Good Deal?

[tonykirsty]

We've never rented before and stayed in a pretty basic hotel last time we visited Orlando in 1997. So we're fairly new to all this - to emphasise it this is our first post, though we've been reading this forum for a few months with interest.

We really like the look of 99% of the villas on your pages and have sent a couple of requests in for availability over the last few months. However, I've just come across an offer from a UK based company (ABTA bonded, etc) for a week's rental, including pool heating, for £299. The only drawback is that the villas are allocated in arrival. Should I be worried about this or should I just book (assuming there are any still available), on the basis that as long as it's comfortable to sleep and the kids can have a swim, we're 90% of the way towards having a great holiday?

We're going in mid to late Feb, so I really need to get my finger out and book something. Normally, I would pay a bit more for peace of mind but we have to count the pennies just now (or the builders might not get paid!) and this seems a worthwhile saving.

Any views? We would be really grateful of any advice and wouldn't hold it against you if something went wrong!

Thanks

Tony & Kirsty

[resorthomerentals]

I guess it all depends on your comfort level. When I rented a villa for the first time last February I checked many websites before I settled on a specific villa. It was very reassuring to have seen pictures of the actual villa and talk to the owner directly. Knowing where the villa was actually located made our late night arrival much easier.

[blott]

Welcome to the forum Tony & Kirsty!

Well... perhaps if we put it this way.

Florida homes cost a lot more than GBPounds 299 a week (including pool heat) to run - believe me, I've got one and you can ask any owner on the forum or OV websites and they will tell you the same. And the home owner won't be receiving anything like the GBPounds 299 a week that you'll be paying to the company concerned as they will be taking their cut of this amount first.

So, perhaps you should be asking yourself how the owner of the home you may be renting is keeping it up to date with all the little things that make a Florida home well, like home... on such a small amount of money? Stuff like repairs, replacements, making sure that everything works OK, etc tends to get forgotten when you don't have enough money coming in to pay for them perhaps. So may be the fact that the home is allocated on arrival isn't the only drawback here?

OK, so you may hit lucky with a relatively new home with not much in the way of problems but you won't know that until after you've arrived will you?

You've stayed in a pretty basic hotel before so perhaps now's the time to try a pretty basic villa? If you're willing to take a chance on where you might end up with your Florida holiday, that's, of course, your choice.

If Disney offered two tiers of theme parks - the ones that are like the actual ones in Florida and a second tier of well... perhaps the paint isn't up to date, it's a bit grubby around the edges, half the rides have disppeared but the other half of the rides are fine, I wonder how many people would pay less to go to the second tier of parks?

Personally, I'd prefer to know exactly where I was staying, have the opportunity to discuss info with the actual owner of the home and know that the home I was staying in had a high standard (you can tell that by talking to the owners and checking out the info about the home for yourself). High standards and quality don't come free or on the cheap anywhere and perhaps the old chestnut of 'you get what you pay for' applies here too?

[Carla]

Pool heating alone generally costs about one third of the money that you would be paying and unless you enjoy swimming in pretty cold water, then you would definitely need the pool heated. Most owners charge around £100 per week for this and that money goes towards covering the phenomenally high electricity bill and leaves a small amount in reserve to pay towards maintenance, servicing and repairs to the heater. The heaters don't last forever and need completely replacing after a few years.

My pool heater is maintained during the winter on a regular basis and serviced annually every September (just before the heating season gets underway) without fail. This is not cheap. Now, the owner of the home that you would rent if you went down this route, is unlikely to be getting much at all from your payment towards the pool heating, so perhaps you might ask yourself when that pool heater was last maintained and/or serviced? If it doesn't work properly and the pool water is very cold, this will be another "drawback" for you.

The home that you would rent is much more likely to be "tired" than not, as Blott said. The furniture will have seen better days, particularly as it will have been at the cheap end of the price range when it was initially bought. So, even a 1 year old home that's had a lot of these back to back cheap tour operator bookings is likely to look as though it's been around since the early 80s. But, you could get lucky, you just never know.

If it's the tour op that I am thinking of, then if you have any problems while you're out there, don't bother complaining or letting them know about it when you get back home, because they won't want to know. Their attitude will be: "Well you got it cheap, what did you expect???"

If you book with them accepting the fact that you'd be paying next to nothing for your accommodation and pool heating, and that you will therefore get a home way down at the bottom of the range, then anything else will be a pleasant surprise for you, if you are lucky enough to get better. It's a big gamble. Would I do that? Not in a million, and definitely not, if I had my kids with me.

[SunLover]

I would agree 110% with what Blott & Carla have said.

When you consider the type and standard of accommodation offered by owners connected with all the Orlandovillas.com sites and then look at the prices, you will quickly realise that although somewhat more than the bargain bucket price you have been quoted, you are guaranteed a personal and professional service, and a standard of accommodation that far exceeds anything you could hope for with an upon arrival allocation deal.

Considering all the great luxury extras that are available, it's often easy to be convinced that all villas are equipped to the same standard. Trust me, and the other established owners when we tell you that this is simply not the case.

I firmly believe that 95% of upon arrival allocation villas are sold in that way because if you saw photographs beforehand you would never book.

Quality Florida villas are already amazingly good value for money, but if you try to cut corners, I'm afraid that old adage about "getting what you pay for" will come back and bite you where it hurts !!!

[Nostromo]

Tony & Kirsty, I have taken my family 5 times to Orlando so far, between 1991 and 2004. Up until last year, we always stayed at a hotel and thought it was bees knees. But we had a big party last year and decided to try out a villa for the first time. We got one through this site and it turned out to be the best decision that I ever made. Not only was the villa wonderfully convenient in all respects, the help and feedback from these forums was fantastic. We have decided that we'll never stay in an Orlando hotel again.

I have seen quite a few postings from others who have tried 'cheaper' "allocated on arrival" villas from other sites and found the deal very unsatisfactory. All the villas registered in this site are checked out and so you know excatly what you are getting. You will be able to communicate with the owner directly and make sure that you are getting what you want. In the extremely unlikley event that something goes amiss, the admins of this site will investigate it for you. Best of all, you get plenty of advice and feedback not only on the villa itself, but the entire trip via this forum.

Of course, the villa is just part of the package. You get great value for flights, car hire and park tickets via this site. :)

[MaggieAllan]

Tony&Kirsty..welcome to the forum.

It's a tough decision at so cheap a price but personally I would say no, having just had an allocate on arrival last September. We were very dissapointed. We have stayed in a cheaper end hotel before and also a private villa many times, and it has to be private every time for quality and comfort for us. The one we got in September was more expensive than you are paying and was very shabby, and no better than a cheap hotel.Things were broken, stained and dirty. Little touches were missing e.g. there was no toilet paper, trash bags, dishwasher tablets etc etc, normally you can count on a few days supplies. These things all add up. The private one we have just been in at Christmas had all these things and more like salt and perer, spices, tea bags, sugar, washing up liquid, tumble dryer sheets, DVDs, books, maps, toys and games, pool toys, table tennis, bycycles, every conceivable kitchen equipment, enough towels to save us taking any ...the list could go on and on....none of these were in the allocated villa.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for saving money to spend on other things, but it spoiled our holiday and we spent more money out and about entertaining ourselves, whereas usually we want to go back and spend time there relaxing. So in the long run it could work out more expensive???

Hope you have agreat time whatever you decide.

[Snapper]

Hi Tony and Kirsty,

As Blott says, you might hit relatively lucky with the villa you get, but it's really a percentages game. If you figure that, broadly speaking, the nicest villas book up first, then the villas left available for 'allocate on arrival' packages would be ...

Villas are pretty much like everything else in life. You get what you pay for. There are hundreds of villas on these three sites that are excellent value for money, but I don't think you will find many that are cheap.

There was a thread on here last year from someone who had landed in a villa that was a real tip. This is the exception rather than the norm but it did sound quite ghastly.

[Lynnes]

A few years ago we rented a villa on the Gulf coast, it was quite cheap but when we got there we realized why, everything was either worn out or damaged. this really spoiled our hols and was one of the reasons we decided to buy our own. I am a great believer in you get what you pay for.

[LiesaAnna]

something tells me.......forget that idea [msnwink]
and go with a verified villa owner whether it with this site or any other, i wouldnt ever go allocation on arrival!;)

[wrpac00]

Like everyone else has said, I like to know where I am staying and what it looks like. Also once you have stayed in a villa you will never go back to a hotel, trust me.

[tonykirsty]

Thanks for all the responses. We're convinced!

We'll be looking at your sites again tonight - I'm sure we'll find something much more to our liking. I'll report back in due course.

I especially liked the analogy with the second tier of theme parks!

Thanks again.

Tony & Kirsty

Good choice!!![msnwink]

[benfilo]

I know how they offer it so cheaply, they don't even book with the owners until the last minute. They just contact an owner and say they've had a last minute booking, if the villa is empty sometimes the owner will take what's offered (it's happening to a friend of mine at the moment)
It would be interesting to see if these villas were going for that price at easter or Christmas.
I think you would be unlucky to get a bad villa in this way, but knowing where you are staying counts for a lot.You may save a couple of hundred this way but i bet if you booked with an owner direct, they could help you save in other ways by giving invaluable advice, which could save you cash or more importantly TIME.... which is a precious commodity when in Orlando.

welcome to the forum Tony and Kirsty, hope you have a fantasic trip whatever you decide
[msnsmile2]

[shenon]

holidays are important to us all and i think it's nice to know exactly where you are going to be staying,i would say that usually you get what you pay for and it's worth it to me anyway to pay that bit extra to get as much luxury as you can so you enjoy the whole package and have a really memorable time:)

[jnowotny]

This year will be our 4th year renting a villa in Orlando. In fact I am procrastinating on dealing with all the inquiry replies to pick the villa by doing this post..
The first year I had no idea of the concept even, as it not such an American thing. My sister-in-law had found one of the "allocate on arrival places" in a magazine ad, so we did it to hold a family reunion. The villa was in Highland Park Reserve, was relativly new and was in good order. The furnishings were all there, but they were lower end package type furnishings. So all in all we loved it vs a hotel for all the reasons that are mentioned on this site all the time.
The next year, I started reasearching villas for the trip, becuase I figured with all the development we saw on HWY 27 there must some price competion to the place we originally used. Had the epifany of finding these sites and have booked the last two (and soon third) villas here.
In general I have found the actual cost to be lower and the value to be significantly better becuase of better quality of the villas and the furnishings. Now a lot of this is a matter of perception, but is has been our what we have found so far. The villas have had higher quality furnishings and were decorated to a higher more personal level.
I have also "shopped" the late availabilities, especially looking for brand new villas that are motivated to get some booking base going, so I think we have done especially well price wise. We also enjoy staying in different areas instead the same place each time, so this stategy has worked well for us so far. This year I think we are looking a more popular week, so our cost is going to be about $100-$150 more then the last two years but still a great deal for the number of people we have staying.
In a lot of ways I generally start first thinking "find the lowest price" but end up signing on for "best value".
Now back to those 150+ emails....
Joe

[tonykirsty]

Thanks again for all the responses. After several nights of hard graft, we had a shortlist of about 10 and have now chosen a villa in Oak Island Cove which sounds and looks really nice. I have to say I'm much happier knowing exactly where we're going to be.

Just counting the days now.....

Tony & Kirsty

[MaggieAllan]

Great, now you can relax and look forward to your holiday...all that planning now...make sure you do a trip report...we all love to read them.

have a lovely holiday[msnsmile2]

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by tonykirsty
Thanks again for all the responses. After several nights of hard graft, we had a shortlist of about 10 and have now chosen a villa in Oak Island Cove which sounds and looks really nice. I have to say I'm much happier knowing exactly where we're going to be.

Just counting the days now.....

Tony & Kirsty
[/quote]

Well done. You still have a few weeks to go before your holiday and now's the time to get a good guide and plan an itinerary. If you have any doubts, feel free to ask them in the appropriate areas of these forums.

[Ray&Sarah]

Thats great news Tony & Kirsty, now time to get down to all that planning of where to visit etc. have fun.[msnsmile2]

[poohbear]

i have booked a villa via this site and it was only £880.00p for three weeks ..after reading all these comments i am now getting worried.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

That's very cheap - I would be helping pay for your vacation if I rented my 3 bed at that kind of rate. If you would like to DM me the villa ref number I can take a look for you.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by poohbear
i have booked a villa via this site and it was only £880.00p for three weeks ..after reading all these comments i am now getting worried.
[/quote]

[poohbear]

whats dm?

[ellie]

Liesa, a villa costs just as much to run for 3 weeks as 2, so not everyone offers discounts for 3 weeks! And it is rather cheap if you divide it by 3!Less than £300 a week!

As John says, the villa owner would be helping to finance the holiday.

At least John is going to investigate it for Poohbear, and hopefully put her mind at rest!

That is the real benefit of this site! Personal contact, and someone like John who cares!

After all, if you were to book a villa through Travel City Direct or similar, they would not be interested, or able, to tell you anything about it at all, and as for complaining afterwards, forget it - they offer a rock bottom price, which leaves the villa owner with peanuts, and you can't run a villa on peanuts, not if you want to maintain high standards.

Hope everything is ok Poohbear.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I took a look at who Poohbear had booked with and their weekly rate is £440 so they appear to have quoted 3 weeks for the price of 2 which is absolute insanity if you ask me. As stated I could not afford to run my 3 bed 2 bath at anywhere near that kind of price let alone the 4 bed 3 bath they have booked.

[Nostromo]

Could it be that they've had a couple of post-deposit no shows recently and decided to be generous? With all those Hurricanes last Autumn, people could have cancelled their holidays.

[poohbear]

will let you all know on my return (not till 19th may tho)

[Carla]

Nostromo, advance bookings are well up this year, on last year, for the Summer thru end of October, for the vast majority of owners. Guests realise that last years' weather was very untypical for Central Florida.[msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

Once booked well in advance, it is extremely rare for a guest to cancel, and if they ever do it's never because of the weather but more usually because of a personal/family problem such as ill-health.


<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nostromo
Could it be that they've had a couple of post-deposit no shows recently and decided to be generous? With all those Hurricanes last Autumn, people could have cancelled their holidays.
[/quote]

[Nikki]

Hi,
I'm new to the forum and also a first time renter. I wasn't concerned about the Late Deal on a 4 bedroom villa I received for $550 until now. I rented from this website but I'm worried that the price is too good to be true. Should I be concerned about the condition of the villa? or relax and be grateful I got a great deal for late February?

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nikki
Hi,
I'm new to the forum and also a first time renter. I wasn't concerned about the Late Deal on a 4 bedroom villa I received for $550 until now. I rented from this website but I'm worried that the price is too good to be true. Should I be concerned about the condition of the villa? or relax and be grateful I got a great deal for late February?
[/quote]

If you rented from this website, you have very little to worry about since all villas are registered and checked out. But if you have any doubt, DM the details to Uncle John (floridadreamvilla.co.uk) and he will sort you out.

[Nikki]

I will. Nostromo, thank you so much.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

The villa is verified by us so we see no reason to worry.

I have to say $550 for 6 nights in a 4 bed 3 bath villa is total insanity on the part of the owner. That would not get anywhere near covering costs in my 3 bed 2 bath villa let alone a larger villa.

I'd be helping pay for your holiday if I let me home out at those kind of rates, let alone allowing for a Short Stay Clean as your booking is less than 1 week in duration.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Nikki
I will. Nostromo, thank you so much.
[/quote]

[Nikki]

Hi John,
Again, I appreciate your help and I hope the owners aren't offended. I'm grateful to the owner for such a great deal. I know I'll enjoy my stay in the villa and my vacation in Orlando.
Thank you,
Nikki

[Katys Grandad]

There are definitely bargains to be had - in the end I didn't take it for other reasons, but I was offered a villa through this site for more nights than Nikki at less than she has paid.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I wonder how many of the villas that do that will be around in a year or so's time? There will be a lot of foreclosures with people renting their villas out and paying for part of their guests holidays like this.

Total madness!

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
There are definitely bargains to be had - in the end I didn't take it for other reasons, but I was offered a villa through this site for more nights than Nikki at less than she has paid.
[/quote]

[Katys Grandad]

John - you will understand these things much better than I do. When you say that rates like these wouldn't cover cost do you mean that you would actually be better off having your place empty?

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

Quite possibly, yes.

Certainly the rate quoted is less than it cost to leave the villa empty (based on my own 3 bed 2 bath figures) so you could take the short term view that any income is money in the bank but this is no way to run a villa unless you aree looking at the very short term. If you want to hold onto your villa for the longer term then you need to charge realistic rates that reflect the cost of providing the accommodation. A shop would never sell all it's stock at less than cost - it's total insanity.

There are other fees associated with guests staying like a clean fee at the end of the stay of about $75-$85 which will have to come out of the above rate.

Sales and Tourist tax of 13% (in Osceola County) will also have to come out of the amount collected, so that further reduces the actual amount of the rental the owner can keep.

Bear in mind guests use water, electricity, gas which all results in higher bills than if the house was empty. Also bear in mind the wear and tear on the villa with guests in it that would not be a problem if the villa was empty. Wear and tear is ok as long as you are charging enough on the villa to keep it up to the standard required. If you are constantly subsidising people's holidays then you will be unlikely to have the spare cash to keep the villa in tip-top condition.

I'd imagine on the rental of $550 mentioned, about $405 would end up going to the owner after clean and sales & tourist taxes.

On this basis, a villa quickly becomes a black hole into which any owners non villa income quickly disappears - this assumes the owner can afford to do this - most owners are ordinary people with ordinary lives and incomes like the rest of us - it may be that they have bought the villa to help fund their pension rather than contribute to a traditional pension plan. Thus a lot of owners will not be able to subsidise the villa in this way for anything other than a very short period.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
John - you will understand these things much better than I do. When you say that rates like these wouldn't cover cost do you mean that you would actually be better off having your place empty?


[/quote]

[Katys Grandad]

Thnaks for that - I want to be careful that I don't identify the people who made the offer to me so I'll just say that they were new owners who basically wanted a direct rental customer for a 'first time' experience of it.

I should also add that I was looking for February into March so not exactly high season. The rate quoted was incredible though and the only reason I didn't take it was that my wife wanted a change from Florida so we're off to Virginia instead.

[floridadreamvilla.co.uk]

I do despair with some of the new owners (not talking about anyone in particular).

A lot have been spun a line by certain unscrupulous realtors who tell them they will easily get a guaranteed 40 weeks rental a year and cover all their costs. This is absolute rubbish and is never, ever true. No-one guarantees rentals and the only rentals worth getting are those you get youself as the tour operator ones that a Management Company may get you bring in income even less than we are talking about above (after the tour operator takes their HUGE cut and then the MC takes something like 10%, or more, of the remainder as their cut).

The sun must go to people's heads as they make BIG financial decisions (like buying a villa) without almost a second thought even though they are probably the most prudent people when back in the UK. They then find that you have to work to find bookings and people do not book your villa just because you own a villa in Florida (I've spoken to so many new owners who really think this in the course of running the sites). The shock of this leads people to offer silly prices in the hope that "some money is better than none" - this never works unless they have bottomless pockets as soon enough they will run out of funds to top up the villa with and will have to sell and hope to recover some of their initial investment or the mortgage company will foreclose [msnsad]

My fixed costs are the same regardless of time of year apart from the variations in temperature i.e. electricity is more in summer due to the air-con but the gas is more in winter due to pool heat etc etc. We obviously charge more in peak than off peak rates as we go with market demand and the more income I can get for my villas the better chance I have of keeping them up to the very high standard I require, and adding extras and improving the villas all the time. My villas are my pension plan (I do not have a conventional pension) and I'm in it for the long term and as such have to think long term with regard to rental rates and the villa paying for itself.

Good move with Virginia - it's a beautiful State and probably our favourite State in the whole of the USA [msnsmile2]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
Thnaks for that - I want to be careful that I don't identify the people who made the offer to me so I'll just say that they were new owners who basically wanted a direct rental customer for a 'first time' experience of it.

I should also add that I was looking for February into March so not exactly high season. The rate quoted was incredible though and the only reason I didn't take it was that my wife wanted a change from Florida so we're off to Virginia instead.


[/quote]

[heathercobbett]

Why spend all that monry on your flights and theme parks and then spoil it with a villa that may be sub-standard?

I have seen some that were so ill cared for that I would not want to spend one night in them

A luxurious,well equipped villa will actually cost you less money in the end because you will enjoy so much taking advantage of a lovely house and pool that you wont be out all the time spending money,and do take 3 weeks if you can.There is so much to do and see that you can build some chill out time into 3 weeks

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by heathercobbett
Why spend all that monry on your flights and theme parks and then spoil it with a villa that may be sub-standard?

I have seen some that were so ill cared for that I would not want to spend one night in them

A luxurious,well equipped villa will actually cost you less money in the end because you will enjoy so much taking advantage of a lovely house and pool that you wont be out all the time spending money,and do take 3 weeks if you can.There is so much to do and see that you can build some chill out time into 3 weeks
[/quote]

Superbly put. I never believed in being "penny wise and pound foolish". Bargains are nice when they are genuine, but I always look at the small print. I'd rather spend a bit more on a well-kept and comfortable villa with all the facilities than save money and go to a substandard place. Nothing can spoil a holiday more than when the accommodation is below your expectations.

[heathercobbett]

Carla,I absolutely agree with you,there is a real early buzz for bookings this year and every owner thinks the same

To all those still thinking of booking,I urge you to do it as soon as possible,particularly if your dates are not flexible

Plus of course it is lovely to have something to look forward to in these dreary months

[orlandodaze]

This Summer will be our fifth visit to Florida, and each year we get more particular in our choice of accomodation. Perhaps as our children get older and have more of a say in where they are staying.I totally agree with all those who say that a well equipped luxurious villa will save you money .Last year we stayed in a super villa in Glenbrook where the owner had spared no expense and put a lot of thought into making his villa extra special , in the evening my kids did not want to go out to dinner ,they prefered to have a barbeque or get a takeaway. Unfortunately this villa was unavailable for our dates this year , but I put a lot of time researching and deciding which villa was the right one for us .We eventually decided on Grand Reserve and I get a great thrill out of looking at the villa on the internet and counting the days to our holiday.I would never take a villa allocated on arrival ,Iwould have to know exactly where I was going right down to how far was the nearest supermarket. My husband is quite the opposite ,he leaves it all to me right down to directions from the airport. Well one Florida fanatic in the family is enough someone has to keep watching the football on tv! [lucky][lucky][lucky][lucky]

[heathercobbett]

Absolutely right,Orlando Daze. Have a great holiday and heres to many more!

[E. Cosgrove]

My hubby is exactly the same, leaves all the holiday planning to me as he knows I love it! He just pays for it and turns up on the right day for our trip to the airport. I planned a 3 week tour of New England for our Silver Wedding and apart from the fact that he knew we were flying to Boston he had know idea what else we were doing. When we turned up at each accommodation he would ask me how long we were staying, and when we were leaving it was where to next?
He would be pretty upset if the accommodation was substandard though as he trusts me to find something special.<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by orlandodaze
This Summer will be our fifth visit to Florida, and each year we get more particular in our choice of accomodation. Perhaps as our children get older and have more of a say in where they are staying.I totally agree with all those who say that a well equipped luxurious villa will save you money .Last year we stayed in a super villa in Glenbrook where the owner had spared no expense and put a lot of thought into making his villa extra special , in the evening my kids did not want to go out to dinner ,they prefered to have a barbeque or get a takeaway. Unfortunately this villa was unavailable for our dates this year , but I put a lot of time researching and deciding which villa was the right one for us .We eventually decided on Grand Reserve and I get a great thrill out of looking at the villa on the internet and counting the days to our holiday.I would never take a villa allocated on arrival ,Iwould have to know exactly where I was going right down to how far was the nearest supermarket. My husband is quite the opposite ,he leaves it all to me right down to directions from the airport. Well one Florida fanatic in the family is enough someone has to keep watching the football on tv! [lucky][lucky][lucky][lucky]
[/quote]

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by E. Cosgrove
My hubby is exactly the same, leaves all the holiday planning to me as he knows I love it! He just pays for it and turns up on the right day for our trip to the airport. [/quote]

Exact opposite in my house. Both my wife and I agree on a destination together and then I do all the travel planning as regards itinerary, flights, car rental, accommodation etc right down to the smallest detail. Harini and I always go 50:50 for all holiday expenses (unless one of us is going on his/her own, of course) and the arrangement works out fine :).

[Cruella DeVilla]

I am a great believer in you get what you pay for.