Happy New Year from Cheap Breaks
Posted by Allen
Happy New Year for 2010 from all at the Cheap Breaks blog.
The last year has seen some fallback in cheap breaks abroad from the UK due to the Strength of the Euro against the pound whilst there’s been a resurgence of cheap breaks and short city breaks within the UK.
Next year will see further developments and small changes but one things for certain, with modern life the way it is there’ll always be a need from time to time to get away from it all somehow, somewhere.
Happy New Year everybody wherever you are, and may your 2010 dreams all come true.
Cheap Breaks to Ireland
Posted by Allen
I wonder if you’ve ever considered cheap breaks to Ireland, and specifically the North?
The reason is because I’ve heard that hotels in Belfast are slashing their prices in a bid to attract more people to the region, so that’s good news for anybody planning holidays to the North of Ireland in the near future.
According to one website, various hotel chains are offering good deals, including the Travelodge, which has rooms from £17 between February 1st and June 6th, if accommodation is booked at least 21 days in advance. Value breaks across the country are also being promoted by the Irish Hotels Federation for two-night stays at hotels with three stars, which may be tempting for people interested in city breaks, with best prices at weekends.
The Radisson Blu Hotel, Belfast is ideally located in the city centre, formally the Gasworks area. The hotel is close to the city and out of the way of its hustle and bustle, allowing our guests to have a good night’s sleep and a good time out.
Here are some of the best Belfast Attractions to get the most out of cheap breaks to Northern Ireland
- The Odyssey Arena
- Grand Opera House
- Botanic Gardens-
- Belfast City Hall
- Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
- Queens University
- The Lagan Look Out
- Harland and Wolfe Belfast’s ship yard
- Belfast Zoo
- Belfast Castle
Arriving at Belfast for cheap breaks by Ferry
Belfast Harbour
The Port of Belfast is Northern Ireland’s principal maritime gateway, serving the Northern Ireland economy and increasingly that of the Republic of Ireland. About 60% of Northern Ireland’s seaborne trade and 20% of the entire island’s is handled by the Port which receives over 6000 vessels each year.
The Port is also a major centre of industry and commerce – its Harbour Estate is home to some of Northern Ireland’s most important urban regeneration projects and it is the region’s leading logistics & distribution hub.
With 1.2 million passengers and half a million freight units annually, Belfast is Ireland’s busiest ferry port. It is also the island’s leading dry bulk port, dominating the market with regard to imports of grain and animal feeds, coal, fertilisers and cement, and exports of scrap and aggregates. Over 95% of Northern Ireland’s petroleum and oil products are also handled at the Port.
Larne Harbour
Belfast can be reached by ferry from Liverpool in England and Stranraer in Scotland. Norse Merchant Ferries operate the Belfast to Liverpool route and the journey takes around 8 hours. Stenaline runs the Belfast to Stranraer route and the journey takes less than 2 hours by fast ferry, and 3 hours 15 minutes by slow ferry. Larne, 23 miles north of Belfast has ferries from Troon (Summer only) and Cairnryan (near Stranraer) operated by P&O while Stenaline have a service to Fleetwood (near Blackpool).
Bangor Marina
Bangor Marina is situated on the south shore of Belfast Lough, close the Irish Sea cruising routes. The marina has become well known since it opened for providing a safe berth in the centre of Bangor, a highly attractive town with many places to visit.
Bangor Marina is operated by Quay Marinas under a 15 year licence granted by North Down Borough Council. The Marina Manager, Andrew Jaggers, and his friendly team are there to make your stay at Bangor Marina as enjoyable and safe as possible so please speak to a member of staff if you need any help. The Marina is staffed 24 hours a day so there should always be someone on hand to provide any further information.
Carrickfergus Marina
The marina area at Carrickfergus boasts excellent amenities for berthing, setting sail and relaxing. The impressive marina building hosts the customer service team, who are friendly, confident and experienced, ready to greet any visitor 24 hours a day.
Carrickfergus Marina’s excellence has been reflected by receiving the prestigious quality accreditation of 5 Gold Anchor and European Blue Flag Status as well as designation as an RYA Sailability Centre. There’s always a warm welcome from the staff at Carrickfergus Marina and the exclusive amenities provided in the Marina building will make your stay all the more enjoyable. No detail is overlooked in the exclusive berth holder facilities. Immaculately presented showers, and personal laundry service, together with a bespoke marine services area and state of the art meeting/conference facilities, are just some of the facilities available.
The area around the Marina is a hub of activity, with a modern complex that offers restaurants, a childrens’ play facility, a hotel, a multi screen cinema, convenient superstore and a vibrant sailing club. There are inviting bar/restaurant facilities overlooking the marina and harbour – the ideal way to laze away a long summer evening or enjoy a hot drink on a winter’s night. The customer service team, located at the marina local information point, will also be delighted to provide information about other activities and places of interest in the town and beyond.
There are also ferry services available from Holyhead in Wales, and Liverpool in England to Dublin Port and Dun Laoghaire. Other ferry routes to Ireland include Pembroke and Fishguard in Wales to Rosslare in Co Wexford; and Roscoff and Cherbourg in France to Rosslare.
For details on routes and schedules please visit:
P & O Irish Sea:
Troon & Cairnryan to Larne
Dublin to Liverpool
www.poirishsea.com
Stena Line:
Stranraer to Belfast
Fleetwood to Larne
Holyhead to Dublin & Dun Laoghaire
Fishguard to Rosslare
www.stenaline.co.uk
Irish Ferries:
Holyhead to Dublin
Pembroke to Rosslare
Roscoff & Cherbourg to Rosslare
www.irishferries.com
Norfolkline:
Liverpool to Belfast & Dublin
www.norfolkline.com
Cheap Breaks become Nanobreaks
Posted by Allen
Kendal in the Lake District has been named as the UK’s fastest growing nanobreak destination. The popular town has seen a 650% rise in searches for one-night stays – or nanobreaks – so far this year compared to the same period last year. Across the UK searches for nanobreaks were up by 46% in the first five months of this year – showing the nanobreak concept has become an increasingly popular type of cheap break as the year has gone on.
Scarborough on the East Coast was the next fastest growing nanobreak destination with searches up 200%, followed by Torquay in Devon, (136%), Bath (130%) and the south coast’s Brighton (106%).
Other destinations to make the UK nanobreak top ten were Edinburgh (up 70%), Bournemouth (up 57%), Newquay in Cornwall (up 50%),
Llandudno North Wales (up 50%) and Blackpool (up 30%).
10 fastest-growing nanobreak holiday destinations in UK
| Destination | Growth in searches for nanobreaks year-on-year |
|---|---|
| Kendal | 650% |
| Scarborough | 200% |
| Torquay | 136% |
| Bath | 130% |
| Brighton | 106% |
| Edinburgh | 70% |
| Bournemouth | 57% |
| Newquay | 50% |
| Llandudno | 50% |
| Blackpool | 30% |
Alison Couper, Communications Director for Hotels.com, said:
It is interesting to see the growing popularity of nanobreaks in the UK. With a great summer forecast and hotel prices in the UK at a record low, now is the time to get out and enjoy what the UK has to offer. A break from your normal routine, however short, can bring enormous benefits. It is with this in mind that we’re launching a new competition to promote the nanobreak concept. Travellers can enter a short nanolog – or miniblog – of their break and be in with the chance of winning a longer break to Rio.
Entries to the nanobreak competition can be submitted via Twitter, Flickr or YouTube and the top entry will win a 3-night stay in Rio de Janeiro and return flights with TAP Portugal. For more information go to http://www.hotels.co.uk/hotel-deals/nanobreak.
Cheap breaks for families during school time
Posted by Allen
A leading ski-holiday specialist is now publicly encouraging families to avoid higher prices by travelling during term time.
Joanna Yellowlees-Bound, Chief Executive of Ski Specialists Erna Low, has been quoted on the Times website, advising families to beat expected price increases of “at least 20%” by travelling outside school holidays saying “Take your children out of school and travel in January,”
In reply to the comments made by Mrs Yellowlees-Bound, Ian Foster, of the National Association of Head Teachers said, “Travel broadens the mind, but that’s not true of ski holidays. Taking a week off school to head for the slopes shows complete disrespect for a child’s education.”
43% of Brits on Cheap Breaks stash teabags!
Posted by Allen
A survey by UK supermarket Asda has found that tea crazy Brits insist on packing their teabags before jetting off on a cheap break abroad.
The results of the survey, released this week, show how almost half of all British holidaymakers cannot cope without their cuppa abroad.
East Anglia were revealed to be the biggest tea-aholics, with 60% packing teabags for overseas breaks and 43% taking biscuits as well!
The survey of 1,500 people also highlighted other popular items taken abroad by Brits including Marmite, tomato ketchup, pickle, coffee and mustard.
One peckish holidaymaker even admitted to cramming pork pies into his luggage!
Asda spokesman James Maxton said: “Although the days of British holidaymakers wearing socks with sandals and kiss-me-quick hats are long gone, our obsession with getting a decent cup of tea on foreign shores remains. Expensive coffee shops across the globe may be trying to breed a nation of coffee lovers, but we still see soaring tea sales in the summer.”
What do you take with you on cheap breaks to the continent?
photo credit: veeliam
Cheap Paris Breaks as tourism slows
Posted by Allen
Cheap Breaks to Paris
Following on from the potentially devastating news for Spain, as thousands of holiday-makers are axing trips to the Costas, Times Online has reported this week on how the tourism industry in Paris is facing difficult times.
According to the report by Chris Haslam, international arrivals are down by 8.1% on last year, hotel occupancies by more than 10%, and the queues for the Eiffel Tower – celebrating its 120th birthday this year – have rarely been shorter.
The growing crisis has prompted hotels to slash prices by up to 70%, in an attempt to win back tourists to the world’s most visited city.
So if you fancy a cheap Paris break, there’s never been a better time to grab a bargain.
One in five Brits to switch to domestic holidays in 2009
Posted by Allen
One in five people who travelled abroad for their holiday last year would consider switching to the UK in 2009 to save money, according to a new study.
Theses latest stats come from research by the new domestic tourism body VisitEngland and were released at the recent Best of Britain and Ireland trade show in London.
More than half of people involved in the research (63%) expect to take a break or holiday in England in the next year and 90% will be cutting back on their overall spend.
However, the study also highlighted that the importance of holidays means that they are “more protected” than other areas of expenditure backing recent claims by Kayak.co.uk that we are a nation obsessed with holidays, even when times are tough.
These rosy prediction for UK tourism are also shared by national tourism agency VisitBritain, whose deputy chief executive Sandie Dawe was recently quoted as saying; “As well as generating more business for the industry to help tide them through the challenging economic climate, Best of Britain and Ireland will be a key opportunity for us to capture the imagination of the five million extra Britons considering taking a holiday here instead of abroad. It could be a real tipping point for British tourism.”
VisitBritain is to launch a £3 million promotional campaign highlighting the value of taking breaks in England. TV and national press advertising are planned from next month.
Where can I find last minute cheap UK weekend breaks on the web?
Posted by Allen
I have been looking for any last minute UK deals for this weekend- can go tonight if possible- ive always assumed that you could get dirt cheap weekend deals at the last minute, have done a search on the net, but cant find anything last minute thats cheap! can u help???
Call up your travel agents or look on teletext – in fact I think teletext have actually got a website (sounds daft but it is true)
FSN Sport Science – Episode 4 – Cheap Shots – Crotch Test 2
Posted by Allen
Jason Field, John Brenkus, Base Productions
Crotch test dummy
BASE Productions
Duration : 0:5:11
Cheap Airfares – Last Minute Flights – Discount Tickets
Posted by Allen
http://www.online-mystery-shopper.com/yt/cfares/
(Safe Shopping Link)
Cheap Airfares
cFares connects you to the lowest fares direct from airlines, major travel sites, and industry wholesalers. Get exclusive customized below market fares.
Search for cheap flights or hotels, round trip, one way, or multi city, last minute flights, cheap flights in Canada, discount flights. Compare your results with Travelocity, Hotwire, and One Travel. cFares is best for airfares.
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Join now for free by filling out this simple form. You do not enter your credit card details or billing information. It’s Free!
With your free see fares gold membership you will be able to see both gold and platinum membership fares and submit a see agent bid on cheap airfares. Join now for free and you can book gold cheap airfares, and submit a bid for a plane ticket.
cFares is a unique airfare search site which allows you to comparison shop for low cost travel. cFares delivers a 360 degree view of all airfares in the market, including deals you won’t find anywhere else by searching the major internet travel sites such as Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity, querying airlines for special fares, and finding special negotiated deals with airline ticket wholesalers.
cFares can’t guarantee the cheapest fare always, but they are confident that because of their access to wholesale deals they will save you money, particularly for international travel.
You can also bid for your airfare. They enable you to bid for your airfare and find you a match if one exists in the market over the next several days!
See everything before you buy!
cAgent allows you to air travel tickets to anywhere in the world at unadvertised, wholesale prices. Unlike any other airline, travel agency or travel website offer, cAgent lets you bid for your airfare and know your airline and complete itinerary in real-time before you buy at no extra cost. Use cAgent for your last-minute holiday or business international travel!
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Your credit card will NOT be charged at this point. They use your card to verify your identity and to place a hold on the ticket.
Submit your cheap airfare price request (your bid).
cAgent will search for fares to match your bid for seven days. Please allow 24 hours before the response cycle can begin.
Submit a Price Request (bid)
When a fare matches your bid, they reserve your ticket and send you an email alert.
The email will include your itinerary details and price. They will hold the ticket for you for 24 hours. If you do not respond to the offer within 24 hours of our email notification, your reservation will expire.
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Purchase the ticket on cFares with their easy two-step checkout process and automatically get a FREE Platinum Membership for one year!
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cFares members have saved hundreds of dollars on discount and wholesale tickets to Asia and Europe! Their unique travel partnerships provide their members cheap airfares, last minute airline tickets, cheap trips, plane tickets unavailable and unpublished anywhere else on the web.
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Duration : 0:1:28
