Valuecitybreaks

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Valuecitybreaks

Fully ABTA/Atol bonded travel agent offering a range of package holidays, city breaks, cruises, tail
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Valuecitybreaks was established in 2002 and works in conjunction with Orrs Travel Ltd (ABTA 75045/Atol 4500), one of Northern Ireland`s longest established travel agencies. Aiming to `go that little bit further` by offering carefully selected holidays which are designed to offer real value for money as opposed to the more common industry practice of just finding and promoting the `cheapest` deals available. After all, value and cheap in the world of travel are two very different things.

21/11/2023

Oh good grief. Happened yet again ... old mate of mine from Belfast has just booked (or thought he did) a `bargain villa` in Tenerife over the Easter hols and wanted me to organise flights. When I told him that the flights for his dates (Sat 30 Mar - Easter Saturday / Sat 06 Apr) were over £700pp he reckoned that getting a refund on the villa might be better as there were 10 people travelling. Phones me the next day to say that the `villa company` cannot be contacted by either email or phone and asked if I could help! To cut a long story short, he booked this on facebook marketplace (red flag) and paid in full (another red flag) by bank transfer (biggest red flag of all) so his money is .... GONE TO MONEY HEAVEN. He has been conned/diddled/scammed big style. When oh when are people going to wise up? The really frightening thing is that this guy is a BARRISTER so really should not be so gullible. Greed? Stupidity?
Anyone want a GENUINE bargain? How about 7nts all-inclusive in good 4* hotel somewhere sunny* with return flights from Belfast Intl, cases & transfers next month (Dec) for under £500pp? Can be done - call me!

*Had customers paying big money recently to get `guaranteed sun` in the Canaries over Halloween holidays ....... and the weather was awful!!

13/03/2023

And the following are the real `cheapies` to the Med this Jul/Aug ....

1.
2.
3.
4.

Get the picture eh?

13/03/2023

This would be funny if it were not true .... but read on!
Just had a call from a customer whose parents had booked a city break to Rome (from London) with Groupon (so it was a bargain then cos it`s Groupon and they are great value!) and have just landed at Rome Ciampino Airport. Apparently the parents are distraught, firstly at being hit for massive baggage charges at Stansted Airport which of course were not included in the price they paid (never are with Groupon) although they paid these charges on the spot cos you do in those circumstances eh - don`t want to look like a t*t of course? But the gem is because taxi drivers are asking over 200euro for a taxi to their hotel which they `thought` was in Rome City. Turns out the hotel is actually in Bagnoregio - just 95km north of Rome city centre and a 200euro taxi trip is actually pretty reasonable. Now technically, and how Groupon will get out of any liability here, this hotel IS in Rome! Just happens to be in Rome PROVINCE (Lazio) rather than Rome city. And because Ciampino Airport lies south of the city and Bagnoregio lies north of the city, even further from their hotel! And the best bit ... there is no direct transport from near their hotel to the centre of Rome. Just messy bus/train combinations. So instead of enjoying the Spanish Steps, Vatican City, Trevi Fountain etc ...... they`ll be enjoying the local McDonalds/industrial estate etc. To cap it all, the hotel ain`t too hot either. So (capitals here for effect) WHY DON`T PEOPLE ACTUALLY RESEARCH THEIR ACCOMMODATION BEFORE BOOKING IT. Well, the answer to that is simple really ... they just believe the c**p spouted to them in the first place when booking that `bargain` holiday by these rogue outfits who couldn`t care less once they have your money.
I warn, I warn again, I advise people, I plead with them, I beg them .... and they STILL book these shi**y deals. And to be frank, sometimes people deserve exactly what they get!!

02/03/2023

Early March and the `silly season` is over! Ya know - that time of the year when folks think they are going to get a week in the sun in Jul/Aug for under £500pp. Not this year! Think over £900pp and over £1500pp for anything `really nice`.
Typical phone conversation -
"I seen a deal to Benidorm for £650 in July - can you beat it"
No
"But its on Facebook"
Did you call whoever posted it?
"Yeah but they`d sold out"
Well, when mine are sold out they are £645
"Eh"?

So any bargains?
How about 4nts this Jul/Aug in Brindisi (from Dublin) for -
£465pp b&b in good central 3* hotel
£515pp b&b in good central 4* hotel

Or make it 7nts for under £800pp
BTW - Brindisi is a coastal city in Apulia, Italy .......

Or make it 4nts in Olbia, Sardinia -
£469pp b&b in good central 3* hotel
£529pp b&b in good central 4* hotel

Even cheaper?
Consider various German cities for 5nts for under £400pp and even a family of 4 (2ads + 2ch under 15) for under £1200 - cheaper than a caravan in Portrush or a central hotel in Dublin. Don`t believe that? Check it yourselves.

Cheaper still?? Let you pitch a tent in my back garden for £50/nt.

30/01/2023

Ever boarded a widebody jet and glanced left? You really want one of those `lie-flat bed` seats but you know they cost 000`s and you ain`t gonna be that silly eh? Well maybe you can experience the thrill on a 3hr flight without paying big money! The following prices INCLUDE return flights from Dublin at the end of March in pre-booked lie-flat seats ... and your hotel of course -

5nts Costa del Sol
3* Hotel Fuengirola/Torremolinos - £639pp b&b
4* Hotel Fuengirola/Torremolinos - £695pp b&b
4* Hotel Benalmadena - £709pp b&b

5nts Algarve
3* Hotel Albufeira - £595pp b&b
4* Hotel Albufeira - £645pp b&b
4* Hotel Tavira - £665pp b&b
4* Hotel Vilamoura - £695pp b&b
4* Hotel Faro City - £699pp b&b

Obviously cannot do many of these (5x couples max available) as there are only a limited number of these seats on each aircraft. Cheaper normal seats available for `common people` too.......

13/01/2023

Easy to be caught out! Interesting story from a lady I was speaking with yesterday. Told me that she, the hubby and 2 kids had to travel to London over Christmas due to a family medical emergency. The return flights from Dublin appeared reasonable at just over 350euro (not bad actually considering last minute) but the cheapest `half decent` hotel (not even nearly half-decent imo) was £700 for 3nts! Anyway, they turn up at Dublin Airport but because they had no boarding passes (thought they`d get them there) and had assumed hand luggage was included (it wasn`t), they were hit for a mere 404euro extra fees at the desk. That is actually correct (55euro pp for not checking-in in advance and 45.99euro per hand luggage) as per this particular airline`s terms and conditions. Not quite so bad on the return trip as, lesson learn`t, they printed their boarding passes in advance this time, so no fee for those - just an extra 144euro for the 4 hand luggage at 35.99euro each at the `cheaper pre-booked` rate. So the just over 350euro flight was actually a tad shy of 900euro ...... see what can easily happen if you are not careful? To cap it all, the lady told me that the relative had told them `porkies` and that the `emergency` was nothing of the sort (the relative wanted to see the family at Christmas but didn`t want to pay for it) and that it was therefore a wasted trip!
Didn`t name the specific airline in the above scenario but coincidentally .... Ryanair`s last accounts (publicly available) show that ancilliary revenue for the financial year ending 31 Mar 2022 was 2148m euro compared to the scheduled revenue of 2653m euro. In other words they make almost as much from `extras` as they do from the actual fares!! And amazingly, Ryanair ain`t the worst at this.
A lot of the flight/holiday prices you`ll see advertised in the press and online will be based on these `basic no extras fares` - the likes of the above 350euro one, and only when you phone or go to book yourself online (if you can navigate the maze) will you get the ACTUAL, very, very different price. Trust me, I know as I do this every day.

08/12/2022

And following on .... some brilliant (by current standards) deals for next OCTOBER have cropped up to the Greek Isles and Turkey from Belfast International. Greece & Turkey are smart choices for a bit of heat at that time of year. Wait for text to be sent tomorrow and remember - just a £60pp deposit secures. And if booking as a pressie, I`ll send a pdf summary to print for putting inside a card too.
Posted here (26 Sep) details of an escorted trip to Rome to see Pope Francis 21/24 Feb. It was sold out within 48hrs (Francis is popular you know!) BUT have had 2x couples cancel so now available again. Great Christmas present for `the more righteous among you`. Or maybe not the more righteous judging by the last lot I took on one of these trips pre pandemic - thinking of you R N and your filthy jokes??
Also available for those who like the `easy option` for Christmas pressies - Valuecitybreaks gift vouchers from £50 upwards.
And IF I don`t get posting over the next couple of weeks (great deals to the Canaries this side of Christmas and I`m tempted) .... Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy (and well travelled!!) New Year.
Colin

08/12/2022

Well that was quick! Sent a text out yesterday morning to those of you on my `text list` with some fantastic deals this Jul/Aug to Rhodes. And guess what? All the BEST deals are gone already. Did a superb 5* all-inclusive 15/22 July for £859pp ..... today exactly the same hotel/dates is £1195pp. Tomorrow it`ll be more. I mention this because a lot of you `oldies` (like me!) will remember the days when you could see a price in a travel agent`s window and if you went back a few weeks later, chances were it`d still be the same price. Those days are long gone - everything is now `dynamic pricing` which basically means that as seats fill up on flights and as rooms fill up in hotels ....... prices go UP. Posted some prices here (back on 20 May) for deals this coming April in selected hotels. All those prices are at least £150pp dearer now. I know this because a customer called me this morning wanting one of them as a Christmas gift for his Mrs and the particular one he was after was £188pp more than my earlier price. So I checked the rest of them and of course, all much costlier. Told him it would`ve been much more sensible to book back in May for just a £60pp deposit. He responded "but at my age you don`t know when you might die and then I would`ve wasted my deposit". Well that`s one way to look at things eh?
Saw an ad once for burial plots and thought `well this is the last thing I need`. Boom boom!

05/12/2022

Oh PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE!!!
Why do people not actually look at the OVERALL cost of a holiday before booking something?
Call this morning from a previous customer who booked a cruise elsewhere (and paid a hefty non-refundable deposit) from Barcelona next July and was looking for flight prices.
The person he booked it through told him `our system is down but the flights SHOULD BE about £150pp`. WHAAAAT - OUR SYSTEM IS DOWN ..... absolute b******t if you`ll excuse the language!! How often do you see the likes of easyjet, Aer Lingus & Ryanair `SYSTEMS BEING DOWN` eh? Ever gone onto their websites and found the systems down? No, neither have I and I do it every darned day of my life! The REAL reason translates as this .... `if I tell you the flight prices you`ll be so terrified, won`t book this and I won`t get the commission so I`ll bluff you, leave the flights up to you and give you a totally unrealistic price about what the flights MIGHT cost`. Turns out that the ACTUAL flight prices for this particular cruise are just over £700pp after cases added ....... a smidgen more than the £150pp he was told ..... I think you`ll agree? Told him to `go back to whoever booked it and sort out the flights for ABOUT £150pp whenever the systems were operating`. That should be a fun conversation then!

03/12/2022

Dirt cheap city breaks?
Yes, the following 3nts trips are all available on selected dates between Jan/Mar but please READ THE DISCLAIMER at the bottom before calling.
Brussels - £185pp
Rome - £189pp
Lisbon - £195pp
Riga - £195pp
Warsaw - £199pp
Milan - £205pp
Paris - £209pp
Vienna - £219pp
Berlin - £219pp

Brilliant prices eh?

Disclaimer.
All the above -
*Prices inclusive of return flights from Dublin assuming you travel with just a handbag to fit under the seat in front.
*Prices assume you are content to fly to a regional airport somewhere `roughly near` the chosen destination.
*Prices assume flight timings arriving after midnight and returning 05.00 local time.
*Prices assume you are prepared to sit apart from your companion - separate rows in the middle seat likely between `persons with a body odour` problem.
*Prices exclude check-in and pre-printed boarding passes which you`ll need to sort out yourselves within 24hrs of travel - including while away for your return flight.
*Your hotel will be a flea-ridden dump in the middle of nowhere and far, far away from the main tourist sights - obviously.
*Your hotel will be on a room only rate because at these prices you haven`t a cat in hells chance of getting breakfast included.
*Transfers ... you gotta be kidding - prices on request for the 117 miles each way trip.

OK, so tongue in cheek but perhaps not quite as much as you think, judging by some of the trips I see advertised via various sources. Buyer beware!

02/12/2022

And finally for today (the football starting soon) another `much better value` holiday for summer 2023. How about a `two-centre` 8nts trip to Prague and Budapest with a superb train trip between the two .... in BUSINESS CLASS - see pic? Daytime train takes just under 8hrs. I did this with my son last summer and it was absolutely superb. Fly Dublin/Prague for 4nts b&b in Prague. Take the train for 4nts b&b in Budapest before home Budapest/Dublin. Available on selected 8nts date combinations Jul/Aug (excluding Hungarian F1 weekend!) for -
£695pp in `budget` (but still central) hotels.
£825pp in good 4* hotels.
£975pp in 5* hotels.

02/12/2022

For those horrified (like me) by `package holiday` prices summer 2023, how about joining me on an ESCORTED 8nts trip from Dublin Mon 21 - Tue 29 AUGUST (sensible flight times too) to Tuscany? We stay in my favourite Tuscan town of Montecatini Terme - the regulars among you will know I promote it frequently but makes more sense than ever next year. Under £1000pp gets very little in the Costas, but for the `non beachy` and `more cultured` among you ......
Return flights with sensible luggage allowance and pre-booked seats together - INCLUDED.
Return PRIVATE taxi/minibus transfers airport/hotel - INCLUDED.
8nts b&b in excellent central 4* hotel (air-con & pool) - INCLUDED.
Day trip by train to iconic Florence - INCLUDED.
Day trip by train to stunning Lucca (pic) - INCLUDED.
Funicular trip to hilltop Montecatini Alto - INCLUDED.
The best Tuscan wine - NOT INCLUDED - you buy ME that eh?
£969pp the whole darned lot!
If you`ve been before .... come again or tell your friends!!

02/12/2022

Another ESCORTED trip in January to Spain. How about pretty seaside Gijon, Asturias for 4nts from Dublin Wed 25 - Sun 29. We stay in a superb central 4* hotel (see pic) and I`ll take you round the main sights, including the lovely Cimadevilla fisherman`s quarter. Foolish to go to Asturias without visiting stunning Oviedo, so a day trip there by train is included too! For anybody keen (or mad) enough, you can join me on a particular coastal walk I intend to take ..... roughly 18 miles mind you so that`ll be no takers then?
Includes -
Return flights with hand luggage and pre-booked seats together.
4nts accommodation in double/twin room.
Return PRIVATE taxi/minibus transfers airport/hotel.
Day trip to Oviedo as stated.
Another great Christmas pressie - or just a treat for yourselves!
Price - £389pp

02/12/2022

ESCORTED trip to gorgeous Leipzig (Saxony) in January? Join me for 4nts from Dublin Wed 18 - Sun 22. We stay in a very central hotel and I`ll take you round the main sights, including the one that you all know about of course ... the Volkerschlachtdenkmal - was on the tip of your tongue eh? So what all is included then?
Return flights with hand luggage and pre-booked seats together.
4nts accommodation in double/twin room.
Return transfers by train airport/hotel.
Full day trip by train to stunning Dresden.
Optional (I`m going) chargeable trip to Colditz Castle.
How much? Say £345pp the lot!
Make a great Christmas pressie for someone!

01/12/2022

Priceless!
Phone call Tuesday from a man enquiring about flights for a fantastic `Black Friday` cruise deal he had booked online for himself, the Mrs and the in-laws. A 15 nights Mediterranean cruise next April from Lisbon to Barcelona for under £400pp. My reaction? NO WAY is there a 15 nights Med cruise in April at that price - first thought was he had been scammed. Got him to email the booking confirmation and lo and behold he has indeed got a genuine 15 nights cruise in April for under £400pp and it does indeed end in Barcelona - so far, so good and what a clever boy I hear you all say jealously? HOWEVER, the cruise is a `transoceanic ship re-positioning` one starting in Santos, BRAZIL and NOT in Lisbon. These cruises are always cheap for 2 reasons - very few ports of call as they are crossing the Atlantic and the main reason - flight prices. Phoned him back with the news and that the flights (outbound to Sao Paulo and inbound from Barcelona) started from £900pp before bags added. Turns out he hadn`t properly checked the itinerary and had just google mapped Santos which came up with Santos-o-Velho in Lisbon so he assumed it was from there! Bit of research beforehand might have been useful eh? Could`ve been worse I suppose - imagine if he had booked his own flights to Lisbon, turned up at the cruise port and then found out he was in the wrong spot ... by a few thousand miles?

22/11/2022

Hi folks. Think there needs to be a bit of a `reality check` among some of you? Why do you think holiday prices should be the same as pre-pandemic eh? 2 litres of milk in Asda now £1.75 but was £0.99 just 3 years ago? Petrol/diesel costs? Good grief, I have just filled the oil tank for this winter at £816 for 915 litres - had to pick myself off the floor when I saw the invoice!! And yet, folks are astonished that holiday prices have sky-rocketed too - whaddya think planes run on - water? Just quoted a lady £1445pp for exactly the same holiday (same hotel/board/dates) next summer in the Canaries which cost her £895pp in 2019. There ARE some `relative bargains` out there for summer 2023 but no need to be too fussy. So, where are the bargains? How about a 14nt cruise from Belfast (yes, BELFAST - no expensive flights - yee haw) this July for £1279pp to include a drinks package and pre-paid gratuities? Norway & North Cape to boot - brilliant itinerary. Just think about that - under £100pp per night and you can get pie-eyed into the bargain too - bet some of you could get their `money`s worth` on the booze alone eh? Just sayin .......

27/09/2022

Wish I had a tenner for every time I answer the phone to something like this -
"Have you anything `cheap` to `somewhere warm` between the following dates."
And the dates will almost invariably be the exact ones where there just won`t be anything cheap to somewhere warm, namely (for 2022-2023) -
29 Oct/06 Nov (Halloween)
23 Dec/08 Jan (Christmas/New Year)
11/19 Feb (February half-term)
17/20 Mar (St Patrick`s)
05/16 April (Easter)
29 Apr/02 May (Early May bank holiday)
26/30 May (Late May bank holiday)
And of course -
Last week in June to end of August.

Just `brace yourselves` if hoping for some heat between those dates, especially since flights this year are roughly 30-40% dearer (and rising - fuel costs) and hotel rates 25-35% dearer, than pre-pandemic.
There ARE still some `wee bargains` out there but they sure as heck won`t be within the above dates.

26/09/2022

Hey!! Anyone fancy this? Christmas Markets from Belfast Intl! A `sort of` escorted trip (I`ll be going on same flights & staying same hotel) from Belfast to Vilnius Sun 04-Wed 07 December (3nts) to see the very pretty little Vilnius Christmas market and (trust me) the most incredible Christmas tree with `just` 70000 bulbs - it is amazing - google it!! I did this pre-pandemic and loved it so doing it again. Mind you, the wife doesn`t know yet! Sensible flights too - morning out & teatime back. We stay b&b in the excellent central 4* Ratonda Centrum Hotel where I stayed before. Price includes pre-booked seats together on the flights and 10kg hand luggage per person. Note - this (seats/luggage) adds `just` £95pp to the cost (thats airlines for you nowadays) but as I say - INCLUDED in my price. If you want to travel with just a handbag and sit in a random seat - knock £95 off my price then - honestly!! So why Vilnius? Because it is quaint, dead cheap for food & booze and Vladimir Putin MIGHT NOT even invade it meantime! If he does .... I`ll refund you. So why only a `sort of` escorted trip? Because, what I want to see you most probably won`t - but I`ll still supply you with detailed instructions of how to get from the hotel to the sights that sensible (not me) people will want to see. The `dafter` among you might want to join me on my weird trips - optional? So how much then? Just £345pp the lot. BARGAIN!
https://ratonda.centrumhotels.com/en/

26/09/2022

Hi there. This`d make a great pressie for someone! A little escorted trip (with me) in February to see the Pope? Well alright, so this may not appeal to half of you (or slightly under half nowadays as per latest census results, eh?) but I have booked some seats (Aer Lingus) from Dublin to Rome early Tuesday 21 Feb for 3nts returning lunchtime Friday 24. On the Wednesday morning (Ash Wednesday incidentally) we attend the Papal Audience at St Peter`s - I`ll get the tickets in advance. How about a Papal Mass on the Wednesday evening - how many of you have been to one of those? The `man himself` is due to conduct Mass at Santa Sabina at 17.30 so I`ll get you all there in good time - tickets applied for though they are as scarce as hen`s teeth, no guarantees. On the Thursday we go visit the main sights - Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Altar of the Fatherland, Colosseum etc. I`ll be walking and hope you`ll join me but day passes provided on the public transport system (and instructions how to get everywhere) for those less willing to walk! So where do we stay? No budget nonsense here. How about the gorgeous and central 4* Mascagni Luxury Rooms & Suites - see pic. And we are staying b&b too - no cheaper `room only` rates for us eh cos we`ll need fuelled up? Ok, so lets do it right and have our own return private transfers from/to the airport too. How much I hear you ask? How about £449pp the lot!! Go on - price the flights, hotel, public transport ticket and transfers separately then, and you`ll see what great value that is.... and Auntie Mary is gonna love you for it. Can only take 5x couples with me and the first couple booking from South Down area can have a free trip to/from Dublin Airport cos obviously I`ll be driving there.
Note - Papal Audience/Mass obviously subject to no late cancellation. After all, Pope Francis ain`t getting any younger. But that`s the risk we take.
The hotel? https://www.mascagnicollection.com/mascagni-luxury-rooms-suites/en/

27/06/2022

Had a call from a gentleman on Saturday asking about `cheap car hire` in Italy this year as he had booked flights and was pleased with various accommodation options he had chosen. Told him that there was no such thing as `cheap car hire` this year but to give me his flight details and I`d have a look. Turns out he has booked the family on flights to Bari and will be returning from Split in Croatia (plan was to travel along a fair bit of the Adriatic coastline and see Italy, Montenegro and Croatia) three weeks later so that means an `international drop-off fee` (different countries for pick-up/drop-off) on top of everything. Bottom line - cheapest I could find for a suitable vehicle (2ads + 3ch with 4x cases to carry) with a reputable company including the drop-off fee was ........ wait for it - only £6555 excluding excess waiver charges and the 2x kids seats he`d need. When I called him back with a price, he asked (presumably after picking himself off the floor) if it would be possible to do the whole thing by train/bus. So I got the various hotel details (ALL had been booked on a non-refundable basis and obviously the flights are non-refundable too) and frankly, since several were in the back of beyond, public transport is a non starter. He is now faced with an extremely hefty car hire cost. Moral of the story is to do all your homework beforehand as a cheap flight and/or hotel might not necessarily mean a cheap holiday.

27/06/2022

And another one that I think offers great value in August. The lovely city of Bergamo in Italy. Fly direct from Dublin and stay 7nts b&b in the very central 4* Mercure Palazzo Dolci Hotel. Bergamo has a gorgeous old town area (Citta Alta) on a hill overlooking the main city - good fun getting there by cheap funicular too. Staying here as a base opens the possibility of a cheap day trip to Milan and/or Brescia too. Maybe even Verona? However, the `gem` of a day trip (and under 19euro too if you have a good travel agent to tell you how. Know one?) is to do this - head to Como S Giovanni by train and take a boat trip on the lake to pretty Torno for a few hours. Then reverse the process back to Bergamo. And yes, I`ll tell you how to get a ticket and include train/boat times etc. Just £589pp including a case. Only 2 date possibilities available mid/late August so be quick ....

27/06/2022

Bargain alert for AUGUST - 5nts in Germany with direct flights from Dublin, accommodation AND a couple of `special` train tickets - see below? Been doing a lot of these recently because they offer fantastic value for money. Such good value that I`m doing one myself! Fly with Aer Lingus on selected dates (only 3 different combos remaining) in August to Dusseldorf on the Rhine. Your special train tickets will cover all public transport while there, including from/to the airport. They also cover any regional trains so a day trip to the likes of Cologne or Koblenz is covered. And of course, as per normal I will supply a letter (regulars among you will be familiar with my `help you` letters) giving you sightseeing ideas, train times for the day trips and advice on public transport options. Oh .... and the price? Well how about £299pp for the whole darned lot - substantially less than a couple of nights flights/accommodation in any UK city this August. Heck, even a few nights in a Travelodge on the outskirts of Dublin costs more and if you don`t believe me, check it out yourselves. See why these have been so popular? Honestly - £299pp for flights (incl 10kg hand luggage each), accommodation and those train tickets. WUNDERBAR.😀
PS - can do 2x `family of 4` (2ads + 2ch under 16) packages for £879 ......

01/06/2022

Oh for goodness sake folks!
Had a call this morning from a gentleman (brother of a customer of mine) asking a price for 8 people to fly to Faro 10/17 July - just over £6000 by the way!! I asked him why he was looking flights only and was told that he had got a superb deal on a luxury villa on the Algarve. Probing him further, it transpires that he has booked this superb villa through a `cloned` website and paid for it by bank transfer because he was told it was a `valid for 24hrs only offer.` Told him I was 100% sure it was a scam and NOT to book the flights. He forwarded me the so-called `confirmation email` which came from an address with a `br` suffix - from Brazil. Red flags everywhere here! He hasn`t been back to me yet but I am pretty sure his `villa money` is lost forever unless his bank can work some magic. Reason I am posting this is that this man is a SOLICITOR who really should`ve known better. NEVER, NEVER pay for a holiday by bank transfer or PayPal cos you might as well just flush it down the toilet!

28/05/2022

Ok ok! So what would YOU do? Answers in the comments please ....
Further to the last post, I have already had a phone call (have some people nothing better to do while waiting for the Champions League final?) asking what is `kinky` about the room pictured? Well .... that glass box beside the bed is actually the shower room - yes, the one with the clear, non tinted glass. And while on the subject can I ask for opinions on the following as I try to analyse the market in NI for the `more adventurous` traveller.
Back in my 20s (long, long time ago) in a former job, I arrived on business at a hotel in Paderborn, Germany to discover it had a pool and sauna on the top floor. That evening I headed up to the sauna, did the needful in the changing rooms, draped myself in a towel as any sensible person would do and entered said sauna. Shock, horror - after closing the door and becoming accustomed to the steam, it transpired that there were about a dozen people already seated on the benches and every single one of them was completely in the buff! There was one available gap in the seating between a man who looked a dead ringer for Herr Flick from Allo Allo, and a girl who could have been a Miss World finalist. My dilemna and what I want to know is what would YOU have done, bearing in mind that I`d probably have been seeing them all again (although admittedly not quite as much of them) at breakfast the following morning. a) turn around and meekly walk out like a wimp or b) bite the bullet and join them? If most of you answer b), I`ll work on a Valuecitybreaks naturist break asap so keep tuned in. Can`t wait to see the replies ........
NB - I chose option b) and kept my eyes shut the whole time. Or to be completely honest `almost` the whole time. Would`ve been rude not to say hello to Miss World wouldn`t it?

28/05/2022

Brilliant escorted Germany trip in August? Anyone fancy joining me for a 5nt trip to the city of Frankfurt with a couple of superb train trips and all local public transport included? And all for roughly the same cost as renting a caravan in Portrush! We fly Aer Lingus from Dublin on Thu 11 Aug and stay in the 4*superior Flemings Main Riverside Hotel - BUT see the warning note* below. While there, we take a day trip by train to the gorgeous town of Koblenz on the confluence (good word eh - see how I remember my school geography?) of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers where I`ll show you the main sights. We also have a day trip by train to quaint Eltville - one of those `typically German picture postcard` small towns with a pretty castle and timber framed houses nestling on the Rhine. Have a google at some images of Koblenz and Eltville to see why we`ll be heading there. And while in Frankfurt itself we will head to the main Alstadt (old town) Romer district - by tram if you are lazy but it is only a 10/12 min riverside walk from the hotel. I`ll also show you some of the 13 tallest buildings in Germany - yes, all 13 are in Frankfurt, show you the pretty Opera House and take you to the lovely Sachsenhausen area south of the river where you can buy me a beer in my favourite Frankfurt pub. We then fly home to Dublin late on Tue 16. Whaddya reckon - £700/800pp the lot would be a bargain? How about £495pp based on 2x sharing INCLUDING the transfers from/to airport, both day trips by train and a ticket covering all local public transport for the duration? Wunderbar ...

*The warning! Our hotel is an excellent choice but I suggest that anybody travelling does so with someone they know VERY well indeed? Just look at the attached room photo and you`ll soon work out why I have placed the warning!! Oh those kinky Germans ... 🤓

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Early March and the `silly season` is over! Ya know - that time of the year when folks think they are going to get a week in the sun in Jul/Aug for under £500pp. Not this year! Think over £900pp and over £1500pp for anything `really nice`. Typical phone conversation - "I seen a deal to Benidorm for £650 in July - can you beat it" No "But its on Facebook" Did you call whoever posted it? "Yeah but they`d sold out" Well, when mine are sold out they are £645 "Eh"? So any bargains? How about 4nts this Jul/Aug in Brindisi (from Dublin) for - £465pp b&b in good central 3* hotel £515pp b&b in good central 4* hotel Or make it 7nts for under £800pp BTW - Brindisi is a coastal city in Apulia, Italy ....... Or make it 4nts in Olbia, Sardinia - £469pp b&b in good central 3* hotel £529pp b&b in good central 4* hotel Even cheaper? Consider various German cities for 5nts for under £400pp and even a family of 4 (2ads + 2ch under 15) for under £1200 - cheaper than a caravan in Portrush or a central hotel in Dublin. Don`t believe that? Check it yourselves. Cheaper still?? Let you pitch a tent in my back garden for £50/nt.

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