The Holidays Thread

[Libertadores FC]

Has anyone been to Poland, Paraguay or Croatia? 3 places that interest me.

 

[Habbinalan]

Heading for a month travelling around Argentina in October. As our main focus is birds and wildlife, the only football is likely to be on the TV in local bars. Some internal flights but also using o'night bus BA to Iguazu area. We have a local contact who will be helping but has anyone first hand experience of the o'night coaches. It looks like we'll have fun with currencies and have to carry a lot of US$ but at least the local inflation rate is back down to around 15%

 

[General_disarray]

Booked a one way flight to Sao Paulo yesterday, leave in 11 days, landing on Brazilian Independence day!!! Looking at staying in Brazil for 3 months heading to various places. Already starting on my Portuguese!!!

Might be able to head into Argentina to meet some friends in Cordoba if the money stretches.

Has anyone been to Poland, Paraguay or Croatia? 3 places that interest me.

I've been to Krakow, Split and Zagreb. Zagreb is rubbish but you normally have to pass through it if coming from the northern countries to see the rest of Croatia.

Krakow is a nice city that you could spend 4/5 days in and not get bored. Split is beautiful to look at, but 2/3 days is enough.

 

[lordofthepies]

Heading for a month travelling around Argentina in October. As our main focus is birds and wildlife, the only football is likely to be on the TV in local bars. Some internal flights but also using o'night bus BA to Iguazu area. We have a local contact who will be helping but has anyone first hand experience of the o'night coaches. It looks like we'll have fun with currencies and have to carry a lot of US$ but at least the local inflation rate is back down to around 15%

I went to Argentina for a couple of weeks last year - went to Salta, Iguazú, BA and Mendoza. We got the night coach from Iguazú - BA, it was reasonably priced and it was the most comfortable bus I've ever been on. Changing dollar for pesos on the blue market is a lot of fun, depending on what city you're in, they either do it out on the street or take you in to some shop or hotel to change it. Give me a shout if you need any more info but it sounds like you're fairly well clued up.

 

[saddler_andy]

4 months until Dominican.

 

[PatchLatics]

Kefalonia next Friday!

 

[nousername]

Just got back from Israel. Fantastic place. Would recommend it for something different.

 

[SF_]

I'm going to Gdansk for a few days next month, fuck knows whats there but it looks quite nice and sounds cheap.

 

[Smudge]

Ive booked a trip to Barcelona for my 30th with my mate. Getting there around 4pm Monday, going to Barcelona vs Roma on the Tuesday, then home about 9pm Wednesday night. Bit like when I asked about New York, I know there are a million things to see, just asking if anyone has been before and if there is anything that is really unmissable.

Even though we're seeing a game at Nou Camp, still planning on doing the museum and ground tour too, that will have to be the Wednesday as they dont do them on matchdays apparently.

 

[Alty]

How did you get on?

The Iberostar Varadero has just come up in my search for Aug 2016, £4266 for 2 of us!

Decided to bin it off as we were worried about hurricanes in September. Looking to go in 2016 instead. From what I can see you can get 3 days in Havana and 7 in Varadero (4* and 5* respectively) for under £3,000 including flights.

We're now going to Marrakech at the end of the month. 5* riad. Wouldn't have been my first choice but looking forward to something different.

 

[Magic]

Marrakech is definitely a spectacle but pretty intense and tiring. We had a great hotel though so the combination worked. A place to experience once for sure but I don't think I'll rush back.

 

[Habbinalan]

I went to Argentina for a couple of weeks last year - went to Salta, Iguazú, BA and Mendoza. We got the night coach from Iguazú - BA, it was reasonably priced and it was the most comfortable bus I've ever been on. Changing dollar for pesos on the blue market is a lot of fun, depending on what city you're in, they either do it out on the street or take you in to some shop or hotel to change it. Give me a shout if you need any more info but it sounds like you're fairly well clued up.

Preparations continue lordofthepies. Have you (or anyone?) got any suggestions for sourcing a largish quantity of US dollars ($10-15,000) other than the online comparisons I've tried? At the moment, Pure FX or Travel FX seem to be my best options.

 

[blade1889]

Preparations continue. Have you (or anyone?) got any suggestions for sourcing a largish quantity of US dollars ($10-15,000) other than the online comparisons I've tried? At the moment, Pure FX or Travel FX seem to be my best options.

May be worth looking at a Norwich & Peterborough current account. They let you do free cash withdrawals from ATM's abroad, so just at the basic exchange rate. You have to keep I topped up with £500 a month or pay £5 (or have a balance over 5k) but could just get it for the trip, transfer your sterling in to it and avoid fees. Then cancel the account when you return?

 

[Habbinalan]

May be worth looking at a Norwich & Peterborough current account. They let you do free cash withdrawals from ATM's abroad, so just at the basic exchange rate. You have to keep I topped up with £500 a month or pay £5 (or have a balance over 5k) but could just get it for the trip, transfer your sterling in to it and avoid fees. Then cancel the account when you return?

Thanks. For this particular case, the reason we need to take so much cash is that you need dollars in Argentina but can't get hold of them once you've arrived. I'll bear that in mind for the future though - despite their questionable sponsorship relationships

 

[Stagat]

The Halifax Clarity credit card is often bigged up as being good for overseas withdrawals too.

 

[lordofthepies]

Preparations continue lordofthepies. Have you (or anyone?) got any suggestions for sourcing a largish quantity of US dollars ($10-15,000) other than the online comparisons I've tried? At the moment, Pure FX or Travel FX seem to be my best options.

I'm afraid not, we came to Argentina having already been to other South American countries such as Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador (US$ is the actual currency in Ecuador so you could get nothing else) where you can get US dollars out of the cash machines, so we saved some up from doing that. If you're near a border at any point, it might be worth hopping over to do the occasional dollar run.

 

[KevinMcallister]

3 weeks tomorrow for my holiday in Spain, come on time!

 

[Techno Natch]

Finally got round to booking our holiday for next year, 2 weeks in Costa Rica.

I'd like to go there. Where are you going and what are you doing?

 

[Nath]

Hoping for a bit of advice here. It's the girlfriend's birthday in December, so I'm looking to take her away as a surprise that month. At the moment I'm stuck between going to London, Paris or Berlin. I've never been to any before. From what I've read, all three seem like great cities. I'll likely be booking for around Christmas time, so we'll be doing the usual stuff like sightseeing, shopping, Christmas markets, heading out for meals etc. For those who have been in all three, which would you recommend the most for a couple in their very early twenties.

 

[Smudge]

You want Christmas markets and sights, definitely Berlin. Great city, so much history, and Germany in general is just brilliant.

 

[Aber gas]

Berlin for me too . Culture , history , sights and a fucking mad night out if that's what you're after . Expensive , but no worse than Paris or London . Have a great time wherever you go .

 

[Nath]

Appreciate the swift responses guys. Yeah I've heard the Christmas markets are fantastic in Berlin. From online research it seems Berlin is one of the best cities in Europe to visit.

 

[Techno Natch]

Berlin is an amazing city, it has so much to offer. It would ve a great choice and its cheap at the moment compared to Britain.

 

[Habbinalan]

I'm afraid not, we came to Argentina having already been to other South American countries such as Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador (US$ is the actual currency in Ecuador so you could get nothing else) where you can get US dollars out of the cash machines, so we saved some up from doing that. If you're near a border at any point, it might be worth hopping over to do the occasional dollar run.

Based on a steer from someone in the travel business and my experience today, It looks like Covent Garden FX set the standard for exchange rates and service if you are buying enough foreign cash to make the effort of getting the best rates worthwhile.

 

[spireite]

We've just sorted out a little break before Christmas. We're doing a weekend in Dublin early December. Little bit of something to look forward to as I now have fuck all annual leave until January!

 

[M Dogg]

I've gone on a few holidays this year luckily.

Week in Portugal, going to Lisbon then down to Quinto De Lago (very nice place indeed)

Just had a week in Corfu, which is also a lovely island!

And on Monday I'm off to west coast USA to visit LA and Vegas with the BOYSSSSS. I am so giddy.

 

[MSB92]

I've gone on a few holidays this year luckily.

Week in Portugal, going to Lisbon then down to Quinto De Lago (very nice place indeed)

Just had a week in Corfu, which is also a lovely island!

And on Monday I'm off to west coast USA to visit LA and Vegas with the BOYSSSSS. I am so giddy.

Make sure to visit San Diego. It's just a beautiful place, very relaxing.

 

[SF_]

Back from Gdansk yesterday, decent city, stupidly cheap.

Got lucky with the weather as well, wasn't expecting beers on the balcony weather.

 

[KevinMcallister]

4 days until i'm flying to spain for 5 days , come on seems ages since my last holiday!

 

[Alty]

Marrakech is definitely a spectacle but pretty intense and tiring. We had a great hotel though so the combination worked. A place to experience once for sure but I don't think I'll rush back.

Summed up perfectly.

By the end of the week I could say I'd had a genuinely good time. Ate really well, enjoyed seeing the sites in and around the Medina, went out to Essouira for a day which was lovely...but a lot of people in Marrakech really didn't endear themselves to me.

The haggling thing isn't my cup of tea really. And I don't particularly like the whole process of walking into the shop and immediately having about 20 items pointed out to you, getting a whole spiel about how great everything is, being given some sort of practical demonstration or being dressed up and told you can take a picture of yourself and show it to your friends...but all that is a sort of routine that's the cultural norm. I guess if it bothers you that much, don't go to Marrakech.

However, people actively getting you lost, lying to you, attempting to con you...it happens all the fucking time. Luckily after a couple of days we'd really studied the map closely so could get around the Medina without looking so obviously like lost tourists. We also learned never to tell anyone where we were going - if you do they'll immediately march ahead of you, claim they've led you there and demand payment.

So yeah...good time had, but I won't be going back. And I'd definitely advise people that you need to be streetwise and at times incredibly un-British when it comes to politeness if you want to get through the holiday without having the piss taken out of you.