Ozwin Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Having a quick look there's some pretty good offers on Thomas Cook for like £500/600 all inclusive in Spain which might be alright but obviously we don't want some Inbetweeners type affair with a bunch of lads from back home in the room next door! Would be nice to go somewhere by the coast or at least near it and it'd have to have a decent amount of things to see and do (Spain seems like a good shout because of the football grounds we could see) and yeah, just getting a few ideas together nice and early as we'll just have our pants pulled down if we leave it too late. Where have you been and where would you recommend really? I've always wanted to have our own pool but that's probably asking too much on our budget haha. Cheers m'dears.
Ozwin Posted 15 February 2012 Author Posted 15 February 2012 I knew as soon as I posted it that sounded stupid.
StanSP Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Having a quick look there's some pretty good offers on Thomas Cook for like £500/600 all inclusive in Spain which might be alright but obviously we don't want some Inbetweeners type affair with a bunch of lads from back home in the room next door! Would be nice to go somewhere by the coast or at least near it and it'd have to have a decent amount of things to see and do (Spain seems like a good shout because of the football grounds we could see) and yeah, just getting a few ideas together nice and early as we'll just have our pants pulled down if we leave it too late. Where have you been and where would you recommend really? I've always wanted to have our own pool but that's probably asking too much on our budget haha. Cheers m'dears. Spain is a good option. Went Barcelona a few years ago with family, and even without the football/seeing Camp Nou, there's still a hell of a lot to see. Such a wonderful city. The town is effectively split in to North and South as you'll see by some of the tour guides and bus routes. The buildings that I loved being in and around were the Gaudi ones. Superb architecture and structure. There's also the Olympic Stadium to see as that holds a fair bit of history. Plus, Barcelona is a coastal city so you're sorted on that front. I think when we went we stayed in a flat/apartment which someone rents out to tourists. Extremely close to the city centre and about 2-minute walk away from the local tour-guide/bus area.
Haydos Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Having a quick look there's some pretty good offers on Thomas Cook for like £500/600 all inclusive in Spain which might be alright but obviously we don't want some Inbetweeners type affair with a bunch of lads from back home in the room next door! Would be nice to go somewhere by the coast or at least near it and it'd have to have a decent amount of things to see and do (Spain seems like a good shout because of the football grounds we could see) and yeah, just getting a few ideas together nice and early as we'll just have our pants pulled down if we leave it too late. Where have you been and where would you recommend really? I've always wanted to have our own pool but that's probably asking too much on our budget haha. Cheers m'dears. (Not exactly sure what you're looking for but here's one if you fancied/settle for something cheaper. Still got a beach, water sports, a volcano. Thought I'd mention it as I only paid £250ish for a 12 day holiday inc flights when I went) Had a wicked time in Lanzarote 4 years ago in Puerto Del Carmen. Stayed in some apartments with a shared pool called La Florida, give it a look, it was a really good deal. 8 of us (guys and gals) went, twin rooms, ended up paying £11 per person/per night for 12 nights I think and had a smashing time. Apartments were basic but good. Clean, decent size, decent beds, balcony over the pool, living room/kitchen. Nice pool, loads of sunbeds. There's a wicked Irish pub adjoined as well, did awesome breakfasts for like £2. Happy 2 hours in the eve, pints of Amstel for £2. Everything close by, beach and old town 5 mins down the hill. Loads of restaurants, lovely fish etc. There is a strip about a 25 minute walk/5 min taxi away if that is your bag, cheap as chips and open late. Also there's a volcano you can walk up and go see some geezers All in all it was the best holiday I've been on, would highly recommend. http://www.lanzaroteguidebook.com/destination/puerto-del-carmen http://www.alpharooms.com/la_florida_in_puerto_del_carmen.aspx Still looks great value for that.
Zingari Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 costa del sol resorts are all pretty good ( maybe avoid torremolinos ) fuengirola , benalmedina, torrox didn't seem at all laddish , puerto banus and marbella are quite classy
Guest MattP Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 costa del sol resorts are all pretty good ( maybe avoid torremolinos ) fuengirola , benalmedina, torrox didn't seem at all laddish , puerto banus and marbella are quite classy I went to Torre about 5 years ago, it was rough then and I've heard it has got really bad since........ You should be ok anywhere around the South Clos usually, Malaga is great if you want to go to the footy.
DB11 Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Rio in Brazil was amazing. Lots to see and that was for two weeks!
Captain... Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 I can reccommend Valencia, cheap flights from east midlands too, rent an apartment, much better than a hotel or hostel and not much more expensive depending on number of people going I guess. It kinda has a bit of everything without being a Beach destination or a clubbing destination or a cultural destination, there is enough of everything to keep most people happy, the main beach is big but not the nicest in Spain, much better than anything in the UK though, if you can time it with some of the festivals, tomatina is bus ride away, they play with bulls in the street in the local villages and have bull fights if you are interested in that kinda thing. The festival of San Juan is in the Summer, celebrates the shortest night by staying up all night on the beach getting pissed with the majority of the city. It's a big city with some cool old school architecture and some modern areas too such as the city of arts and sciences which is awesome to walk around, there are also plenty of bars open til 4 and clubs open til sunrise down by the beach, it is great fun dancing til the sun comes up then going for a swim. Edit: Weather is guarateed to be ****ing hot, probably best to avoid going in august when it gets up to 40 and when the wind comes in it feels like walking into a haridryer.
Ozwin Posted 15 February 2012 Author Posted 15 February 2012 Valencia sounds like a top shout actually. Right on the coast, not far off the island of Malaga so I'm sure there's some partying to be had and yeah, I like it a lot. All depends on price though. Barcelona sounds great too but I can imagine it being a bit more expensive there, no? Back on Valencia, I'm having a bit of trouble finding the price of flights to and from there. Do East Midland's fly direct? As I say, I've never been abroad before so this is all a bit new to me haha, I can't figure out how to book return flights either haha.
Houdini Logic Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Go to Valencia in July and also spend a few days in Benicassim. If you have an apartment in Benicassim you'll be very appealing to all the dirty european girls attending the festival and in need of a steamy shower...
StanSP Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Barcelona sounds great too but I can imagine it being a bit more expensive there, no? Yeah, bit more expensive than usual. However, depending on how long you're going for, you could stay on the outskirts of the city, then take a couple of days to tour the inner city and main part of Barcelona.
Ozwin Posted 15 February 2012 Author Posted 15 February 2012 Go to Valencia in July and also spend a few days in Benicassim. If you have an apartment in Benicassim you'll be very appealing to all the dirty european girls attending the festival and in need of a steamy shower... Now we're talking.
Captain... Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Ryan air does direct flights EMA to Valencia for the summer they normally start around easter time, it may be a bit too early to book now, Valencia is pretty cheap if you know where you are going, but it also has it's tourist trap sort of places which are quite pricey. The locals tend to buy bottles of rum and coke from the supermarket and sit around on the beach getting smashed before going to the clubs, the clubs by the beach can be pricey, but you get tanked before hand and then don't buy a drink in there. There are also some quality little bars where you can a beer and something to eat for 1 euro, and bars with beer taps on the table so you have a meter and you poor your own until you leave and then pay for it. A word of warning though, it is not almost the most easiest city in Spain to be a tourist, there are not as many people that speak English and it can be difficult to find out information, it is a big city so it can be hard to find the hidden gems and you can end up going to the tourist spots every night, which are overpriced. The locals are friendly, but like I say the level of English isn't great, I know I used to teach it, like all big cities there is some crime, but I would say it is much safer than somewhere like Barcelona, but you leave your bag on your seat and go to the toilet it probably won't be there when you come back. Flights will probably be about £100 with Ryanair, depends when you go of course, and a decent hostel is the Red Nest or Purple Nest,
Captain... Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Go to Valencia in July and also spend a few days in Benicassim. If you have an apartment in Benicassim you'll be very appealing to all the dirty european girls attending the festival and in need of a steamy shower... Good call that, but it is a very intense festival, 4 days of partying and getting wasted til 6am, then trying to sleep in a tent in the Spanish sun is brutal, I've been 3 times and each time I have needed a holiday afterwards.
Bryn Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Can recommend Scandinavia, I went to Sweden last year. We flew out for about £140 return I think, and stayed in a cabin owned by a friend's relative - you could book something similar for less than £200 and squeeze as many as you like in. The idea being you barely spend any time indoors, you just have to find a spot to curl up in at night! We took 10 and all found a bed at night. Really is a "great outdoors" kinda holiday, our cabin was deep in the woods, right on the sea (the sea being the Baltic sea, with its low salinity, and with Sweden being an archipelago it's more like shitloads of lakes). Most of these cabins have their own boathouse, with a rowing boat, kayaks and perhaps even a motorboat. We swam in the sea and walked in the woods. We had a huge expanse of grass to subbathe, kick a ball about it, whatever we fancied. At night, we lit a bonfire (not always possible, there are laws against it), drank (not that much more expensive than here in our experience, we bought strong beer and cider in huge crates, the only issue is you have to drive into a town and find a Systembolaget, a government run alcohol store) and generally had a ****ing right laugh. The nearest sizable town was Kalmar, a pretty coastal town with some good history, some nice bars, European-style city squares and beautiful, friendly people. It was absolutely boiling that day too, it was beautiful. There's nightlife in the towns, I don't think the Swedes get ratarsed but they're great fun anyway so it doesn't matter. The big downside of Scandinavia that everyone mentions is the price of stuff, but to be honest we found it comparable to here - perhaps because we were quite far from Stockholm. We had a rental car, wasn't too pricy and the roads are superb. I recommend it, it's a bit different like.
Ozwin Posted 15 February 2012 Author Posted 15 February 2012 Just want a bit of sun and somewhere with some stuff to do for a week. When is this Benicassim, I think I'd like to pass this by cos it'll be mayhem if we're there when that's all kicking off?
Houdini Logic Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Just want a bit of sun and somewhere with some stuff to do for a week. When is this Benicassim, I think I'd like to pass this by cos it'll be mayhem if we're there when that's all kicking off? July 12-14th this year. It is an intense festival as Shrapnal says, but only if you're camping - getting wasted until 6am and then having one hours sleep 'til it's too hot to stay in your tent gets a bit tiring. That said, the people are friendly enough and it's not a bad environment, and if you have a hotel then it makes an exceptional holiday (even if you don't attend and just spend some time in the massive aqua park with all the other cool kids )
Libertine Dream Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 Valencia sounds like a top shout actually. Right on the coast, not far off the island of Malaga so I'm sure there's some partying to be had and yeah, I like it a lot. All depends on price though. Barcelona sounds great too but I can imagine it being a bit more expensive there, no? Back on Valencia, I'm having a bit of trouble finding the price of flights to and from there. Do East Midland's fly direct? As I say, I've never been abroad before so this is all a bit new to me haha, I can't figure out how to book return flights either haha. EMA does have flights direct to Valencia in high season, I think it's about 175pp with Ryanair. Personally I wouldn't go to to Valencia, I'd visit it but not stay there. It's the 3rd biggest city in Spain so doesn't feel like a beach holiday and the locals although friendly aren't geared up for the tourists as much as other places in the Costas. Wouldn't got to Barca either, decent place to visit, but you have to be on guard at all times otherwise possessions will go missing and the back streets are a horrible place to be. I'd stay in one of the resort towns and visit different places rather than stay in Valencia and go touring from there. If you want to stay mainland Spain then Costa Brava and Costa Del Sol are the two areas to look at, and will probably fulfill your requirements. If you want the partying you could still go to Ibiza or Mallorca, but not stay in San Antonio or Shagaluf, but instead travel there for the nights you want to party, taxis are dirt cheap, the two islands have a lot to offer. Might not be able to go many football stadiums though Likewise the Canary Islands are great, Lanzarote and Tenerife are the two main ones and both have their party areas but both, Tenerife especially, have a lot of things to do. For example Tenerife has the best Water Park in Europe(imo), Siam Park and it is worth going up Mount Teide, third largest Volcano in the world. Last year me and the lads went to Las Americas and loved it. Again apart from CD Tenerife's ground then there is not football really. You said you didnt want anything like the Inbetweeners movie but those holidays are amazing but if you don't want it then steer clear of staying in places like: Ayia Napa, Kos, Malia, Kavos, Malaga, Zante, San Antonio, Magaluf etc. I've heard great things about Albufeira in Portugal but don't know anything about it so can't comment.
Greg2607 Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 I'm spending a week climbing the atlas mountains in Morroco in August. Camping at 4000m, seeing some incredible views and doing something a bit different. It is "effectively" all inclusive, at the end of the day, we cook our own food in the camp sites and mountain refuges but that is all included as part of the price of the holiday. £600 for the week. Can't wait personally!! but then the idea of spending a week on a sun lounger, is my idea of hell!
Captain... Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 EMA does have flights direct to Valencia in high season, I think it's about 175pp with Ryanair. Personally I wouldn't go to to Valencia, I'd visit it but not stay there. It's the 3rd biggest city in Spain so doesn't feel like a beach holiday and the locals although friendly aren't geared up for the tourists as much as other places in the Costas. Wouldn't got to Barca either, decent place to visit, but you have to be on guard at all times otherwise possessions will go missing and the back streets are a horrible place to be. I'd stay in one of the resort towns and visit different places rather than stay in Valencia and go touring from there. If you want to stay mainland Spain then Costa Brava and Costa Del Sol are the two areas to look at, and will probably fulfill your requirements. Can't argue with that assessment of Valencia, it can be difficult to find out what is going on, there are tourist info centres but it depends if you want a beach holiday or not, and how long you are going for, Valencia is more cultural than just going to the beach, the night life is top, again if you know where to go, the open air clubs are great in the Summer, it is also very easy to get to, 20 minutes on the metro from the airport means you don't get stung by nasty fees, and the metro and tram make it easy to get around and visit the villages. If you have ever fancied running in the street with a bull you can, it's not like the famous one in Pamplona, they just board up the streets and let a bull out, it is very bizarre. I wouldn't worry about Bennicassim, it is about 100km north of Valencia so you will only really notice it around the train station as they all come pouring back. If you time it right you can get a day ticket, go up for one day, go to the water park get mashed and then get the first train back in the morning, or just chill out on the rocks behind the festival and watch the main stage. You could go in August and catch Tomatina: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomatina if you like tomatoes In July they have fireworks on the beach at the weekend, and Valencians know their fireworks, they are fvcking loud. They also have the grand prix in June, I think I miss Valencia, moved to a different part of Spain last year, I have not even mentioned Las Fallas, (19 day festival of all things loud fiery and explosive) it really is a fantastic City, it used to have a river, but it kept on flooding so they re-routed it away from Valencia dried out the river and turned into 12 kilometers of park land, football pitches, museums, concert halls, great place for a stroll.
foxfanazer Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 It's all about Bulgaria this year mate. Lads holiday though. They're not using the euro yet and the exchange rate between GBP and Bulgarian lev is stupid. It's something like 50p a pint . We are going in june
danny. Posted 15 February 2012 Posted 15 February 2012 I'm off to the turquoise coast in Turkey ( pictures ), 30 degrees weather, gorgeous scenery, loads to do, no euro (80p pints), friendly people, great beaches, £500 for a week half board.
Ozwin Posted 16 February 2012 Author Posted 16 February 2012 I'm off to the turquoise coast in Turkey ( pictures ), 30 degrees weather, gorgeous scenery, loads to do, no euro (80p pints), friendly people, great beaches, £500 for a week half board. That looks immense. Who you flying with, what hotel and all that? Deffo interested in this idea. I spent nigh on £500 in bloody Yarmouth last year haha. But that was everything.
Jackirius Posted 16 February 2012 Posted 16 February 2012 Hello, Looking for a 4 or 5 day break with 2 other mates to somewhere in March. Not a cold country, something fairly mild/warm. A decent nightlife and plenty of things to do. Also needs to be dirt cheap. Any ideas? Ta
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