[Closed] Holidays with the kids this summer..Under 3k... is it possible

Eurocamp in French Alps. Sorted.

I am guessing from your comments that a holiday for you is only a holiday if it is outside of the UK? £3K would get you an epic uk based holiday in a luxury cottage in a super scenic bit of countryside with enough left over to buy the family an SUP (other toys are available) for a summer of fun and as many days out as you could handle.

Or does it have to be bucket and spade/sun lounger and abroad?

Watches with interest

Ignore the pedants, go on the Holiday you want to.

So, yes.  Try Jet2 who are a bit cheaper, but also some of the last minute websites or offers later in the year.  3 years ago we did Ibiza all inclusive on the quiet side 7 days, 2 adults 2 kids £1650 pool and beach half price deal with Thompson.  It will cost you more to book now / be less flexible.  That was the Hotel Cala Nova in Es Cana. We booked in July for an August holiday.  Going outside school hols is cheaper if you are able.

Plymouth ferry to France & Eurocamp, or pay even less & book direct with campsites in France.

Our 2 weeks in the Loire this summer, inc overnight ferry from hull (we are coming from Perthshire) should come in less than £1500+days/meals out when we get there, on a campsite with 4 pools and loads for kids to do.

^ I would agree with ceept. Look to camp/self cater in central and south France. Drive down. We loved the Massif Central and would go back again.

How flexible are your dates ???

Like others have said... £1500 (or so OUTSIDE AUGUST) will get you a cracking activity packed holiday in France... either camping or reasonable priced accom.

We often go to the Loire (as above) and/or SW France  ... and with a car you will have hundreds of activities within an hours drive.

We usually do some beach, some water slides, some cycling, some kayaking, visit some castles, some treetop (GoApe) stuff etc. and mostly its more a case of fitting in activities as Jnr then wants to do the last one again next day.

France is convenient in terms of taking  the car but also because they have lots of "open" activities that you don't need to be staying somewhere specific to use.  (It's "designed" for the French taking domestic holidays)

Typically we break up the drive to the SW, so we'll stop 2 nights in the Loire on the way down .. do some cycling, some kayaking, visit a castle or 3 ... then on the way back we stop somewhere close to a ferry but with activities. Last time included Kayaking, Water skiing (didn't have time), cycling, horse riding.. and stopping in a faux gypsy caravan for example.

Every time we skip stuff we say we will do next time... we really never run out of activities.

Last 2 years the OH has wanted to go to Ibiza... but we got AirB&B for £1200... and flights under £500 + hire car... did some cycling (hire bikes) and lots of snorkelling but nowhere near as much fun as driving round IMHO.

I’ve long given up on the package holiday out of term time, as OP says tell the overly cheery Lady in the travel agents you’ve got £3k to spend and they’ll ask you to try a bit harder.

As SaxonRider said, the Alps is amazing for family hols, no crowds, no grotty resort towns, no pools filled to the brim, no feral kids left to their own devices because Mum and Dad want their ‘moneys worth’ from the all-inclusive so are necking no-brand Vodka with breakfast.

Peace, quiet, great food, amazing views, pools if you want them, but lakes that will make you never want a pool again in your life and endless things to do.

+1 for  drive to the alps. Amazing for kids and really good value. A colleague has suggested dropping over into Slovenia which looks like twice the value.

This summer we'll head to the Zillertal again, then back up through the black forest. There's loads of water parks, cycle ways, rodelbahns & mountain adventure play parks in both areas. We mix it up between small hotels and airBnB.

In-car DVD players are essential & many will work as monitors for consoles or phones.

Grab yourself a Eurocamp brochure, find a site you like then book direct with that site, bypassing Eurocamp.

We've been here the last two years - www.lesalicourts.com - great location and 6 hours drive from Calais. we had a large mobile home for 2 weeks for around £1300. I've got two girls (7+10) who loved it.

You just need to add in a channel crossing and a tank of fuel.

This summer we're going here - www.saint-avit-loisirs.co.uk - it is a bit further south (near Bergerac) so probably an 8-9 hour drive down from Calais, and a bit more expensive (about £1900 for 2 weeks) but we should have awesome weather.

Don't book with Eurocamp - they just rent blocks of mobile homes on other peoples sites and charge a premium (sometimes 50% more) for essentially the same thing - the only plus point is an English speaking company Rep on site - but don't see why you'd need it when most of the regular site staff speak reasonable English anyway.

We’re flying to Bordeaux and staying at Biscarosse, cabin on a campsite type thing with pool, boating lake and close to surf beach. EasyJet was less than £500 for 4 of us, and the cabin is about £600 for a week. Loads of activities and should get good weather.

<p>£3k??</p><p></p><p>Easily doable, you could book flights and then use AirBnB for accomodation, even agent based is well within that budget. </p><p></p><p> http://www.stewarttravel.co.uk/late-holiday-deals/</p><p></p><p>I could probably get 3 of us to malaysia and back for that money!</p>

A couple of years ago we went to the French Alps then Northern Tuscany.  Accommodation for each week was c£1000 and the cost of driving and Eurotunnel came in at well under £1k.  It was a brilliant holiday.  But it doesn't seem I'm the first to be telling you this.

Another camper here. Load up the ratty old van with kids, tents and bikes, cross our fingers and head for the Dordogne. 2 grownups (ish) and 3 boys.

Booked 2 weeks direct, ferry direct about 1400 so far (you could do the crossing  cheaper, this was getting a cabin both ways and going from Portsmouth to minimise time UK side - that's about an hour for us - plus best pitch and fridge hire) .. couple of hundred set aside for fuel and tolls .. need to find a Euro break down that covers a 21 year old van - RAC do but was pricey last time.

These have been the best holidays I've been on. Even shopping for food is fun and a a bit of experience for the boys, explore a castle in the morning, read a book by the river in the afternoon then jump in, early evening mountain bike ride .. it's just great. Do the odd organised day to a water park or something but generally just please ourselves.

chunnel, Alps, gite, leisurely drive down over a few days for me (with plenty of riding time each day) picking up / dropping off Mrs R & kids at Geneva for cheapish flights #paradise

alternatively, stick yourself in a french hospital after smearing yourself down a hillside when not as gnarrly-awssumz as you'd like to think you are and still be hearing about ruining the family holiday to this day!

I was going to say Eurocamp in France but have been beaten to it by, erm, everyone!

The Eurotunnel crossing can be had with vouchers bought with Tesco Clubcard vouchers.  Fifty quid's worth of points covers you for a £150 fare, which is about what it costed the last time I took a car over.  I've done it a few times now and it's cost me the grand total of £0.00 to make the crossings.  Then you're just looking at fuel and tolls on top of the usual spends like accommodation and activities.

As someone else said, you can save a wedge by going direct to caravan owners rather than going through Eurocamp.  The one we stayed in last was lovely.

the Alps is amazing for family hols, no crowds, no grotty resort towns, no pools filled to the brim, no feral kids left to their own devices because Mum and Dad want their ‘moneys worth’ from the all-inclusive so are necking no-brand Vodka with breakfast.

.. and Watney's Red Barrel?

Gents .... Some of those campsite look fantastic, (and I've noted them for next year) but seem to be inland.

We are staying inland for our second week ..... Do you guys have any good sites on or near the coast?

North of La Rochelle ideally

It's our second year camping and will be the first time in france.... Can't wait...honesty I've not been this excited about holidays in years.

The Eurotunnel crossing can be had with vouchers bought with Tesco Clubcard vouchers.  Fifty quid’s worth of points covers you for a £150 fare, which is about what it costed the last time I took a car over.  I’ve done it a few times now and it’s cost me the grand total of £0.00 to make the crossings.

^this

Eurocamp in French Alps. Sorted.

This.

Having been lucky enough to go on a fair few decent holidays when I was young (skiing, fancy resort hotels, etc) the ones I remember the most fondly were Eurocamp efforts in the south of France.

Driving down from London with a car full of stuff, massive campsite full of kids from all over Europe, French girls with boobs out at the pool (clearly the reason it's stuck in my reptilian brain), BBQ every night with amazing food, no TV, just wonderful.

I'm also lucky enough to be going on some decent hols these days - have just got back from a 5* all inclusive place in Sri Lanka for Easter - but will still be going to Eurocamp when the kids are a bit older.

Gents …. Some of those campsite look fantastic, (and I’ve noted them for next year) but seem to be inland.

We are staying inland for our second week ….. Do you guys have any good sites on or near the coast?

North of La Rochelle ideally

We've camped on Ile de Re a couple of times - it's just off La Rochelle. Great beaches, loads of cycle paths, good markets and restaurants. The sea breeze is welcome in August as it is a little cooler than inland. Last time, we went via the tunnel and stayed in a cheap hotel en route. I don't know the exact cost but it was way less than £3k. Closer to £1k I would think.

Hugo ..... We went on our first family ski trip over Easter and I thought is was fantastic but when I asked the kids was it the best holiday ever... their answer was .... yeah, good but not as good as camping !!

And, we've only done a few UK sites so far.

We will be driving out from Scotland for 10 days camping in the Durance Valley, halfway between Briancon and Embrun. We'd like to go somewhere else for a week or so. Any recommendations?

Ideally somewhere with some easy cragging or via ferratas, some family friendly bike rides, lake to swim/float in, that sort of thing. Our back-up is probably Bourg St Maurice, but I'm more than open to non-alpine options. Last year we went to Langeac in the Allier valley. Unfortunately, although the campsite was brilliant, I was badly allergic to something on the site and struggled to breathe for a week.

Brittany, Eurocamp chalet.  Lovely coastline, good pools (with nice bars next to them), clean, loads for kids to do, nice local restaurants and interesting towns aplenty to nose around.  Roughly £1500, Plymouth to Roscoff.  We're on our fourth year and whilst the kids are quite young (12 and 9) we all love it because there's not much travelling to p##s everyone off.

Hugo ….. We went on our first family ski trip over Easter and I thought is was fantastic but when I asked the kids was it the best holiday ever… their answer was …. yeah, good but not as good as camping !!

Can't argue with that!

It's the social thing of the site I think.  Children suddenly have space and freedom that they might not at home and love it.  Not quite the same in a hotel or skiing.

We have done beach holidays in Majorca the last couple of years. Five of us self catering flying out of Gatwick and the cost was under 3 grand for 8 nights which considering its in the school summer holidays could be worse.  Kids seemed happy enough there, 17, 14, and 12 years old.  After being caught up in the lowcostholidays fiasco a couple of years back I now use travelrepublic. No complaints but then nothing has gone wrong which I guess would be the true test.

If you fancy France , i am considering renting a 2 bed appartement in our house .

The town is called Millau , great for canoing , swimming in the river , Gorges du tarn . The Med is 1h30 minutes away and there are some nice lakes 1 hour away .

and cycling is great too , road and MTB .

Another vote for France, used Yelloh village at a couple of locations and enjoyed both of them