Category: holiday hotline

holiday hotline #4 – cheap group summer sun, Dubrovnik on a budget, Boston for under £500 and luxury Sofia hotels for less

Another week, another hotline!

And if you’re all ‘what you on about Chels?’ then let me explain. Once a week, over on Instagram, I ask you to send in your holiday conundrums and then I go off in hunt of some cheap holiday deals for us all.

So, what have we got this week?

Well, the one thing that I saw a LOT of were requests for group trips this summer so let’s delve a little deeper…

REQUEST: Summer group holiday for no more than £450 each

What’s Holly after then?

  • 5-7 nights
  • 8 people
  • From Manchester
  • Week of August 19th
  • Pool
  • Close to the action
  • Max £450 each

Phew! Holly is wanting a LOT of boxes ticking here but let’s see what we can find for the ultimate group getaway this summer.

Manchester to Faro
Sat 17th Aug to Sat 24th Aug
£126

TOP TIP: Remember when you’re searching for groups to always put in the correct number of travellers. This is because airlines often sell seats in price tiers and so they may only have a couple of tickets available at the cheap price you see in front of you – which gets a bit awkward when you click through to book and the prices suddenly rocket up!

Faro airport is the gateway to the Algarve – Portugal’s southernmost region known for its Atlantic beaches and golf resorts. What’s more, Portugal is really well priced and so you don’t need to spend a fortune once you’re out there as well.

Whilst you’re getting in late and leaving early, you save £59 each from flying at slightly better times.

Also, since Holly requested 5-7 days, this is a good way to get 6 whole none travel days for less. What’s more she won’t feel like she’s wasting money on that first night accommodation because the place I’ve found has to be booked for a 7 night minimum anyway.

ENTER STAGE LEFT:

OH HELLO.

Villa Avios is pretty decent, right?!!

I found this bad boy on Oliver’s Travels which is ‘a website where people can find and book exclusive, luxury chateaux without having to shell out a fortune’.

What I like about Oliver’s Travel is:

  • They only recommend places they’ve actually seen
  • You’ll often find homes that aren’t on Airbnb
  • They offer a best price guarantee
  • They have a free concierge service that can help sort out other aspects of your holiday

Should we have a bit more of a nosey?

So, wanna know how much this place is?

£2199 for 7 nights

That’s just £275 each for a group of 8 for a whole week – and since it sleeps 9, it could be as cheap as £245 each if they could recruit an extra person.

Whilst this villa isn’t quite in the thick of the action as some I found on Airbnb, it is easily the nicest l found in this price range and I was honestly shocked at how cheap it was compared to what else was on offer. Especially for 7 nights.

Also, you’re just a 15 minute drive from Albufeira which has a VIBRANT nightlife meaning if you wanted a big night out, your taxis are not going to cost you the world.

As well, there’s lots to do in the area including beaches, golf courses, mountain bike trails, surfing, water parks, deep sea fishing and scuba diving.

If you’re wondering how you’d even get to Villa Avios, do not fret.

At 40 mins drive away from Faro airport, I’d definitely recommend hiring a car for any stay on the Algarve. Car hire is cheap and there’s so much going on along the coastline that it would be a shame not to explore it.

In a group, I actually think 2 cars are better than one big people carrier as it normally much cheaper (the cheapest 9 seater I found was £530 for the week!), 2 cars will give you more space to cram luggage, and lastly it gives you the option to split up to try out different activities during the week.

So, for flights, accommodation and 2 cars for Holly’s group of 8 mates, the entire trip comes in at £418 each.

JOB DONE!

Right, we’ve got time for a few more quickies.

REQUEST: London to Boston November group trip

Sophie wants:

  • London to Boston
  • 30th Oct – 3rd Nov
  • Accommodation close to the city for under £1000

First things first, the flights.

London to Boston
Weds 30th Oct – Sun 3rd Nov
£270 each (pssst it’s only £255 if there’s only two of you)

We’ve started seeing cheap flights to Boston for a while now but damnnnnn son that’s a sweet ass deal.

Both fares only include a 10kg carry on bag but for a 4 night trip, YOU CAN DO IT. I BELIEVE IN YOU!

If not, it will cost you an extra £35 each way with Norwegian (add your bag separately rather than selecting LowFare+ as that is an extra £50 each way but does include meals and a seat reservation) or an extra £100 return with Virgin (this also gives you a seat reservation and extra air miles).

Now for the accommodation which, knowing America, finding a place for 6 people for 4 nights under £1000 is gonna be TRICKY.

For big groups like this, I do find that you get more value out of booking a holiday rental as three hotel rooms can really add up.

So, I’ve headed to Airbnb and have popped in the dates, 6 guests, selected ‘entire home’ and have specified at least 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms because too much sharing never makes for a nice trip – AMIRITE?

Then, using the map, I’ve zoomed into Boston so I can find something that isn’t too far away.

Straight away, I can see our budget is going to be a struggle. But what can we get that isn’t too far from it?

Airbnb
Dorchester – home next to subway that’s 20 mins to Downtown
3 bedrooms – 3 beds – 2 baths
£278.75 a night – £1115 total
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

Airbnb
East Boston – short walk to transport for easy access to Downtown
3 bedrooms – 4 beds (2 are sofa beds) – 2 baths
£291.75 a night – £1167 total
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

Airbnb
South Boston close to Downtown
3 bedrooms – 3 beds – 2 baths
£325 a night – £1300 total
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

But still, how do we get to that £1000 pricetag?

By taking away a bedroom.

Airbnb
East Boston – Very close to airport and 15 mins drive central
2 bedrooms – 6 beds – 2 baths
£257.75 a night – £1029 total
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

Given that there are 6 of them travelling, if they went with the cheapest Airbnb here, their whole trip would only cost them £441.50 each.

TO THE US OF A!!!

REQUEST: Warm June getaway from North West for two

Sophie is after:

  • 3 -4 nights
  • 2 adults
  • 22nd June +/- 1 day
  • Leaving Liverpool or Manchester
  • Somewhere warm
  • Not Barcelona or Rome
  • £200 each

Right, with a small budget it’s very important that we find… CHEAP FLIGHTS!

*spends lots of time searching and realises that if you want warm in June, you’re still going to have to spend a bit for flights*

Manchester to Dubrovnik
Sat 22nd June – Weds 26th June
£98

Whilst the price might be nudging £100, this is actually a great price for Dubrovnik. The least expensive flights for similar trips to Dubrovnik usually cost between £145 and £215!

If you haven’t heard of Dubrovnik before then CONGRATS because how you’ve managed to escape all that ‘it’s where they film Games of Thrones’ chatter is quite the achievement.

It’s a city in Southern Croatia fronting the Adriatic Sea and it’s known for its Old Town which is LUSH AF.

Whilst it is a hugely popular destination – they’ve even started limiting the number of cruise tourists visiting the Old Town – since you’re heading there in term time, it won’t be as busy as it could be.

And the good news is that weather wise, it looks sunny and around 28 degrees.

But the big ol’ question – is there anywhere decent enough to stay given that Sophie has just £200 left to cover 4 nights in a popular tourist destination?

*spends lots of time searching and realises just how damn popular Dubrovnik is especially when you’re searching for a trip that’s in 2 weeks*

If we’re really trying to keep to budget, this new listing could work really well.

Airbnb – Apartment Tonci
Dubrovnik
£49 a night – this includes all the additional fees
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

An 8 min drive from the old town (you’re close to a bus station), this apartment is based in Babin Kuk which is a wealthy district known for its high-end hotels, stylish spas and yacht clubs. It’s also got a beach and plenty of supermarkets, bars and restaurants.

Whilst it currently has no reviews, you benefit from this by the 20% special offer that the host is offering for the first 3 guests who book a trip before now and 4th September. Yes, there is an element of ‘risk’ here, but it’s also a great way to bag a real bargain.

If you want a place with reviews, try this place for £63 a night, or this place for £69 a night.

Hotel wise, you’re going to be looking at guesthouses in this budget but there are plenty well rated rooms for under £200.

So, going with the cheapest flights and cheapest Airbnb, Sophie’s got herself a trip to a TOP DESTINATION for just £196 each.

That’s £4 each left for a pint at the airport.

I’m having fun, let’s do one more!

REQUEST: Accommodation in Sofia from 16th – 20th July

Okay, so Dani’s request is pretty straight forward.

  • Accommodation only in Sofia, Bulgaria
  • 16th – 20th July

So, let me take you through how I look for hotels if I’m looking for something more than just a cheap place to stay.

I start by googling ‘best hotels in Sofia’ or wherever I’m looking and normally, an article written by The Telegraph is a top result. For Sofia, it’s not, but I do instead find a ‘best hotels in Bulgaria‘ list instead which is a great place to start.

Oh no hang on, it’s three hotels long. FGS BULGARIA – I’M TRYING TO DO A BIT HERE.

Anyway, it does show us one hotel in Sofia called ‘Maison Sofia Hotel’ and so next I open up Trivago and I whack that name in, alongside my dates.

Straightaway, it’s showing me that we can get Dani a room at this four star hotel from just £47 a night (always click on ‘more deals’ for the cheapest price!)

However, at 2.2 miles to the city centre, I’m interested in what we can get even more central.

So now I adjust the filters and I select 3 star+ hotels, a guest rating of 7.5+ and within 1 mile of the city centre.

Straight away I’m VERY interested in this 5 star, well rated, LUXURY COLLECTION hotel from just £84 a night.

The 5 star InterContinental Sofia is also just £88 a night.

Finally, if it is price that Dani’s after, this also looks like a great deal for just £34 a night.

If you’d like some holiday help then make sure you’re following me on Instagram for the next instalment of the holiday hotline!

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 🤣

holiday hotline #3 – summer in Ljubljana, European mini moons, £150 family accommodation, cosy UK stay, Dublin departures & Seville group stays

Once a week, I open up the holiday hotline to see what travel queries I can answer from you guys.

So let’s see what’s on the cards this week!

THE REQUEST: 3-5 nights in Ljubljana in July or August

Will got in touch and gave me the following brief:

  • Ljubljana
  • Flights & accommodation
  • July/August
  • 3-5 nights
  • Based in Shrewsbury but can fly from anywhere

Slovenia’s capital, Ljubljana, is getting some real traction at the moment and with the average cost of a pint coming in at £2.20, I CAN SEE WHY!

There’s lots to see and do in the city and you’re also not too far from the devastatingly beautiful Lake Bled!

Flights

Since Will is coming from Shrewsbury, his nearest airports are Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield and Birmingham. Unfortunately, only Manchester flies direct and DAMN it’s expensive (and only once a week). However, I have found a couple of cheap one stop options from Manchester – albeit with lengthy layovers in Brussels.

£108

£125

However, the best prices for direct are – you guessed it – from London.

3 night trips

London to Ljubljana
Fri 16th Aug – Mon 19th Aug
£112

London to Ljubljana
Sun 14th July – Weds 17th July
£98

4 night trips

London to Ljubljana
Mon 15th July – Fri 19th July
£103

Top tip: Skyscanner has a great calendar view that normally shows really easily the cost of a return flight, HOWEVER, it was not playing ball with this combination and kept showing up blank dates.

Therefore, I headed over to Google Flights instead which was much clearer in its prices.

It’s a great tool, just once you find the cheapest option, do check the dates on Skyscanner and Momondo once more to check you’re getting the best price.

For Will’s query, I’m going to go for the 3 night trip between Sun 14th July – Weds 17th July for £98.

Let’s crack on with the accommodation!

Accommodation

First of all, let’s take a look at a central apartment.

With Airbnb, the average entire home is coming in around £103 but I’ve found this cute and well rated studio for just £73 a night.

Airbnb
£219 total for 3 nights
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

If he fancies something lighter, brighter and with a balcony, I also found this home for £85 a night.

Airbnb
£255 total for 3 nights
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

There’s also two separate beds should he be travelling with someone he’d rather not share a bed with 😂

Lastly, let’s have a quick look at hotels.

As always, I recommend hopping over to trivago and using the filters to help narrow down your results. For this, I’m selecting 3 star+, a guest rating of 7.5+ and near the city centre.

Quickly I found the 4 star Grand Hotel Union which is super central, extremely well rated and £97 a night including free breakfast.

Grand Hotel Union
£291 total for 3 nights

Another great find is this 4 star hotel that’s just £78 a night and even includes breakfast.

Central Hotel
£234 for 3 nights

However, if Will’s wanting to keep the budget small, there’s also this super affordable option which is just 850 yards from the old town, is very well rated and is just £53.33 a night.

AURA Guesthouse Ljubljana
£160 for 3 nights

This means that this 3 night getaway could cost Will and his travel partner as little as £178 each – not too shabby, eh?

THE REQUEST: September mini moon with beautiful views

Joanne asked for:

  • Mini moon
  • September
  • Beautiful views
  • Nice food
  • Europe

I’ve been lusting after this hotel for AGES so please Joanne, go live out my dreams for me!!

Gillham Vineyard Hotel
Cyprus
Adults only (the mini moon dream????!)
Rates start from £114.47 and come with breakfast and a bottle of wine
Half board options are also available

The restaurant on site is great, and you’re not too far to head out in a hire car to explore what other foodie options Cyprus has to offer! I’d recommend looking at the Rose Suites which come with their own balcony overlooking the vineyard – and the great news is that they’re not even the most expensive type of room!

THE REQUEST: Family accommodation for £150 total in school holidays

So this next one for Abbie is TOUGH! She’s after:

  • Between 25th July – 31st August
  • 3-7 days
  • 2 adults and 2 kids
  • £150 all in

I tried using Ryanair’s fare finder but the closest cheap flight I could find in this date range was £33.80 return to Dortmund in Germany which would have only left £14 for the accommodation…

So it looks like it’s going to be a UK stay!

Whilst this is a super tight budget, the good thing is that you can search ‘United Kingdom’ on Airbnb and then bring down your budget.

I’ve popped in £50 a night and here’s what I’ve found that wasn’t a tent in a field (honestly way too many of them on Airbnb???)

Airbnb – 2 double rooms
Tillicoultry – 20 min drive from Stirling, Scotland
£46 a night
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

Airbnb – 2 double rooms
Blantyre – 20 min drive from Glasgow, Scotland
£46 a night
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

Whilst this one has no reviews yet, this is a great way to bag a place for a cheaper price as the cost is usually low as they try to get their first bookings!

Another great website to try searching is hometogo which is the world’s largest holiday rental search engine.

Unfortunately there wasn’t anything available coming in at under £50 a night – but it’s definitely one worth checking in the future if you’re after an apartment or villa. Airbnb is not the only option!

My last search was on trivago as it could be that we could swipe a family room for a good price!

Holiday Inn Aberdeen West
Aberdeen, Scotland
Queen room with sofa bed
£43 a night

Hampton By Hilton
Aberdeen, Scotland
Family room with free breakfast
£50 a night

Holiday Inn Express Stafford
Stafford, England
Family room with free breakfast
£54 a night

Okay, perhaps Aberdeen and Stafford aren’t the most ‘traditional’ holiday destinations, but both would serve a great base for exploring the area!

CURVEBALL

Now these don’t work for the exact dates but house sitting can mean totally free accommodation so if you wanted to get out of the UK, this may be a good option to look into.

I’ve used Nomador twice before (it’s free to sign up and message three owners) and from a quick peruse I’ve found two housesits in France that could work a treat. One even has its own pool!

Normandy housesit with pool – 20th July – 27th July

Parisian apartment – 25th July to 5th Aug

Here’s all my tips on bagging that free house sit!

THE REQUEST: One night cosy UK stay for cheap

This one comes from Roushan who’s after:

  • End of July
  • One night
  • Easy to get to from London
  • Cosy to chill in
  • Super cheap!

If you’re after super cheap, a really good place to look for a cute place is definitely Airbnb as you’re likely to get much more space for your money – and if you’re lucky, you may get an additional living room space to chill out in.

To help narrow down the search, I’ve decided to look for Saturday 27th July 2019:

Airbnb – Farm Home Annex
Stanton near Bury St Edmunds – 1 hr 47 mins drive from London
£49 a night
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

B&B in Georgian House
Wymondham near Norwich – 2 hour drive from London
£65 a night
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

Airbnb – Studio flat
Thorpe Langton – cute village in Leicestershire – 2 hour drive from London
£64 a night
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

Whilst the next options aren’t quite as cheap, they’re much closer to London and they also tick the ‘couples break’ box really well as they both feature on Mr and Mrs Smith – a hotel site that compiles chic stays for romantic getaways.

Aviator
Farnborough – 1 hour 30 mins drive from London
Views across their private airfield
£105 a night

And finally, I’m adding in this one because you can get there via the overground from London meaning you’ll cut down significantly on your travel costs.

The Crown Hotel
Amersham – Zone 6 on Metropolitan Line (peak – £7 / off peak = £4.10)
This was the inn from Four Weddings and a Funeral!
£122 a night

I’ve stayed at this place before and it just serves up so many country pub vibes. I loved it!

Not quite as close for Roushan but still worth sharing are:

Airbnb – Private Room
South Yorkshire
£35 a night

Airbnb – Private guesthouse
Derbyshire
£58 a night

THE REQUEST: Edinburgh to Tokyo trip in April 2020

Liam wanted:

  • Edinburgh to Tokyo
  • April 2020
  • 1 week

Whilst I’ve ran out of time to plan Liam’s whole trip for him, I can recommend staying at The Millennials pod hotel. IT’S AMAZING!

I did a full review with pictures about my stay in their Kyoto hotel and it was just such a good experience.

The Millennials Shibuya
Tokyo
Upcoming rates from £45 a night

You can also watch how our stay went down for yourself!

REQUEST: Hot summer holiday from Dublin

Viv has asked for:

  • Dublin to anywhere cheap af
  • Touristy
  • Flight out Weds
  • July or Aug
  • Warm please

Here’s some flights that might help you on your way, Viv. Lisbon is one of my FAVOURITE cities and it’s really affordable, especially for a capital.

The same goes for Madrid – check out last week’s hotline where I spoke about this more in full!

Palma in Majorca is more of the ‘touristy’ vibe you may be after and if you find yourself your own villa, you could save so much money on food and drink across the week.

Dublin to Lisbon
£88

Dublin to Lisbon
£73

Dublin to Lisbon
£82

Dublin to Madrid
£55

Dublin to Palma
£73

REQUEST: Seville rental for group stay

Sean’s off to Seville with his mates and has already bagged himself some cheap flights. So what does he need?

  • Accommodation for 4 people
  • 5 nights between 4th – 9th Sep
  • 3 beds – no sofa beds
  • Kitsch vibe

This was actually a lot harder than I thought it would be, but here are some great value options that I rustled up:

City Centre Sevilla ARCO MACARENA
£543 total – £135.75 each

This apartment currently doesn’t have many reviews so maybe it’s worth enquiring and asking if they have any more reviews (they may have this listed elsewhere!) before booking. However, what they lack in reviews they make up for in PRICE!

Airbnb
£565 total – £141.65 each
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

And whilst the next one would cost £314 each, I couldn’t resist click on this place 😍😍😍

Luxury loft with pool in Seville centre
£1259 total – £314.75 each

And because I couldn’t resist, I did two quick ones on insta as well:

London – Lisbon
Thurs 8th Aug – Sun 11th Aug
£201

And the great news is that unlike Ryanair and Wizzair, TAP still allows 8kg for hand luggage (55x40x20), as well as an additional small personal item- such as a handbag – up to 2kg.

Accommodation wise, Amy was looking for somewhere lux for her and her girls (and didn’t mind paying for the pleasure) so I recommend getting on trivago, whacking in 5 stars and seeing what she can find in budget. I’m also a big fan on the Telegraph’s best hotel lists.

But if their own places is what they’re after, these options are pretty nice too!

Designer Penthouse Apartment
4 bedrooms – 5 bathrooms
£665 a night – £332.50 total each

I initially found this as one of Airbnb’s ‘plus’ range (‘hand picked high quality homes known for great reviews) yet I actually found it on tripadvisor for £400 cheaper across 3 days! (Always shop around!!)

Stylish apartment with terrace
5 bedrooms – 3 bathrooms
£527 a night – £263.50 total each

Lastly, Abi asked about car insurance and my tips are always:

  • Compare costs on Skyscanner
  • Check if local firms are cheaper (you may need to use Google Translate for this!)
  • When chosen, opt for the basic insurance package
  • Buy additional excess insurance from moneymaxim separately – you will save a FORTUNE and it’s fully endorsed by Martin Lewis and his crew
  • We saved £54 by doing this on a recent 4 day car hire in Croatia!

THAT’S A WRAP!

Again, so sorry if I didn’t get around to your request but I hope the above may have given you some tips or offered some general holiday inspo that you may be able to use in the future.

Make sure to give me a follow on Instagram if you want to be involved in the next one – and let me know if you end up booking any of these!

Let’s end with a photo of me drunk, sat in a basket from my holiday in Croatia last week.

Lovely.

I have used 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 🤣

holiday hotline #2 – aug bank holiday getaways, manchester to barcelona, scottish road trips and cheap new york accommodation

Following the success of. the first holiday hotline (Will is currently planning his trip to Jordan – wahey!) I thought I’d get back on the search to find someone else a proper great holiday for less.

Make sure you’re following me on Instagram so that you know when the next hotline is live!

THE REQUEST: August bank holiday birthday fun – 4 days – somewhere hot

So, this week’s main hotline request comes in from Vicky who’s wanting a getaway over the August bank holiday as it’s her birthday that Friday and her work give her the DAY OFF – what a perk!

Heres what she’s after:

  • Ideally leave on evening of Thurs 22nd Aug
  • 4 days but could take more time off
  • Somewhere hot
  • Going with someone so can share a room

So, where are we going?

Looking at Thursday eve – Monday, there were plenty of options under £50 (including Cologne, Copenhagen, Oslo and Gothenburg) yet none were really giving that ‘hot’ vibe that Vicky was hoping to get.

Unfortunately, flights to warmer destinations such as Lisbon (one of my faves) were starting at £150 so I made the decision to change the return date to Tuesday 27th August instead.

London to Madrid
Thurs 22nd Aug – Tues 27th Aug
£84
(there’s also a flight back at 1310 for £94)

Why Madrid?

As the Spanish capital, there’s so much to see and do but having visited recently, I was really enamoured by the fact that it didn’t come with big city price tag.

With many menu del dia’s (three course lunches with wine – HALLOH) costing less than €10 and €1,20 rides on their well linked metro system, you’ll find that your money goes pretty far in this capital city.

Toledo

As well, with its brilliant connections, you can easily get a train out of the city and visit the UNESCO sites of Toledo and Salamanca, or how about a day trip to Madrid’s Wine Country?

As for the weather, Madrid in the summer gets HOT and August hits an average of 31 degrees – there’s a siesta for a reason. Which is why I think it’s important to find Vicky a hotel with not only some decent air con, but also some outdoor space and maybe, if we’re lucky, a pool.

Where are we staying then?

For this, I simply hopped on trivago and changed my filters to include:

  • Up to £100 a night
  • 3-5 star
  • Guest rating 7.5+
  • City centre location
  • With pool (fingers crossed)

With trivago, I always leave a bit of wiggle room with the price because annoyingly, they only filter based on the price they offer you in bold which is not always the cheapest price out there. That can be found by clicking on ‘more deals’.

Always click on ‘more deals’ for the best price

So, as you can see above, if we’d been looking for a room that cost £85 or less, this option wouldn’t have come up.

SNEAKY.

As Vicky will be staying 5 nights, I’m going to try and find a place around £80 a night so that she and her travel partner aren’t going to be spending more than £200 on accommodation each.

Option 1

Axel Hotel Madrid
£82 a night (£41 each)

  • 4 star with cool, quirky style
  • Very highly rated
  • Rooftop pool and terrace
  • Air con in every room
  • Adults only (no offence kids but HELL YEAH!)
  • Bizarrely would cost you £187 a night if you booked direct
  • Better photos can be found here (Booking.com always create such good picture galleries!)

I wouldn’t have picked up on this at all had I not checked out their own site, but Axel Hotels are a chain that focus on the LGBTIQ+ community who are proudly heterofriendly! They welcome everyone, no matter their sexual orientation, without prejudice which I think is a great business to support.

Option 2

H10 Puerta de Alcalá
£87 a night (£43.50 each)

  • 4 star with super chic decor
  • Very well rated
  • Incredible rooftop pool and terrace (H10 always NAIL this)
  • Air con
  • Again, you can peruse a better photo gallery (in my opinion) here

Option 3

Airbnb – Duplex with terrace in Central Madrid
£74.40 a night (£37.20 each)
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

  • Well rated with great reviews
  • Okay so NO POOL – but you do have your own cute terrace
  • The sofa bed means that two adults could have a bed each
  • Air conditioning
  • A kitchen with everything you could need to help you save money on food whilst in Madrid

So how much is this costing?

Based on going with the cheaper hotel, this 5 night birthday getaway will set Vicky back £289.

Which for a long capital city break across a popular bank holiday staying in a well rated, central hotel with a pool seems a pretty good deal to me.

I hope you have the best birthday holiday EVER, Vicky!

Any time for a few more requests?

Sure, let’s razz through a few more.

THE REQUEST: Venice – August bank holiday weekend

You lot are mad for your bank holiday getaways it seems!

Flights to Venice are not cheap but the best deal I could find was flying out later on the Friday and coming back early on the Tuesday morning.

London to Venice
Fri 23rd Aug – Tues 27th Aug
£126

If you can get the time off, you can also fly back on the Tues at 2125 for £134.

Venice isn’t necessarily the cheapest destination and is already pretty booked up that weekend but there’s still some decent deals to be had!

Airbnb – Sky Tower Suite
£65.67 a night (£32.84 each)
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

In the same building as a hotel, what it lacks in personality it makes up for with its clean, practical and low cost. The hotel reception also means you can check in 24/7 and you’re just a 10 minute bus from the historic centre of Venice.

Airbnb – Venetian Bridge Private Room
£81.67 a night (£40.84 each)
(you can get £25 off here if you haven’t used Airbnb before!)

Hurrah, we’ve made it over to the main island but it does mean we’ll have to stay in a private room… But it’s a very cute one if that helps?!

Hotel Pausania
£108.33 a night + €21 on check in (£57.17 each)

If you want to be super central, get ready for some proper OLD SKOOL ITALIAN DECOR! Which I personally love. This place is 3 star, well rated and really close to many of Venice’s historic monuments.

THE REQUEST: Barcelona – September. About £500 all in. 3 people from Manchester.

Now this didn’t say how many days, so I’ve gone for a cheeky little long weekend getaway for you!

Manchester to Barcelona
Fri 6th Sep – Mon 9th Sep
£59 each

The Bicycle Apartments
£124.66 a night (£41.50 each)

As I wasn’t sure on what formation the 3 adults would need to sleep in, The Bicycle Apartments have a range of options that would work and if you can stretch to the Design Duplex at £55 a night each, you can all get a double bed!

An 11 min walk from Plaça d’Espanya and has plenty of transport options in its midst.

Total cost = £183.50 each leaving plenty of money for food and fun!

Went went to Barcelona last year and managed to bag ourselves an INSANE apartment for next to nothing so you could try giving Love Home Swap a try too!

THE REQUEST: Booked flights to NYC for 30th November – 5th December… Now to find a hotel? Under £700 please!
Where better to enjoy the New York skyline than in Brooklyn?!

Ah yes. New York accommodation. It’s never fun 🤣

Now, there are some options in Manhattan for around £140 a night but they are – pardon my French – absolute horse shit. And I refuse to recommend anyone stay anywhere so crap!

So instead, I’m going to take us across the East River to Brooklyn. It has easy access over to Manhattan and is a place to visit and enjoy in its own right. In fact, it’s my favourite area of New York!

It’s also particularly helpful if you’re flying in from JFK as it’s the same side of the city.

Henry Norman Hotel – £684.28 total

  • Trendy 3.5 star hotel with excellent ratings
  • Greenpoint is another area that’s become a ‘hip’ place to visit in recent years
  • 11 min walk to the G line up to connect to then connect to either the L or the 7 across to Manhattan
  • Also, the hotel provides a shuttle to take you to nearby subway station

Hotel Le Jolie – £799 total

  • Basic (but with a modern edge) 2.5 star hotel
  • Very well rated
  • Williamsburg is an AMAZING part of Brooklyn – full of cool shops, cafes, bars and restaurants
  • Great location – just a 7 min walk from L line over to Manhattan (20 mins to Union Square)

Less nice but cheeeap, is the Bogart Hotel for £519 and much more expensive, but super lovely is the Hoxton Williamsburg for £933.

THE REQUEST: Mid August trip in Scotland. Ending in Glasgow. Car hire, beautiful roads & good value

Okay, there’s a lot to unpack here but here are my headlines:

  • Look into the North Coast 500 road trip. James and I did it in 6 days last summer and it was phenomenal
  • Whilst in many places you may have no choice, but always choose B&Bs over hotels. Much better value for money and the breakfasts are EPIC!!!! Check Airbnb too for B&Bs
  • For car hire, Skyscanner is great at giving an overview but also check Turo – it’s like Airbnb but for people’s cars!
  • Also, if you’re very lucky you may be able to relocate a campervan from Edinburgh for £1 A DAY with Spaceship Rentals! The only problem is you’ll probably have to return it to London… But hey, did I mention the £1 a day??!
  • We also ended our trip in Glasgow and went all out by staying at the Dakota hotel. It’s not cheap but we got their Friday night offer (can only be booked via their website) where we both got a cocktail, £25 each towards dinner, a cooked breakfast and a LUSH ROOM for £200 (£100 each). It was a total treat but I would absolutely recommend it, especially after a week of B&Bs!!
Dakota Glasgow
THE REQUEST: More drunk videos of James

Hahaha. We’re off to Croatia on Wednesday so I’m sure there will be more to come. But for now, skip to 37 seconds to keep you going.

This is from the FIRST VLOG I EVER MADE!!! #classicdrunkjames

So, thats it for the second every holiday hotline! I’m so sorry to all the people I didn’t get to – I do hope I can help you out in the future.

Make sure to give me a follow on Instagram if you want to be involved in the next – and let me know if you end up booking any of these!