I'd be really happy if friends turned up on our holiday,a few years ago our best friends told us that they couldn't holiday with us as the husband's job was not secure.They told us to book without them,the first time in 4 years,we were upset,but booked our holiday to Tenerife.They asked us where and when we had decided to go and agreed that the hotel looked nice but said no more.About 8 weeks before we were due to go I had a phone call from them,we live in Norfolk and were flying from a local airport,they live in Manchester and they asked us what time our flight arrived in Tenerife,we told them and they said that they would be waiting for us at the hotel,we were elated.

I'm not sure to ber honest with you , if it was for a special occasion then yes it would be great , but for my personally if i wanted to go on holiday with friends i would ask what their plans were and then hopefully sit and plan together . Going slightly part of returning to Kalamaki this year is to meet up with people we met last year , we booked before Christmas and the others have now also booked , but recently two of hubby's friends have booked to go the same time as we are there all staying at different apts/hotels we are in Cavo Doro, they are in The Marelen and Denny's Inn i have already told hubby we are not meeting up on a regular basis , this is my holiday

Definitely a No for us, and I would not be to happy if friends or family did it to us.

Its great to book a break away with others but our family holiday is just that a family holiday, I put lots of effort in researching the hotel and resort as do our friends and there is no way we would just pitch up unannounced.

I think if like in OSCARBEN's case you had originaly planed to go away together then a suprise would be nice tho.

As some of you know I live abroad so don't see my relatives very often. A few years ago we were looking to go somewhere for a late week's holiday and decided on Mallorca but hadn't booked anywhere. During a phone call to my cousin she told me that she and her OH had booked a week in Mallorca in October so unbeknown to them we booked the same week. We did book a hotel at the other end of the island though. We had a hire car for the week and drove down to their hotel one morning. They were suprised and we spent a lovely day together, but that was enough. We spent the rest of the holiday doing our own thing , I don't think they would have been thrilled if we had booked the same hotel and I wouldn't have been too happy if they had chosen to stay in our hotel. We really like to spend our rare holidays together doing what we want without having to consider others needs.
I did suprise my parents once when they were staying in Italy as we stopped off on the way back from a trip to the south of France, but just for a couple of nights.

I wouldn't just turn up and surprise people on a holiday although as Helen said we are going to surprise a couple of friends by turning up for one day in the same place as they'll be spending a weekend.

Helen and I (and our OHs) had booked to go for a fortnight to Zante last year and her daughter (Marlou,my niece) did conspire with me to spend the first week with us. We kept it from her and it turned out to be a lovely surprise. Obviously Marlou knew before hand that her mother would be really pleased as I would be if my sons surprised me by turning up.

However, I would never book a holiday at the same place as friends unless it was pre-arranged as it doesn't matter how friendly you are, they might just want a holiday for the two of them or just the family.

We were so excited that our friends came to Tenerife as we had holidayed with them before and we knew that the boys got on well as did the adults.Although we went together we always ate at separate tables with our own families until the last night.Our friends youngest was travel sick so they rarely left the hotel but we like to go out and about,offering to take their older son if he wanted to come.Our son had the option of staying with them if he didn't fancy what we wanted to do.All in all they were the perfect friends to holiday with.
Our son now prefers to holiday with his girlfriend so we go on our own ,out of school holidays but we hope to go with our friends again when their sons leave school.
I don't think I'd be happy if other friends just turned up but would be very pleased if any of my children did.

I've done it with my parents and me and hubby just appeared at their holiday hotel in Malta one year.

What was really good about it was just I was walking up the steps to the hotel entrance, my dad appeared at the top step to check the weather as it had been raining quite heavily about 10 minutes before so they had popped back inside to catch up with the news in the TV room. He was quite gobsmacked when he saw us appearing with suitcases.

By the time we arrived down in the dining room later that evening, everyone in the hotel knew all about us as my parents had been at the hotel for the previous 3 weeks and were repeat visitors to the hotel.

Since then, we've booked (with my parents knowing) every year since and just go over for maybe 5 - 7 days at the most to have some quality time with them. Last year though, we decided it was a bit too expensive for us and said we weren't going - but at Christmas I decided it was perhaps better I did go along and see them as neither of us are getting any younger. So on New Year's Day, I booked to travel alone and my husband stayed home with the dogs. I didn't tell my parents I was coming but did contact friends of theirs who I knew were going to be at the same hotel as them. So there's their friend telling them the night before I was due to arrive, "what a shame Shell & Clem couldn't come this year" knowing full well I would be there at lunchtime the next day!

I managed to get to the hotel and check in while they were out and about and then headed of to where they usually hang out in the afternoons. As I was walking along I saw them approaching from a distance so I hid behind some parked cars and waited till they were in a narrow part of the pavement where they couldn't avoid falling over me.

Next month we're off again but this time both of us are going.

Last year, we did consider booking onto a Nile cruise on the same boat my friend was on. She was travelling alone and has done so many times to Egypt. However, with all the trouble earlier in the year and the fact we have to fly from Cyprus via Cairo airport it wasn't worth the risk as many of the Cairo flights were cancelled plus we couldn't guarantee that the cruises would still be operating as a lot of people cancelled their holidays.

I did tell my friend after her holiday of our thoughts and what we were planning. She thought it was a great idea so we're now planning to schedule a holiday so that we end up on the same cruise with her this year. She will book from UK direct and we're looking to book with the same company (Travcotel) on the Crown Regency probably in August or September.

Shell
Limassol, Cyprus

Yep. Last year we turnt up at my parents house in Cyprus in May. They had no clue whatsoever, we even spoke to them on the phone at the airport saying we are sat at home watching TV and having breakfast! It was about 11pm by the time we got to their house and they were so surprised! My eldest daughter went ahead first, they were sat around communal pool with neighbors having a BBQ and my dad said "I just thought it was another Greek Girl I didn't have 1 clue!!" hehehe. Love it!

CourtneeLouise xx

We did this when my husbands cousin went to Cyprus a few years ago.
We booked a different hotel and went to their hotel to surprise them.
We got there just as they were coming out of the door.Thankfully they were overjoyed to see us.
3 years ago whe we went to Turkey with friends who had booked to come but they overlapped us by 3 days.
Their daughter asked me where we were going and they booked to come for their second week.
I had to keep this a secret from January until May and I didnt even tell my hubby as he would have probably said something.
On the morning they were due to arrive we were having breakfast when they asked if they could share our table.
They were shocked and my husband was annoyed I didnt tell him.

We were going to surprise my SIL& BIL on a cruise they had booked for their Golden wedding anniversary to Hawaii,but ater us booking I could not keep the surprise going,so had to tell them they were over the moon that we would be joining them they live in Australia we live in Wales.
Then both their daughters and family wanted to join us,so helped them keep the surprise I arranged for them to all meet at our hotel room in Hawaii pre cruise,it was great bought a cake and wine so all had a good time,it was great all being together on the cruise.
annx

If it was Family, I would absolutly love it if they turned up on my Holiday. Being on hols is all about quality time with your loved ones and being so close to my family but living a fair way away I couldnt think of anything nicer. Because we are all so close, I know that I could say, me and hubby are spending today and this evening on our ownC , see you sometime tomorow. We are all comfortable to say to each other your doing my head in with your chatting, im off for some piece and quiet! Coming to think of it, its them that seem to sat that to me. Wouldnt like it if it was friends , unless it was just for a couple of days, you may be friends but you dont like all the same things, if you did you would have pre arranged to go together in the first place.

I would be happy if my close family turned up but I'm not sure about anyone else.

100% I would hate it.
There is a reason why we take the holidays we do..becuase there is no way imaginable any of our family or friends would be able to just turn up and surprise us...

My brother and sister in law arrived to surprise my parents and I at our usual hotel in Ibiza a couple of years ago. I was absolutely thrilled to see them and it made my holiday. Nobody knew a thing and they made us laugh describing how they crept into reception to book in. My brother even had time to win the darts competition on his way down to where we were chilling on our sunbeds! Last summer I was on a boat to Ibiza Town when my youngest son texted me to tell me that he had booked a flight on the spur of the moment and would be joining us later. Again, I loved it!

No definately not and Nobody try doing it to me please because I'd hate it ... leave me in peace
Been on holiday with extended family before .. never again and only once with friends .. Ditto

I would never turn up on someone's holiday. If my daughters' and their partners' turned up and surprised us, I would be thrilled. Anyone else? No thank you. I don't want to have to worry about pleasing anyone else on my hard earned break. Been there,done that,never again.

Only if I was absolutely certain they would be totally happy to see me, otherwise, no way Jose ! I really enjoy the company of friends but I also know that I like my own space as well so after a couple of days, I know I would get irritated if I don't get it. We never holiday with friends and have heard enough horror stories to believe that is a wise choice. It may be bearable if you can do your own thing during the day and then meet up at night but for me it is not worth the risk

I don't want to have to worry about pleasing anyone else on my hard earned break

That is spot on for me too

No I wouldn't do it to others and wouldn't want it done to us either. We only want to be on holiday with the people we have planned to be on holiday with in the first place.