Holiday search-does this place exist?

[Gedge77]

I'm looking for a summer holiday for next year but cant find a location I like.
I want a really big attractive sandy beach that has lots of space. But I also want it in a nice pretty attractive village/very small town.

The nearest I have come to this is Alvor in Portugal BUT the problem is we are restricted to schools hols so it is probably going to be heaving, I really want quietish.

Im looking at Spain , Portugal, southern half of France, Italy. I'm being too fussy aren't I?

The Scillies

Cabanas looks amazing!

Herm in the Channel Islands. Best place in the world.

www.herm.com/

I feel like Cabanas is a totally different holiday. If I was a typical British package holiday person and I ended up in cabanas I would be disappointed but if you are after a retreat away from the busy world and not into watching drunk British and Irish tourists and all inclusive resorts and water parks kids clubs and all that then cabanas is the place to be. Tavira is lovely as well and is definitely well worth the short taxi or bus journey there's more to see in it and it's just beautiful and again it's a peaceful place.
There isn't anything to do for children in cabanas so if you have children and want entertainment it isn't the place to go but mine are very happy with a bucket and spade on a beach, going for walks or just splashing in a pool but they are still quite young as well maybe in another few years they won't be so keen on that type of holiday !

I think this thread has just confirmed for me that I think I'm just going to go back to cabanas as much as I would like to see alvor and I've heard positive things about it, I just don't think it's for us

Couple of nice places in Granada province OP. Salobrena is very pretty. Medieval white town clinging to a mountain, got its own castle and all that, nice beach. La herredura closer to malaga is also very pretty - lovely scenic coast.

Well clinging to a cliff rather than a mountain. Although you can go into the mountains (sierra Nevada) for a day trip from there.

Salobrena

La herredura

Ooh, I went to La Herrdura a couple of months ago. It was a day of scuba diving off the beach, which was amazing as it was a marine reserve but I do remember thinking that it looked like a lovely place to go for a beach holiday, with good access to Granada and Malaga for cultural stuff.

Manta Rota in Portugal

It's great for diving and snorkelling isn't it Barbara? And yes a nice low key destination and easy to get to other places - Granada, malaga, nerja, ronda all within reach and connected. Ah, sunset on the beach ...

But I also want it in a nice pretty attractive village/very small town.

The nearest I have come to this is Alvor in Portug

I mean, I like Alvor, but I really wouldn't ;t describe it as attractive?!

I second Nerja - less than an hour from Malaga for airport and it's just lovely and ticks all your boxes.

Nerja is busy in summer though. Like, really busy. And the brits have discovered it big time. It's worth visiting especially for the caves but if you want quiet and Spanish then that ain't it.

Do you have DC? If not then Dalyan in Turkey is beautiful, small and so relaxing. Dolmus or boat to the beach but it's worth it.

Gozo in Malta is pretty good.

OP, we come in July as our schools finish earlier than the rest of the country so we make the most of the slightly cheaper prices (we're here even earlier this year as my boys are 16 and 18 so both finished even earlier this year), so sadly can't comment on August. If you ask that specific question in the travel forum though, I'm sure someone can help. Puerto Pollensa is frequently mentioned on there.

Puerto Pollensa is lovely, we've been in July a couple of times and I haven't found it to be unbearably busy. No trouble getting in restaurants etc.

If you're thinking of Mallorca, Sa Coma is nice too. Beautiful beach and nowhere near as busy as the next resort Cala Millor. There's a big nature reserve to stroll around and a pedestrianised promenade along the sea front. It's not a massively built up resort compared to others on the island.

Manta Rota or Vila Real De Santo Antonio in the Eastern Algarve. Amazing beaches, close to Tavira. 50m from Faro airport. Food and drink is much cheaper than the Western Algarve too. Generally a lot quieter, even in the summer peak. Manta Rota has kids activities in the square near the beach in the evening.

A couple of left-field suggestions for you:

Heligoland in Germany: Write up here: www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/apr/24/heligoland-north-sea-hidden-gem. And some pictures of the beaches here: www.beach-inspector.com/en/ba/helgoland

Or Terschelling in Holland: terschelling.org/en/terschelling.php

Skagen or Bornholm in Denmark