General Chat

We took the plunge and bought a holiday apartment on the Costa del Sol at the end of 2002. Our plan was to enjoy it ourselves for short breaks(!), and to let it out for holidays to cover its running costs. GW Bush immediately warmed up his Saddam campaign, with the result that the bottom fell out of the rental market last year. Also affected by SARS in Asia. Our two local holiday agents in Spain both reported the same effect on all their business. We're hoping it'll pick up this year, and we've now got a website as well (www.miradorhols.co.uk, if I'm allowed to mention it). However, still very quiet to date. If things don't improve soon, we shall have to go in for a long let, or sell it altogether, with great regret. Has anyone else had similar experiences, and have you any helpful advice to give? Apart from telling us we were foolish to get involved in the holiday market in the first place! lol! Philip

Put details on here? Maybe some GC members will use it as a holiday apartment?...Worth a try....x

Thanks for that, Linda & Rach, Yes, it's a steep learning curve finding out how the market works. Step 1 is to contact local holiday agents in Spain, of whom quite a lot are English anyway. Step 2 is to advertise in the English press. No local slots in my part of the country, don't seem to advertise overseas holidays in the columns. Step 3 is to create a website, to attract the millions of holidaymakers in from across the world. Complete that, upload it to the commercial server, sigh with contentment at a job well done, and wait for the telephone to start ringing. That's when the penny really drops. You realise the range of similar websites competing for attention, fighting to get a top page billing in the various search engines! A real cut throat business! Anyway, a friend has suggested printing off a folded A5 leaflet for distributing to friends to put up in local shops, and I'll also follow up your suggestion of trying local travel agents, although I haven't seen any other such adverts there, possibly because they're contracted to sell holidays from the big companies. We're also advertised recently in a glossy holiday magazine, which gives us a good space and presentation etc, and also includes our website details on their website. Still feels like "how long is a piece of string", but we live in hope! Anyway, just once more: miradorhols-co-uk. I'd better shut up now, and let other folk get a word in edgeways! Philip