I'm probably the odd one out on this, but since there is no proof or evidence that the trip was a gift, I don't believe it was. I do believe Tiffany booked the entire trip using package deals online, including the car rental.
A note about car rentals in Southern France, which isn't that far from Northern Italy: Rental cars with automatic transmission tend to be available exclusively in higher-priced models, from experience! Even insisting on the least luxurious automatic transmission model, if it is even available, and reserving it ahead of time does not guarantee that that's the car that one will get. Tiffany might not have had another choice of car model to rent if she wanted an automatic transmission, which is why that car might be a more expensive one.
No I agree with you too, you are not the odd one out.
Tiffany did plan it way back. She mentioned several times that her and Matt was discussing locations and both settled on Italy. A gifter wouldn’t send them on a split holiday.
Yeah the hotel may have shown us as €600+ per night and that’s normal for someone look for a nightly rate. I can book a holiday right now for £2400 for 2 weeks, but the hotel is advertised as £850 per night. There are many websites to use for discounted hotel rates. It’s not summer in the UK or Italy, hotels are quieter. Discount sites offer great prices because they need to fill rooms.
3 years ago on a last minute website I paid for a 5 star hotel room (was actually a huge suite). The rate I paid was cheaper than me staying in a run down motel off the Vegas strip. At check in the hotel staff was shocked at how much I paid. Companies bulk buy rooms from hotels. Those rooms need filling which often does mean heavily discounting rates.
UK tourists going to lake Garda? Maybe if they have extensively travelled Italy and are looking for a quiet holiday.
We have the Lake District with spa hotels. If Tiffany and Matt wanted mountains with a lake they could have gone to the Lake District. Plenty of supermarkets in the Lake District that sell lemon juice and Balsen biscuits.
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Premium car rental with European. Verona airport pick up and drop off. 7 day duration £393.