Early booking or last minute?

[traceya89]

I must admit to booking everything only 2 weeks before we go as quite flexible with dates. Does it pay to book at the last minute or well in advance?

[Andy & Arlene]

Booking early gives you more choice, especially if you require extras in a villa. The nearer you get to a date, airlines actually put the fares up, not down. Many villa owners now may give a slight discount for booking early, rather than later or offer you this years rates for a future booking.

Personally I do not offer late discounts. In many cases it is cheaper to leave your home empty than pay for someone else's holiday, as you do not have all the wear and tear, utility bills etc.

Another point, if there are a few in your party, the earlier you book, the better.

[Nostromo]

I always prefer to book early than late. This gives me the chance to check everything on offer at my own pace and decide. Doing things in a hurry might result in getting something cheaper but unsuitable.

[Cruella DeVilla]

We booked yesterday to fly on Thursday!

[Ana]

We generally book early as there are a lot of us and we get some good deals. We have booked late when it's been just two of us and we can be more flexible and also had some good deals.

[SunLover]

We prefer to book early ~ that way you have paid for everything and don't end up coming back to huge bills :(

[Tracey K]

We always used to book last minute but started to find that the prices of flights always seemed more expensive and it was difficult to get the nicer villas.

Now we own our own home I have noticed how early people book their holiday - we do not offer a discount as such but you do secure next year's holiday at this years prices!

[CarolAnn]

We book as early as possible to get the best prices on flights:DWe were staggered at the price of August flights when we thought we might use our empty villa:(As they were twice what we had paid at Easter, we had to leave it. On the plus side the villa got a 4 week booking, and bless them our guests were there for that dreadful Hurricane:(But they are fine,as is Calabay by all accounts:)

[traceya89]

I do find that if there are a lot of you in the party it is best to book ahead but if there is only a few of you in the party you can always pick up a bargain at the last minute.

[steph_goodrum]

More and more of us villa owners are coming to the conclusion that and special deals (such as next year at this years prices etc) should be offered to those who book in advance rather than the last minute bargain hunters, in the same way the airlines do.
The reason for this being if somebody books a year in advance and is prepared to trust us with their booking and deposit money why should they pay more than somebody who leaves it till the last minute and creates more pressure of work , maybe having to make an unscheduled trip to the bank to ensure funds are deposited immediately and cleared, then rushing to get information to the guest, the management company could also be caused extra work in having to reschedule cleans to fit with the new booking and their existing schedule. Returning guests earn discounts but they tend to book well in advance as they realise that if they want to get their first choice of dates then they need to do that.
As far as we are concerned "Loyalty has it's rewards" and will continue to do so.

[amy]

I completely agree with Steph, and If you have kids it is wise to book early as the school breaks tend to sell out the fastest.

[heathercobbett]

We book asap if peak,but leave it late for low season.
However,we had a panic on our hands Jan.2002 when all the airlines were sold out;just managed to squeak an Airtours flight and paid more than we would have in November,so now tend to book for Jan. in December

We take the view that as we go twice a year it will not be the end of the world if we miss a visit(or have to go a couple of weeks later

[Lynnes]

We always book early to get cheaper air fares, many offer good rates 11 months in advance.
We will offer the villa at 2004 prices in 2005 if booked before November 2004, we very rarely offer late deals.

[chrisj]

We have done both, and have been lucky when we have booked late to get a good deal
and a good place to stay. So we will carry on doing both

[feathersonline]

There isn't a definitive answer to this question, as like Chris, we have got good deals for both early and late bookings... It does seem to be the luck of the draw - the best thing to do is if you find a good deal take it!!:D