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Holiday bookings....bargains and refunds.

(38 Posts)
Alioop Mon 11-Jan-21 10:55:39

I only stay here in N.Ireland for my holidays and go up to the North Coast near the Giants Causeway, etc. I'm not even booking it this year cos last year it was booked for June and we couldn't go cos we had to stay in our area and with no idea what's really happening yet, it's my back garden 2021. Plus I'm only 54 so my jab is way down the line by the look of it so it's probably better I stay home.

vampirequeen Mon 11-Jan-21 10:29:44

I think that's where Haven have come up trumps (not the orange toddler type). This idea of two levels of payment really suits us. Even the full price Stay and Play holidays are lower than previous years and Covid cover is included.

I just need something to look forward to. I'm finding it hard to drag on day after day especially atm when I'm still recovering from Covid and it just won't go away. Today we tried to go for a walk (first time since before Christmas. We managed about 500m altogether and I had to go back to bed for an hour. The upside is that either I get a holiday or money back in my bank account. Either will make me happy.

Juicylucy Mon 11-Jan-21 10:23:46

Not haven related. But our Spanish holiday which was cancelled for last September was £650 per person, same holiday for this September is now £830. I understand they will try and recuperate there losses but I think they are cutting there nose off to spite there face as families etc will struggle to find the extra cost and they will be forced to bring there prices back down.

Ellianne Mon 11-Jan-21 09:49:06

Many of us book holidays well in advance, some year on year, otherwise we wouldn't get the choices we want. I guess it stands to reason some of us will have bookings for 2021 already in place.

BlueBelle Mon 11-Jan-21 09:40:04

I know vampirequeen it’s a buggxx isn’t it my son was due from NZ last June they said he could change it to this June or money back, he got his money back as this June is just so unknown as yet
I m just not sure any of us should look forward to holidays this year as I think it could be really disappointing

vampirequeen Mon 11-Jan-21 09:37:10

Bluebelle...we originally booked this holiday last September when we were being told that things were under control. We thought that by May 2021 things would be sorted. Haven have a Covid refund system.

Lucca Mon 11-Jan-21 09:18:38

I booked an activity holiday abroad ( not Haven) for september 2020 (booked it November 2019). I’m trying to get a refund for the deposit I paid. Looks like I shall have to do it via my debit card/bank. I feel bad for the holiday company but I can’t afford to lose that money really.

Chewbacca Mon 11-Jan-21 08:27:39

I can't recommend Haven highly enough, they've been a brilliant company to deal with in my experience. DS and his young family go to various sites around the UK, for mini breaks or long weekends and he's said that the same high standard is across every site they've used. They'd booked one particular short break a few years ago, but just 3 days before they were due to leave, DIL suddenly went into a very premature labour and of course they couldn't go. I phoned to cancel the break, not expecting anything to be refunded but they did! The whole booking was put back until the following Spring and they didn't even have to pay any "admin fees" etc. Good company to book with ime.

Iam64 Mon 11-Jan-21 08:25:48

Our family booked for 10 last year. They paid the £2500 only to have a text five days before they were due to go, cancelling them because Haven had overbooked. They were offered a refund on a holiday this year and had to fight for the cash back.

BlueBelle Mon 11-Jan-21 08:21:18

You are not top most on my list for booking a holiday in May I think it’s a tad (understatement) foolhardy to imagine we will be back to holidaying that early in the year

Oopsadaisy1 Mon 11-Jan-21 08:17:27

Well apart from admiring your optimism for booking a holiday this year, I’ve tried to join a group going to Haven holidays for 2 years running, they all had a great time but each time I was ill and had to cancel, so I think that someone is trying to tell me something!

tanith Mon 11-Jan-21 08:13:47

Love Haven we go as a large family group every year. They have big bells and whistles sites and much quieter sites. We don’t use a lot of the amenities but do like to use the swimming pool but I’ll take a look so thanks for the heads up.

vampirequeen Mon 11-Jan-21 06:54:40

Sorry GN if this is classed as advertising. I don't mean it to be.

We were never fans of holiday camps because we don't like the idea of being crammed in with hundreds of other people and surrounded by caravans. However last year we discovered Haven special deals. We had 4 nights in Sept for £60. We couldn't have camped in a tent for that price. So we decided to forgo our view for convenience and a bargain. It's even cheaper this year.

Feeling the need to have something to look forward to we decided to book another holiday with them for 2021 so we booked 2 weeks in Norfolk for May. The cost was £350. Since we booked Haven have brought in a new system of charges. You can have Stay and Play which gives you access to the entertainment centre, pool etc. or just Stay which suits us much better. Stay is substantially cheaper than Stay and Play. So last night I checked the cost of our holiday if I were to book it now and found that we were paying far more. I rang them on the off chance and to my very pleasant surprise they changed my holiday to Stay and are refunding the extra cost. We thought we had a bargain at £350 for 2 weeks but now it's only £198. Way to go Haven!