Spain - Costa Blanca Discussion Forum

Discussions regarding holidays in the Costa Blanca.
diy
77 Posts
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Paul, there are many options in which to save money, so shop around for flights etc. You have a few choices from airports in which you can fly from, East Midlands, Birmingham, Liverpool or Manchester.

http://www.easyjet.com
http://www.bmibaby.com
http://www.jet2.com
http://www.flymonarch.com

I have used Beninter for apartments the last three times and they are great (and cheap)

http://www.beninter.com

I have just booked for a week in April, flying from Manchester to Valencia for £9 each way on the flights, £100 for an apartment and £70 car hire from Valencia airport for 7 days, for me and the missus it worked out just over £100 each for a weeks s/c.

Having paid full whack
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Hi Paul ... just in case you haven't seen it, we also have a DIY Holidays forum:

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewforum.php?f=36

David :wave
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diy
i saved myself well over 100 pounds this year for november fiesta week by booking my apartment and taxi transfer with benidorm direct and managed to book a flight with easyjet for 42 pounds return, so well pleased with that result, i prefer to do it this way because i like to stay right on the seafront and not many tour operators do seafront apartments in benidorm.
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I've just planned my own DIY holiday because the airport and flight times offered by the tour companies (Gatwick - 06:30 flight) weren't convenient for me.

I'm now travelling with BMI, from Heathrow, at a far more reasonable time in the morning and for just £83 return. This includes in-flight meals and drinks. I've booked my apartment through Wintersunshine and the cost of this is also £83. My only other cost will be a taxi from the airport, the cost of which will be shared with someone else. I reckon my total outlay will be less than £210 and for that I get something that suits me and not the tour companies.

My advice is to go for it and cut out the middlemen.

Regards

Alan
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DIY
You can try http://www.skyscanner.net to help you identify flight prices but double check on the individual airline sites too.

I've booked rooms through both http://www.alpharooms.com , http://www.wintersunshineholidays.com and at the Sol Costa Blanca (Benidorm) through http://www.solmelia.com (this was great value and an excellent location).

Don't forget to arrange insurance too.

Happy hunting.

G.
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We had a holiday 23rd august 1 week in playa flamenca in a villa we found on holiday-rentals.co.uk and found our own flights with monarch, for me and my 2 boys it cost £622!!!! peak time summer holidays.

Go to the ba main site, choose the airport you will fly from, and go to destinations and it will tell you who flys there. Go straight to the airline and you can book online. Check out all listed airlines as there is a difference.

Good luck, happy hunting!!!!
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I always DIY, but not because it's particularly cheap. I do it so I can have flights that are at a sensible time, so I can be taken straight to our apartment by taxi instead of having a two hour transfer tour and, most of all, so I can have a big two bedroomed apartment for just two adults and two kids. Try adding those extras to a brochure package and the supplements end up more than the holiday!
What you get DIY is better quality for the price of a basic package holiday.

To get a really cheap holiday you have to gamble on an "allocated on arrival" last minute booking. No DIY can compete on cost with a package that the operator is effectively "throwing away" to cut his losses. The problem is I only get away once a year and I can't afford to take that gamble.
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We went for a week end of September booked flights from Glasgow with Excel got good price and apartment and transfers with http://www.viajesalameda.com

Everything went perfect .Good flights,transfer and apartment. We saved over £400 on brochure price for the exact same holiday.
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we have booked to go to paphos early july from glasgow flying with globespan and booked the apart hotel direct over the web . we are going for two weeks and have saved £600 and have booked superior rooms rather than the standard room that first choice were offering so give it a try, only thing is we are looking for a week in gran canary and most of the fights from glasgow in february are as expensive as a week in a 3 star self catering so it all depends

hth wulmac
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booked 2 weeks 21st sep 2005 self catering ror 2 people cost of 350 pound for 2 including flights and accomodation using jet2.com staying at aqurium2 ,cheap as chips
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Thank you everybody for your help and advice it was very helpfull.May you all have a pleasant holliday nomatter where you go .Paul Jihnson :D
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DIY
Hello there,
I'm new to posting on this site, although I have been browsing for some time!! Anyway, hello to you all.
Wanted to ask about this particular topic. Have booked for xmas and new year and although we have been to Beni a few times before (including last xmas and it was lovely) we have never gone DIY before!
Have booked the Avenida Apts in the Old Town via a website called Hotelopia and flights with Easyjet.
Am sure that there will be no problem with Easyjet but am getting occasional jitters about the accomodation! It looks lovely from outside so hopefully it will be great, but anybody used this Hotelopia company before? Have visions of getting into Beni and the apartments never having heard of us!! or our money!!
Any comments would be much appreciated
Cheers.
Kim
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Hi Kim,

Why don't you contact Apartamentos Avenida to make sure they know about your booking?

Tel. 966830728 Fax 966805582

e-mail info@onasol.es

web http://www.onasol.es

Regards,

Maria :D
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DIY
Maria
Many thanks for your reply.
An e mail is on its way to the apartments as we speak!
Thanks again
Kim
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Hi everyone. Been to Benidorm many times but going after New Year and want to make it a DIY holiday to try and save cash. Can anyone recommend a good site for apartments. Also, on the beach there are apartments I fancy but don't know the name of them. Restaurant built on side and near to bar with alligator on roof (name escapes me). As you will have spotted I'm not that great with names. Many thanks
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The following companies are regularly recommended by our members:

Beninter

Gestaltur

Viajes Alameda

Winter Sunshine Holidays

Alpha Rooms

Could the apartments you're thinking of be Les Dunes Suites ?
David :wave
  • Edited by David 2007-05-31 23:09:53
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Hi, If it is les dunes suites we found it cheaper to book package holiday with direct holidays.Staying there in june and have stayed in them 3 times before.Can't say as I remember an aligator though!
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many thanks for your help people. It is indeed les dunes suites i was thinkin of - as soon as i seen the name it clicked with me. As for Direct Holidays, unfortunately they dont seem to fly to alicante from glasgow in january???????
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Hi there

WE just booked a two bedroom apt through Benidorm Direct for 6 people for 8 nights over new year for £399.00. They are the GEmeloes XX11 and look as though they are quite good, reviews are good anyway.
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