Olympic 2006 bookings

[Mike G]

For those planning to go next year via the package tour route, I'm sure most assume that booking on the internet gets you the lowest price. On going online I found that Olympic were offering a 7.7% discount off the basic price (i.e. the price excluding flight and fuel supplements). I thought I had seen somewhere that the online discount was 10% off the basic price so I phoned them. They not only offered me 10% off, but 10% off the total price. Use Olympic's 0800 (freephone) number not the premium rate 0870 number.

Fuel supplements of £20pp seem common- I ought to be glad I avoided one in May this year I guess.

Mike

[harribobs]

Interesting!  they are giving away the agent's commission of course but trying to keep a little bit for themselves

are you going back to Kostas Cristolla Mike?

[albertdiver]

http://www.amazingcrete.com/

This company is working online and has a varied offer of accommodation in and outside of Plakias. They work online and in the summer they have representation here on crete. Amazing prices also and everything well organized

[harribobs]

http://www.amazingcrete.com/

This company is working online and has a varied offer of accommodation in and outside of Plakias. They work online and in the summer they have representation here on crete. Amazing prices also and everything well organized
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this is the place that has the peligramnos as the palkias beach hotel,

i am not too sure that i find their prices 'amazing' €48 per night for a two person room, i don't usually pay more than €35 (and mostly €30) or am i just being tight?  

[John R]

i am not too sure that i find their prices 'amazing' €48 per night for a two person room, i don't usually pay more than €35 (and mostly €30) or am i just being tight? 
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Not really. We shall be paying 30 Euros for a room - Bed and Breakfast in September  - would be 25 Euros without breakfast..

John R

[Mike G]

Not really. We shall be paying 30 Euros for a room - Bed and Breakfast in September  - would be 25 Euros without breakfast..

John R
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The prices Harribobs (in his earlier post) and John R quote make you realise what good value some of the packages are. We paid £520 for two for two weeks at Kostas Chrysoulla in May. Harribobs and John R suggest ca. 30-35 Euros per night per room, plus two flights at, say, £175 each, plus transfer and rep costs, plus the ABTA/ATOL bond. Need I go on.

No more really for 2006, although in 2005 we escaped a flight surcharge as Olympic moved as on to a flight which carried one, and bore the cost themselves. Also £20 per person fuel surcharges. I find these puzzling. Oil has gone up massively agreed, but the guy from Ryan Air said on "Today" this morning that for a flight up to 4 hours the extra fuel cost should be less than £4 each way. Can anyone explain?

Mike

[John R]

The prices Harribobs (in his earlier post) and John R quote make you realise what good value some of the packages are. We paid £520 for two for two weeks at Kostas Chrysoulla in May. Harribobs and John R suggest ca. 30-35 Euros per night per room, plus two flights at, say, £175 each, plus transfer and rep costs, plus the ABTA/ATOL bond. Need I go on.

I can't argue with the above in real terms as going on a package has for us always been cheaper. However for us the gap is narrowing and we opted out this year because of First Choice dropping out (and they were so ridiculously cheap).

Our personal slightly warped economics for going solo do look slightly better this year. Kosmar are charging much more than First Choice - albeit still very reasonable. We fly from Newcastle which makes the economics slightly different.

Our flights are costing £373 for two (a bit more next year, day flight,  - already booked). We always hire a car for 10 of the 14 days and have discovered now that for the full 14 days (airport to airport) they are charging us no extra. So for us, our transfers are "free" - and hopefully incident free !!

When I allowed for our included breakfasts then the saving by going via Kosmar would  only be about £75 for the two of us. However for this price we have also been able to choose the accommodation of our preference (Stella Pension). So we have decided that our independent travel is this year worth while. The downside is that all our friends (ex Stella) have chosen the package option and hence staying elsewhere. We shall berate them in the bars in the evenings.

If you do include transfer costs and/or  think First Choice prices (last year) then there is zero comparison - package prices win hands down

If we went high season (we go late September) then I suspect that on my personal calculations we might break even as our costs for independant travel might not rise as much as the tour operators prices rise for high season.

John R

[roger]

I am surprised John at your stastement that Kosmar are much more expensive than first choice . I am an ex First choice regular and I am going this year with Kosmar Two weeks b and b at the lamon from 23 august is £449 each for two - which seems to me very reasonable and I cannot remember first choice prices but i would be surprised if they were much less. Their prices a week earlier are much more expensive because that would mean returning still within the school holuday period .The only problem with kosmar is their very limited accomodation.I am very happy with the Lamon though might have poreferred to remain with Stella . It makes you wonder about the replies - on another thread - from Manos about it being uneconomical to go to plakias unless you take a lot of people .
Can anyone who has been with kosmar comment on firstly the approx numbers they take to plakias and secondly the loength of the transfer - do we get a misguided tour of every back street in Rethymno en route ? !
 roger

[John R]

I am surprised John at your stastement that Kosmar are much more expensive than first choice . I am an ex First choice regular and I am going this year with Kosmar Two weeks b and b at the lamon from 23 august is £449 each for two -

Yes that is very cheap indeed. The cheapest we could get with Kosmar/Lamon for 2006 (from Newcastle) at the 26 September is cut/paste right now from Kosmar site :-

adult passenger price              2       309.00      618.00    
ncl/chq dept supplement (tue)  2          30.00    60.00    
fuel supplement levy               2         20.00     40.00    
     Grand Total                                               718.00    

The price you quote of £449 for two is indeed the sort of price we used to pay with 1st choice from N/C but the £718 above is very much more and we are getting very close to that with our go it alone which is for 2006:-

Accommodation  £290
flights                £438 (day flight from Newcastle)

total                   £728

As I said - our transfers are "free" the way we see it with our car hire.

In fact we would be happy to pay your holiday price just for the flight !!!!

If things were for us at the prices you have quoted we would be very happy with Kosmar/Lamon - I'm sure Lamon is more than ok - but we do like Stella.

Still don't know how you managed your prices for 2 weeks in August - it is very impressive indeed.

John R

[John R]

My excursion to the Kosmar site for the above reply has come up with a surprise - for me at least.

I expected to see Lamon Hotel and Appolon Studios to come up for offer. I saw no sign of the Appolon studios (Lamon was there as above message) but they are offering accommodation at  KOSTAS CHRYSOULLA STUDIOS. This is for late September 2006.

Surely this is a new departure for Kosmar or have I been asleep for 12 months.

John R

[DOTTY]

My excursion to the Kosmar site for the above reply has come up with a surprise - for me at least.

I expected to see Lamon Hotel and Appolon Studios to come up for offer. I saw no sign of the Appolon studios (Lamon was there as above message) but they are offering accommodation at  KOSTAS CHRYSOULLA STUDIOS.

Surely this is a new departure for Kosmar or have I been asleep for 12 months.

John R
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Wonder what this means for us soon to be berated ones ?  

Dotty

[John R]

[/quote]Wonder what this means for us soon to be berated ones ?  

Dotty

[/quote]

Looks as though there may be nothing concrete for the likes of yourselves  

John

[DOTTY]

Wonder what this means for us soon to be berated ones ?  

Dotty

[/quote]

Looks as though there may be nothing concrete for the likes of yourselves  

John
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[/quote]

Eggsactly we are now wondering what awaits us at the Appollon if it has been so swiftly dropped.    I wonder how many of us will be there.?

Dotty

[roger]

I am surprised John at your stastement that Kosmar are much more expensive than first choice . I am an ex First choice regular and I am going this year with Kosmar Two weeks b and b at the lamon from 23 august is £449 each for two -

Yes that is very cheap indeed. The cheapest we could get with Kosmar/Lamon for 2006 (from Newcastle) at the 26 September is cut/paste right now from Kosmar site :-

adult passenger price              2       309.00      618.00    
ncl/chq dept supplement (tue)  2          30.00    60.00    
fuel supplement levy               2         20.00     40.00    
     Grand Total                                               718.00    

The price you quote of £449 for two is indeed the sort of price we used to pay with 1st choice from N/C but the £718 above is very much more and we are getting very close to that with our go it alone which is for 2006:-

Accommodation  £290
flights                £438 (day flight from Newcastle)

total                   £728

As I said - our transfers are "free" the way we see it with our car hire.

In fact we would be happy to pay your holiday price just for the flight !!!!

If things were for us at the prices you have quoted we would be very happy with Kosmar/Lamon - I'm sure Lamon is more than ok - but we do like Stella.

Still don't know how you managed your prices for 2 weeks in August - it is very impressive indeed.

John R
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The price i quoted of £449 is for EACH of us - so more than your £728 for BOTH of y ou. I think £15 each was insurance . But still pretty good for a holiday in august
roger

[roger]

My excursion to the Kosmar site for the above reply has come up with a surprise - for me at least.

I expected to see Lamon Hotel and Appolon Studios to come up for offer. I saw no sign of the Appolon studios (Lamon was there as above message) but they are offering accommodation at  KOSTAS CHRYSOULLA STUDIOS. This is for late September 2006.

Surely this is a new departure for Kosmar or have I been asleep for 12 months.

John R
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Sorry John but i think you have been asleep ! The Kosnmar brochure lists Lamon and Kostas Chryssoula and not Appolon . Not sure how long I have had the broichure but several months I think and we booked in may
 roger