Marbella Hen Weekend- Prices and Ideas- Not Paying Upfront

I would be very wary of booking anything if the girls can't commit upfront. Even if you find somewhere that will accept a low deposit, if the girls decide they can't afford it a month before, then you're a) out of pocket and b) without a hen do at all.

I would have loved a hen do abroad. Or even a full weekend away here. My ideal would be a big spa weekend with afternoon tea in a country house, then out to a club one night. However, my hens either couldn't spare that sort of money, or the time (young children, family issues etc), so I ended up staying fairly local - meal out and theatre show for those who could afford it, and drinks/club after for those who wanted to. Some people stayed over in the hotel, some got lifts home. Even though I didn't get the hen do of my dreams, in a way I did, since everyone managed to get to at least one part of it, and no-one felt pressured into spending more money/time than they wanted to. Everyone happy!

I don't think I could spend £252 plus spending money for a hen do, unless it was my closest friend. The girls will also have the wedding expenses (accom, gift, outfit) shortly after. Are you absolutely sure they are all up for this sort of hen?

I agree with this.

My friend went Marbella for her friends big birthday in May. It cost them £260 for flights and accommodation and she spent another £250 on drink and food

whilst there as everything is so expensive. They went for 3 nights.

Thank you for your advice.

I spoke to the girls from January this year and they all said they were happy with the plans (so i did let them know wayyy in advance). Its just that they wouldnt want to pay anything this side and next side of xmas (December or January) but if your like me i want to get booked up and organised. Even for a normal holiday i think it is very difficult to get all the money upfront hence why i would like to try and find an travel agency we could put a deposit down and that would pre-book flights/hotel.

I have said to the girls that if they cannot make my hen in Marbella then i am doing something here also in August/September, but at least 15 of them have said they can make it but they cannot pay anything in advance.

So i think i have done as much as i can and gave them the choice.

We will see. Thanks again for your response hun xx

You will struggle to find anywhere that won't want some money up front. All travel agencies I know would at least want a deposit.

When are you thinking of going?

Bit of a risky tactic leaving it until the last minute, you might end up with no one being able to afford it, so i can see where you are coming from wanting to get it organised etc.

As your friends they won't want to let you down, but it is a lot of money for some people. You have to factor in the spending money too (Marbella is expensive) and it would also probably mean some have to take holiday from work etc. If you asked them in January circumstances may well have changed since then, I don't know. Maybe you should try and get them all together and have a sit down and work out where to go from there.

Hope you get it sorted.

I was thinking of going 13th to 16th June 2013. Yes they would be willing to pay a deposit but not full amount.

Right, so realistically they need to save £500 by June so before you book anything I would ask them honestly if they can afford to save £100 a month between Christmas and then. I know I couldn't commit to that so I'm just throwing it out there.

If they can, the only thing I can suggest is getting the flights booked now and having that as the 'deposit'. The flights are the bit that are likely to rise quickly.

Thanks me too. I will still do my research because i am sure there are agencies that will only need a deposit. I went on holiday this year to Tunisia and i paid £80.00 deposit and then the rest 2 months before the holiday. They are definatly out there somewhere ?

I think i will wait until January for confirmation., but the girls which agree to come along to my hen are willing to pay a bit of money. (Spending money quoted £200-300) I have only invited my close friends and family.

^ This. I am very lucky that my wonderful best friend and MOH is organising mine. it's not without its problems though. She has organised for us to stay in a farmhouse (I don't know where!) for 3 nights £70 PP. She asked for a £20 deposit from all the girls but now one of the girls can't make it and wants her money back! My poor MOH is trying to sort all of this. Be prepared to be let down!

It's really hard organising a trip abroad! My hens convinced me to go to Magaluf but it's been quite stressful trying to book it! We're going in June & I have booked a hotel via On the beach. They took just £10 per person deposit & the balance doesn't have to be paid until 4 weeks before we go. I panicked when this company were on Watch Dog but am hoping it'll be OK!

Flights are another matter. It's basically best to book direct with the airline & not through an agent, especially if you go with Ryan Air. They charge for bookings made through agents! You also get charged extra for luggage & meals on most flights now. It adds quite a lot to the base price!

As my hens can't afford £180 before Xmas I am winging it & hoping I can still get flights at a decent price in Jan/Feb! I'm also going to book it on a credit card to give them another month or two to save the money.

Oh we've gone for a an all inclusive hotel so we haven't got to spend as much money on food & drink. It's £152 per person for 3 nights.

Good luck! x

Hi i organised my friends hen party to marbella about 3 years ago now so not to sure on what price we paid. we went through a company called eclipse leisure and they were fab we had to book our flights seperatly but they organised our transfers hotel booked us in a resturant & then on to a nightclub with free champagne on arrival that was the first night night, we had the day time to ourselves so lay on the beach drinking cocktails, on our second night they organised a pub crawl & ended up in linekers bar where we had our own little vip area & personal waitor service they also had a banner made saying good luck to then hen which was lovely & supplied us with tons of free shots all night it was messy but the best weekend me & all the girls have ever had Marbella is fantastic! the website is great because it gives you the deatils of everything your doing & you have your own page where you can pay off your own balance seperatly so you can see whos paid what. i think we paid around £200 for the weekend then the flights ontop i would definatly recommend them.

We are going to Marbella in June 2013 for the brides hen weekend so might see you there. Its kind of a tradition now . This is our 3rd year. I went last yr for my hen do & another friends, and now our friend wants to go back for hers. It gets better every year and seems to be the most popular place to go for hen weekends.

We always book with Solisol Travel, they are brilliant. very professional and they deal with everything from accommodation to airport transfers, activities & all night time stuff. They are based in Spain so know Marbella inside out and they even have a 24hr on call service if you have any problems out there.

They only ask for £100 for initial deposit then the group can pay £35 in 4 weeks time and the rest of the balance can be paid 4 weeks before the hen weekend so if you haven't already booked this might be a good option for you.

There website is www.solisoltravel.com

Hope everyone has a great time wherever you all go!! xx ?

Thanks for all your feedback girls.

I basically said to my Chief Bridesmaid back in January, can you deal with it and leave all the planning to her. So we are now going to Cardiff with a great weekend planned. She is great, and i am so glad i did not have to deal wit it. All the girls have pretty much paid for this weekend and we are now looking forward to a fun filled weekend. xx