GO SELF-CATERING
A large villa can work out surprisingly affordable when shared among friends or members of an extended family. Although the idea of having to shop and cook for yourselves may not sound like a holiday, you’ll save a fortune on eating out, and buying ingredients from a continental market, pastries from the village bakery or fish straight off the quayside is a lot more exotic than wheeling a trolley around a supermarket. Also, if there are lingering doubts about coronavirus, you’ll feel more secure in your own house, especially in a family isolation group. Try the following companies: for Greece, choose Sunvil (sunvil.co.uk), for Turkey, The Discerning Collection (discerningcollection.com), for France, try Simpson Travel (simpsontravel.com) and for Spain, try Vintage Travel (vintagetravel.co.uk).
From flats and rooms to treehouses and boats, Airbnb’s unique and affordable spaces now extend to 192 countries (airbnb.co.uk). Since villas with a pool cost more than properties without, why bother having one if there’s a lovely beach nearby? If you’re holidaying with young children, a shared pool that’s part of a complex will be more affordable than a private one.
TIP: If you are self-catering, pack a favourite cookbook or bookmark some recipes online.