To be so indecisive about holidays?

[CandyLane]

I've been trawling the Internet for months looking at holidays but I keep changing my mind about what I want.
One minute I think I want a fun packed AI resort where I don't have to move from my sun lounger for the whole holiday. The next minute I fancy a small and friendly complex with nice little restaurants down the road, nice and peaceful and relaxing.

This will be our first proper family holiday so i suppose that's why I'm struggling, I don't know what we'll enjoy.
We probably won't get a foreign holiday for another 2-3 years and we can afford to splash out a bit if we want to (recently had a bit of a windfall), I'm not talking the Caribbean or anywhere but 4-5* in Spain/Egypt/Tunisia.

So has anybody got any recommendations? 2 adults, a 3 year old and a 6 year old.
I'd like it close to a nice beach, ideally all inclusive but nothing too big and rowdy. I'd like it fairly quiet in the evenings, I don't mind a bit of music coming from the hotel but l don't want noisy bars or clubs over the road.

Not Tunisia or Egypt!

Sounds like the Algarve might suit you? Plenty of AI but also a chance to explore further if you like.

Oh Christ. Not Tunisia or Egypt then! What about one of the Greek Islands?

Oh no - why not Tunisia? We have booked to go there in Oct, to an AI family resort.

Why not Tunisia or Egypt? U mean cos of the size of the places?
I've been to Egypt years ago but it was to a really lovely tiny resort called Taba Heights which the tour operators don't seem to do anymore.
I do fancy Greece, maybe Corfu but the nice hotels seem much more expensive than other places. But you do get what you pay for i suppose.
Yeh I've not really looked at the algarve, I'll go and have a look now ....

Tunisia is cheap but that's the only thing it has going for it. cheap sun.

Greece, Turkey, Spanish islands. Are all. Good. Turkey has great weather, plenty to see and do, very friendly, fab food.

Candy, we've done a couple of holidays to Crete, at one of the sensatori hotels. I wouldn't go so far as to say amazing, but we had a good time. Lots of things for children to do but without the feeling of 'butlins by the sea' very geared up for children but do get out of the hotel. We loved the little village and had some great dinners out and net some lovely people.

What about B+B in a hotel that does AI? Then you can go out in the evening and visit the local restaurants, but have the AI facilities to use if you wish.

My holiday to Tunisia was hell on earth and that was in a supposedly 5* luxury resort. Avoid

I certainly wouldn't want to go to Egypt or Tunisia.

Maybe the Canaries, the Balearics or Greece. I took my girls to the Atlantic Aegean Blue in Rhodes a couple of years ago, and it was ace. The beach isn't much (shingle rather than sand) but it has a great pool complex as well as an on-site water park. The place was immaculately clean, staff were so helpful and the food was great. AI with decent drinks, as well as ice creams.

I also loved Cuba - cheaper than you might think it would be and so beautiful, with wonderful beaches and a great hotel.

I went to Tunisia and loved it. We stopped in sousse AI. The beach was lovely and at the back of the hotel and the centre of sousse itself was 20-30 mins away with some nice restaurants/shisha cafés souke etc. we went to port el kantoui for a wonder one morning but we thought it was soulless and very much a resort and nothing else to it

Was also going to suggest Algarve. Plenty of choice there for either AI, villas, hotels etc and some lovely small towns.

I know you said not Caribbean but also went to Cuba 5 yrs ago for my honeymoon. The best holiday I've been on and it's dirt cheap when your out there. We were AI but as it was so cheap to eat and drink out from the complex we didn't begrudge it. We stopped in havana for 3 days then varadero

heels yeh my mum took us to Turkey about 2 years ago, loved it. We stayed in olu deniz and the resort was perfect but it was too noisy at night, we were close to the main strip of bars and restaurants.
Not sure if I fancy trying somewhere different this year.

Also I'm thinking if we are going AI it'll be best to stay somewhere with its own beach. the kids are of an age where they'd happily spend all day building Sand castles so I don't see the point in paying for AI and then spending a fortune at the beach bars.
Hmmmm decisions

Noarmani, same here. Proper holiday from hell type stuff. Supposedly 5 star too. Turns out the camera does lie....

Algarve, definitely. Carvoeiro sounds just what you need, OP.

Right I've decided I'm going to do things the old fashioned way and go and pick up some brochures!
I don't want to end up in a hotel which looks nice online but is actually crap and miles from anywhere. So I'll pick which country/resort we want and then the hotel.
Well that's the plan anyway

www.booking.com is good for checking exactly where the hotel is and reviewed rating out of 10.

I tend to ignore tripadvisor because many reviewers have unrealistic expectations and complain about things that don't matter. Or they have a completely different idea to me about what good food is.

Marsa Alam in Egypt would always be my recommendation, particularly either the Sol Y Mar Abu Dabbab Bay or the Hilton Nubian Arms. Both are on opposite sides of the same very wide huge bay, only those two hotels for miles and miles, they're set in middle of the desert. Both are all inc, Sol is 3 but we thought it worthy of at least 4. The bay is very shallow (less than 15 ft most of it, and only 3ft deep in a lot of parts) and is absolutely full of turtles (green and hawkesbill) who will swim right up to you and nudge you out of the way. There are two stunning coral reefs in the bay, both teeming with life and worthy of Disney for their vivid colours, and excellent for snorkelling or swimming even for novice swimmers. You can do shore dives too.
It doesn't tend to be in brochures (Abu Dabbab Bay that is) but we have booked with both Thomson and Thomas Cook as they can book on request. It was really cheap both times we went and stunningly beautiful. Very peaceful but very family friendly. DH and I are both avid scuba divers and we went intending to use the hotel as a base, but the diving and snorkeling was so amazing in the bay that we didn't leave the hotel much, which is unheard of for us. Also, unusually for Egypt the beach is very wide and sandy.

The Greek island of Kos is lovely, it's a small island so everything is close by for a day out ie water park or the capital.
I find the Greeks to be friendly, welcoming and service is always great.
We stayed in an all inclusive on the beach with lovely grounds and 2 pools one for children and a quieter one.
Couldn't recommend Kos enough, lovely place.

In a similar vain, Cyprus in another lovely little island with everything you could want in a sunshine holiday. Plenty to see and do or just chillax by the beautiful Mediterranean sea.
Only thing to consider is the flight time can edge towards 5 hours if the wind is against you which can be a bit too long for young ones, though wouldn't bother us.

There are literally 100's of places which basically offer the same kind of thing.. Most sunshine resorts with cater for those wanting to sit by the pool/beach or those who want a bit more excitement.
Malta
Portugal
Spain
Greek Islands
Italy
Canary Islands
South of France
Bulgaria
Ect ect

ecky did you stay at the movenpick too? I had an amazing holiday in Tunisia. Best AI I've ever done.

Kos is horrible as is Rhodes. How about hisaronu in Turkey? Small and friendly resort with old Deniz a short bus or taxi ride away or icemeler same thing close to marmaris but a bit more grown up

Or I actually had a fab time I maderia, it's definately not an old person island lots to see and do but maybe too much walking for your little ones

Turkey, you get a LOT for your money there, hotel and resort wise if you look in the right place.

What's the budget?