Cheap family self catering holidays in Spain

 

It is possible to reduce the costs of a self catering holiday in Spain by careful planning. Any families with children of school age are automatically hit by high prices in peak school holiday periods for both accommodation and flights.

It pays to shop around for flights. Certain package tour carriers also sell spare seats to independent travellers. Some airlines such as Easyjet have winter sales of around 20% in January and February for periods within the following 6 months. It takes a fair bit of searching to find the best deals.

What people usually do is to find a villa or apartment in Spain that appeals, reserve it, then obtain flights. At one time last minute bookings used to be a method of obtaining bargains. In this economic climate it is probably best to try to book far in advance and take advantage of early booking discounts.

Parents with children do not have the same flexibility as single people or even couples who can risk an uncertain last minute booking. It is important to ensure good clean accommodation for children. Families would find it almost impossible to walk out of accommodation that does not meet expectations.

 

Cheap family self catering holidays in Spain -

Near the beach or in a rural area for reduced costs?

Self catering accommodation close to the sea generally increases in price the nearer it is to the beach. There is a compromise to be made in this situation. Compare the cost of rural accommodation plus car hire with accommodation near the beach and no car hire. A car rented at the airport provides easy transfers to your holiday villa and back to the airport. Sometimes this can work out much better value than relying on taxi transfers. These comparisons are worth doing because with a car it is easy to go shopping for groceries for your villa and for days out. Supermarket prices are also less expensive out of seaside resorts.

Shop at local markets for fruit and vegetables at best prices.

Avoid buying British brands at the supermarket in Spain because they are more expensive.

 

Spend days on uncommercial unspoiled beaches

Avoid money grabbing entertainment and spend days digging up the beach and swimming in the sea which children love. Go prepared with a few inflatables, buckets, a ball and spades and a pop up tent for the beach and you have all the entertainment that small children need.

Take some bread down to the local harbour to feed the fish which are plentiful and easily spotted by children.

 

The smaller resorts in Tenerife such as Los Gigantes and Puerto de Santiago are especially family friendly with free car parking.