once went to.


We'll try those two restaurants and we'll eat out too.


Can't bloody wait now!

Mid August for us going back to Crete

[LiamG]

Years ago - 2001 and 2003 as a kid - but we've booked 10 days there in June. Port Aventura was great, not been since then but remember enjoying it. Salou was lively but not Benidorm-levels, but I think it's become a bit bigger these days, my parents went again a few years ago and there were more bars etc.

Hour to Barcelona on the train too.

Where are you staying in June?

Reus looks like the easier airport to fly to but more flights go to Barcelona

[Crosby Nick]

Does anyone have Avios? I do but never used it and now time running out to use a companion voucher. There must be an easier way to search for flights - we have a week we can get away and frankly will go anywhere in Europe but nothing is available. Anyway of widening a search without having to put a specific location in!

[Buck Pete]

Mid August for us going back to Crete

Another shout for Crete here.  Going the first week of August with the grandkids and stuff.

Can't wait.

[andyrol]

just booked a villa in Rhodes in a small village-Gennadi

[A-Bomb]

Another shout for Crete here.  Going the first week of August with the grandkids and stuff.

Can't wait.

Just got back stayed around 10mins down the coast from Heraklion, was lovely, spent a day visiting Knossos palace and Heraklion, the rest of the time feet up on the beach and on the resort making the most of the all inclusive.

[Buck Pete]

Just got back stayed around 10mins down the coast from Heraklion, was lovely, spent a day visiting Knossos palace and Heraklion, the rest of the time feet up on the beach and on the resort making the most of the all inclusive.

Nice one!

We are stopping in Hersonissos at a hotel/waterpark about 18m East of Heraklion along the coast. 

[A-Bomb]

Nice one!

We are stopping in Hersonissos at a hotel/waterpark about 18m East of Heraklion along the coast.

We stayed at the Mitsis Rinela which was east along the coast of Heraklion... you get a bit of wind from time to time due to weather systems which masks how hot the sun is! So make sure you've got your lotion on!

[rob1966]

We stayed at the Mitsis Rinela which was east along the coast of Heraklion... you get a bit of wind from time to time due to weather systems which masks how hot the sun is! So make sure you've got your lotion on!

We're at the Bellos, nice small place. I'll be making sure the lads and me throw the lotion on, dickhead missus will probably use factor 10 and think that's enough. I've given up telling her

[A-Bomb]

We're at the Bellos, nice small place. I'll be making sure the lads and me throw the lotion on, dickhead missus will probably use factor 10 and think that's enough. I've given up telling her

Hope you guys have a great time.

[fridgepants]

Can't plan anything for this year as we have other stuff going on/to spend money on, but that doesn't stop me wondering what options there might be for cheap non-Ryanair flights from Liverpool or Manchester toward the end of the year. Really enjoyed going to Germany last summer to see the friendly, wandering round on my own for a couple of days living off cheese and bread and getting in ten miles a day - it's making me think I'd love to go to Berlin again, or maybe Munich as I've never been.

Would also like to head to Greece and eat all the food but really not a fan of too much heat, so need to work out what time of year might be cool enough to walk around and look at stuff but potentially still warm enough to have a wee swim in the sea.

[rob1966]

Can't plan anything for this year as we have other stuff going on/to spend money on, but that doesn't stop me wondering what options there might be for cheap non-Ryanair flights from Liverpool or Manchester toward the end of the year. Really enjoyed going to Germany last summer to see the friendly, wandering round on my own for a couple of days living off cheese and bread and getting in ten miles a day - it's making me think I'd love to go to Berlin again, or maybe Munich as I've never been.

Would also like to head to Greece and eat all the food but really not a fan of too much heat, so need to work out what time of year might be cool enough to walk around and look at stuff but potentially still warm enough to have a wee swim in the sea.

The Greek Islands close up around October and stay closed until May, so you need to be aware of that, you need to pick somewhere that's not totally closed. We did Cyprus last October and it was lovely, mid 20's. The Hotel next to ours should have closed for the winter the weekend we came home, but due to Gaza, 200 US Marines were moving in so they kept it open. We've done Alykes on Zante and Crete at the start of June and its been 27c ish

[fridgepants]

Ah dammit, we like going away around April and I thought it would be OK at that time of year. Though was thinking primarily of maybe Athens as I don't know too much about the islands - can't go anywhere that would need us to rent a car to get around, which is annoying as I;ve always fancied the Azores as well.

[A-Bomb]

Ah dammit, we like going away around April and I thought it would be OK at that time of year. Though was thinking primarily of maybe Athens as I don't know too much about the islands - can't go anywhere that would need us to rent a car to get around, which is annoying as I;ve always fancied the Azores as well.

Only came back from Crete last weekend, everything was open - in fact it was nice as it wasn't too busy with tourists.

[rob1966]

Ah dammit, we like going away around April and I thought it would be OK at that time of year. Though was thinking primarily of maybe Athens as I don't know too much about the islands - can't go anywhere that would need us to rent a car to get around, which is annoying as I;ve always fancied the Azores as well.

Athens is open all year. George, who ran the bar we used to hang in was from Athens and he'd leave Zante around October and winter in Athens then open up in late May/early June.

The Canaries has gone mentally popular in winter and has gone expensive, we've booked 12 months in advance and got a decent price for next Feb, same with Crete, we've booked August 2025 already.

Only came back from Crete last weekend, everything was open - in fact it was nice as it wasn't too busy with tourists.

The Water Parks are still shut aren't they (if that's your thing) I know the one we go to, Acqua Plus, doesn't open until mid May and I remember the taxi driver we used telling us it went quiet in winter.  We stay in Hersonnisos and the hotel we stay at closes for the winter, I was chatting to the staff, one goes back to Holland for the Winter and one of the bar staff said she lives off her savings from her earnings through the winter. I think its just a case of doing your research and making sure the area you are in is open.

[Rhi]

Does anyone have Avios? I do but never used it and now time running out to use a companion voucher. There must be an easier way to search for flights - we have a week we can get away and frankly will go anywhere in Europe but nothing is available. Anyway of widening a search without having to put a specific location in!

If you use the app rather than the website there's a more general "Reward Flight Finder" tool where you can search by continent, but not date-specific (ie you can look at tickets in July but you can't say search for everything available between 2nd July to 9th July).

You could also pay a few quid for a month's membership to https://www.seatspy.com/new or https://rewardflightfinder.com/ and they've got more flexible search tools than BA themselves.

[Crosby Nick]

Thanks Rhi!

[Rhi]

Thanks Rhi!

 

[Alf]

Anybody recommend somewhere in Cyprus please?