I think the first DIY holiday is always a worry - I know I was a nervous wreck but everything fell into place and we had a fab holiday - we're doing DIY holiday number 4 this year and this is the cheapest yet - 2 weeks in hotel B&B basis and great flights from our local airport for 5 of us for just a smidgen over a grand!

There's definitely a great deal of satisfaction in knowing you've got away far cheaper (in most cases) than those booking thru' tour operators! For larger families you don't get whacked with under occupancy supplements and that in itself is reason enough to go DIY.

i`ve just done my first as well...i am still shaking and cannot believe i`ve done it!!!! what do i do about insurance?? do i put in the dates we go away..people have said about taking out adequate insurance in case of cancellations...but that would be before we went away so i`m a little confused

sharon

You need to get your insurance in place as soon as the holiday is booked, to cover you in the unlikely event of something going wrong before your holiday actually starts. You will have to give the dates you will be away so you are covered for that period and the cost will be based on this but if, for example, a child went down with measles the week before your holiday, you wouldn't be covered for cancellation unless you already had insurance. Congratulations on taking the first step to freedom from Tour Operators and I hope it's the start of many more successful DIY holidays.

thanx aslemma

trying to sort it now..but when i click on reading the terms and conditions a have a silly little square with coloured shapes in it..
will keep trying though..

sharon

Hi guys,
We're off on Friday and can't wait!
Had a call from the villa owner today telling me that they've just got back a couple of days ago and everything is in order.
However I was a bit concerned when she said that they were waiting for a certificate from the Town Hall which entailed a visit from the officials from there, she said they'd been waiting since January and that they shouldn't come whilst we are there as she has told the Town Hall that the villa will be occupied during our dates but it seems they have keys to gain access (as the villa isn't occupied all the time). What concerns me is that they may visit whilst we are there (if they're anything like our council officials they won't get the message!) and if we're out they'll just let themselves in. I've no idea what the certificate is for so don't know what they'll be looking at.
I guess we'll just have to make sure everything is locked away everytime we leave the villa!!!!!

Well its nearly coming up for my 1st time DIY on Saturday.
I have a good feeling it will go smoothly.
Will keep you posted when I get back.
Hopefully this will be the first of many more in the future!
Danny

Have a wonderful time Danny
Kath x

Aww Kath I so wanna take you in my case

danny, you will sooo not regret doing d.i.y, this is your first time, but absolutely not your last, have a ball, mate !
juby

Thanks Juby

Hi Danny, have a great time

Just got back from our 1st diy and we had a wonderful time!
The villa was fantastic, just as described and with everything we needed and more!
However, the location description was just a tad off, 'a slight incline' meant the top of a ruddy great and very steep hill which our diesel powered hire car could only cope with in 1st gear! And the town was rather more than 3 minutes away (by car) and a full days hike because of the steep hill and the very busy roads made it dangerous to walk along, especially at night. Thankfully we had two cars so we were able to chauffeur the two teenagers in our party back and forth when needed so they weren't stuck with us the whole time.
We wouldn't hire our car from Simply Wheelz again, the online booking didn't go very smoothly at all in fact we almost cancelled the booking at one point. When we arrived at the airport we had to ring to summon the shuttle bus and then were driven to their base about 15 minutes away. The service was a bit 'slapdash', only one person on duty to see to the car hire and 'man the mini bus'. However it was the cheapest quote we had and I suppose you get what you pay for.

All in all we had a great time and less than half the cost of a packaged deal, we're already planning to do it again next Easter and my daughter has set me on research for their summer break!

We can highly reccommend Moraira on the Costa Blanca it is beautiful and not touristy at all, it also caters for British tastes (for those who feel more comfortable with the choice) as there are a lot of ex-pats living in the area. It has restaurants that cater for all tastes from the good old british pub style grub to Michelin rated restaurants, plenty of Chinese Restaurants (we had a banquet for 6 that cost less than a tenner each including drinks) and of course fish restaurants and tapas bars.

I'm a convert!

I have booked several DIY holidays and also received bookings for DIY holidays. It is a win/win situation. Let me explain.

Holiday home owners probably will have a mortgage on the property and need people to rent the place to offset some of the expense. Otherwise, the investment (and this is the correct word) can cost. If owners cannot rent the place out, not only will their income be affected, but they will also have to pay for the property to be checked out etc. Somebody renting the place will act as a caretaker knowingly or not.

You do not have to be an artist to draw conclusions and obviously the renter and owner gain.

Hi All

Well im back form my 1st DIY holiday and everything went Fantastic!!!
Eveything went smoothly transfers on time and tickets ready for me at the airport when going. Accomadation no problems either.
I will be doing it again vey shorlty for next year, I would reccormend to anyone doing DIY if you havnt done it. Saved alot of cash

From a very happy Danny

im doing DIY to orlando for 5 of us this year ...total price £1670 wouldnt get it for anywhere near that going through travel agent.

hey, danny, great to hear everything went according to plan, told you, maybe your first, but not your last.