To ask ideas for a sun break end of July

[Snowman1235]

Somewhere in Europe Not overly expensive for a week- me and a friend in our late thirties Any ideas please of nice resorts you have been to? Thanks!

End of July is the start of the school holidays for a lot of places which will put the prices up for a lot of sunny destinations - not sure if this would affect your decision for dates!

try & avoid school hols, probably not helpful.

Bulgaria?

Montenegro? Not been too either but heard positive things & cheap.

I’m going to Crete and Santorini at the end of July...

I went to Santorini last year. Absolutely beautiful :)

There are some lovely short breaks on Secret Escapes.

Marrakech!

This is a report that has been recommended to me. If you want somewhere quiet with not many tourists, this is perfect.

Kastellorizo Paradise

Marmaris in Turkey
Malta
One of the Greek islands

Allowing for some regional variation, state schools in England and Wales break up around 20 July. You’ll need to go before then if you want to keep the price down.

Croatia, really lovely.
Cyprus, really, really unbearably hot!
End of July, really expensive, busy and full of kids (I love kids btw, just not other peoples a lot of the time 😊).

I just loove Corfu. Friendly people, nice beaches and those two old forts in Corfu town. Also I really like those pitabread with souvlaki, chips and tsatiki. There are a couple of museums which are really nice. One with old greek artifacts and pieces of temples and one with asian art. I like to sit at one of the cafés at Liston, drink fresh orange juice and watch people walk by.

What sort of stuff are you into?

If you like sunbathing but also nice walks, Madeira is nice. Lovely food and stunning scenery, but v little nightlife.

If you want a bit more life, maybe a Greek island? Amazing food in Greece too!

Malta is a bit different and cheaper than lots of places. Again quite a lot to see if you like churches and things; otherwise good for sunbathing.

If you want 'not overly expensive' and you're both child-free then why go in the school holidays? Are you teachers? If not, go BEFORE the schools break up (start of July), or after they go back (second week of Sept onwards).

Thanks so far! Has anyone done a Med cruise before?

I have done a couple of Med cruises and loved it. However, being a couple of young females with no kids in tow you should do a bit of research into the cruise lines and their usual demographic. If you absolutely have to go in the school holidays the ship will be full, which can feel a bit crowded especially on sea days, it's almost impossible to get a sunbed near the pool (although there are quieter decks where you can find one). The great thing about cruises is waking up somewhere new every day, and the food is usually great too. Other adult only cruise lines will be more formal but may have a high proportion of pensioners. The Cruise critic website can be helpful in choosing which cruise line will suit your needs 😊

What are you looking for OP?

Nice beaches? History? Nightlife? Good food? Quiet? Nightlife?

What suits some won't suit others.

In general I agree about avoiding school holidays if you can.
Cheaper and fewer kids splashing about.

Move this to the travel advice board, you'll get loads of ideas there from experienced travellers.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/general_advice_tips

So we’d be looking for a fairly quiet resort just to chill out and sunbathe and maybe do a few excursions

My personal favourite is Gozo- the smaller island next to Malta. Stunning, lots to see, very authentic, quiet, friendly. Very easy to drive around, hire a car at Luqa airport, cheap easy lovely ferry ride across.

Do you want to go at the end of July, so during the summer holidays, or before then?

We are not teachers but for various reasons both of us can only manage end of July / start of August