To ask if you are Muslim where you holiday?

[cardamoncoffee]

Salaam!
Name changed and this is a genuine ask. I am desperate for a holiday but due to several bad experiences I am very wary to book anywhere in Europe in summer because of hijab/burkini. In my head I feel we would stand out a mile in a hotel in Costa del Sol or other such place. I don't mind for myself but don't want my daughter to feel unwelcome if that makes sense. Would also love to try somewhere like Eurocamp but the pool rules rules us out.

Just wanting any recommendations in UK or abroad where you have felt comfortable.

If you want to try Eurocamp, go for outside France. The pool rules are different in their other locations.

Not Muslim but when we went to OluDeniz, Turkey a few years ago there were women wearing burkinis and bikinis even within the same family. It seemed very tolerant.

You've had fab advice on this thread but to add that Muslim friends of ours go to the coast of Kenya and Tanzania. Also wanted to say that the last couple of times I've been to the beach in Cornwall there have been families with women wearing hijab/burkinis and a girl in the surf school at Sennen and I didn't see anyone causing an issue. We were as I said at Sennen but also Perranporth and Portscatho. (But I completely accept that negative reactions may have been invisible to me as a non-Muslim.)

I'm sorry you feel you have to worry about this and hope you have a completely wonderful and relaxing holiday!

Thank you for all of the replies, I'm noting them all. Can't afford long haul unfortunately, Turkey is very expensive from my local airport (all of the budget holidays are Spain) and we have been to Morocco. I'm delighted to hear of burkinis in CP, will keep that in mind for the future.

It is sad that this is an issue, the problem seems to be that other hotel guests can have issues with our dress. My fellow Brits when they have had a drink can loudly object and I really don't want to subject the children to this.

I wouldn't mind trying a Haven type place with pool but from what I've read on here about Haven can be quite rough so again I'm wary.

I remember watching this video a few years ago. Have you thought about somewhere like Malta where you can rent a private villa quite cheaply, that way you.can have a pool that's not overlooked.

go to Morocco! Lovely beaches, spectacular scenery, cheap as chips and only 3.5 hours by plane!

Not a Muslim myself but noted that there were lots of couples and families from Gulf States taking the connecting flights from Kuala Lumpur to Lankawi island, off the coast of Malaysia, when we went there. There are some hotels there that cater specifically for that market as well as the more western style resort hotels.

I've rented an apartment in Costa del sol where the pool is shared and a huge family of burkini'ed women were by the pool every day. No one seemed to mind.
Maybe try a private self catering rental instead of a package deal. The place we were in was mostly Spanish with some Brits/Irish/Middle Eastern.

Penang in Malaysia is actually pretty cheap to get to and stay in compared to European resorts, so could be an option as it's a mainly Muslim country. Haven't been there, but have been to Langkawi and there were a lot of Muslim guests (including a few in full burka). Plus all food was halal.

I'm not Muslim but my Muslim friends/colleagues have recently been to Turkey, Morocco, Dubai and Malaysia. They all said they had a great time and there was plenty to do with their young DC.

Have you thought about Center Parcs? We are not Muslim but we go every year and see people in the pool in Burkini. I wouldn’t really notice but I remember my DS asking when he was little. You also would be able to shop before going so not an issue food wise. I have no idea though if any of the restaurants cook halal.
Good luck

I can't comment on how it would be wearing a hijab, but in Switzerland it's still common to have enclosed women-only lake side bathing houses (e.g. Zurich). They also have large lake swimming parks (e.g again Zurich), but no ridiculousness about having to wear small swim wear like in France, so you'd be ok to sit on the grass fully dressed and watch the kids. You can paddleboard on the lakes fully dressed. It's certainly common to see brown tourists because its considered a fashionable honeymoon destination from India, and there are a lot of immigrants in the cities.

Don't go to France. It's a nightmare swimming as someone who burns easily and can't wear a bikini because I'll get cancer in about twenty seconds, never mind their racism.

Have you thought about blue stones parcs? Or centre parcs if your thinking along those lines.

Try Centre Parcs’s Whinfell Forest, some of my family are Muslim and come with us every year, they don’t look out of place and we have never had a bad word said about any of us!

We go to Zell am See in Austria every summer and there are many Muslims also holidaying there. There are shops and cafés that are "Muslim friendly" (if that's what I mean). I think it's partly because so many go and possibly because it isn't a nudey sunbathing type place.

Have a look at the Algarve.

Not sure that Malaysia is that great. We are not Muslim but were in Penang at the end of Ramadan a few summers back. Loads of tourists from the Gulf. We found it quite oppressive. Men sat happily by the pool drinking (I assume non-alcoholic) beer and watching the few westerner women willing to brave the pool. The women were well covered up and hidden. When DH got in the lift the arab man pushed his wife facing inwards into a corner for fear that she would so much as glance at a western man.

I think I would have felt even more uncomfortable if I were Muslim.

That said, other resorts presumably have a better mix, and Malaysians themselves, though devout, are less conservative.

We are Muslim and do a lot of Eurocamp. Haven’t had problem with burkini so far.. although some of the previous years I haven’t been in the pool properly, more like lounging in the side reading while dh swam with the boys. We are going to Italy this year and really hoping there is no issue with the burkini because I want to swim.
I generally don’t feel discriminated or unwelcome in most of the European places though. Even France, I didn’t swim but didn’t feel unwelcome in the site in general

I would second the advice above - rent a villa with a private pool to avoid the hassle and holiday where you wish. There are some brilliant ones in the UK if you can get together a family group or else aim for the Spanish coast: there are some brilliant low-cost options available.

I would also recommend Bluestone/centre parcs for tolerance: you won't get abuse, but you will have to watch out for wobbly cyclists! I saw one hijab-clab woman swish around on an adult scooter: she looked a lot more chic than I did on the bike.

I am sorry you are made to worry about this. Have a great holiday.

I'm Muslim, never had any issues at Center Parcs, its quite expensive though. Turkey is generally really cheap, maybe you could travel to a larger airport. Lots of women wearing hijab, niqab and/or bukinis in Turkey and I go nearly every year.

The Lake District.

My friend and I met a lovely Muslim family at Bowness on Windermere. We were watching their gorgeous children feeding the swans. We got chatting to them and they go to the Lakes because they love it and they are three sisters who live in different parts of Britain.The Lakes isn't too long a journey for any of them so they go with their husbands and children. We took some photos for them of them all together and then sat chatting with them at the edge of the Lake for quite a while. They ended up taking some photos with us in too. My friend has since died but I remember that a one of those chance meetings that stays with you as a warm memory for years.
I go there quite a lot and have noticed quite a few Muslims seem to holiday there. I suppose I always hope I would meet them again as they said they go every year.
There is a Centre Parks near Penrith and several hotels have small private pools.
I hope you find somewhere.

Does it have to be a package holiday? The kind of holidays we book are either city breaks (possibly not so good with younger children) or Airbnb private little houses in Southern Spain with a pool. Would that be an option? You and your child still get to swim but can wear whatever you like and don’t have the worry of what other people might think.

Or are you looking for more going on and activities etc?

I wouldn’t recommend Algeria despite being a beautiful country. The visa is a pain to get and expensive.
We went to tarragona a few years back and there is a town called Salou which is full of French Algerians (usually Muslim) I think you wouldn’t stick out there.

Can see someone has already mentioned the Austrian Alps.

I am not Muslim myself but the Austrian mountains are very very popular as a Muslim destination and the Austrian tourist board I think has done a lot of marketing for this purpose.

I'm so sorry in 2019 you still have to take such things into consideration.

Like a previous poster has already said we've met a few Muslim families at Center Parcs Woburn.