If you could buy a villa with a pool anywhere, where would you buy?

[MyveryownFlyingSaucer]

Budget up to £700,000

Somewhere easily accessible from UK

where would you buy?

@MyveryownFlyingSaucer understood. We don't let out the main villa a great deal nowadays, it's also our home, but we do run the gites as a business and they largely fund the costs of the main house.

Glad none of your friends or family would leave milk and/or perishables in the fridge!

So for the typos! We are actually considering North West sardinia for omw point in the future, similar project. I am following property sites and they are falling...

Italy! Amalfi coast )

We're looking to try France for a holiday, in a gite, can you suggest a reputable site to book via please?

Soller in Majorca

Sardinia - absolutely stunning and I love islands.

Also, Scottish islands / Rep of Ireland / Brittany / West France (coast) - I’m not that worried about heat, but I like to be by the sea.

We used to rent out a holiday cottage and have had:

Trainers put through the dryer until they melted and broke it.

Multiple items stolen, really random stuff.

The agents sub letting on the side and were caught out when we turned up unexpectedly!

It was a real eye opener.

Greek Island - probably Skiathos

Rural France

Malta. We are both too chicken to drive on the 'wrong' side of the road but driving in Malta is easy.

Our holiday last year was to a Agriturismo in the Marche region of Italy. My first time with a saltwater pool, and it was like a spa treatment- soft skin, better breathing and no chlorine to wash off! I hear they’re cheaper to maintain.
The area was just as beautiful as Tuscany, much cheaper to eat out etc. and the people were so friendly. Lots of abandoned agricultural places you could buy and do up. £700,000 would get you a lot, and Ryanair does Stansted-Ancona.

Canaries but if you are only going for short weekends, probably too long a flight time,

Where would you fly from? Surely you are limited by flights going from your nearest airports?

Crete

We own a villa with a pool for around that budget in the Costa Tropical in Spain, 50 minutes drive from Malaga airport. We keep a car at Malaga airport which is delivered to us when we arrive. In Spain, the car is insured, not individuals, so any relatives can drive the car when we're not there. Flights to Malaga (2 hrs) are plentiful and cheap from lots of UK airports. East of Malaga is much more Spanish and international (our preference) with a thriving community (live music festivals, language exchanges, yoga groups etc.). I have my pool cleaned once a week and it's sufficient for all year round. Costa Tropical has a micro-climate so it's not as hot in summer and warmer in winter. You can get to the ski slopes in an hour and a half and Granada is only 45 minutes away. Spanish is probably the most useful second language your kids could learn. We absolutely love it here and don't regret buying our place for a second.

I would never do it, but somewhere near Malaga in southern Spain. We've had some holidays in the region and love it.

Sadly I think private swimming pools are going to become a thing of the past with water shortages.

Or just beyond Lucca near Barga would be my choice. Fly to Pisa or Florence. Large number of villages with seasonal inhabitants so you would become part of the community.

Certainly cant always fill a pool there as Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones found out

We met them once at the playpark with their children which is lovely

Anywhere I could easily learn the language and fit in.

I think we need more information from you @MyveryownFlyingSaucer , otherwise this is going to end up a list of every European country that could possibly have a villa and pool. Which in turn is no help to you.

What are the practicalities that you need?

Having had parents with ‘a villa and pool’ I would suggest you think about:
Where are you going to fly from here?
How long a journey at the other end?
Does the villa need to be accessible by public transport or will you have a car?
How will you get from airport to villa?
Is the flight likely to be pulled or is this a well established, multi airline route.

How hot do you want it to be?
Who is going to use it - can family get to it without a car?
What do you/family want to do whilst you are there? ( English breakfast and a sports bar or quaint old town and few expats?

Loads to think about. My parents moved within a country due to the heat in the summer but ended up with a more difficult journey to and from. They also bought needing a car to access the village, but aged and couldn't manage the drive.
Another friend bought and the flights from the UK were pulled, leaving a 4 hour journey after the flight.

Having had a ‘family house’ for many years, happy to answer any questions @MyveryownFlyingSaucer