How much for a week's golf in the Florida sun?
When: October 16th/17th to October 23rd/24th
With the tour operatorPanorama is offering a couple a week in a Florida golf resort in October for just over €1,700. It has us staying in the four-star Belleview Biltmore hotel. Since 1897, the brochure gushes, it has welcomed heads of state, royalty and movie stars. And now it's our turn. It has an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts and on-site fitness and spa centre - the nightlife, beach, restaurants and shops of Clearwater are a 10-minute drive away and the hotel runs a complimentary shuttle to the beach club and golf course. The price includes an online discount, but we have to pay airport taxes and fuel surcharges. Panorama tells us that our baggage allowance is just 15kg, although we can buy more. Our flight leaves at 8.30am on October 17th and returns a week later at 2.30pm local time.
Total€1,728.
On our ownThe hotel website offers us a double room for $683, plus $151.96 in taxes. The total cost is $834.96, but the still strong euro works in our favour, so we have to pay just €574.94.
There are no flights to Orlando on October 17th with Aer Lingus, so we decide to move our trip forward by a day.
The basic cost of the flights is €338.75, but once fuel surcharges and other charges are added it rises to just over €528 per person.
Total€1,630.94.
DIY savings€97.06.
