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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To ask you to help me find a holiday destination

25 replies

bgmama · 23/10/2019 07:49

Hello, some friends and I want to go on holidays but we cannot find a place that meets our criteria so I thought I would ask here for ideas. We are looking for a place preferably outside Europe. Our budget for return tickets is around 500 euros and maybe a few hundred euros more for accommodation and other expenses while there. We can be away for no more than a week due to work and family commitments. We are looking for somewhere with interesting history and culture, nice landscapes etc-the usual. I think the problem is that we rarely get the chance to do something like that due to lack of money and time so we are looking for something "perfect", as we don't know when we'll have another chance to do that. Any ideas? Thank you!

OP posts:
seaweedandmarchingbands · 23/10/2019 08:02

Morocco?

bgmama · 23/10/2019 08:05

That's a good idea but two of us have already been there

OP posts:
AfterSomeAdvice1234 · 23/10/2019 08:08

Azores?

parrotfashionista · 23/10/2019 08:10

Montenegro and an Airbnb- fly to tivat- kotor is ten mins away - it's beautiful

ZaraW · 23/10/2019 08:12

Istanbul, Lebanon, Egypt.

bgmama · 23/10/2019 08:19

Thank you all. From the places mentioned above we have not been to Lebanon and Azores and I will look into them. Anything else?

OP posts:
GoGoJo · 23/10/2019 08:25

Jordan. It's amazing.

Branleuse · 23/10/2019 08:28

a different part of morrocco?
Its one of the few outside-europe places you can get budget flights

Killmeelmo · 23/10/2019 08:29

Cuba

eightytwenty · 23/10/2019 08:31

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

backinthebox · 23/10/2019 08:32

What time of year? As that will affect both the flight price and the weather. And when you say 'the usual' you are talking about culture, landscape, history (which are hard to shoehorn all into one week, but it is doable) but you don't mention sunshine or nights out - whether these are important to you will also massively affect your options.

I can think of a lot of places, but your criteria as it stands is quite broad. If you let us know if we are barking up the right tree I can probably come up with a few more ideas.

Boston would tick all your culture, history and landscape boxes, especially if you get out of town too in the autumn. It would also allow for girls' nights out and a bit of drinking. If you go in the summer there are good beaches within striking distance. It's not a long flight (about 7 hrs) and only 5hrs time zone difference.

Mexico is fabulous for history, culture, adventure sport, jungly wildlife, nights out, sunshine, everything! But it's a very long way to go for a week and flights only just squeak in at £500 if you go out of season. You'll save money when you get there though.

Turkey is brilliant too. I went with my family this summer and we were in a Unesco world heritage site Roman city and we were the only people there. The landscapes are dramatic and varied depending where you go in the country. It's relatively cheap to go there. I have always found it a safe-feeling place, but in a city or off the tourist beaten track you will have to be slightly more conservative than you normally would.

Going for something really different, a holiday to Russia would give you lots of history and culture. And vodka - lots of it! The nightlife scene in Moscow is very modern these days and there are restaurants, bars and cafes to suits all kinds of night out. The history is incredible - I saw evidence all around when I went there of a wild ride through history, everything from the buildings to the parks to the metro system is loaded with it. A train journey to St Petersburg would get you out in the countryside and landscape and on to an even more history-loaded city.

Jordan is a place I love, and again, there is a broad range of things to do there, lots and lots of history, Dead Sea spas, scuba diving in the Red Sea, dune bashing and camping in the desert in Wadi Rum. As a group of women you would not be going on raucous nights out here, but I found the Jordanians very respectful people. I travelled here with my mother, just 2 women, and we had no bother at all but we respected local customs.

If none of those suit, give us some more details as to what you want. I could go on about holidays all day!

Greenteandchives · 23/10/2019 11:28

I second Jordan. It’s so beautiful and the people are lovely. Visit Petra and Wadi Rum, which is out of this world!

TheArtfulScreamer1 · 23/10/2019 13:05

Tel Aviv I've not been but I've been looking at it as I fancy a long weekend somewhere with similar requirements as yourself.

ZaraW · 23/10/2019 13:05

Jordan is beautiful but if you are looking for great night life you can't beat Beirut. The Lebanese know how to party.

FloatingObject · 23/10/2019 13:30

Brighton

backinthebox · 23/10/2019 21:29

Beirut is not a place I'd associate with a holiday. They might know how to party but there are plenty of other places in the world where they know how to party without it coming with a long list of conditions for travel on the FCO website. I travel with work around some of the stranger corners of the world and have done for over 20 years. It's one of the places my company send people that I have on my 'avoid' list, along with Nigeria, Pakistan, Iran, Saudi Arabia. None of those scream 'holiday' at me either.

Tel Aviv is lovely though for a weekend. The Manta Ray restaurant is one of my favourite restaurants in the world, then a walk along the seafront towards Jaffa, stopping off at a beach bar for a cocktail on the way.

MinnieMountain · 23/10/2019 21:35

Iraq.

solittletime · 23/10/2019 21:43

Zanzibar. Cape town if you get a good deal on flights.

ZaraW · 24/10/2019 11:35

Back in the box I've been to Lebanon many times without issue. It's beautiful, Lebanon gets such negative press. I know many people who have actually visited love it too and make repeat visits. I certainly wouldn't put it in the same category as Nigeria.

winterisstillcoming · 24/10/2019 11:39

Croatia? Beaches, lakes, history.

katiemarnie · 24/10/2019 11:54

Tel Aviv and Jaffa

Hobbesmanc · 24/10/2019 12:30

Beirut is an amazing city. Cosmopolitan- the shopping blew my mind- there's every top designer you have heard of. Food and nightlife- they know how to party plus the history and culture. The remnants of the civil war are still there but it's a really welcoming place. The beach and the corniche are famous although I thought the beach was a little grubby. Lots of big spa hotels though.

If you can get flights in budget Cape Town might be an option. No time difference and cheap living. Plenty to do and a great night and dining scene.

New York would probably tick anyone's boxes if none of you have been. Shop around for flights- if you are prepared to change , the Scandinavian airlines can be great value

CAG12 · 24/10/2019 12:49

Isreal! Its amazing and so much history

backinthebox · 24/10/2019 16:24

ZaraW, my opinion of the place may well be coloured by the fact that when my company send people there with work they are given an armed escort as we are desirable targets for terrorists. Having worked with people who were used as Saddam Hussain’s human shields I am naturally cautious if our asset protection department think there is some risk. They cheerfully send us off to all sorts of places you have to be careful in, but armed guards are rare so I put it in the ‘do not go there’ box.

ZaraW · 24/10/2019 17:33

Backinthe box we shall have to agree to differ I know many people who visit Lebanon and love it. Wandering around Baalbeck with only a handful of tourists is amazing to have such a beautiful site to yourself. Unfortunately not so good for the Lebanese economy. The OP is a tourist so yes your judgement is probably biased.

I was not a fan of Tel Aviv my friend got robbed on the beach and we didn't find the locals friendly. However, we spent two weeks in Jerusalem and loved it.

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