Family summer holiday

[unc.si.]

Majorca all day long.

You cannot possibly go wrong

2 hours
Best Sandy Beaches in europe
Warm seas
shallow for a 100 metres from beach
Great nightlife
Loads of families all ages
Loads to do
eff cheap
Lots of Brits

only had about 30 holidays there mostly with the kids when they grew up


Canary islands will be cooler buts its twice the distance, beaches aint a patch in comparison and sea is colder with more old gits out there like you

Blimey I agree with Dot (short haul).

We have "settled" on Pollensa old town in the North East - it has a lot a charm and quieter than Porta Pollensa just down the road. the port has lots of watersports activities and a fine beach (bit close to road). A 20 min drive though up to Formentor takes you to one of the most child friendly accessible and beautiful beaches I have come across. Some nice walks in the hills too and some nice drives in the North. It's developed in places but not hard to get away from it with a relatively short drive.

I think though the Island has pretty much anything you want. We always get a villa (I say always we have only been 3 times). £4k will get you flights and villa in August but not much else but again there are other options of course (and other villas!)

If you are interested I can dig out some more stuff just PM me.

Med in August is always going to be hot but NE is a bit cooler.

Cheers Knulpuk and Dorothy. Sounds promising. Re Heat - just want to avoid the real mega hot Greece type weather if possible.

Think I'm really down to looking at Portugal, Malta and Majorca from the sounds of things. Maybe Croatia as well.

[unc.si.]

Love Disney, but no way I'm going to Florida in August and bizarrely they don't fancy my second choice of San Francisco, LA and San Diego (stopping off at Anaheim of course to see Mickey)

Anaheim is the proper Disneyland, none of the copycat Florida crap

Last time I was there must have been 20 years ago. Went with a nurse from LA County hospital. She'd just come off night shift, came round to pick me up and we went off to Disney for the day. She was so knackered by the end that she fell asleep driving back downtown. When the freeway went from 3 to 4 lanes she just carried on going straight. Looked across and she was fast asleep

Looks like they've added to it since then. I'd prefer it to Florida tbh but they don't seem that keen. Might persuade them yet though.

[murf]

Suppose I mean a resort holiday rather than travelling around. Would probably book separately if it worked out better.

We generally stayed in one place when doing Greek islands/Malta/Tenerife etc - not much point upping sticks for any of those but did travel around on several holidays in France (initially flying and combining 2 * weeks in separate gites then driving all the way and just having typically 2 or 3 nights per stop, often booked at whim en route - partly due to a growing hatred of budget/holiday airlines and the airport experience)

[WilBert]

Sorry if this post sounds patronising and states the obvious. Mexico might be a bit hot at 28 degree average but most places are going to be hot in August! Most resorts have their chav elements so do your research before you go.

The user reviews on Tripadvisor are a must read. Mr and Mrs Orange giving a 1 star review for a hotel in Tunisia because of the lack of Bacon at breakfast or Mr Garlickbread complaining about no Boddingtons at the bar in Mexico are places to be interested in

My choosing process generally follows this pattern.
- Look for convenient flight times from preferred airport.
- Check climate at destination for time of year.
- Book flight early accommodation late for best bargains.
- Use a sites like icelolly or travelrepublic as they show flights and hotel seperately.
- Use tripadvisor to look at the resorts within reasonable transfer time (things to do and hotels).
- If tour operator do the cheapest flight to your desination it might be worth going through them e.g. flythompson
- If none of the hotels take your fancy then use homeaway or ownserdirect (you can get some amazing bargains by booking late)

[unc.si.]

Sorry if this post sounds patronising and states the obvious. Mexico might be a bit hot at 28 degree average but most places are going to be hot in August! Most resorts have their chav elements so do your research before you go.

The user reviews on Tripadvisor are a must read. Mr and Mrs Orange giving a 1 star review for a hotel in Tunisia because of the lack of Bacon at breakfast or Mr Garlickbread complaining about no Boddingtons at the bar in Mexico are places to be interested in

My choosing process generally follows this pattern.
- Look for convenient flight times from preferred airport.
- Check climate at destination for time of year.
- Book flight early accommodation late for best bargains.
- Use a sites like icelolly or travelrepublic as they show flights and hotel seperately.
- Use tripadvisor to look at the resorts within reasonable transfer time (things to do and hotels).
- If tour operator do the cheapest flight to your desination it might be worth going through them e.g. flythompson
- If none of the hotels take your fancy then use homeaway or ownserdirect (you can get some amazing bargains by booking late)

28 deg is fine. Just want to avoid places averaging in the 30's. Only thing that puts me off Mexico is the wet season - big country though so I guess it depends whereabouts the resort is. Will have a look. Mind you if I'm going that far we might as well go to SoCal I guess.

Thanks everyone. Will be having a proper look at the weekend but wanted to try and cut down the list a bit as I really don't know a lot about resort type holidays.

Tunisia's off the list though now - no bacon for breakfast?? What do they expect us to eat.

Actually Tunisia is I think the only resort holiday I've done. Bit pants tbh, although did play volleyball twice a day, waterpolo most days, football on the beach and waterskiing. 'Auntie' hardly saw me all week

[stuboy]

Places we've stayed which I recommend:

Corrajelo on Fuenteventura. We went self catering had a great apartment on a complex with 3 swimming pools which were empty. Beaches were no more than 10-15 mins drive away. Surfing on north part of island which has great wind for water sports. Local town has a great assortment of restaurants - very walkable in case you fancy a drink in the evening times.

Algarve - rented a villa from sandyblue.com who were excellent in helping us sort the propert out. Stayed in Varandas do Lago which was a little stranded but our Villa was amazing so worth it for us. Plenty of local eateries. Lots of options from villas, apartments, private pools, shared pools, near beach, drive away. If you go, let me know, got best chicken restaurant to recommend

Surprised admin hasn't told you about his apartment. As it is, the area his apartment is located is really quiet, very authentic Spanish towns. Beaches were empty during week - busier at weekends as locals like to go to beach. Not sure about water sports but sure he can help out. We went in August and not too hot

Cadiz/Conil de la Frontera. South Westly part of Spain. Loads of kite surfing, wake boarding, surfing etc in Cadiz. Not far from Jerez if you like a bit of sherry. Although Cadiz has a major port, lots of beaches everywhere. We went with 2 other couples and stayed in Conil de la Frontera. Great large beach front (miles long) with amazing restaurants on beach front. Really quiet but we went in Sept. Also did self catering via Homeaway.co.uk so deal directly with owner

Saying all of that, never been Malta but have heard good things.

[nffc]

The user reviews on Tripadvisor are a must read. Mr and Mrs Orange giving a 1 star review for a hotel in Tunisia because of the lack of Bacon at breakfast or Mr Garlickbread complaining about no Boddingtons at the bar in Mexico are places to be interested in

I agree with this and 'bad reviews' from chavs like this always gets turned into a positive reason to book for me.

My favorite one that you see often is 'dont cater for the English/this country is not for english people' which always gets turned into a thumbs up from me.

I can't stand blackpool abroad Med resorts with rows and rows of egg and chips with a pint of john smiths establishments, such as Benidorm, ayia napia, fuengirola, marmaris, etc. Blackpool is the biggest sh#thole in the UK so If staying in the Med I spend ages researching to avoid a fake Spanish/Greek/Turkish copy of this dump.

If it was not for the humidity then my recommendation would also be Mexico. Good hotels, sparse beaches, no jeremy kyle type families, loads to do but I have a feeling it will feel too hot for you and may go over budget.

[Groomyd]

Couple of things - Malta could be mega hot at that time of year - its an interesting place but doesnt really have any beaches as its mainly rocky. Fair bit to visit though and Valetta is fascinating.

Canaries wont be as hot - they tend to stay at a comfortable temperature year round - Tenerife is only chavvy at the resports near the main tourist airport - Los Christainoa and Playas de America - if you go up the west coast a bit towards Los Gigantes its much better albeit full of tourist focussed bars and restaurants

The scenery there is lush and green and almost Cornwall like in landscape - plus there is Mt Teide to visit in the centre which is the volcano - snow all year round at the top - well worth seeing

Not been to Croatia but i have only heard good things about it

[admin]

Malta does sound promising tbh.

If you have any questions about Malta let me know and I'll ask my brother to answer them as he's lived in Malta for the last 10 years running a scuba dive business there. We've visited as well (loved Valletta) but not in August.

[admin]

(Or you could always contact Admin about his Apartment in Espana?)

Have updated holiday-apartment-south-east-spain-disc ... 83754.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; as my apartment is now a 5 bed.

Rate for fiso members during July/Aug is £675/week (plus cleaning) for an apartment that will sleep up to 8 (maybe 9 if young children).

Possible that a 5 seater car can be made available at a reasonable rate as well.

It is hot in the Summer but there's usually a welcome breeze and great beaches are a 20 min drive away.

[Knulpuk]

http://www.bdodarts.com/550/Torremolinos_Open" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

click the A3 pdf

sorted and its all inclusive

[Bogus]

Cyprus might be a good option. It's very nice there.

[murf]

Cyprus might be a good option. It's very nice there.

I thought it was all a bit barren overall. We had a nice, small resort and the one in the SW corner (Paphos??) was nice enough if you like a British feel (nowhere near as bad as Ayia Napa for example). Depends what you like. I certainly wouldn't like their August temperatures!

[Bogus]

Cyprus might be a good option. It's very nice there.

I thought it was all a bit barren overall. We had a nice, small resort and the one in the SW corner (Paphos??) was nice enough if you like a British feel (nowhere near as bad as Ayia Napa for example). Depends what you like. I certainly wouldn't like their August temperatures!

Paphos is very nice, but not without its faults -- it does have an overall 'Cypriot character' feel i.e. stuff half done and rubbish flytipped about the place, but if you can get past that it's a laid back, chilled out place to vacation with a safe, pleasent feel to the place overall and some good hotels.

Wouldnt touch the rest of the coastal island with a bargepole - Limassol (concrete jungle), Larnaca (see Limassol), Aya Napa/Protaras (Benidorm-lite), but if you go inland you still get a sense of the old Cyprus with some lovely little villages and a semi-traditional way of life still to be found.

It can be barren in the Summer months as the temps get quite high (35+) but a little more off season (March/April or Sept/oct) they cool to a very agreeable mid 20s.

[Surprised]

Is South Africa an option?
Fly to Cape Town and spend a bit of time there and visiting Robben island and then drive up (or fly) and spend a few days in Kruger Park before flying back from Johannesburg. Temps are not that bad and there is plenty for all to do.

[Groomyd]

SA exchange rate is excellent at the moment too isnt it?

[unc.si.]

Will catch up on all this later / at the weekend, cheers everyone.

SA is an option - was my second thought after California. They (ie kids) didn't seem too keen on that either though

Think they just want to go to a resort like their school mates do. Need to work on them a bit...

[sleuth]

SA exchange rate is excellent at the moment too isnt it?

Isn't every exchange?????????? zzzzzzzzzzzz

[sleuth]

Will catch up on all this later / at the weekend, cheers everyone.

SA is an option - was my second thought after California. They (ie kids) didn't seem too keen on that either though

Think they just want to go to a resort like their school mates do. Need to work on them a bit...

You dont want long haul with kids.

Get out to Majorca dont eff around

[WilBert]

Will catch up on all this later / at the weekend, cheers everyone.

SA is an option - was my second thought after California. They (ie kids) didn't seem too keen on that either though

Think they just want to go to a resort like their school mates do. Need to work on them a bit...

Alternative thought, take them to your worst nightmare, smile throught it, then make them adjust next year

[stuboy]

Will catch up on all this later / at the weekend, cheers everyone.

SA is an option - was my second thought after California. They (ie kids) didn't seem too keen on that either though

Think they just want to go to a resort like their school mates do. Need to work on them a bit...

Alternative thought, take them to your worst nightmare, smile throught it, then make them adjust next year

I'll just pop this Mark Warner link here in case you go with Wilbert's suggestion........(some nice resorts with activities for the kids.....)

http://www.markwarner.co.uk/sun-holidays

[Tricky Tree]

Will catch up on all this later / at the weekend, cheers everyone.

SA is an option - was my second thought after California. They (ie kids) didn't seem too keen on that either though

Think they just want to go to a resort like their school mates do. Need to work on them a bit...

You dont want long haul with kids.

Get out to Majorca dont eff around

Depends on kids ages, tricky jnr is 13 and we have done Singapore, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Bangkok in the last month. Always best if the flight is when you should be awake but overall, all good.


We are fancying SA also or West Indies (probably more cricket) depending on work! And his gcse's

[Zimmerman]

Santa Monica is amazing Unc.

Not twist their arm to a bit of that?
Blackmail them with the promise of Hollywood, rodeo drive etc.
The beach is reasonably quiet. Climate is excellent.
Shopping, eating etc is second to none

If they can be convinced Malibu, downtown LA, Hollywood, Beverley Hills, Anaheim easy day trips.

San Fran, Monterey/Carmel easily doable (but guess you're talking staying over for those).

[stevejtr]

If you're thinking of SA, you must go to Kruger Park or one of the other wildlife parks. Amazing.

[Knulpuk]

If you're thinking of SA, you must go to Kruger Park or one of the other wildlife parks. Amazing.

We went to Madiwke on the Botswana border and it was absolutely sensational. We then drove back to Durban via Clarens and spent some time in the Drakensberg mountains and areas - went to Lesotho too. The advantage with Madikwe was that it is maleria free and that was important to Mrs K, more so though than we thought as she preggers at the time. Shamwari et al are a stones throw from Cape Town but £5000 will probably get you a 3 day break. Tiger woods went there for his honeymoon - cheap it aint.

Madikwe was incredible value at 10.5 zar to the £, now its heading to 18!

Spent a month travelling around Mexico - and of all the beaches Tulum was the best - its a great country all round though - though I am happy to say no Tijuana

[unc.si.]

Santa Monica is amazing Unc.

Not twist their arm to a bit of that?
Blackmail them with the promise of Hollywood, rodeo drive etc.
The beach is reasonably quiet. Climate is excellent.
Shopping, eating etc is second to none

If they can be convinced Malibu, downtown LA, Hollywood, Beverley Hills, Anaheim easy day trips.

San Fran, Monterey/Carmel easily doable (but guess you're talking staying over for those).

Still haven't sorted this holiday out

Would love to take them to LA, and if I did I'd definitely stay a few days in Santa Monica. Lovely place. Used to know it quite well (sister lived in LA for a couple of years and I spent a month there with her, and have been back a couple of time since), but its been a long time. Most of the places I used to go to have closed down (The utterly fantastic Al's Bar downtown, Gorky's Downtown, Merlins in Santa Monica, China Club in Hollywood). Did you go to Gladstones in Malibu - perfect location for a restaurant - right on the Pacific overlooking Malibu beach.

Used to be some great vintage clothes shops and t shirt shops in Santa Monica.

Is downtown LA a tourist destination these days?? Sister lived downtown, just down from the Westin Bonaventure (Hotel with the glass lifts on the outside) and Arco Plaza. Nobody really ever visited downtown though - Gorky's had free taxi phones inside and they used to come in and get you so you didn't have to wait around outside (12 people got shot just a couple of blocks up one night when we were in there in a gang fight - sisters flatmates were working in ER that night and had to deal with the fallout).

Will definitely take the kids on a US roadtrip before too long, but probably wait a couple of years.

Seems they're pretty set on a villa in Portugal so will have to bite the bullet and just book it soon I guess. West coast looks pretty nice tbh, and its got good surf, although not sure what swell there'll be in August.

Just found out I might have to go to Brazil with work for a week in the summer, so eff it, I'll take them where they want and just think of Ipanema beach

[Zimmerman]

Have done two tours of Cali and both times stayed in Santa Monica (mate lives there, but we love it as a place.... It's our lottery location).

But have only gone to downtown LA once (for a swanky Japanese up a Sky scraper). So have no idea about the virtues of it. Never appealed to us.

Malibu, SM, Venice... Can't get enough of them though.

[Zimmerman]

What did you end up doing Unc?

[unc.si.]

What did you end up doing Unc?

Had a long weekend in Barcelona then went to the Pyrenees for just over a week in August. Staying at about 2,500m so bearable temperatures, but close enough to the Coast to have a day out at a waterpark and popped over the border to Roses as well for a bit of Spanish beach action.

Great place actually - stayed near Prades so close to the Mountains (hot springs, canyoning, high wires etc) but near the beach as well. Very Catalan, rather than French.

[john89]

Great share! I will give here also my summer holiday trip.Last summer, I and my group spent our holiday at Vung Tau Beach. This is one of beautiful beaches in Viet Nam. It took two hours to take there.
We concentrated in bus station. At 5 A.M we started our trip by bus. Although I feel tired after two long hours but sea air made me re-excited.
Gradually, Bien Dong was in font of us. Bien Dong length 750 m with beautiful sea and form of entertainment is multiform.
We arrange our bags and after that we quickly swum in blue sea. The weather was very nice. The golden light spread in white sand. Tiny waves crashing onto the beach. It is suitable for swimming. After swimming, we started to build sandcastles, listened the sound of the waves, felt the salted taste of sea and enjoyed some special foods.
In the afternoon, we rode around on the road from back of the beach to font of the beach by double- bicycles. That was a wonderful sight. One sight is sea, the others is mountain. It really made me forget everything to relax. And then, we decided climb to Tao Phung mountain. Sightseeing is as beautiful as the other places. So we took many photograph. Standing God’s shoulder is great. We can saw mountain, houses and wide sea. When we climb down the mountain, we bought some souvenir for our friends.
A day go by so fast. I wanted to stay there longer but we had to come back to work the day after. The trip was short but it had a strong impression on me and I had many memories with my friends. We come back Bien Hoa city and felt comfortable after a good holiday.
Please help m