We have only been home for 5 days and need to book our next Holiday to Arillas asap!!!! In the past we have booked a package holiday with Thomas Cook but would really like to book independently next year if the price is right ! We have sorted the accommodation but are not sure if we should pay more and fly with a charter flight or wait for the easy jet flights to be released. We are nervous about booking easy jet because they are renowned for cancelling flights and would like to know peoples views on Easyjet flights to Corfu before we book our flights.
Thanks
Jane and Matt
Hi Jane and Matt and welcome to the forum!
We've always stayed at Kaloudis in May and booked through Thomson, but this year we've also booked Easyjet and Horizon for the 27th September.
The cost is a little more, but not enough to worry about. We booked Easyjet shortly after they released their flights.
I can tell you after our return - we're flying from Manchester.
Where are you flying from?
Janis x
Hi Janis
Thanks for the welcome we have been going to Arillas for a couple of years now and have only just started to use the site for info and for an Arillas fix!!!!
We will be flying from the London Area - do you know when the summer easyjet flightys are released?
Our two week hoilday was so realxing and felt like we had been away for ever and we are finding it hard to cope with normal life. the only downside of the hoilday was the transfer back to the airport at the end of our hoilday (we booked a Taxi to the appartments but used the TC transfer back to the airport) the driver we had was a nightmare and at one point when he refused to use the carpark at the Mirrage to turn round and insisted on backing back up all the way to Georges snack bar told us that he was not a very good driver!! The rest of the journey to Corfu confirmed this and everyone left the coach feeling very lucky to still be alive!!
whoever we book with next year it will be a Taxi both ways for us !
Jane and Matt x
Jane, we nearly always do indpendent, because we know we won't ever end up without a bed to sleep on in Arillas. But for first-timers it could be a worry.
Not for yous though. I can tell you what our opinion is of all this. Jen and me have found EasyJet, booked the day the schedules get released, the ideal way to fly to Corfu on the cheap, and on a summer holiday. By the time we flew, the prices had doubled from what we actually paid. And unlike Kiss, Viking etc, I really doubt EJ will leave you stranded abroad by going bust.
Talk to us lot on here - use the Personal Message service, post and ask, and us lot will do our best to help. Someone here will know.
Jane, Matt, just continue to enjoy Arillas. The admin crap can go stuff itself
Phil
Your typical holiday report about Arillas clashed with my previous effort. Sorry.
You quite obviously share all of our obsession with Arillas. Welcome to our mad-house. Just ask Janis about it. Please keep posting.
Phil
Look at easy-jet, if you get in early enough. the prices are great. I think the summer prices and bookings appear around March, but that may be entirely wrong!!!!
I booked to fly to UK from Corfu in December, returning in January, and prices were very reasonable.
I would really recommend easyjet and have been using them from Gatwick since their flights started. They are sometimes a bit late but they won't let you down. My return flight was cancelled in July due to a strike in Greece and I received a text informing me of this. I simply had to go on-line to alter my flight - completely free. I was delighted and got four extra days in Arillas....
I am waiting, as many others are, for the release of 2011 flights - they were out in July/August last year so I am hoping they will be out any day. Having said that, it was December the year before. Last year, there was a thread on their website saying when the flights would be released - but that doesn't seem to have appeared yet.
We have never had a problem with Easy Jet from Gatwick and the flights have always been on time unlike when we travelled on a package with Manos and we had a 10 hour delay on the Monarch flights. I have always found Easy Jet flights really good. The flights for July/Aug time are normally out about late Nov/early Dec. I would definately recommend booking independentely. There is normally one flight at 5.55am and one later in the afternoon and back there is one about 11.55am and one early evening and I have found that the Gatwick schedules don't seem to change much.
Thanks for all your advice, looks like we will being waiting to book once the easyjet flights are released. Trouble is we want to book NOW so that we can start counting the days until we are back in Arillas talk about wishing your life away. ......!
Jane and Matt x
Welcome Jane & Matt.
We always use Easyjet & they've never let us down yet. They did once change our flight times & although I wasn't too happy about our new times, we could hardly complain because we'd only paid £75 each for our return flights.
If I was you, I'd wait until they release their summer flights & then book immediately.
Sara..x
I've just found my booking confirmation for this year's Easyjet flight and I booked on 7 August 2009 for June this year.....so the schedules are definitely late being released this year.
sandy
dont u know it ,,august 5th ,we booked last yr and end of nov the yr b4,,,,so jane&matt,keep eye on here and e/j site,,and youll hear the buzz of flights being booked ,,as for e/j ,,there great and fly into corfu 7days a week,,and if you book early i think youll get a good deal .yammas
I contacted easyjet who said flights should be released nov/dec in stages and all would be on by xmas.you can register on their alert service ,but sometimes they are out a few days before you get the email! Its best to keep checking everyday.You can also check on justtheflight.co.uk or travelrepublic as these tend to showej flights about 1week before we can view them!
Thanks for all your advice we are now checking the easyjet site several times a day !!
Jane and Matt
One word of caution about booking independently. I have done both and have been happy to, and may well do again. Howeer, something you may want to consider about booking independently is the potential lack of support you have if things go wrong.
We returned from Arillas today and during our holiday 2 incidents happened which made me think about the perils of booking independently.
One, a fellow tourist passed away a week ago today, after collapsing outside Gratsela's, late at night. The emergency doctor took 25 minutes to arrive and the ambulance about an hour (from Corfu Town). Very, very sad.
The second incident (which coincidentally happened the same day) was a British tourist, who dived into the sea at the exact same time as the sea went back out. He broke a bone in his neck, narrowly missing his spinal cord. He spent two days in hospital and hopefully will make a full recovery over time.
With both of these rare incidents happening during our holiday, it made me think about the disadvantages of going independently. In the case of the diving accident, the tour operator acted very efficiently with paper work and supported the couple during their stay at hospital in Corfu Town. If you travel independently, you may not get this level of support from anyone.
Something for us all to think about perhaps.
In response to your initial enquiry about Easyjet. I have travelled with them a couple of times, once from Gatwick and once from Bristol and they were great. I was also stuck in Corfu in April with the ash and they looked after us very well. Again, another incidence of how going with a tour operator would have been less stressful (apart from you can't get to Corfu in April with a TO!). I wouldn't worry about using EJ, they are as good as anyone. You may also want to buy travel insurance that covers scheduled airline failure, just in case, in these uncertain times.
I don't want to be a doomongerer (is there such a word), just talking through practicalities.
Finally, had a super holiday, apart from the rain! Now thinking about next year!
Sharon
I don't know Sharon that either of your incidents make a case for tour reps rather than holiday insurance. I'm sure the family of the deceased tourist will be doing battle with the repatriation clause in there insurance. Not sure the operator will be interested.
My experience of tour reps is a mixed bag to say the least. I think you would get help in Arillas elsewhere.
As EU citizens we benefit from the free medical care transferred from our NHS.
Easyjet were indeed one of the best for caring for their passengers due to the ash.
Quote from: Corfusoon on September 07, 2010, 09:03:50 AM
I don't know Sharon that either of your incidents make a case for tour reps rather than holiday insurance. I'm sure the family of the deceased tourist will be doing battle with the repatriation clause in there insurance. Not sure the operator will be interested.
My experience of tour reps is a mixed bag to say the least. I think you would get help in Arillas elsewhere.
As EU citizens we benefit from the free medical care transferred from our NHS.
All so true Frank. As many of you know earlier this season my mum took seriously ill in Arillas.
Before midnight she felt a little unwell, but by 1am she was very poorly and needed medical attention. Keith drove down to Arillas to fetch the doctor but failed to get an answer at the door (we later discovered 24 hours medical cover is not provided in Arillas). He then went along to Coconut Bar knowing that the lads there would help. Kostas offered to lead the way to the clinic in Agros.
Keith came back up to the villa to fetch my mum and within 15 minutes we were in the clinic in Agros. Two young and very efficient doctors stabilized my mum's condition before arranging for her transfer by ambulance to Corfu Town Hospital.
Despite the language barrier, the strange and different 'ways' of a foreign hospital we managed to get through the whole experience without any hitches. All the medical paperwork, changing of flights and arranging accommodation for our extended stay was easy to sort out ourselves.
Personally I think a young rep' (especially a rookie in May despite his/her good intentions) would have been out of their depth and more of a hindrance than help.
The people of Arillas offered help and much support to us...as they would to anyone in difficulty. I'm fortunate that I'm very capable in these situations but if I hadn't been there were many offers of help from the local community.
For sure...
never travel without an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) to cover medical care AND never Travel without Insurance.
Not sure how many of you have an EHIC card but you do need one it replaced the old E1-11
a while back and last for 5 years its easy to apply for online and you can also add spouses and kids here's the link it takes about 5 minutes to apply and is usually on your doorstep within a week
As Eileen says never travel without it you just don't know what lies ahead hopefully a damn good holiday but you never know,so heres the link just follow on screen instructions.
https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/home.do (https://www.ehic.org.uk/Internet/home.do)
Tony
For the first couple of years we went to Arillas via the package deal route but very rarely saw the travel reps and to tell the truth we could tell them more about the local area etc than they could tell us. We now always go indpendently and know that if there were any problems there any of the locals would be happy to help. The main thing like previously mentioned is to make sure you have your insurance and take your EHIC card.
Eillen hope your mum is ok now.
Jill x
I endorse that as well. Have BOTH your EHIC card AND decent travel insurance, whether independent or not. I would also turn to local people I know for help - as Eileen says they are far more effective and knowledgeable - they live there daily.
Not on the scale of the crises mentioned in this thread, my notorious dog-bite was at least free!!! Because I showed my EHIC to Dr Jannis, my insurers waived the excess on the policy and I got the full cost of my treatment and stitches back.
Phil
It's not so much having the reps there, but having the support of the TO company and knowing you are not alone. I know if my husband died whilst away, I wouldn't have a clue what to do and probably wouldn't be in a fit state to do anything. But to know that a company like Thomas Cook who will have dealt with similar situations before, are there for you would be reassuring at the time. Not so much the rep, they couldn't even get the time of the welcome meeting right this year, but the support of the company. I know the Thomas Cook office in Corfu Town handled everything very well and efficiently for the man with the broken neck, along with the lady in the hospital who sorted out the insurance.