ibiza blog

Are you one of many people who work out how much you’re going to need for a holiday, think you’ve got everything covered - and then halfway through your trip realised your financial planning was out?

You’re not alone.

Many people have found the amount of money they thought they would need for a trip overseas hasn’t been enough. And with airlines and holiday companies adding extra on to a lot of items that used to come as standard it’s not a problem that’s going to go away.

In their defence it’s not surprising that airlines and holiday companies do this - the recession has hit the travel industry hard, and they need to increase the amount of revenue per passenger they are carrying on the airlines, and hotels for each guest they accommodate.

But putting the full price on advertised rates could affect their business, as it’s the headline price that catches many people’s attention - and with travel portals searching for the lowest price more popular than ever travel companies have to get around the low prices offered by making money elsewhere.

As an example we looked for a holiday to Ibiza for next summer, June 2011, to see what the holiday companies were offering, based on 2 adults with a reasonable hotel for 7 nights and Ibiza flights included.

Thomson Holidays, one of the UK’s leading tour operators, have available return flights and a choice of two different Ibiza hotels for 320 a person, and they also include getting to and from the airport to either of the Ibiza hotels.

Their main competitor, Thomas Cook, are doing even better with flights, hotel and breakfast from 285 a person for 7 nights. Their main competitor, Thomas Cook, are doing even better with flights, hotel and breakfast from 285 a person for 7 nights.

Great deals from Britain’s two leading holiday companies - but extras available include choosing a seat on the flight, a meal and travel insurance. The first two can be missed for the budget conscious, but travel insurance should never be cut out and can be taken either with the holiday company when booking, or independently.

In some ways the hidden costs that only become apparent when booking a trip, in the above example Ibiza holidays, aren’t surprising given that the cost is often the first feature considered, and many holidaymakers expecting to have 5 star flights, hotels and holidays at 2 star prices - the most reliable companies have to compete at the headline prices offered by others.

Away from the booking itself, once people are on their Ibiza holidays or elsewhere, the cost of mobile phone calls are the biggest cause of complaint, despite the EU having ordered charges to come down in recent years.

Other charges that holidaymakers deemed to be excessive included the cost of a taxi - most commonly used to get from the airport to the Ibiza hotels where most people would be staying.

To keep costs down it’s possible to book a taxi online with an agreed price and a driver waiting for you rather than taking pot luck upon arrival. Keeping luggage weights within the airlines allowance will ensure no surcharges, and some airlines offer half price luggage costs when it’s booked online instead of doing it at the airport.

For more details about 2011 Ibiza holidays with news and articles visit youribiza.net

Tenerife has topped Cosmos Holidays sales chart with a 60% increase year-on-year, report traveldailyco.uk

Majorca, last year’s number one, is now fourth in the sales list with Florida and Turkey before it.

Other Canary Islands have seen bigger rises in sales, particularly Fuerteventura (250%), Gran Canaria (100%) and Lanzarote (40%).

Menorca

The Algarve, Menorca, Shaem el Sheikh, Zakynthos and Mexico are also within the top ten.

“Whilst early booking trends indicated that this summer was all about the Eastern Mediterranean, the improved strength of the Pound against the Euro has resulted in a last minute surge of bookings to destinations throughout the Western Mediterranean and the Canary Islands,” said Monarch Travel Group Tour Operations Managing Director Hugh Morgan.

“After the challenges of the past 12 months, confidence has clearly been restored in the market and it’s great to see holiday durations lengthening from last year’s seven and 10 night durations to the traditional 14 night breaks.”

For the latest Menorca weather visit yourmenorca.net

Good news for those considering a holiday in Menorca at the moment - leading tour operators Thomas Cook and Thomson have some great deals available - visit yourmenorca.net to access both of them plus First Choice.

As the Daily Express report:

HOLIDAY firms are set to slash the price of package deals by hundreds of pounds after a slump in bookings for late August and September holidays.

A focus on the World Cup and fears over travel disruption have left tour operators with leftover stock.

Discounts on brochure prices are expected to reach up to 70 per cent.

Even families hoping for a break before school starts in September could save as much as 50 per cent on a week in a European destination such as Tenerife.

TUI Travel, owner of Thomson Holidays and First Choice, yesterday revealed a two per cent drop in UK sales over the past three months, normally its busiest time of year.

And it announced the volcanic ash cloud disruption had hit its last-quarter profit by £105million.

Chief executive Peter Long added: “It remains difficult to predict how the later-booking pattern will change over the next 12 to 18 months in the light of the current economic environment.”

A spokeswoman for TUI confirmed there would be “great value deals” during autumn. Among its best was a week on the Greek island of Rhodes in October, starting at £189 per person.

Thomas Cook was also expected to record a drop in sales today.

Long-haul holiday firm Hayes and Jarvis said the downturn in summer sales would mean a “glut” of heavily discounted deals, bringing down the cost of travelling to exotic countries in the Far East to under £500.

The tourist board have been busy promoting Menorca and the other Balearic Islands for late August to end September holidays, with Opodo reporting:

People considering a late summer break this year have been offered a number of reasons to choose Spain’s Balearic Islands as their destination.

The tourist board representing the archipelago pointed out that one of the region’s main advantages is its weather, with 300 days of sunshine every year.

Beach lovers will be spoilt for choice in the Balearics, with Salines in Ibiza, Cala Pregonda in Menorca and Es Trenc in Mallorca among the seafront hotspots being recommended.

People who enjoy a bit of celebrity spotting will be in with a good chance of seeing some famous faces on the Spanish islands, according to the tourist board.

Michelle Obama recently visited Mallorca, while Kate Moss regularly enjoys breaks in Ibiza and Formentera and both Claudia Schiffer and Elle Macpherson own villas in the region.

Travellers who enjoy outdoor activities were encouraged to try some of the sports on offer in the Balearics, with both Majorca and Ibiza boasting an extensive network of cycling routes and most islands providing facilities to go scuba diving.

The destinations UK holidaymakers choose could be changing more in the coming years ahead, according to one of Britain’s big travel agencies, who say:

Mediterranean resorts will no longer be the number one destination for UK holidaymakers by the end of this year.

New research by The Co-operative Travel has revealed that once popular resorts in the Western Mediterranean, such as the Costa del Sol and Algarve, are being shunned in favour of holidays in up-and-coming holiday spots.

The new number one area has been nicknamed ‘the Mett’ after its key destinations: Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey.

This year Mediterranean resorts have seen a cumulative fall in bookings of 11.6% compared to the Mett’s increase of 23.4%. If these current trends continue then the two areas will swap places by the end of 2011, with the Mett becoming the number one choice for package holidays.

This would mean that by summer 2012, the Mett would be receiving over 38% of UK package holidaymakers.

Trevor Davis, director of retail distribution at The Co-operative Travel said: “The growth of all-inclusive deals, which appeal to people wanting to fix the total cost of their holiday, has helped to increase demand for these fast-growing destinations.

“At the same time increased capacity and the high cost of the Euro have both contributed to a significant rise in bookings.”  For the full article at Yahoo! click here

For Menorca holidays visit yourmenorca.net and for Ibiza holidays visit youribiza.net

He added: “If these trends continue, it will represent the biggest change in bookings patterns since the boom of the package holiday in the 1970s.”

Not sure whether to book your holiday to Menorca or Majorca?

The Sunday Mirror has compared to the two and has come up with this advice:

Pale blue sky, deep blue sea, red-hot sun. And a perfect summer soundtrack dancing across the water from the speakers on our boat. We’re on the top deck of a beach-hopper called Fiesta, sailing slowly east along the south coast of Menorca.

As Lou Reed’s Walk On The Wild Side fades into Otis Redding’s Dock Of The Bay, I take a sip of cold Estrella beer and gaze ahead to the pretty cove where the Fiesta is about to dock. And hope that if I ever get to heaven, it might be something just like this.

Four of us are on a Thomas Cook package to the Balearic island of Menorca, the quiet little sister to brash Ibiza and Majorca.

We’ve signed up for a Castaway Cruise, sailing from the west-coast port of Ciutadella at 10am and back at 5pm after visits to two idyllic beaches. The Û50pp ticket includes chicken paella plus helpings of sangria and pomada (gin and lemonade).

A day earlier we joined a Shop and Sail tour of the capital, Mahon (Û40pp). It was my birthday, so we forgot the shopping to enjoy a Cava-fuelled tapas lunch at Bracafe in Plaza Colon (www.bracafe.com, tapas Û3.50-Û8). After lunch we visited the Xoriguer gin distillery on the waterfront. Founded in the 18th Century to keep British sailors happy, they don’t bother showing how the gin is made… the tour cuts straight to the free samples (www.xoriguer.es).

Then it was a short stumble to the jetty for a boat tour of Mahon harbour, second largest in the world after Hawaii’s Pearl Harbour. All around are reminders of the 1708-1802 British occupation, from Admiral Collingwood’s house to the mansion where Lord Nelson romanced Lady Hamilton.

We’d gone all-inclusive at Hotel San Luis in S’Algar, and could have lazed away our week with drink on tap and an all-you-can eat buffet. About two-thirds of guests here are cheerful British over-60s who like to put their feet up. The bar closes at 11pm, so they’re sure of a good night’s sleep too.

But we wanted to see the island. We had a hire car and on a cloudy Sunday we drove to the upmarket harbour of Fornells. King Juan Carlos of Spain sails in here for lobster stew at El Plas restaurant on the waterfront… at Û75 a bowl. On Monday the sun finally got his hat on and we hit the beach at Cala En Porter, one of the best villages for Menorca holidays. To reach this scenic cove you walk down hundreds of steps from the town - or drive down a back road like us. After a swim in the crystal water we collapsed on to sun loungers (Û17 a day for two plus parasol).

The sun stayed out all week and we found a new beach to laze on every day. Our cruise took us to a tiny cove, Cala Turqueta, and a wide bay, Son Saura. The only facilities are basic loos, but the beaches are totally unspoilt. Like all secluded Menorcan beaches, full-on nudists mingle with regular sun-worshippers and one or two visions almost put us off our packed lunch!

We visited three-mile long Son Bou, a developed ribbon of sand with beach bars. And we tried busy Cala Santa Galdana, a large cove with top-class facilities, but too built-up for our taste.

We spent our last day on what turned out to be our favourite beach, Cala Mitjana. It’s impossibly pretty, totally sheltered, with walks along the wooded cliffs.

And with an iPod on shuffle, I created my own soundtrack to make the heavenly scene complete.

Majorca.. best for the buzz

There’s something they don’t tell you about Majorca. It has a town that can up sticks and move - houses, shops, churches the lot - in just a couple of minutes.

You’ll discover the secret if you take an hour-long trip on the historic electric train that trundles into the Sierra de Tramuntana mountains from the island’s capital, Palma.

One moment you’ll see your destination, Soller, in a bowl-shaped valley as you look out of the windows on your right.

Shortly afterwards it will be on your left. It appears the valley has been magically transported from one spot to another.

I spent a good few minutes looking puzzled as those with a quicker grasp of these things explained the town appears to move because of the way the narrow-gauge tracks snake their way round the mountains.

First you approach the valley one way, then you make a gradual turn and come back the other… so the view is reversed. Simples, as they say. (www.sollertrain.com, Û17 return).

Soller is famous for its orange groves and terraces of ancient olive trees and had a nice, laid-back, slightly arty feel. And there’s a cute tram that will take you the 3k down to the port, with a wonderful curved bay and all the cafes and restaurants you could wish.

It’s a popular area for Majorca villa holidays.

We Britons have long loved Majorca and it’s a sure favourite with many celebs and sports stars, from the likes of Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones and to Patsy Palmer and tennis names Boris Becker and Rafael Nadal.

If you go you’ll find Palma city itself has plenty to keep you occupied. The place has a buzz which I liked - you got the feeling there is a lot going on.

I could easily have stayed longer, but wanted to see more of Majorca. So next morning we went south to the port of Colònia de Sant Jordi and took a 12-seat speedboat to Cabrera, one of the islands off the coast.

It was a lovely two-hour trip - once I’d got used to sitting astride a padded tube and clinging on. It was great swathing through the water and the sea was a lovely shade of blue… pretty well matching the colour of a couple of passengers after they’d dived in during a stop inside a cave. I’m told the water is beautifully warm later in summer, but one test of the temperature when we were there and I decided my teeth didn’t need reminding of how to chatter (www.marcabrera.com, adults Û38, under-12s Û30).

Afterwards we stopped off at the Jaume Mesquida winery in Porreres. They make 200,000 bottles a year and use “biodynamic methods” meaning they are nature-friendly (www.jaumemesquida.com). We were meant to be doing more sightseeing, but the lure of our pools at the Hotel Hilton Sa Torre was too strong. It’s a lovely place in what seems the middle of nowhere… but is an easy 16k from Palma Airport and Majorca flights home.

To read the full article click here

The biggest of Cala En Porter’s hotels has just opened after an extensive refurbishment - it’s good news for the village and for holidaymakers making their way to Menorca for their holidays.

The village has been out of favour with some of the tour operators, perhaps because it’s a little quiet for some, but the hotel will provide a great base for those wishing to visit the island and book their flights and accommodation seperately.

With views of the Mediterranean, the Azul is within an easy stroll of the resort’s amenities, including a choice of restaurants and bars, many with evening entertainment, but for those preferring a quiet week away they are catered for too.

The most recent reviews on tripadvisor from those who have been on their Menorca flights and stayed there have been glowing, and include comments such as this one from Switzerland:

We stayed 1 week in playa azul and took the hotel as a last minute offer for around 350Eur/pp including flight. For the price we paid, the hotel offered much more!

Overall we got much more then we paid for and we are really happy with Hotel Playa Azul.

And from a UK tourist who had their Menorca holidays recently:

Just got back from a week at this fab hotel, from the moment we walked through the hotel reception till the day we left it was brilliant, the staff especially the resturant and bar staff were very freindly and attentive - nothing was too much trouble, the food was first rate.

And as well as for independent travellers booking their trips online the good news for the hotel is that Thomas Cook are now offering it either seperately or as part of a package.

New photographs for Cala En Porter are due soon at yourmenorca.net and photos of the hotel are at social media like stumbleupon

From the UK’s Sunday Sun comes this report:

THOMSON Holidays have apologised after a computer glitch led to a family losing their holiday.

Louise Barkes had tried to book a last-minute flight for four to Minorca on Thomson’s website.

Her money was taken – but a message popped up to say there were no seats left.

She could not get the money back immediately because it had been ring-fenced under an arrangement between the bank and tour operator.

And Louise, of North Shields, North Tyneside, did not have enough money to pay twice.

Louise had asked her mum Yvonne to talk to me on her behalf.

Yvonne said: “Louise went through the system, booked the flights, and then a message said there were no flights left.

“She was told she would get the money back in two days, then it was five days, and then it was 10 days.

“A further attempt to book ended with a message to say there were “technical difficulties”.

“She’s not going now because she could not get her money back in time to make another booking for the dates she was able to go.”

Louise – due to start a new job – had to break the news to her two children that they were not able to have a holiday.

A spokeswoman for Thomson said: “Thomson would like to apologise to Ms Barkes for the issues she experienced when booking flights on our website.

“We can confirm that her original booking automatically cancelled due to an error online and we are investigating as a matter of urgency.

“We’d like to assure customers that instances such as these are extremely rare.

“Ms Barkes’ funds are currently being held by her bank.

“Depending on the bank, cancellation refunds can take between three and five working days for the funds to be released and we envisage these funds will be in her account shortly.”

Louise won’t lose any money but, in situations like this, you have to ask why a refund can’t be done quicker.

It would have saved the family holiday.

Majorca

As reputations go, Majorca has a real mix of attitude from people who might be considering a holiday on the well known Spanish island that has proved so popular with tourists in the past.

On the one hand there is the image of Magaluf to consider. It’s a town that attracts some but is a definite turn off for others.

And for tourists who prefer peace and quiet to a walk on the wild side, Magaluf is set to become even more of a party magnet as ‘Mallorca Rocks’  has opened - sister hotel to the successful ‘Ibiza Rocks’ just across the water.

Fantastic for the young, and young at heart who can discover Majorca as well as Ibiza. For those who like their clubbing and nightlife Mallorca Rocks will be the centre of a Majorca holiday for many of them.

And the Majorca hotels could benefit as stag weekends and hen parties view Majorca as an alternative to Ibiza, bringing in good revenue year round from young Europeans with disposable incomes.

Flights are inexpensive to the island, and with airlines operating from many regional airports from the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, for students and other young people the cheap flights could see visitor numbers in this age group rise considerably this summer.

Majorca Holidays

But for couples and families who don’t want 24 hour partying, and are looking for a good relaxing sunshine holiday, is Majorca a good destination for them this year?

The answer is a definite yes, there’s another side to the island that’s ideal, and if they choose the right location it would be hard to imagine they’re on the same island as party loving Magaluf - but they would still get the good deal for their Majorca flights.

When looking at a map, on the north-west side of the island is Soller. And it is here that holidaymakers can escape to another world, and it’s quiet enough to enjoy while having a good amount of activities going on, to be enjoyed year round.

A tram connects the port to the town, and Deia - another village ideal for family holidays - is closeby, and there is a train that runs through the wonderful Majorca countryside to the capital Palma - a great day out enjoyed by many staying in Soller either in one of the hotels or Majorca villa holidays.

The port is a wonderful place to while away a few hours, with yachts calling in from all over Europe. The harbour area has a good amount of restaurants and cafes serving a variety of food including local dishes all day, and there are also apartments to rent with sea views here for holidaymakers.

For a good family holiday this summer, Soller could be the answer for a quality trip.

For a profile of Majorca including travel information visit yourmajorca.net

Eyjafjallajokull

With the banking crises and subsequent recession in Europe and the U.S. over its worst (hopefully) this year had all the signs of being a good one for the Menorca holidays industry.

Tourist arrivals to the island has been down in the last couple of years, in common with most Mediterranean islands, as a direct result of the bank failures and subsequent recession that hit consumer spending on things like overseas holidays hard.

But a turnaround was definitely on the cards with good early bookings, and a sense of optimism was in the air among the hotel owners and flight operators.

But then came along Eyjafjallajokull - or as it’s become better known in Europe and the wider world, the Iceland volcano - which after erupting continuously for over a month caused an ash cloud that grounded planes, left holidaymakers stranded, and caused a lot of people to reconsider their Menorca holidays for this year.

The direct consequence has been that instead of booking a few months ahead many tourists have held off and are booking their Menorca holidays much closer to their intended arrival dates - leaving some tour operators and villa holiday companies with excess accommodation and reducing prices.

And airlines lost out big time as those based in the EU had to pay for accommodation for those passengers they couldn’t fly home, even though insurers often got away with paying out. The airlines industry feel that as the governments stopped them flying, they should now pay their bills without some will run at a loss this year.

It’s not just Menorca that has been affected by the volcano among the Mediterranean islands where tourism forms an important part of the local economy, and is reliant on flights to bring the tourists in to their hotels and for their villa holidays for a week or two.

Malta for example saw a sharp decline in visitors in April and May, and local media have reported that the national flag carrier Air Malta could have lost over 3 million Euros in April alone as their planes were effectively grounded and flights to their important UK market halted altogether for some time.

Unlike Malta, Menorca doesn’t have an airline to speak of that it can call her own, but Mahon Airport is well served with both low cost airlines and tour operators from both the UK and Germany have regular flights to Menorca at various times of the day, with scheduled flights available out of the holidays season.

But there is some good news around, despite the awful start to the year. While there were plenty of Menorca villa holidays available for June and July to be booked when looking for availability in early May, a month later a lot of them had gone by early June, showing that potential visitors were gaining confidence as the volcano quietened down.

And the price cuts that were showing are now back to something like their normal level. But for those thinking of taking a villa holiday in September when the weather is still normally good, there are some available for under UK 700 - it’s quiter then with the schools back and if Menorca villa holidays are something to be considered it could be worth investigating further and booking ahead to get a good deal.

More details about Menorca, including a forecast and today’s Menorca weather are at yourmenorca.net and for independent comments visit social media like jumptags