UK or Abroad

[vim_fuego]

I live in what is considered one of the most popular holiday spots in the UK. The UK really sucks right now for a holiday as it's like Autumn in August and a pint costs around £6.50 here and £20 wouldn't buy you 4 decent ice creams. If you had the foresight to holiday here in mid to late June you'd have been alright (in fact the last 2-3 Junes have been amazeballs here for temp/sun) but the sea still has ice bergs in it so not all great. A camping pitch costs £450-600 a week locally, a caravan (static) a grand and hotels astronomic on the whole.

I'm just back from a nice part of Turkey. Temp ranged from 35C initially up to 48C on a couple of days during that well reported heatwave. Beer was a third of the UK price, ice creams pointless unless you can eat quickly and wall to wall sun. Flights were £180 each return, transfer £120 for all of us and a villa £2.4k for two weeks.

My question:

Why would anyone holiday in the UK in the recognised summer months of July? Consistently piss-poor weather and greedy business owners/breweries/suppliers ripping you off?

Another Question:

I like villa holidays but fancy a break from Turkey. Where else should I be looking for value for money, decent flight times (no more than 4-5 hours), sun and ale?

 

[StickyFingers]

You can take the dog

 

[Junter]

Me and Mrs Junter just went to the mall in Paphos, Cyprus and the area is full of tourists. We had a massive heatwave a couple of weeks ago but now we're back to being in the low 30s. There’s one bar near the seafront where you can get a pint for €1.69 but not sure what that would be like, usually 2.50-3.00 is normal. Prices here have shot up in the last year but eating out, alcohol and cigarettes are still quite cheap. Car hire is also inexpensive and it's a beautiful country if you want to explore. Not sure about flights and villa prices as we haven't been tourists for a while. Flights are about 5 hours from North of England. Might be worth you having a look.

 

[busby1971]

I’d recommend southern Italy, that bit below Naples, if you want cheap quality food and okay beaches, also not many British around tourists either.

We did a couple UK breaks last year , but they weren’t lounge around ones, and really enjoyed them, the money you save on flights covers most extra costs of drinks and meals (always a Wetherspoons around if you’re skint) and because it costs more you are tempted to over indulge less.

I travel quite a bit with my current job so flying doesn’t appeal, but we’re off to Madrid for a week long city break when I get back from Vienna tomorrow and I’m looking forward to that, also got a week planned up in Edinburgh at Half Term which should be nice, so answering the topic question, why not do both.

 

[Vushtrri]

I’ve holidayed Off the beaten track in a number of places the world over and had an amazing time, from traipsing and canoeing through the jungle to the Angel Falls in Venezuela, trekking through the Namibian wilderness, bimbling off to deepest Sahara for a fortnight searching for rock art near the Sudanese, Libyan Egyptian border…and other weird places.
Now however I can’t be arsed with all the hassle of flying which is more akin to going to a livestock market and then on holiday in a cattle truck. I’d rather take a trip up the west coast of Scotland enjoying the peace and quiet….or messing about in our woods with a visit in the evening to good old Wetherspoons!

 

[Spearmint]

Off to Newquay this year for a week as we'll take the dog as well. Next year is the Canary Islands, somewhere else in Europe for 2025, with a big one in Japan for 2026 as the lad turns 18.

Any hints for Newquay gratefully received.

 

[vim_fuego]

Off to Newquay this year for a week as we'll take the dog as well. Next year is the Canary Islands, somewhere else in Europe for 2025, with a big one in Japan for 2026 as the lad turns 18.

Any hints for Newquay gratefully received.

Drink but don’t eat in the Red Lion (independent pub so good booze prices but food sucks). Fish and chips from Francines off Chester Road (huge portions). Newquay Rowing Club bar on the harbour is open to the public, few seem to know and a decent place to drink. You’ll struggle to find a dog friendly beach May to October. Best beach is up the way by Padstow called Treyarnon (which I think is dog friendly).

 

[muttywhitedog]

I'd recommend Cyprus Vim. I've visited both north and south. We booked a villa for a week near Larnaca through tripadvisor for about £400. Flew to/from Paphos with BA. Hired a car for about £150 for the week and paid about £30 to drive across the green line. Fuel was about £1.20 a litre in southern, but about 80p a litre in northern. I filled up in Famagusta and the savings on fuel paid for my cross border excess. North very good value for food, drink, gifts.

 

[Cornish_Pikey]

Off to Newquay this year for a week as we'll take the dog as well. Next year is the Canary Islands, somewhere else in Europe for 2025, with a big one in Japan for 2026 as the lad turns 18.

Any hints for Newquay gratefully received.

Don't go to Newquay, it's a bit of a dump.

Head to Porth Emmet instead - Stunning - http://www.porthemmet.com/

 

[spanners]

A few months ago we went to Denver, but that was to visit our daughter and stayed in her house, however, I've never been to a non tourist place in the USA before, but it was a pleasant surprise, plenty to see and do, including the Rockies

We also do city breaks every November, usual suspects, New York, Edinburgh, London & Amsterdam done, this year it's Berlin.

We are in the process of looking at Motorhomes & Campervans, plenty of places around us to go, even for 1 night, but the plan is to tour the UK then further afield, this way, the dogs can come with us.

Bottom line is that it depends what you want, if you're a sun chaser, then sure, abroad is the option, however the idea of me, the wife and the dogs, stopping where we like, appeals to me.

 

[fourteen2two]

We have travelled widely especially since retiring. I find flying a bit of a pain given all the hassle at airports, but worth it once you get there. E.g. 2 long holidays in Australia 2015 and 16, awesome.( My wife was born there so wanted to visit).
We have a touring caravan and spent at least a month in EU each year. Just had 6 weeks in France from 2 June. Only had rain on 4 days ! Temp up to low 30s.
We had a few days in UK on way back. 4 nights campsite £180 ! 2 weeks low season on a French site, with pool, restaurant /bar ,massive pitch spotless facilities and electric €200!
Prices do go up in in high season of course. We don't do school holidays or peak season anymore.
We do use the van in the UK too and like to explore our own country too. Again avoiding peak times.

 

[Spearmint]

Don't go to Newquay, it's a bit of a dump.

Head to Porth Emmet instead - Stunning - http://www.porthemmet.com/

Nice, I'll get my missus a right treat with that one!

 

[Barch]

I'll just stick to the North Yorkshire coast with forays onto the moors.

 

[Rocket_Ronster]

I'll just stick to the North Yorkshire coast with forays onto the moors.

Not now we've got shit on the beach from Whitby to Scarborough.

 

[Barch]

Not now we've got shit on the beach from Whitby to Scarborough.

Further north than the tourist traps.

 

[Vushtrri]

My daughter grew up in Cornwall so summers were always spent visiting her..Since then we’ve avoided it like the plague in Summer. We had to go down early July for a few nights however and found a wonderful campsite nr St Austell. Only about 30 pitches and its own outside covered bar. Out of all the sites we’ve visited over the years it has to be the best by far. Six persons per pitch in high season £29 a couple of quid more with hook up. Immaculate toilets and showers..

Home - Tremarne Campsite

Welcome to Tremarne Campsite on the edge of St Austell where you can simply pitch up, sit back, relax and breathe in this beautiful part of Cornwall!

tremarne.com

 

[busby1971]

I used to love Cornwall the first week in September when school went back.

Dont think I could live there but might try for a short break next year, off peak.

 

[Are El]

Don't know about the UK, but the weather's been absolutely $h!te here for the last couple of weeks, however during the coming week it's supposedly going to pick up a bit.
We have been lucky, had a 10 day break to Slovakia and Hungary in June and had decent weather.
Slovakia didn't seem over touristy but enough to see there, the locals were quite friendly and mostly spoke good English. Bratislava is a bit of a hidden gem but you can probably see it in 2 days.
We flew from Eindhoven, and travelled everywhere by train once we got there, including to and from Budapest (which is well worth a visit)
It was a good trip which certainly didn't break the bank!

 

[Dazzy26]

We have just got back from 5 days in Prague. Stayed near the Palace/Castle which was a great location. Lots to do and weather was great. It's strange to go to a place where in a bar/restaurant. Tap water is more expensive than a pint of beer. The restaurants and bars are probably about 20% more expensive in the main tourist areas, but 10 mins walk away the prices drop considerably. Great tram system which is really cheap and lots of day trips to book. I would recommend buying tickets for attractions when you get there as a lot cheaper than booking on-line.

 

[Vushtrri]

We have just got back from 5 days in Prague. Stayed near the Palace/Castle which was a great location. Lots to do and weather was great. It's strange to go to a place where in a bar/restaurant. Tap water is more expensive than a pint of beer. The restaurants and bars are probably about 20% more expensive in the main tourist areas, but 10 mins walk away the prices drop considerably. Great tram system which is really cheap and lots of day trips to book. I would recommend buying tickets for attractions when you get there as a lot cheaper than booking on-line.

We went to Prague back in ‘93 whilst we were staying in Brno. It was wonderful as it was only a few yrs after the Velvet Revolution so not many tourists about and beer/ wine ridiculously cheap. Loved it so much that later that year we flew to Prague, caught the overnight train to Kosice then spent 10 days travelling back to Prague by local buses and staying in pensions.. An interesting 10 days to say the least..