First timers needing advice

Supernube

Hello all.
We are hoping to take our 4 children on holiday next year but have never been abroad before and would love some help and friendly advice.
We would ideally love to rent a villa for two weeks with its own pool etc but have to keep costs down without ruining the holiday :-)
Where do we look for for this kind of holiday choice and who do we trust ?
Can anybody suggest any nice destinations ...we were thinking south of france ?
The main reason for asking for your advice is we simply do not know where to start ...what travel agent ? any online ?
what sort of cost ?
hidden charges or anything we need to think about or be aware of ?
Im sorry for asking so many silly questions but we really do need the advice.
Thank you so much
Marie

Obviously_the_best

1st rule of low cost travel, avoid travel agents. Do you want to drive, fly, sail? If you want to fly Majorca is probably ideal for a first time abroad. Flights are generally quite cheap and flying time is short. Villas with shared pools are a good substitute for the sort you want if you're trying to keep costs down. Googling Majorca Villas will bring up an owners direct page, which is a good way to get hold of a nice villa.

Supernube

Thank you....we have found one of those owners direct sites for villas in France....we have contacted them and it seems quite a good price per week for a barn with private pool etc...£500 per week ...is this a good price? seems good to us but we dont really know.
It is in the south of France and we are thinking mid june time ? is the weather good this time of year in the south of France ?
We now need to work out the best and cheapest way of getting there ....ferry ? fly ? walk lol ...
any advice will be very much appreciated
Thank you

trailingspouse

Have a really lovely time. The weather will be fab. There are advantages to flying, and advantages to driving -
Flying - much shorter travelling time (even with check-in times), but you're limited to how much baggage you can take. You'll probably want/need to hire a car once you're there, which adds to the cost.
Driving - it takes a long time to get to the south of France, and a long time to get home again. With 4 kids, it could be a complete nightmare. BUT - with a roof box on, you can take pretty much everything you'll need with you. How confident do you feel at driving on the 'wrong' side of the road?
Both ways are do-able, but neither is perfect. It really depends on which you feel would work best for you.

wallbash

Sorry will disagree with previous posts.
quote ......but have never been abroad before

Go to a travel Agency , yes it will cost more , but you are buying advice/peace of mind. The holiday will be relaxing and you will have help if you do run into some small problem .

Booking independently saves money , but is not for the beginner.
Would be different if you were travailing alone but you have the whole family to look out for.

Four children , abroad , in the school holidays is never going to be cheap .

ronmiel

We used to travel to the south of France regularly with two children, going by road and taking two or three days for the journey each way. Have you considered hiring a mobile home on a holiday park, the children would love it and they would have other children to play with.

Ponkle22

What ages are the children? If they are very young you are going to need to keep an eye on them near a private pool. If older they might be happier with a shared pool so there are other children to play with - nothing better than making a 'holiday friend'. Its often a highlight of a holiday.

Are you all going to be content with pool. My children differ - some prefer the pool and some prefer the beach.

Always best to go onto review sites like Trip Advisor to research the area (what there is to do, where to eat etc) and read reviews on properties or hotels. Just bear in mind there will always be people who moan about accommodation but if the majority leave favourable comments and they sound like they enjoy the type of things you enjoy, then it might be a good bet. You can research properties or hotels or go into the forum and read up on the area.

Flights are cheapest the furthest away you book them and eurostarr you need to book 3 months in advance to get the cheapest seats.

Hope this helps.

Hope this helps.

isplumm

Hi,

Instead of driving all the way to the south of france, why not try some where like the Loire Valley or maybe Brittiany / Normandy / Vendee .... good beaches & not as far as the south of France - there are plenty of ferries from the south of england / dover etc. loire valley is 3 hours away .... if going to vendee look @ puy du fou ... amazing.

Look @ cheznous.com for properties.

Mark

Kynthia

If you plan your holiday independently then make sure your holiday insurance covers this. Most holiday insurance cover assumes you are on a package holiday.

Also if you do drive to France you need to be aware of the rules and compulsory equipment, such as a warning triangle and a reflective jacket. You'll need to inform your car insurance to check it will cover you and any breakdown cover may not be valid abroad.

loobs40

Kynthia wrote: »

Most holiday insurance cover assumes you are on a package holiday.

No it doesn't

heart_free

Another great place to look at is southern brittany - Carnac Plage is a great little seaside town and lots of market towns etc to visit for days out. They have holiday parks such as the EuroCamp type, and there are also quite a few villas to rent. Im pretty sure the town has its own website. We went years ago when our boys were younger and they loved it.