Topic: Holidays 2024 - What's your plans?

[rob1966]

Might seem a bit early, but my missus books everything miles in advance. So far, we've got:-

February - week in Tenerife, staying just outside Fanabe for the first time.

May - Portugal, staying at a hotel we stayed in back in 2008, on the Algarve

August - Kids got bored during the school holidays, so she decided we're going back to Heraklion in Crete

October - working out where to go............

[Buck Pete]

August - Kids got bored during the school holidays, so she decided we're going back to Heraklion in Crete

Where are you off to Rob?  We've booked Crete with the daughter her husband and 3 grandkids in July.

We are on a resort with a waterpark and stuff about 20 miles along the coast from Heraklion.

[rob1966]

Where are you off to Rob?  We've booked Crete with the daughter her husband and 3 grandkids in July.

We are on a resort with a waterpark and stuff about 20 miles along the coast from Heraklion.

Little place called Bellos Apartments, its about a 10 minute walk from the town. We go to the Aphrodite water park, its massive and great.

[gazzam1963]

Two cruises booked , first in April Dubai to Southampton inc a stop in Oman , Jordan , transit the suez , then a few European stops . Then a weeks cruise to the fjords in august .

[Nobby Reserve]

Our youngest does her GCSE's next summer and, as our eldest will have finished her 2nd year at uni by mid-June, we're taking advantage of being able to have a holiday outside the school holidays. As soon as our youngest's Prom weekend is over, we're off to Tenerife, staying at the Iberostar Selection Anthelia.

Looks a nice place and gets great reviews on Trip Advisor. The aim was to go All-Inclusive as we all love the sense of freedom that that brings, and if it's a reasonable extra cost, I know that me and the missus at least would more than get our money's worth on drink alone. The upgrade on this, however, was almost £2k for 5 nights (from the B&B option)

 

Screw that. We won't spend anything like that B&B, and we'll have the chance to eat at different places.


Not sure where we're going in the summer holidays, though. It'll be somewhere in the UK and with the dog. Me and our eldest want to go back to the NW of Scotland; wife and youngest really don't (youngest wants Devon/Cornwall, which I'm cool with, although cottages/lodges, especially with a hot tub, are bloody pricey)

[rob1966]

Our youngest does her GCSE's next summer and, as our eldest will have finished her 2nd year at uni by mid-June, we're taking advantage of being able to have a holiday outside the school holidays. As soon as our youngest's Prom weekend is over, we're off to Tenerife, staying at the Iberostar Selection Anthelia.

Looks a nice place and gets great reviews on Trip Advisor. The aim was to go All-Inclusive as we all love the sense of freedom that that brings, and if it's a reasonable extra cost, I know that me and the missus at least would more than get our money's worth on drink alone. The upgrade on this, however, was almost £2k for 5 nights (from the B&B option)

 

Screw that. We won't spend anything like that B&B, and we'll have the chance to eat at different places.


Not sure where we're going in the summer holidays, though. It'll be somewhere in the UK and with the dog. Me and our eldest want to go back to the NW of Scotland; wife and youngest really don't (youngest wants Devon/Cornwall, which I'm cool with, although cottages/lodges, especially with a hot tub, are bloody pricey)

We're staying just around the corner from that in Feb - I'll be able to give you a list of places to eat and drink. There was one we went to last Feb, 3 courses for about £12 and it was lovely. There's so many places around there all competing that food and drink prices are really cheap.

I never want to go All Inclusive again, as I end up eating far too much and putting on loads of weight.

[Crosby Nick]

Our youngest does her GCSE's next summer and, as our eldest will have finished her 2nd year at uni by mid-June, we're taking advantage of being able to have a holiday outside the school holidays. As soon as our youngest's Prom weekend is over, we're off to Tenerife, staying at the Iberostar Selection Anthelia.

Looks a nice place and gets great reviews on Trip Advisor. The aim was to go All-Inclusive as we all love the sense of freedom that that brings, and if it's a reasonable extra cost, I know that me and the missus at least would more than get our money's worth on drink alone. The upgrade on this, however, was almost £2k for 5 nights (from the B&B option)

 

Screw that. We won't spend anything like that B&B, and we'll have the chance to eat at different places.


Not sure where we're going in the summer holidays, though. It'll be somewhere in the UK and with the dog. Me and our eldest want to go back to the NW of Scotland; wife and youngest really don't (youngest wants Devon/Cornwall, which I'm cool with, although cottages/lodges, especially with a hot tub, are bloody pricey)

I’ve stayed there Nobby. It’s really nice. Went for a big family holiday once and then have returned a couple of times just with my family of 4.

Never done the all inclusive. Never sure you’d get your money’s worth and I just go to one of the local supermercados to get a stash of cokes, beers, wine, crisps and they’re very relaxed about you drinking them in your room/poolside. We’ve done half board and the restaurant is the best we’ve been to for the ‘standard’ hotel buffet.

But loads of places to eat and drink close by as well as Rob can probably confirm.

There’s a couple of big pools down at the bottom but there’s a nice smaller, quieter ‘garden pool’ which can be quite chilled. We’ve requested a room in those blocks, and if you get a ground floor one you can pop in and out really easily.

[Wigwamdelbert]

Phuket - just the 2 of us. 10 nights AI in Phuket Marriott

[Nobby Reserve]

We're staying just around the corner from that in Feb - I'll be able to give you a list of places to eat and drink. There was one we went to last Feb, 3 courses for about £12 and it was lovely. There's so many places around there all competing that food and drink prices are really cheap.

I never want to go All Inclusive again, as I end up eating far too much and putting on loads of weight.

I’ve stayed there Nobby. It’s really nice. Went for a big family holiday once and then have returned a couple of times just with my family of 4.

Never done the all inclusive. Never sure you’d get your money’s worth and I just go to one of the local supermercados to get a stash of cokes, beers, wine, crisps and they’re very relaxed about you drinking them in your room/poolside. We’ve done half board and the restaurant is the best we’ve been to for the ‘standard’ hotel buffet.

But loads of places to eat and drink close by as well as Rob can probably confirm.

There’s a couple of big pools down at the bottom but there’s a nice smaller, quieter ‘garden pool’ which can be quite chilled. We’ve requested a room in those blocks, and if you get a ground floor one you can pop in and out really easily.

Thanks for the feedback, chaps.

Not been to Tenerife for a fair few years. Last time was I think in 2005. Visited del Duque beach a couple of times* and the area around it.

I've got a pathological fear of cockroaches so am a bit apprehensive about going back to Tenerife, but the missus has always loved the place and the kids want to experience it (eldest was only 2 and doesn't really remember it)

Hoping they still do the catamaran trips out of Colon marina!

[NarutoReds]

Phuket - just the 2 of us. 10 nights AI in Phuket Marriott

Nice place, I love Phuket's beach and its white sands. Went there around 6-7 years ago, my boss paid for our company trip, all employees went there.

I like Bangla Road in Patong Beach, really comes to life after sunset and as I remember, the road was / is closed to traffic around 7.00pm.

I was walkin / chilling out along the seaside at night and enjoying the fresh seafood. But I'm no sure how about Phuket nowadays, had been a long time.

Hope you are going enjoy to it, Wigwamdelbert mate...

[Crosby Nick]

I was whoring along the seaside at night

[Chakan]

Man's gotta eat!

[NarutoReds]

Fooking-puta-madre myself. I have corrected it, pardon for my indecency. Didn't mean any verbal transgressions, breaking RAWK's general civility code or something.

But again yes, Phuket is a nice place. Really.   

[Crosby Nick]

Fooking-puta-madre myself. I have corrected it, pardon for my indecency. Didn't mean any verbal transgressions, breaking RAWK's general civility code or something.

But again yes, Phuket is a nice place. Really.   

What happens in Phuket stays in Phuket.

Only teasing, don’t apologise! You get around though! How far is the flight to Thailand for you?

[NarutoReds]

What happens in Phuket stays in Phuket.

Only teasing, don’t apologise! You get around though! How far is the flight to Thailand for you?

Roughly... 1 hour and 31 minutes from my place to Phuket, by flight. I love Phuket more than Bangkok.

Well, my office, RIGHT NOW, is 20 minutes (driving) from...

[Crosby Nick]

Ah ok. Malaysia presumably!

[I've been a good boy]

Monastir, Tunisia in June then Alanya, Turkey in September.

[Buck Pete]

Little place called Bellos Apartments, its about a 10 minute walk from the town. We go to the Aphrodite water park, its massive and great.

Rob.  The only Aphrodite waterpark I can find is on Paphos mate.  Are you sure its Crete?

Also, The Bellos apartments look very close to where we are staying.  Star Beach Village.  This has its own Waterpark that is open to the public.

[.adam]

Current big trip idea is Kenya.

4/5 days of hiking Mount Kenya and then a flight over to Mombassa for some beach relaxation.

Has anyone ever hiked Mount Kenya?

[Kenny's Jacket]

Roughly... 1 hour and 31 minutes from my place to Phuket, by flight. I love Phuket more than Bangkok.

Well, my office, RIGHT NOW, is 20 minutes (driving) from...

I used to live in KL, and Phuket where in KL are you mate?

[rob1966]

Rob.  The only Aphrodite waterpark I can find is on Paphos mate.  Are you sure its Crete?

Also, The Bellos apartments look very close to where we are staying.  Star Beach Village.  This has its own Waterpark that is open to the public.

Ha ha, massive brainfart, that's the waterpark we'll be in next week - yes its Acqua Plus we go to on Crete, kids love it and we love the space.

Yes, you're not too far up from where we stay, not wandered that far down though. We go out in Piskopianos of a night or down into Heraklion.

[pw1008]

Thinking of hiring an apartment or villa next year havent done it for years - has anyone done it in Paphos? Never been but rental prices look reasonable enough

[Jookie]

City break at Easter -  probably an Italian city

Miami followed by Orlando in the summer. Probably do 10 days at Disney -  Club level at Animal Kingdom Lodge is good because you get drinks and food included. Not sure what to do in Miami. Need to sort out hotels for Miami and might do North Beach.

[NarutoReds]

I used to live in KL, and Phuket where in KL are you mate?

Bangsar South, mate. Wow you lived here before!! Hahaha!!   

Hope you loved it here during your stay.

[Kenny's Jacket]

Bangsar South, mate. Wow you lived here before!! Hahaha!!   

Hope you loved it here during your stay.

The posh suburbs, very nice mate

I loved it there, my 6 years of my life

[SamLad]

massive brainfart

you, or your wife?

[CheshireDave]

Going to do a few more UK holidays this year in my motorhome - West coast of Scotland again before the Midges take over, along the Northumberland coast and hopefully mid Wales. Other than that I am going fishing in France for a week in Summer and I am really wanting to go to Montenegro but struggling to find a reasonable flight which isn't departing from Gatwick. So might just end up renting a villa in Greece, Portugal or somewhere similar.

[Caligula?]

The sad situation with Luis Diaz's parents got me thinking:

Has anyone been to Colombia in the recent past, and how safe is it? I have a trip planned there for next year and will only really be staying in Barranquilla and Medellin but news like this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

[Chakan]

The sad situation with Luis Diaz's parents got me thinking:

Has anyone been to Colombia in the recent past, and how safe is it? I have a trip planned there for next year and will only really be staying in Barranquilla and Medellin but news like this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

My wife is from Colombia and we were there last year January and going in January next year. Barranquilla and Medellin are fine, I mean just don't walk around with wads of cash bling all over you and you should be fine. We were in Bogota which can have very poor areas. We are going to Medellin where my wife is originally from and other than the traffic and the crazy drivers it's a good place to visit. Barranquilla is the tourist destination so a bit more regulated.

[SamLad]

The sad situation with Luis Diaz's parents got me thinking:

Has anyone been to Colombia in the recent past, and how safe is it? I have a trip planned there for next year and will only really be staying in Barranquilla and Medellin but news like this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

I posted this earlier today ...

we were in Cartagena earlier this year and missed our bus stop on the way back from the city centre.  bus was a circular route so just needed to stay on it.  driver thought we were nuts. 

all ended fine - but some of the areas we went through looked really dicey.

in the whole we were treated very nicely, going back in January.  stick to the main areas and be aware (same advice for any country) is all you need.

I'll add this:
I was in Bogota for a couple of days a few years back on business.  taxi's from hotel to office each time but didn't like the look of the place.
on the last day I went for a walk near the hotel (I had an hour to kill before my flight home).  I got stopped by some middle-aged guy in a suit who flashed a card of some sort, saying he was a cop and insisting that I show him my passport.
I just stonewalled him and said my passport was in hotel (which it was) and refused to hand him my wallet id.
after 2-3 minutes he got flustered, turned around and ran like hell.  no idea wtf he was going for - probably to leg it with my passport or wallet if I passed it to him.

[1964allezallezallez]

South Africa in December. Will hire a car and spend a week in or around Cape Town then 4 nights on safari in the Timbavati. 

[Komic]

The sad situation with Luis Diaz's parents got me thinking:

Has anyone been to Colombia in the recent past, and how safe is it? I have a trip planned there for next year and will only really be staying in Barranquilla and Medellin but news like this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

Went a few years ago and it was fine, felt comfortable taking the trains around Medellin whilst I was there.

Had one sketchy moment in Cali when I thought I might get kidnapped. Booked a taxi the night before to go to San Cipriano, in the morning go down and a taxi is waiting for us. Get in and he starts driving.  He asks where we're going, I say the place, get told its too far away,  I say we agreed it yesterday. He then asks how much for, I say the price, he says he wont do it for. He is still driving round the streets of Cali, and rings up his boss who starts asking the same things. Try to explain to them that we mustve got in the wrong taxi and could he take us back to the hostel. He says no and continues to try to negioate the fee for the journey. My partner is freaking out as she speaks even less Spanish than me.

Eventually he takes us back to the hostel, but there were a few minutes where we thought he wasnt going to takes us back there.

[.adam]

The sad situation with Luis Diaz's parents got me thinking:

Has anyone been to Colombia in the recent past, and how safe is it? I have a trip planned there for next year and will only really be staying in Barranquilla and Medellin but news like this doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

I went in 2015 and never felt unsafe. Went to Bogota, Medellin, Cartagena and Santa Marta.

Just have your wits about you and you'll be fine.

[Nobby Reserve]

Major fuck-up.

 

Went to double-check something on our flights for next year... realised I somehow didn't complete the booking (Ryanair). This was back in September. Went back on to book but the prices for that flight had increased by over 50%.

Fuck!

Another trawl of the airlines and found Easy flights at even [every so slightly] cheaper than the ones I'd booked. But for a day later depart & return. So had to change the hotel booking, which wasn't actually a problem.

Phew!

[bradders1011]

10 days' full board in Salou at a 4-star hotel near the Cap Salou end.

By then, we'll have a 6-month-old and won't have had a beach holiday in 7 years so the plan is to do absolutely nothing for several days. Might get the bus to Reus, it's meant to be a nice town. Other than that, poolside, bit of beach, walking down to Cambrils and reading.

[rob1966]

Fucking TUI have just cancelled our May holiday, don't think much of the offered alternative so cancelled the lot, twice they've done this now on the bounce...

She's gonna book 2025 with them for Corfu, only reason being we've £800 in vouchers they owe us from the fuck up for Crete 2 years ago and she's not letting them go.

[Nobby Reserve]

Fucking TUI have just cancelled our May holiday, don't think much of the offered alternative so cancelled the lot, twice they've done this now on the bounce...

She's gonna book 2025 with them for Corfu, only reason being we've £800 in vouchers they owe us from the fuck up for Crete 2 years ago and she's not letting them go.

Holiday and airline companies couldn't give a flying fuck about impacts on people.

[rob1966]

Holiday and airline companies couldn't give a flying fuck about impacts on people.

At least they gave us a bit of notice this time, last one was about 2 weeks before we were due to fly !!! TUI are the worst I've dealt with, EasyJet and Jet2 have never fucked us about like these lot.

Its actually worked out ok, turns out the eldest had his GCSE Maths exam the day after we were due to fly back, so suits him better

[AndyInVA]

Can anyone recommend a favorite place in the Caribean, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Virgin Islands.

trying to book something last minute and know nothing.

[Wigwamdelbert]

Can anyone recommend a favorite place in the Caribean, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Virgin Islands.

trying to book something last minute and know nothing.

My cousin regularly visits BVI and would recommend Tortola.
I'm just back from a cruise around the Caribbean, can recommend Aruba (beautiful white beaches and crystal blue sea), Grand Cayman (tax free) and Curacao (just a stunning island but don't visit the museum)