If you think Lanzarote is bad, try Finland which we found one of the more expensive places we've visited! 5 euros a pint, 6.5 for a cider! We knew what to expect and Lapland is a one off so we weren't fussed. It's the same anywhere in the eurozone at the moment, the week pound makes things expensive. Same with a lot of other countries (currencies) at the moment as well. All inclusive may work for some, as long as the hotel offers you what you want and bear in mind they are often out of town and you miss out on some of the local culture.

Darren

Will be interesting to see how some pubs, etc, deal with this issue?

For example, we go to Estartit, Costa Brava, quite a lot, and some of the pubs there are pretty much frequented by Brits. An example of this would be the Saratoga bar just outside Castell Montgri campsite.

Now, in 2007 it was €5 for a Jack D and Coke. Ok, that was around £3.50 and although more expensive that what i'm used to in Scotland, it was bearable and was always a generous Spanish measure.

However, given the current exchange issues, i'm certainly NOT going to entertain paying what is effectively £5 for the same drink in 2009, and i'm sure many other people will be thinking the exact same thing. Let's be totally honest too, three of those €5 Jack D's could buy me a bottle from the supermarket, so it's not as if there ISN'T room to cut their prices.

Will they be bold enough to do so ... ? For a pub that relies on 90% Brit custom i think continuing to charge such prices would be suicide!!!

See what i mean?

I've just come back from Benidorm and the rate dropped to €1 for £1.
During Xmas week, the resort was quieter than previous years, but come New Year week, the resort was very busy with the Spanish, Brits, Belgians and Dutch.

Benidorm, you either love it or hate it, but it is the cheapest place when comparing it to the rest of the Costa's or places like Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia...it's no use comparing it to the UK anymore or other countries, for a true comparison on prices, one resort should be compared to other resorts in the same country because before any credit crunch, global recession, economic downturn or the pound sterling taking a nose-dive, what a euro would buy you in one country would not necessarily buy you in another euro-zone country.

The prices in the resort have not increased, it's just the exchange rate that makes goods expensive for the Brits and a bit of selective shopping is now required, now a jumper at €15 is 15 quid and can be bought in the UK for that price.
Drinks in cabaret bars are expensive, but they always were even when the rate was good and clubs in Benidorm do not charge an entrance fee, where other clubs in other resorts do....if you insist on drinking a fine scotch that's been imported into the country, then you're going to pay for it, but the measure should be more than you would get in a standard measure in the UK.

Nothing personal here and this is just a general statement...
Last week I think half of Scotland was in Benidorm and some were moaning about the prices, so I said "why didn't you go to Edinburgh instead then for the New Year celebrations".?

Oh no! far too expensive, over rated and sub zero temperatures, they can fly to Alicante, spend a week full board with three cooked meals a day in a nice/warm hotel in Benidorm, pleasant daytime temperatures walking on the promenade, visiting nearby resorts for a euro and a few centimos bus fare....... for LESS than spending 3 days in Edinburgh.

A coffee and a brandy for €1.50 centimos or £1.50p with twice as much brandy as you would get in the UK, but the brandy will be a very good Spanish brandy...is that such a bad thing when you are in Spain ? and it's obvious that they would rather sell a produce of their country than an imported one, with the various taxes on the product.

Why should they reduce their prices.? the pound sterling is not affecting the other nationalities within the euro-zone that visit the resorts.
The resort itself does not make any money from cabaret bars, the only people profiting are the bar owners, they lease the property, pay for an entertainment /music/alcohol licence and when the peed up people vomit over the streets or cause damage, it is the local council that picks up the bill to clean the area/streets.

A few bars will go under, but maybe that's not such a bad thing and maybe the Brits will come to realise that the Spanish owned bars in Benidorm are and always have been cheaper than the Brits rip-off places....less fish n Chips and more paella please.

Sanji

we were paying 11 euros for a vodka and coke and a magners and found that expensive where as last year it was the same price it was only costing 8 quid this year 11 quid.i dread to think what the family of 4 was paying for there drinks.the resort was so quiet sometimes we were the only couple in a bar or restaurant.i think a lot of people decided to drink and eat in we went the 17th december till the 30th it did seem a bit busier towards the end of our hol.just wandering how these bars are going to stay open its such a shame.playa blanca seemed busy last christmas.this year we stayed in costa teguise does anyone know if it was busy last christmas

is your query specifically about Lanzarote?

just about the euro and where people went have i put it in the wrong place

no - it was just that you asked about Lanzarote in both posts.
I think bars that cater for British tourists are going to have to adapt or go out of business. More and more folks will have their drinks in their room or balcony. As for AI or not- it depends upon what you want. Personally I've tried a couple of AIs and although they were ok I felt a bit of a prisoner as both AIs were not exactly cheap and spending a lot outwith the complex defeated our purpose for going AI. I think I would rather self cater for breakfast and lunch and just go out for dinner, returning earlier than I would to have a drink on the balcony.It depends on what you want. I don't have kids with me by the way.

yes i even noticed the poolside bar wasnt getting used we were all goin to our rooms to get drinks and making our own snacks.just meant you could splash out more when you went out on the evening.

Ok, let's get a few things clear before i go!

Firstly, i'm not a 5yr old ... i pretty much understand the ins and outs of currency fluctuation, and i deal with a £3/4M budget at work every day, i don't need to be patronised!

Secondly, the example i gave is of a SPANISH owned bar, that unfortunately relies on a lot of Brits for it's custom. Yes, it may not need to reduce prices, and yes other nationalities within the euro WON'T be affected by our current blip, but if it relies so heavily on Brits as customers, surely it would be common sense to try and keep some of that custom coming in rather than go under? Supply and demand economics, and as there is plenty of margin to make such a cut, then i have no sympathy for the pubs that go under by not reacting to their market.

I can see places that rely on mostly Brits will see a loss in profit over the coming years unless the pound picks up! Brits will start looking more seriously at going out of the eurozone for a holiday! Also most of the spirits that the shops sell by the bottle will take a hit as why would anyone from the uk pay the same (or even more maybe) for a bottle of booze when it's cheaper in the uk?
It all depends if other countries foreign guests , like Germany etc will be enough to make up for the lack of Brit buying! As obviously to anyone else in the eurozone, the bar prices will be the same! It's just the pound thats bringing ours up!
Places like Benidorm for example should still be better value for us as you will find quite a few bars doing the euro a pint deals anyway!
Plus most Brits are paying £2.50 to £3 for a pint back home anyway! Even Weatherspoons most lager is now over £2 a pint!

Also another point is that obviously the cheaper bars will now get the most custom from the Brits whereas before we'd drink anywhere knowing it'd be 3.5 euros a pint at most (£2.60ish), now we'll probably actually look at the price of a pint and decide imstead of just going in! So in theory, the dearer bars will notice that less Brits are spending there and may or may not decide to lower their prices!!!

*Admin edit. Post removed with the member's permission due to it being in response to a now edited post by another member*

I sometimes think I'm starring in Groundhog Day. This has drifted way off what the OP was asking. Locked until the forum mod comes back online and can sort as he sees fit.

It may be best if the drop of the value of the Pound against the Euro is discussed in the following topic:

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=126619

Mark