suse

Well, Fodorites, I am back again asking for your help. We had a rough summer (death in the family) and I have an over worked (self-imposed) husband. All vacation plans for the summer had to be cancelled and we need a trip away and some family time in a bad way. My oldest is a senior in high school and I want one last trip before he is off on his own. (College, that is). DH is pinching pennies right now and not in the mood to plan, so here's my problem...

I would like to take a week long trip somewhere (I can't seem to narrow down)over Christmas and don't want to spend more than $5000 total for air, hotel and food and stuff. Do you think there is anywhere in Europe that we can do this? We aren't skiers, so I guess we are looking for a city. DH is not interested in going to France. Sons have dreamed of Ireland, Scotland, England, but I am not sure of the weather.So..................

Where is a good place to go over Christmas vacation for a family of 4 for $5000. I can skip luxury just so I can get away.

I have always listened to you before and I am counting on you now!

Thanks again (and again)
Suse

LoveItaly

Hi suse, I can sure relate as to how you are feeling.

I don't know where you live but have you thougt about Rome. Airfare is lower in winter etc. Rome would not be as cold as the UK (generally speaking). And in that you would probably need two hotel rooms what about renting an apartment? Just a thought. Best wishes to you getting this worked out.

rex

Portugal?

Best wishes,

Rex

Brazilnut

How about Portugal? It is probably the least expensive country in Western Europe. You could go to the Algarve (South of Portugal): the food is plenty and delicious, and it won't be too cold for Christmas.

Margie

Sometimes there are well priced air/hotel packages on gate1travel.com just check the price of the package verus booking each on your own, and locate the hotel on a map (and here!) before booking - you don't want to be out of the action or far from transportation

Scarlett

Mmmm, I like the idea of Portugal.
My daughter is going to Brussels/Amsterdam for Christmas. But she does not pinch pennies so I am not sure about cost.
They have Christmas markets and good food and nice museums.

progol

Have not yet been there, but Prague would be my first choice for a short trip. Or London. How about Edinburgh, especially over New Years (Hogmanay would be great with your sons)?
Or Amsterdam and environs.
Just thinking out loud here....
Paule

tuscanlifeedit

I'm not sure if Christmas is blacked out on any of their packages, but go-today.com is another place to look for good deals on packages.

And Dublin is another choice. Yeah, the weather wouldn't be so great, but fares are cheap and it is supposed to be a fun and interesting city.

isabel

Does it have to be over Christmas? I assume you suggest that as you have kids in school. But how about February break, or whenever their next break is. The problem with Christmas is that everything is more expensive then - airfare, hotels, etc. If you could wait just a couple months everything would be much less expensive.

I second the idea of checking with go-today.com. They have some great packages of air and hotel. I used them for London and couldn't get anywhere close booking on my own. And I'm considering them for Greece. But on the other hand, I've been able to do Paris for less than their package. So shop around.

In terms of where to go, the problem is the less expensive cities (e.g. Prague) cost more to get to (airfare) than say London or Dublin, which will be cheap to get to, but expensive once there. How about Spain?

suse

Hmmm, I hadn't even thought of Portugal, and that's a really good idea. I am going to look into the cost for it. Also, I like the Rome idea as well as Edinburg,London,Dublin. Just after I posted last night, my son said how he'd always wanted to go to Scotland, but I was thinking it was too cold. I'd forgotten about Hogmanay.
I've been looking at packages on Gate 1 and Go-Today, and I'm not too impressed with the locations of the mid priced accomodations. I think I will try to wing it on our own.
isabel... We know Christmas is expensive, but we NEED to get away soon. Don't want to leave mom-in-law for first holiday after dad died (Thanksgiving), but brother-in-law can be around for Christmas. (Do I sound awful wanting to get away so soon?) We need a break so badly, I don't think we can wait until Feb. or after. I appreciate your thoughts though.
Thanks for the input, I knew I could count on you guys. I'm off to do my research and will let you know on what we decide..................

Suse

MaureenGP

I haven't been to Portugal, but have been to Spain twice and found it easy to navigate and less expensive than many other places. I don't know how the weather would be in December, but maybe Andalucia and the Costa del Sol would be warm enough. There is so much to see---Seville, Granada, Cordoba, etc.

StCirq

This may seem like a totally off-the-wall suggestion, especially at Christmastime, and especially as DH doesn't seem keen on France,but have you thought of Morocco? Your $5,000 would go very far there, and you could eat as well as in France, not to mention see some amazing sites, including Roman ruins and such that might be of interest to you on a European vacation.