Hi

we went on one of these in tenerife and we really enjoyed it.They pick you up and take you on a short tour of the area.There was no hard sell but what was on offer was really good quality,we bought a matress aand bedcover and they delivered to our home in two weeks. If you,r not interested in buying bedding I would say dont waste your holiday time.

Jeanie

The current Costa del Sol "blanket" trips are run by Natural Health Products, and feature a full-day trip to Torre Del Mar (Tuesday/Thursday), a three-quarter-day jaunt to the Andalucian Lakes (Mon/Wed/Fri), and half-days to a House of Flowers (Tues/Sat), Mijas (Mon/Wed/Thu), and "Palms and Planes" (Wed).
Trips are free, but you have to book. You will be required to sit through a NHP presentation (almost certainly at the start of the trip), where the virtues of their products will be spelt out in glowing terms. But compared to timeshare techniques, NHP do not operate hard-sell tactics.
You can book trips by phone when you arrive (952 568 594), or at the NHP stand at the Paloma Park boot sale every Wednesday.

This is really down to personal choice.
The blanket trips have been well established in Benidorm for many years and there are several pros and cons regarding them.

There is nothing that theoretically is free, someone has to pay for the coach, the driver, the petrol/diesel and the people who stand on the streets trying to entice you into taking up their offer of a "free" trip.

If someone buys the health products being sold, then the "mark up" price and profit from those products, pays for the "free trip""¦so, if 3 out of a coach load of 50 people buy the product, they have covered the cost for the other 47 people's "free " day out.

There are several ways to look at it
If you really are interested in purchasing one of these health products, then the blanket trips are a good way to see the product demonstrated and you get a trip out in the bargain.
If you are not interested, then you will have to sit through approx 90 mins of sales jibber before you get to see places that maybe you would not see, or bother to take the local transport to see.
It's worth remembering that you can be well over an hour sat on a coach, just stopping at strategic points/hotels to pick up passengers.

There is always the temptation that you will succumb to the sales talk and may regret it later, and might even see similar products of the same quality at a lower price in the UK, but remember that you are a captive audience and if you are stuck in the Andalucian countryside, then there's not a lot you can do about it .

Toscana tours visit .
The Rural Andalucian lakes.
Puerto Banus.
Marbella (old town)
Marbella (market)
Caves of Nerja (Marco) and Frigiliana
Antequera and Hojiblanca oil museum
Malaga"¦ (Quitapenas Bodega)
Malaga (sightseeing and cathedral)
Malaga (Botanical gardens)
Almunecar
Ronda.
Ã"jen"¦( wine museum)
Guadalhorce Valley (tour)
Estepona
Mijas

HTH's
Sanji

we went to Malaga and one near the airport.half a morning there,bit boring but then free tour of Malaga which was good upto gibalfaro for views.

Hi,
Do the blanket trips go throughout the year - we are going next month?

Someone mentioned the Paloma Park boot sale on a Wednesday - does this operate all year? Thanks

Yes, and it will be on tomorrow!

I have heard from a relative that the products are vastly overpriced. No such thing as a free meal/trip

Thanks for the info on the boot sale.

I have heard from a relative that the products are vastly overpriced. No such thing as a free meal/trip

But if you don't buy then the trip really is free!!!! And if you don't mind sitting through a presentation, then I think you do get to see some interesting places.

It's worth remembering that you can be well over an hour sat on a coach, just stopping at strategic points/hotels to pick up passengers

But that happens too, when you go on the organised paid excursions too.

I have been on a couple, and although I found the presentation too long, it was probably worth it for the places I saw!!!!!! I couldn't afford the products, even if I wanted them

i have recived my blanket trip package to daosty have not opened it yet it cost 1.700 euro for full package are they any good

Hi
We have just come back from Fuengirola and went on a blanket trip - expecting to visit a blanket making factory. however we were taken to Mijas Peublo (nice anyway) and given a 90 min talk about mattresses and blankets. The talk was informative and the presenter was entertaining and very professional. i still don't know though if they are over priced or good value. The presenter was criticising other 'copy cat' companies offering memory foam and such like that she felt was inferior. i might have been tempted but would never buy without checking the net first. There was absolutely no pressure to buy.

As far as the trip being worthwhile - I would say Yes it is. We were taken via Mijas to the Spanish Lakes up in the mountains. We had the opportunity to have a meal or snack in a restaurant and were able to have a walk around the natural parkland. I like the sierras and thought it was well worth the effort to sit and see the mountain scenery with a guide talkiing you through the history and interesting titbits that you would never get if you simply hired a car or went on a bus.

They do try to sell products on the bus too but hey the trip is free - Aloe Vera prods, Sun glassses etc and they probably get a cut from the restaurant (but you can take a picnic - we did). They go to various locations and seem to change weekly. Some people on our trip told us they had been on quite a few of them over the years so it can't be that bad.

This tour was operated by NHP (Natural health products) and they have a manufacturing site in oldham and a Head office in Birmingham.
Well worth the trip I'd say. Expect to be picked up from your hotel at about 10am and be dropped back at around 5pm.