Table for 14, please... where’s best for an all-inclusive big family holiday?

Simon Calder on reasonably priced family getaways, delayed flight and luggage compensation, and recommendations for a train tour of Europe

Sopot, on the Polish Riviera, has a certain style as well as a superb beach for families (Simon Calder)

Q Fourteen of us (family and friends) hope to go on an all-inclusive holiday next August. We need a hotel with a beach, good food and accommodation, and reasonably priced. I know it’s a year away but suggestions will be welcome so we can have something to look forward to as the nights draw in.

Jim O’G

A I shall start my answer on the “reasonably priced” requirement. For peak summer package holidays with all-inclusive meals and drinks, you will be hard-pressed to find anything under £850 per person for a week. The big tour operators have a few economy properties in the Balearics and Canaries but for the best value, I suggest you head for Bulgaria. The standards of accommodation and meals have increased sharply in recent years.

Sunny Beach is the main venue for all-inclusive holidays. Tui is offering the Meridian in Sunny Beach at £923 per person for departures from Manchester on 31 July; if your party is only adults, then I propose Tui’s Suneo-branded property, the Perla, which will cost £864 per person including flights from London Gatwick on 8 August.

The location ticks all your boxes, I hope, and will also allow you to explore more of the Black Sea coast. Nearby Pomorie is perched prettily on a promontory, and the city of Bourgas (with around 200,000 people) gives a good sense of life in one of Europe’s less-developed nations.

But if collectively spending upwards of £12,000 for the 14 of you is daunting, then you may want to build your own DIY holiday. The budget nations to look at are Albania and Poland (where August is usually a fine month despite the northerly aspect). While “all inclusive” is not a familiar concept in either of those countries, prices are so low compared with the rest of Europe that you will be able to spend freely.

Albania’s Adriatic coast is uncrowded and alluring, while the Polish resort of Sopot – close to Gdansk – has a certain style as well as a superb beach for families. Both the Albanian capital, Tirana, and Gdansk have plenty of budget flights from across the UK.

Budapest at night with lights reflected in the Danube (iStock)

Q ​We booked a river voyage from Budapest, flying with Austrian Airlines firstly to Vienna with a connecting flight to Budapest. Unfortunately, we were caught up in a security incident at Heathrow, which delayed our flight to Vienna.

We were told we would be notified about where to go for the connection but this didn’t happen. We missed the flight and had to wait six hours. We enquired if we would get a voucher for a meal and were told no. We were also told we were not entitled to any compensation as the airline calculated we should have been able to make the connection.

We finally arrived at 10.30pm in Budapest and fortunately, the cruise company had arranged a taxi for us and even a sandwich waiting for us on board. But our luggage was missing and did not reach us until two days before the end of the trip. Are we entitled to any compensation in your view?

Jennifer D

A This sorry saga provides an excellent example of why direct flights are far better than connections. I am afraid you cannot claim compensation for your late arrival as the cause was an airport security issue. But the staff who refused you a meal voucher were plain wrong: you did your best to make the connection.

The cause of the delay is irrelevant: the airline must provide a meal for you. If you have anything showing what you spent on food and drink at the airport, for example on a credit card statement, I suggest you claim from the airline. Normally an itemised receipt is necessary but since your reasonable initial request for a meal voucher was refused I don’t think the airline can argue.

At the same time, you can claim a reasonable figure (perhaps around £200 for the two of you, on production of receipts) for stuff you had to buy along the way before your bag turned up. I am impressed that the cruise firm looked after you, and I hope the voyage – and the journey home – went well.

Berlin, an energetic and absorbing capital, will be a great starting point (EPA)

Q We are thinking of doing a rail tour of central and/or southern Europe for a couple of weeks next summer with our two teenagers. Ideally we would like to see some major cities and end with a few days of rest and relaxation by the beach or pool. What do you recommend?

MEA

A I have devised what I hope is the optimum slice through central Europe for you. Even though you are on a rail tour, flying out to the start and back from the end will allow you to make the most of the trip. Start in Berlin, probably the most energetic capital in continental Europe and with flights from across Britain. Your teenagers will, I hope, find the Cold War division of the city intriguing. The former East Berlin is full of places to eat and drink that your teenagers may well describe as “cool”.

Next stop: Dresden, resurrected from the ashes of the Second World War and an excellent base for bike trips up or down the River Elbe. Spectacular scenery begins with the rail trip through beautiful gorges to Prague. The city is thronged with tourists year-round but has much metropolitan joy to deliver: from the Hogwarts-like castle to riverside restaurants.

For the next segment, choose between Salzburg or Vienna for your Austrian destination. Vienna has the imperial grandeur, but I find Salzburg much more fun – particularly if you want to explore some Sound of Music locations. Whichever city you choose, you are on for another scenic stretch of railway to Ljubljana (about four hours from Salzburg with a change of train, six hours from Vienna).

For a side trip to tranquil Lake Bled, hop off soon after you cross the border into Slovenia. Otherwise stay on to Ljubljana, the definitive middle European capital: hilltop castle, pretty medieval streets, atmospheric cafes. Finally, for that vital rest and relaxation, hop on the bus from Ljubljana to Piran. This is a port with a strong Venetian vibe.

Within easy walking distance, the resort of Portoroz has a decent beach. With a couple of days remaining you can explore the surroundings – again, bike is a good option – before taking a couple of buses to Trieste airport for the flight to London Stansted.

Don’t be tempted to buy Interrail passes for the trip: it will be better value to organise advance rail tickets; and, for the bus to the Slovenian coast, just turn up and go.

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