If you fancy the glamour and decadence of a luxury holiday but don't have the budget to match then fear not! A savvy traveller can, armed with the right knowledge, turn a modest holiday into a sumptuous getaway - it's easy when you know how. Check out some top tips to transform your holiday in to a luxury escape.
Be a Big Fish in a Small Pond
It's tempting to blow a big chunk of your holiday budget on a fancy hotel room. The truth is, unless you really are the high roller you imagine yourself to be, then the best room you'll be able to afford at the top hotels will be the box room in the basement. The shrewd holiday maker will instead look at the more modest hotels in town and leverage the money saved on the cheaper room rates to bag themselves one of the top suites. Not only will you get a bigger room with better views - but you'll be top of the pecking order when it comes to service from the hotel staff.
Love Thy Neighbour
OK, so you've got yourself a fancy room on the cheap. but your still filling up with green-eyed envy at the Olympic-sized pool of the swanky hotel across the road. Luckily there is a handy loophole that will grant you access to these splendours for a fraction of the price you'd be paying as a guest. Most hotels have restaurants open to non-guests with one of the perks being that it allows you to make use of the rest of the hotels facilities. Book yourself in for a light lunch and turn up armed with your beach towel and swimming costume. Then after you've eaten, relax by the pool for the whole afternoon, happy in the knowledge that everyone around you is paying a whole lot more for the privilege. This little trick is universal and works at pretty much any luxury hotel around the world.
Be a Guinea Pig
In resorts which are enjoying a rapid growth in tourism, new hotels are cropping up all the time. These fledging establishments should be viewed as easy prey by the experienced budget traveller. Usually room rates in these new hotels are massively discounted for the first few months, and throughout the first season, in order to get the business on it's feet and the money flowing. Do some research on the new developments at your destination, if you spot somewhere you fancy then get in touch with them directly and you can find yourself enjoying top end accommodation on a shoe string budget.
Ask the Experts
The experts in question being the hotel staff, not the travel operator who will advise you with profit margins in mind. Establishing a good rapport with hotel staff and being inquisitive is your key to the best rooms, bookings at the best restaurants and a lot of good advice and money saving tips from people who know what they are talking about. You don't have to wait until you check-in before you start accessing this knowledge. Take an interest on the phone whilst you are going through the reservation process and actually ask staff their opinions on which rooms have the best views, where the best place is to pick up cheap tickets and their suggestions on how to make the most of your holiday.
Get Googling
The more astute bargain hunters are already well aware that if you are going to spend big on the internet, there is more often than not an online voucher or discount code floating around somewhere on the web that will earn you a tidy saving if you have the wherewithal to hunt it down. Well this trick is becoming more and more prominent with travel offers and with a bit of pottering around on the pages of the big voucher websites you'll have no trouble turning up something or other that can cut down the price of your holiday or, at worst, earn you something for nothing. From room upgrades, to flight discounts or even free extensions to your trip - you'd be a fool not to spend an hour or two searching for some bonus freebies.
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