Holidays

We have a difficult situation to sort out.
I am70in July and all I really wanted to do was to be with our two wonderful daughters, their lovely husbands and the six gorgeous grandchildren!
We offered to take them all away on a self catering holiday - I found two adjoining barn conversions with all the right facilities to suit everyone, from a cycling mad son in law to the twins of 5 as well as 4 teenagers. We booked for a week as the schools were due to break up for the summer.
The deposit was over £1,000 and was paid last year. We are now being asked to pay the balance - a not inconsiderable sum of money but which we would willingly do we’re the situation clearer.
We didn’t buy travel insurance as we’ve never done so for holidays in the UK, but in any case I guess it wouldn’t cover Covid 19 as being the reason for needing to claim.
We emailed the company which we booked through to say that we obviously didn’t want to pay yet. We indicated that we would expect that our deposit would be returned should we be unable to go in July. We were told that we could only have a credit which would be available for the same dates next year or indeed another date in 2021.
We pointed out that we would be very unlikely to be able to tie the whole family down to a week as 3 teenagers would be taking public exams.
So far we’ve had no response.
We feel very conflicted as to what we can do as our younger daughter, who has four children two of whom are 5 year old twins, was horrified when she heard my husband talking about whether we might be able to go. She indicated that she wouldn’t consider going. We realise that we personally may still be in some form of lockdown but would be prepared to let the family go out and we would be happy relaxing back at the luxurious barns and their amazing gardens.

We will wait to see what the Government say at the beginning of June but we may be no wiser as to how things will be in July.
What shall we do try to persuade our younger daughter that we wouldn’t want to go without her and nor would we put anyone at risk? We haven’t discussed this with our elder daughter yet as I don’t want to put her in a difficult position - the girls are very close but have some different views on parenting.
I’ll be interested to hear views on our quandary.

Should have been joining Galen on a Baltic cruise today. It is disappointing but there’s nothing we can do about it.

We used to book a cottage before my mother in law became more disabled.
However whilst I feel safe in my own home, after I've wiped down any shopping that is delivered, I wouldn't feel safe in a holiday home.
You don't know who's been there before you, how healthy they were and however thorough the cleaning , you can't be sure that every surface has been cleaned.
I know that I'd be forever washing my hands, and wiping and re-wiping surfaces.

I think we need to know who has had COVID19, who has developed antibodies and whether it not that means they are then immune.
Hopefully a test will be rolled out soon, but, of course, essential workers will need to be tested first.

Yes Callistemon is going to be like that for us over 70s (but not shielded) until a vaccine is found?

It is only those who are 'shielded' who are advised not to go out, Bluesky, whatever their age.
Over 70s have never been stopped from going out for essentials, exercise, food, medicine.

Is the NHS advice for the over 70s not to out until a vaccine is found? That would be a grim prospect! Hopefully it will be with the due caution, distancing, masks etc etc. I don't think we'll ever mingle like we did before. Anyway as I'm not a particularly sociable person, it only makes a marginal difference. I certainly don't miss hugging and kissing anybody!

Smurf44 yes, a sad summer but we need to write off this year's holidays and be glad that we're alive!

Peardrop50
??

We had to cancel our holiday to Holland in April to visit the tulips and family. All hotels/BnBs refunded with no problem, but Le Shuttle would only change the date, not offer a refund. No charge for this so it is tentatively booked for October, but it’s more likely to happen in April 2021.
Our Premier Inn booking for 21 June in Edinburgh, enroute to Shetland, (also to see family) has been cancelled by the company this week and I am promised a refund. They will not be open until 4 July. I haven’t heard from the Chalet company in Shetland nor the return hotels/BnBs around 15 July. This could be tricky as we won’t need to travel home if we haven’t been on holiday to Shetland, but the 15th is obviously after the possible re-opening date. Maybe Nicola Sturgeon will still be insisting on Lockdown in Scotland then as our other two bookings are both in Scotland. What a sad summer.

If the hotels and B&Bs are not to go bust, surely at some point they will have to open up and take the risk - though many of their potential customers may not want to take the risk themselves.

So far as employing a nanny is concerned, would this not be against the rules? I thought nobody should join your household during the lockdown?

I live in Devon on the edge of Dartmoor & less than 10 miles from the coast. We have seen an increase in traffic & cyclists over the last few weeks. Apart from the supermarkets & other food shops ie Butchers/Greengrocers/Bakers nothing is open. Where car parks are open toilets are not.

At the risk sounding selfish we don't want an influx of Tourists, our infection levels are low as is the death rate.

My 91 year old Mum lives in Yorkshire near the Dales, I can't go to visit her.

Stay at home & take short day trips ....please

We went to our local beach today. It was quite crowded with dog walkers and locals but didn’t seem over crowded. We are on the Kent coast so maybe other areas are busier? The roads still seem quiet here.

We travelled through Argate earlier today and made our way to our local deserted beach. Sad to see the mass of empty caravans and only hear the cry of seagulls instead of the joyous shrieks of children running in to the cold Irish Sea. Our local caravan park owner says that they've been advised that sites in Wales are unlikely to open before September.
We feel genuine sympathy for the hundreds that can't have their planned holiday by the sea but at the same time we fear that our limited local resources couldn't cope at the moment if the virus were to overwhelm us.
All the lovely pubs, cafes and restaurants are firmly closed but at least we have quiet roads and a beach to walk to, counting our blessings here on Anglesey.
Hope to welcome tourists back next year.

This year's a write off. Deal with it and don't be so selfish as to travel to a cottage with your own food and with the plan of walking and keeping away from people. What about the owners of the cottage, having to decontaminate and disinfect everything after you leave? This pandemic has really shown the selfish, and stupid in people. Makes my blood boil.

If we don't wait, there may not be any time left for those who choose to mingle and why should the NHS serve those who wantonly ignore safeguards?

Agree Foghorn sadly the vaccine seems a long way away, I don't think we have the time to wait...

Callistemon ??

I think will wait till they develop a vaccine tbh.hmm

I have a friend who’s saying this. But what will you do if we never have an effective vaccine? Will you stay at home for ever?

I thought everyone had been to Argate for their holidays at some point!
It's rather pleasant when the sun shines but it is self-catering, unfortunately.

Greengran I don't know which part of Australia, but yes, some states have had very few cases and some schools have gone back, others go back towards the end of this month.

The situation is quite different to that over here Nannan2.

Simply beautiful Granny23 but imagine if it was heaving like the Costas in summer...?
Better to keep it a secret.

I don't think it was irrelevant, and she is perfectly entitled to her opinion.

GabriellaG54 Aha

notgoneyet
I later realised it was 'our gate' written as it might be said on Merseyside... argate. ??