Option A
All inclusive
£328 sharing
£431 if you are in the single room
- Flights as above
- 3 nights at the Cendrillón
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the buffet
- Selected drinks and snacks through the day
tldr summary
The trip in short:
- We stay at Monarque Cendrillón in Fuengirola from 2 May to 5 May 2027.
- You fly from Gatwick on Sunday and you land at Luton on Wednesday at 21:55.
- You need leave on Tuesday 4 May and Wednesday 5 May.
- Monday 3 May is a UK bank holiday, so you do not take leave that day.
- The quote is for 23 adults in 11 twin rooms and 1 single room.
- All inclusive sharing is £328.
- The all inclusive single room is £431.
- Half board sharing is £284.
- The half board single room is £386.
- If you share a room, you and your roommate must pick the same plan.
- The group shuttle is £16 per person.
- Travel to the UK airports is extra.
- Reply on the WhatsApp poll by Monday 5 October.
- Pay the first amount into the holiday pot by Friday 30 October.
Where we are going
Key points:
- Fuengirola is a town on the Costa del Sol.
- The drive from Malaga airport to Fuengirola takes about 25 to 35 minutes.
- The hotel is about 100 meters from the beach and the promenade.
- Daytime air in early May is about 21 to 23°C.
- The sea is about 17 to 18°C.
- A GHIC is a UK card for state care. That card works in public hospitals in Spain.
More detail
Shops, pharmacies, cash machines, and restaurants are in walking distance. You do not need a taxi for those errands. Spain is in the EU. An EHIC is the older health card. A valid EHIC still works in public hospitals. Many people in Fuengirola speak English.
The evening in early May is cool. Bring a sweater. Pack for a beach town in spring.
Hotel on the map
The address is Avenida de las Gaviotas s/n, 29640 Fuengirola. The hotel name is Monarque Cendrillón. The map below shows that pin.
Open the hotel pin:
Photos
Photos of Fuengirola and the hotel:
Dates
Key points:
- The trip is Sunday 2 May to Wednesday 5 May 2027.
- The stay is three nights.
- A Sunday start costs about £100 less per person than a Friday start.
- You need leave on Tuesday 4 May and Wednesday 5 May.
- Monday 3 May is a UK bank holiday.
More detail
We moved the start to Sunday because that flight is about £100 cheaper per person. The higher price was a Friday start. Monday 3 May is the early May UK bank holiday.
Sun 2 May
Fly from Gatwick to Malaga. Transfer to the hotel. Spend the
evening in town.
Mon 3 May
This is a full day. Monday is a UK bank holiday.
Tue 4 May
This is a full day. You take annual leave on Tuesday.
Wed 5 May
You have the morning and the afternoon in Fuengirola. The
evening flight goes from Malaga to Luton and lands at 21:55.
You take annual leave on Wednesday.
Who is going
Key points:
- The quote is for 23 adults.
- Lucy is quoting 11 twin rooms and 1 single room.
- A twin room is a room for two people.
- If someone drops out, or a new person wants to come, tell Hey or a committee member.
Flights and getting there
Key points:
- The outbound flight leaves Gatwick.
- The return flight lands at Luton.
- Travel to those UK airports is not in the package price.
- Outbound is Vueling VY7681 at 09:20 from Gatwick.
- Return is Wizz Air W9 5382 at 19:55 from Malaga.
- The group shuttle from Malaga airport costs £16 per person, both ways.
More detail
You pay for the trip to Gatwick and the trip home from Luton. See the prices section for that separate cost.
Outbound · Sunday 2 May
Vueling VY7681
Gatwick 09:20 to Malaga 13:25
You fly on Sunday 2 May. The flight takes about 2 hours 45 minutes. The flight leaves at 09:20, so you start early at the airport.
Return · Wednesday 5 May
Wizz Air W9 5382
Malaga 19:55 to Luton 21:55
The flight takes about 3 hours, including the time change. You have most of Wednesday in Fuengirola before the transfer. Wednesday is still a leave day. The flight lands at 21:55.
Airport transfer
The drive from Malaga airport to the hotel takes about 25 to 35 minutes. The quote from Lucy adds £16 per person for the group shuttle. The £16 covers the trip to the hotel and the trip back.
The hotel
Key points:
- The hotel is Monarque Cendrillón on Avenida de las Gaviotas.
- It is about 100 meters from Las Gaviotas beach.
- It has an outdoor pool, a pool for children, and a pool bar.
- You can walk out to shops, a pharmacy, or restaurants.
More detail
Monarque Cendrillón
The address is Avenida de las Gaviotas s/n, 29640 Fuengirola. The hotel sits next to Hotel Monarque Fuengirola Park. Meals are in the buffet restaurant at that neighboring hotel. The reception is open 24 hours.
You can pay to use the paddle courts or the tennis courts. Entertainment at the hotel is mainly a summer program. Early May will not have a full entertainment program.
This is a 3-star town and beach hotel. It is not a remote all-inclusive compound. You can walk out for tapas, a pharmacy, or a supermarket.
Ideas for things to do
Key points:
- The beach is a short walk from the hotel.
- Early May is good for sitting outside.
- The sea can still feel cold.
- The hotel has indoor lounges, outdoor lounges, and an outdoor pool.
- A large group can walk in town, hike, or visit Mijas old town.
- You can use a spa, swim, play beach volleyball, or try watersports nearby.
- The coastal train to Malaga takes about 45 minutes.
- The Alhambra in Granada is a long day trip.
More detail
Playa Las Gaviotas is the beach by the hotel. Use of the beach depends on the temperature that day. The hotel lounges are indoors and outdoors. The pool at the hotel is outdoors. The hotel also has a pool for children.
Nearby, you can look for a spa or an indoor swim. You can also play beach volleyball. Watersports are available outside the resort. Watersports are optional. Some people in the group do not want watersports.
A large group can hike or walk around the town. Mijas Pueblo is the old town in the hills above Fuengirola. A visit there can take the whole group.
The C1 coastal train runs between Fuengirola and Malaga center. The ride takes about 45 minutes. Trains run often through the day. A group of 23 will not sit together in one carriage.
If you want a day in Malaga, go in small groups. We will not book a coach unless people ask for one. You can stay in Fuengirola for the whole trip.
The Alhambra is a palace in Granada. Granada is a long trip from Fuengirola. A day trip is possible if you want to go. The area around the hotel already has enough to do.
The two prices
Key points:
- If you share a room, you and your roommate must pick the same meals plan.
- All inclusive pairs with all inclusive.
- Half board pairs with half board.
- Two people on different plans cannot share a twin room.
- Each person needs a roommate on the same plan, or a single room.
- All inclusive sharing is £328.
- The all inclusive single room is £431.
- Half board sharing is £284.
- The half board single room is £386.
- The group can make two separate bookings if people pick different plans.
- Price can change, Lucy cannot hold the prices she has quoted us.
More detail
There is no default plan. Lucy quoted both plans. Read them, then vote on the WhatsApp poll. Everyone in one booking uses the same plan.
Option B
Half board
£284 sharing
£386 if you are in the single room
- Flights as above
- 3 nights at the Cendrillón
- Breakfast and dinner at the buffet
- Lunch, drinks, and snacks are not included
Extras on top
Extras on top of the package price:
- The airport transfer is £16 per person.
- The transfer price covers both ways.
- Travel insurance from Loveholidays is £22 per person.
- You can use your own policy instead.
- You must have travel cover.
- A GHIC is not insurance.
- A GHIC does not fly you home.
- Hey recommends the Loveholidays policy because the trip is about eight months away.
- An extra cabin bag is about £65 per person.
A twin share on all inclusive with the transfer and this insurance is. They do not include travel to or from the UK airports.
Budget separately
Travel to and from the UK airports is a separate cost. That cost is not in the £328 or £284 package prices. That cost is not in the £366 or £322 totals. If a cheaper group option to the airport appears, the committee can look at it.
Plan for these costs:
- Getting to Gatwick on Sunday morning is your own cost.
- The outbound flight leaves at 09:20, so some people travel very early.
- Getting home from Luton on Wednesday night is your own cost.
- The flight lands at 21:55.
The committee will not arrange group airport travel yet. After the plan vote, the committee can review airport options. A group discount on the Gatwick train is one option to review.
How we pay
Key points:
- The pot is a savings account for this trip only.
- You pay into that pot.
- Hey pays Loveholidays from the pot.
- You can pay £19, then eight monthly amounts, or you can pay the full balance.
- Hey will post money in, money out, and the balance in a separate WhatsApp chat.
- Reply on the WhatsApp poll by Monday 5 October.
- Pay the first amount into the pot by Friday 30 October.
More detail
Everyone pays into one shared holiday pot. Hey will open that savings account for this trip only. You pay a £19 deposit to hold your place. You then spread the rest across monthly payments until May. If you prefer one payment, you can pay the full balance into the same pot.
The pot and the money WhatsApp
This is the payment system for the whole group. The pot keeps the group money in one place. The WhatsApp chat shows the numbers to everyone.
Follow these payment rules:
- Hey will open a holiday savings account for this trip.
- Put every payment for this trip into that account.
- Transfer your payment into that account each month.
- If you want one payment, pay the full balance in one sum.
- Hey then pays Loveholidays from the pot.
- Use the second WhatsApp chat for money only.
- Each month, read the post of money in and money out.
- Each month, read the balance in that same post.
If the account earns interest, the interest stays in the pot.
You
Monthly payment
(or full balance)
(or full balance)
Holiday savings pot
Separate account
opened by Hey
opened by Hey
Loveholidays
Hey pays Lucy
from the pot
from the pot
Each month Hey posts money in, money out, and the balance in the
separate money WhatsApp. The whole group can read the pot.
What the holiday costs with transfer and insurance
These totals match the prices section. Add the package, the £16 transfer, and the £22 Loveholidays insurance. UK airport travel is still separate.
| Option | Total | After £19 deposit | Monthly (×8) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All inclusive, sharing | £366 | £347 | £43.38 |
| All inclusive, single | £469 | £450 | £56.25 |
| Half board, sharing | £322 | £303 | £37.88 |
| Half board, single | £424 | £405 | £50.63 |
- 30 Oct £19 plus the first month
- 27 Nov Month 2
- 25 Dec Month 3
- 29 Jan Month 4
- 26 Feb Month 5
- 26 Mar Month 6
- 30 Apr Month 7
- 28 May Final payment leaves £0
Example plan for all inclusive sharing with transfer and insurance (£366)
The first payment is the £19 deposit plus the first month. That first payment is £62.38. After that, you pay £43.38 each month. The last payment is £43.34. The last payment clears the balance.
| # | Due | You pay | Left in pot to clear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri 30 Oct | £62.38 | £303.62 | £19 deposit plus the first month |
| 2 | Fri 27 Nov | £43.38 | £260.24 | |
| 3 | Fri 25 Dec | £43.38 | £216.86 | |
| 4 | Fri 29 Jan | £43.38 | £173.48 | |
| 5 | Fri 26 Feb | £43.38 | £130.10 | |
| 6 | Fri 26 Mar | £43.38 | £86.72 | |
| 7 | Fri 30 Apr | £43.38 | £43.34 | |
| 8 | Fri 28 May | £43.34 | £0.00 | Final installment clears the remainder |
Example plan for half board sharing with transfer and insurance (£322)
The dates are the same as the all inclusive plan. The first payment is £56.88. That amount is the £19 deposit plus £37.88. After that, you pay £37.88 each month until May.
| # | Due | You pay | Left in pot to clear | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fri 30 Oct | £56.88 | £265 | £19 deposit plus the first month |
| 2 | Fri 27 Nov | £37.88 | £227 | |
| 3 | Fri 25 Dec | £37.88 | £189 | |
| 4 | Fri 29 Jan | £37.88 | £151 | |
| 5 | Fri 26 Feb | £37.88 | £114 | |
| 6 | Fri 26 Mar | £37.88 | £76 | |
| 7 | Fri 30 Apr | £37.88 | £38 | |
| 8 | Fri 28 May | £37.88 | £0 | Final installment clears the remainder |
Singles
The single room uses the same eight Fridays. All inclusive single is £56.25 per month after the £19 deposit. The first all inclusive single payment is £75.25.
Half board single is £50.63 per month after the £19 deposit. The first half board single payment is £69.63. The single room tables follow the same pattern as the sharing tables.
Reply on the WhatsApp poll by Monday 5 October. Pay the first money into the pot by Friday 30 October. Lucy cannot hold these prices after that quote window. You can still pay the £19 a little later, into the shared pot.
What you need to do
Do these steps:
- Make sure that you can travel from 2 May to 5 May 2027.
- Make sure that you can Book Tuesday 4 May 2027 as annual leave.
- Make sure that you can Book Wednesday 5 May 2027 as annual leave.
- Vote for all inclusive or half board on the WhatsApp poll.
- If you share a room, pick the same plan as your roommate.
- Provide your roommate by Monday 5 October - please DM Hey
- Join the money WhatsApp when Hey shares it.
- Pay £19 plus the first month into the pot by Friday 30 October.
- If you do not want monthly payments, you can pay half or full balance.
- Make sure that your passport is valid for the trip.
- If you do not have a GHIC, apply for one.
- Before you pay, read the FCDO advice for Spain.
Questions
Why is the price from Lucy different from the Loveholidays website?
The website price is a live quote for rooms and flights that are left. That quote moves, and it does not hold 12 rooms together. When the flight gets more booked up, the price increases. When the number of rooms LoveHolidays has get used up, they need to request more rooms (usually at a higher price.)
In other words, holiday agencies like LoveHolidays has good price for a small group of people but not necessarily for a whole school bus.
Why Sunday, not the Friday to Sunday weekend?
The Sunday Gatwick flight and the Wednesday Luton return cost about £100 less per person. That price gap is why the trip moved. Monday 3 May is a UK bank holiday. The group can still use that day off.
How much annual leave do I need?
You need two days of annual leave. The days are Tuesday 4 May and Wednesday 5 May. Monday 3 May is a UK bank holiday, so that day is already off.
Is travel to the UK airports in the price?
No. The quote from Lucy covers the flights, the hotel, and the meals plan. The optional £22 insurance is separate if you take it. You pay for your own trip to Gatwick on Sunday. You pay for your own trip home from Luton on Wednesday night. Budget that travel as a separate cost.
Which meals plan do I pick?
The WhatsApp poll is where you pick. All inclusive covers more food and drink at the hotel. Half board costs less. On half board you buy lunch and drinks separately. There is no default meals plan. Hey and Lucy can run two bookings if the group splits.
If you share a room, your roommate must pick the same meals plan.
Who is Lucy?
Lucy is the Loveholidays travel agent for this trip. Hey asked Lucy questions for two weeks. The questions were about the group price. The group price is higher than a booking you make alone on the website. Lucy answered those questions and helped the committee.
Can some people go all inclusive and others half board?
Yes. We can make two separate bookings. If you share a room, you and your roommate must pick the same meals plan. All inclusive pairs with all inclusive. Half board pairs with half board.
Why do I pay £19, and an optional £22?
The £19 deposit holds your place with Loveholidays. You then pay the rest in monthly installments into the shared pot. There are eight Fridays from late October to late May. The payment dates are in the How we pay section. The optional £22 is travel insurance from Loveholidays. Hey recommends that insurance.
Where does my money go, and how do I know it is safe?
You pay into a separate holiday savings account. Hey will open that account for this trip only. Hey pays Lucy and Loveholidays from that pot. A separate WhatsApp group reports the money each month. The report shows money in, money out, and the balance.
What if I cannot take the leave, or I need to drop out?
Tell Hey as soon as you know. Tell Hey before 2 October if you can. After you pay the deposit, the Loveholidays change rules apply. After you pay the deposit, the Loveholidays cancellation rules apply. Without insurance, you can lose the money.
Can I book my own flights and stay at the hotel?
No. This group booking does not split into a hotel-only place. You could book the flights and at the same hotel yourself separately. You can then stay in the same resort as the group. That choice lets you pick different flights.
What about insurance and hospitals?
Take travel insurance. Hospitals on the Costa del Sol are used to British visitors. A GHIC or an EHIC covers necessary care in a state hospital. Hotels often call a private clinic first. If you use the GHIC, ask for the public hospital. The emergency number in Spain is 112.
Insurance pays for repatriation. Repatriation means a medical flight home.
Will the sea be warm enough to swim?
Some people will swim. Most people will find the sea cold. The pleasant part in early May is the air, not the sea. A warm sea is not what this date offers. A three-night package from the UK at the start of May will not have a warm sea.
Does the hotel offer gluten-free and lactose-free food?
We made sure on Tripadvisor that the restaurant offers gluten-free food. We made sure on Tripadvisor that the restaurant offers lactose-free food. The menu changes every day. The dishes are not the same each day.