This summer in the Med, hotel rates were as high as mercury – they still are.
In Italy, where a five-star crash in May 2019 costs an average of $516.62 per night, according to CoStar data. Same room this year? An average of $923.22 – a price increase of nearly 80%. And it’s not just in hotspots like Sardinia where you’re likely to get a shock: France’s average rate increase over the same period was 67%.
There’s no less wallet, either: Over the past year, the Consumer Price Index for airline tickets rose 25%, the biggest jump since the Fed began tracking it in 1989.
All of this makes a nice trip to the Med seem out of reach for all but the wealthiest one percent—but don’t worry, as we’ve got some smart strategies to sidestep that hefty price tag and still book one luxury getaway.
For sailing
If you want to achieve an affordable vacation at great prices, keep an eye on cruise lines, which offer impressive deals on some of their most beautiful ships. Veranda cabins on small-ship specialist Azamara start at $250 per person per day in the Med for August sailings, lower than the same voyages five years ago before the pandemic. On those trips, you can hit ports like the holy island of Patmos or Mykonos, all the more difficult for larger ships to reach thanks to the winds.
Atlas Ocean Voyages is best known for its Antarctic expertise but has repositioned two of its ships, World Voyager and World Traveller, to the Med for the summer after testing the idea last year with the latter ship. They’re also boutique-sized—198 guests max—and offer a high-end bargain option: a nine-day trip starting in Malta and taking in the likes of Capri and Nice, for example, starts at $3,449 per person, or about $383 per night. Of course, this fee doesn’t just cover room and board—it’s all-inclusive, except for the usual ultra-premium beverage sales and spa services.
However, there is no smarter option than Explora Journeys, the new high-end flagship from MSC. It is proud to announce that it has wide availability at affordable prices for summer.
“We’re not shy to say we’ve only been in business for ten months, so we have room and availability in all categories,” says North American president Chris Austin, “We’re building momentum.”
It will cost about $4,000 per person all-inclusive for a seven-night cruise on the Explora, which translates to $600 or more per night. Meanwhile, a five-star hotel in Cannes or Capri will charge $2,000 for a double room for a single night.
“And there’s not a glass of bubbly in sight. We welcome guests with chilled French champagne,” adds Austin, “We’re a multi-country resort, so you won’t pay for airfare between Istanbul and Athens. It doesn’t matter how rich you are, why not make your dollar stretch a little further?”
Don’t forget, too, that a cruise can also offer cheap long-haul flights. Most airlines offer discounted airline packages as an add-on to any booking, as they often wrangle great deals for each class of service due to the volume of seats they can fill. Royal Caribbean is so confident in its Air2Sea prices, for example, that if you find a lower verified fare than it offers, you’ll get 110% of the difference in ship credit.
Talk to Turkey
If you prefer to keep your feet on the ground, consider making Turkey your focus. The country in eastern Medina is a bargain compared to its neighbors, thanks to its newer, top-notch infrastructure and a currency that is at record lows – hitting more than 33 lira to the dollar for the first time (compare that to June 2015, when it was at 2.73). There, most international hotels are priced in euros, but they are still competitive: per CoStar, they cost an average of $394.79 in May, or almost 60% less than in Italy.
“When people ask me about Greece, I sell them Turkey because that’s everything they expect Greece to be,” says luxury travel specialist Jonathan Alder, of Jonathan’s Travels. “It’s a magical place, with history, mythology and even wine country – the reds there are fantastic near Gallipoli.”
Head to the Cesme Peninsula, continues Alder, which is the local answer to the Hamptons, and stay at the 25-room Alavya or party in Bodrum, the picturesque spot with fantastic nightlife, where he recommends the Edition post.
Note, too, that Turkey is an obstacle to reach from many cities across the country, as its national airline has a large nonstop, direct network. “It’s a thousand times easier to get to than the Amalfi Coast or Nice,” he says.
Moor is more
Elsewhere in the Med, don’t overlook the coast of Morocco. There is the sexy city of Tangier, which is kept cool in summer by the abundant winds and beaches along its coast; The recently renovated Fairmont Tazi Palace has double rooms on the last weekend in August for just $460.
Or you could go to Casablanca, on the west coast overlooking the Atlantic, which is great for surfers, of course. The Corniche there is lined with beach clubs and surf schools, and there’s a splashy new hotel in the form of the Royal Mansour, which sits in a downtown high-rise.
Trick him
Jonathan Alder champions another Atlantic Ocean rogue for the Med: Madeira.
The 309-square-mile Portuguese island lies directly east of Casablanca in the middle of the sea. It has long been popular with the British, and so English is widely spoken, while the national carrier, TAP, is an affordable alternative to the likes of BA or Air France, offering extensive state services connecting via Lisbon.
“The water in Madeira is much warmer than the Med – it’s a deep ocean, but it’s about 75 degrees in the summer,” promises Alder, warning that there are few conventional beaches.
Most water access is instead from rocky outcrops, as with the diving board directly into the ocean from the five-star Reid’s Palace property. This Belmond-run gem doesn’t come cheap – expect to pay around $900 for a double room at least – but it’s only a third of the price of sister hotels from the same chain, such as the Caruso in Ravello.
Come to the island for a two-in-one experience, adds Alder. The local microclimate, through the volcano located at its heart, makes it semi-arid and desert, baked by the sun and ideal for relaxing by the pool. The other side of the volcano, however, is lush and rainy.
“Go there and you can walk through beautiful towns without tourists, and there’s a wine scene that’s fabulous, grown in those volcanic hills,” he says. “A bottle of good wine is 9 euros”.
Flight of fantasy
However, if the single biggest obstacle to a trip to Europe this summer is flight prices, consider your fifth freedom options. Simply put, these are routes operated by an airline between two cities, neither of which is in its home territory (these are granted on a case-by-case basis, usually to allow a carrier to reposition an aircraft between two routes others without flying empty).
They are not widely known and any money the airline makes is gravy, so they are usually less busy and much cheaper than other transatlantic flights.
From the US to Europe, current fifth freedom flights include Emirates service between JFK and Milan, as well as connecting Newark and Athens. Air Tahiti Nui flies from Seattle and Los Angeles to Paris, and Singapore Airlines connects JFK and Frankfurt. Once you’re on the mainland, of course, you can use a low-cost, low-cost connection from Easyjet, Ryanair or similar to anywhere nearby.
The one thing we can’t hack: the weather, so pack plenty of sunscreen and hats.
#Hack #Med #enjoy #drops #summer #smart
Image Source : nypost.com