package holiday info?

i'm an independent traveller- have never been to a resort or club medish or down a package holiday... i'm a control freak and i always thought not being able to chooes the "perfect" hotel, "perfect" flight, etc might criple me.

well.... not sure why i'm thinking about this- but *if* i can swing a few days holiay in late august- mid-sept- i'm thinking about it.  like- here's £200.  sort my holiday out. (okay i realize i'll need to spend a wee more than that) I don’t want the stress of choosing the perfect hotel- researching the best deals- etc…

am i going to be disappointed? i'm looking for a 3 day weekend break- not to a city- preferably somewhere warm with a pool/beach- less than 3 hour flight from london- meals on site- possibility of going off site for dinner- i want to veg and do nothing and chill and smooch with boy.

suggestions?  package tour operators to avoid?  location suggestions? 

I've heard lots of good things about Thomson.  You might pay SLIGHTLY more (compared to JMC or First Choice), but you get an on-site rep and excellent customer service.  Not personally used them yet, but I've had many friends give them the thumbs-up.

you won't get a 3 night holiday from the likes of Thomson or First Choice or Thomas Cook they only do 7 or 14 night holidays....sometimes 10..unless they have changed since November..which could have happened....


best thing to do is go into a travel agent and ask them to find you the best deal.....

they have access to places the normal consumer doesn't!

If you're prepared to do a little work on the net, you'll get so much better value...we flew to Carcassonne for 1p a little while ago and found a good hotel using travellers websites.

any recs on locations?

normally you only get reps with a package holiday...
booking with the likes of lastminute..latebeds..travelocity..those kinds of places are only consolidators and do not offer any services past the booking of the hotel rooms.

tour operators are the best bet if you want a full service holiday..but then again I don't think you will get one for only 3 nights...

go onto thomson site and try tho...

We do one all-inclusive package holiday a year. We look at it as the cheapest way to get away for a week for some sunshine without having to worry about anything whatsoever. We did Rhodes a couple of years ago and LOVED it, then Lake Garda last year (didn't like it, but mostly because we're more beach people than mountains people), and doing Lanzarote later this week. It's our tune out week - we do absolutely nothing but lie around and re-charge our batteries.

If you're more into exploring, eating out, etc. then it's worth it to book something on your own but if you just want a cheap way to chill, I see nothing wrong with package holidays....

thanks everyone-

anne- that's exactly what the boy & i are looking for.  recharging. 

away from the uK at the moment but i'll start investigating when i return...

Thompson just screwed my mother on a holiday to Rome...totally misrepresented the quality and location of her hotel...it's the second year running she has had this.

Vicky

you won't get a 3 night holiday from the likes of Thomson or First Choice or Thomas Cook they only do 7 or 14 night holidays....sometimes 10..unless they have changed since November..which could have happened....

Aw, I didn't know that. I have a lot of money's worth of Thomas Cook vouchers, but was hoping to do a mini-break or two since my bf can't get away for a whole week. 

Try Thomas Cook Select...they have nice hotels and you could do a city break couple night get away and I am pretty sure you could use your vouchers that way!



I don't like using Crystals for that reason Vicky! Used them several times to book someones holiday and had one woman calling me from France at the hotel and said this isn't a 4* hotel that is was a dump...so you have to be careful cause the rating they give hotels is their own rating not a standardized rating!!!

Be sure to double check anything booked through a package operator on tripadvisor.com - it may slow down the decision making process but at least you'll know what you're getting. Tripadvisor ROCKS.

Try Thomas Cook Select...they have nice hotels and you could do a city break couple night get away and I am pretty sure you could use your vouchers that way!

Thanks! I'd never even heard of Thomas Cook Select!  

Try Thomas Cook Select...they have nice hotels and you could do a city break couple night get away and I am pretty sure you could use your vouchers that way!

I don't like using Crystals for that reason Vicky! Used them several times to book someones holiday and had one woman calling me from France at the hotel and said this isn't a 4* hotel that is was a dump...so you have to be careful cause the rating they give hotels is their own rating not a standardized rating!!!

Is there any redress for my mum?  She was assured that the hotel was 5 minutes walk from the Trevi fountain and it was over half an hour by bus!  She would never have chosen that hotel if she has known, and it certainly affected the qualify of the trip.

(Sorry for the hijack!)

Vicky

I sent you a pm!
But yes there should be something they can do for her!