Welcome to this week’s holiday hotline which – totally unintentionally – has become a bit of an ‘October Special’.
If you haven’t heard of the holiday hotline before, it’s something I do over on my Instagram stories where I ask you for what chap getaway I can help find for you.
If you’re not following already, then come say hiya and get involved!
Let’s get on with it, shall we?
Feel free to skip straight to the holiday you’re interested in by clicking below:
- Stylish Tuscan getaway in October
- 5* luxury Four Seasons hotel for less
- UK mini-moon lodge with hot tub
- 7 night Greek island break for under £350
THE REQUEST: Cheap but stylish Tuscany getaway
Extra Details:
- From Manchester
- In September or October
A LOAD of you asked about Tuscany this week and so I hope this helps a few of you tick the Italian countryside off your bucket list.
FLIGHTS
There are two airport options if you fancy visiting Tuscany – Florence or Pisa. And whilst the former may be the region’s capital, you’re going to be hard pressed to find cheap and direct flights outside of London.
FGS FLORENCE, YOU BOUJIE MADAME.
Therefore, we’re going to be taking a look at Pisa which is much more satisfactory on the ol’ pocket.
Manchester to Pisa
Thurs 17th Oct – Tues 22nd Oct
easyJet
£69 each
If you often fly Ryanair, you’ll be pleased to hear that easyJet still allow you to wheel on a cabin case which I think is more than big enough for this 5 night getaway! You can find out more about their luggage allowance here.
CAR RENTAL
Before we crack on with accommodation, we’ll need to find something to get us around once we land in Pisa.
The great news is that car hire is CHEAP AF!
From £26 for 5 days rental – YEP, just £5.20 a day!
ACCOMMODATION
If you’re wanting to go cheap, I’d definitely recommend looking into Agriturismo, which is the Italian for ‘farm stay’.
Now, before you tell me I’m barking up the wrong tree, BEAR WITH ME.
Once Italy’s best kept secret, agriturismo have really come a long way and you can expect well-appointed rooms, outdoor pools and stunning views across the owner’s land.
However, those on the cheaper end of the spectrum are more traditional in the decor department than the ‘stylish’ Tuscan break that’s been requested, so onwards we go!
Airbnb Plus – it’s verified for its “quality and comfort”
La Spezia – 56 mins drive from Pisa Airport
£76.20 a night – £190.50 each
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)
Airbnb Plus – it’s been verified for its “quality and comfort”
Pistoia – 53 mins drive from Pisa Airport
£79.20 a night – £198 each
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)
TOTAL
Flights – £69 each
Car hire – £13 each
Airbnb Plus – £190.50 each
Total = £272.50 each for 5 nights in Tuscany
THE REQUEST: Premium 5 star holiday for a 3 star price
Extra Details:
- From London
- For 2 people
Okay, so when I saw this request come through I got a bit giddy because I saw a deal in passing last week which I think will fit this request perfectly.
It’s important to say that last week, this was a good £80 cheaper so if you’re into it, I’d book it fast!
But here’s the reason I’m so excited…
This isn’t just any old hotel.
This is a FOUR SEASONS HOTEL.
Four Seasons, if you didn’t know, is one of the top luxury hotel brands in the world. We’re talking proper, 5 star service here, lads.
✨TOTAL HONEYMOON VIBEZ ✨
And usually, this would cost you around £400 a night for the room on its own. Minimum.
However, one of the cheapest Four Seasons hotels to stay at is in Marrakech.
What’s more, you can book the Four Seasons Marrakech through British Airways’ Holiday Finder – basically, their package holiday website – which in this case, saves us even more money.
As I said, this was just £536 when I saw it last week so it’s definitely worth getting on this deal soon before the cost rises even more!
The perks you get by booking both the hotel and the flight with BA is that:
- You get 23kg checked luggage for free
- There’s an option to just pay £150 deposit each
- Booked separately, the hotel would cost £927 and the flights would cost £197 each (without any luggage) or £237 (with luggage) meaning you could save up to £84.50 each by booking through BA
Though, it is worth saying that you could fly with Ryanair for the same dates for just £119 each, but the flight times and lack of hand luggage aren’t so fun (they only allow a small backpack!)
LOOK. I know it’s not quite a 3 star price, but it is unreal value for a true, premium travel experience. SO I HAD TO SHARE!
THE REQUEST: UK mini-moon lodge with hot tub
Extra Details:
- For 2 people
- Leaving 28th October
- 4 nights
- £700 budget
- Within 3.5 hours drive of Bedfordshire
A site that is amazing for lodges both in the UK and abroad is Canopy & Stars. In fact, they even have a page dedicated to places that have hot tubs!
Here’s my favourite that I found!
Holly Cabin
Powys – 3 hours drive from Bedfordshire
£660 for 4 nights
THE REQUEST: Budget Greek holiday for two
Extra Details:
- From London Gatwick or Heathrow
- For 2 people
- Late Sep/early Oct
- Southern Greece – maybe Rhodes or Crete?
- Budget – but not too rustic!
Flights from Gatwick and Heathrow to Rhodes and Crete were coming in a little pricey (okay A LOT PRICEY) and so I’m gonna throw a curveball in here.
KEFALONIA.
Kefalonia is an island just west of mainland Greece, so sure, not quite the Southern Greece that was requested, but just have a quick peruse of #Kefalonia on Instagram and I’m sure you’ll be satisfied!
The great thing about Kefalonia is that not only are there some great flight options, but the accommodation is so, damn cheap too.
FLIGHT
London Gatwick – Argostoli Kefalonia
Sat 5th Oct – Sat 12th Oct
Norwegian – 1 cabin bag plus 1 personal item
£101 each
(pssst you can fly for just £54 return later in the month!)
ACCOMMODATION
There are loads of great options but I personally loved not only the price, but the view from the terrace here. What a dream!
Airbnb
Sat 5th Oct – Sat 12th Oct
£63.29 a night / £221.50 each for 7 nights
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)
If you’re looking for a bigger group, I also recommend taking a look at Unique Kefalonia who have got some outrageous villas for amazing prices. I kept seeing the same properties on Airbnb but for so much more!
TOTAL
Since you’ll also need a car, I’ve chucked that price in here too.
Flights – £101 each
Car hire – £25 each
Accommodation – £221.50 each
Total = £347.50 each for 7 nights in Kefalonia
That’s it for this week’s holiday hotline!
Again, I was totally overwhelmed by the amount of requests and so please do accept my most sincere apologies for not getting to you. I will do my best to work through all the responses this week so that if I can steer you in the right direction, I will!
Remember, you can get involved in the next holiday hotline by simply following me over on Instagram and looking out for it on my stories.
SEE YOU NEXT TIME!
I have used some affiliate links throughout this article. They don’t charge you more, but if you book through them you’ll be helping me to continue my cheap travel booking hobbies. For full transparency, I earn about 10p if you book a flight through a link so… Yeah, I’m rolling in it 😂
how many holidays 
Thank you so much Chelsea for the information and recommendation for Kefalonia. Not been there yet but heard great things. I’m off to Google forthwith! Much appreciated x
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Yes, get googling!! So many great deals to be had there in October!!
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