Aibu these are safe holiday destinations

[Thisisanewnamename]

Help me get some mental clarity Mnetters.

DH and I have 2 DC 3 and 9 months. Thinking of grabbing a cheap bit of winter sun in Nov, all inclusive 4/5*.

want it to be mid 20s at least to have lounge by pool/ beach and not do a lot else sort of hols. Basically 0 intention of leaving the hotel compound/ beach area somewhere that can’t be walked to.

talked to DM about you know as light convo and she balked at the destinations. Insisting they weren’t safe, hygiene would be poor, health care should anything happen would be insufficient and that it’s tantamount to neglect and me putting my selfish need/ want for a hols about my kids welfare, it’s just got me questioning myself.

looking at -
hurgurda in Egypt
looked at and dismissed Ayala and izmir as I think they aren’t that warm in nov
cape verde
dubai ( unlikely as seems pricey but maybe can find a deal)

shes being ridiculous right? Would you take your kids here? I just need to soundboard that these are perfectly legit places to take kids.

Been there and wouldn't go back if you paid me to . Dirty, full of beggars and pollution.

Cape Verde and Dubai yes - hurgada no.
I just don’t think hurgada was that clean for coordenadas that young. Also I’m pretty sure I read about a couple actually dying after having such bad food poisoning at a hurgada resort quite recently? And, having been there myself for a stopover, I wasn’t that surprised

I've been many times at that time of year and it was always mid-20s.

Fuertaventura is windy all year around because of its geography. Not all of the islands are windy, depending also on the location on each island.

A poster recommended Eilat (Israel). It's amazing. We spent several New Years' celebrations there and it's very hot beach weather. But in terms of safety I wouldn't go to Israel at the moment sadly. I used to live there as a child and love Israel, but it's not safe as a holiday destination.

I know you've mentioned Dubai but what about one of the other Emirates....Fujairah or RAK. Might be cheaper than Dubai.
Qatar could be another option if after the World Cup. Its several years since I was last there and there seems to be a lot more for tourists now. Weather will be similar to Dxb.
Oman .... mentioned before is lovely... have a look at Salalah .... might be cheaper than Muscat.
I'd avoid N.Africa, Turkey and Cyprus as won't really be warm enough for beach/pool holiday.
What about Senegal or the Gambia? I know Tui go there as was looking for a friend.

Mexico!

Swerve the Canaries. Tenerife is hands down the worst place I have ever been to. The locals were off the scale rude and saw British tourists as £££ only.

I remember getting back to U.K. and one of the stewardesses commenting on how rude the locals were and how much she disliked the place. I would never go to the Canaries and hand over my hard earned again based on Tenerife. There are many more places in the world to travel to where as long as you’re well behaved, the locals will treat you well.

Cape Verde is a bit boring as there’s not much more than beaches but as you plan to stay in the hotel/beach that should be fine. The locals are so lovely too.

Just come back from Fuerteventura. No one was remotely rude. Has it crossed your mind that maybe you were?

Working in the tourist industry for entitled holiday makers can be exhausting and is low paid. I am amazed by how friendly everyone is considering how overworked they are tbh.

‘Just come back from Fuerteventura. No one was remotely rude. Has it crossed your mind that maybe you were?’

No I was 100% not rude. I’m well travelled and respectful whenever I go. In fact I go out of my way to be nice and learn basic words such as please and thank you in the local language as I believe it’s important to be a good ambassador for your country abroad.

However, I suspect the fact we were in a multi racial group (white/Asian/black) may have been a factor. I will never spend money in that place again. We were open mouthed more than once. Many people were openly hostile and staring in an intimidating fashion. There were 5 of us and all of us said never again.

I can understand if they were frustrated by the groups on lads holidays who were just there to drink all night, make a nuisance and sleep off hangovers whilst being burnt raw all day but that’s not all British people and they shouldn’t take it out on everyone. And as I said even the stewardess negatively commented on Tenerife talking about how rudely she had been treated in a restaurant.

Once bitten and all that.

We've just returned from Sal, Cape Verde. DH chose it and I was worried I wouldn't like it: it's literally now my favourite place I've ever been. Took DCs who adored it, really lovely people, Sal wasn't barren with quite a few child friendly activities. We stayed in 5* RIU Palace Santa Maria, it was lush.

Malaria is low risk in Cape Verde (same risk level, for example, as the Canaries). There is no requirement or suggestion from FDO for any vaccines.

I’ve taken my kids to Cape Verde and there were loads of kids there. We had a lovely time. We didn’t take any anti Malaria tablets. There was no advice to do so. None of us caught Malaria. I think PP is confusing Cape Verde with another country.

@Endlesssummer2022 ethic minority background here. Shocked to read your experience and think it's unusual for Spain if it was France perhaps but not Spain. To relax Tenerife is lovely I worked their for 2 months also been to Ibiza, So coma and majorca Spain is one of my favourites tbh.

I don't think you should write it off as a whole. On holiday I don't really engage with the locals as much as I'm their to holiday... very surprised at what your describing.

With kids that age it will be a pain to be too warm as you are constantly worrying about the sun and them overheating. It's not like you'll get much sunbathing time so I would be picking somewhere that is likely to be sunny enough to play on the beach and go to the tourist sites but has an indoor pool if its not hot, hot. So canaries etc work for that if your other destinations don't work out. Or a cruise if you can find a bargain!

‘Shocked to read your experience and think it's unusual for Spain if it was France perhaps but not Spain.’

@38daystogo - I’ve never had an issue in mainland Spain nor France (where I’ve been the most) or anywhere else actually. We got the odd inquisitive look from a couple of kids when we went to Croatia but it wasn’t intimidating or hostile. But Tenerife? All I can say is never again. If it was one dickhead I’d write it off but there was a theme. I give people second chances but not places which require my money. Not worth it when there are so many places still to see.

"Cape Verde will be safe enough as you're mainly on a resort to be honest (we went to Boa Vista) we stayed at the Tuareg I think it was and it was a huge hotel, very good food but I was bored !"

There's no hospital on Boa Vista

We never had any jabs to go to Cape Verde... wasn't advised too either ! Didn't see one mosquito the whole time we was there but maybe the wind blew them away !!

There isn't on any of them is there ? We were advised the nearest proper hospital was Tenerife.

@Thisisanewnamename perfect time of year for a Caribbean island, surely? Personally I like Barbados, but Antigua or Grenada would work too. The water is lovely at that time of year, you can stay in the sea all day. One of the hotels on the west coast of Barbados would do the job.

OP, you keep dismissing places like the Canaries as boring/crap etc but you’ve also said all you want to do is lie around by a pool or on the beach and don’t intend to sightsee or even leave the resort (which is totally understandable with a baby and a toddler in tow!) Why do you need to go somewhere interesting if you’re not really going to see any of it? All you need is warmth and a nice hotel, really!

"There isn't on any of them is there ? We were advised the nearest proper hospital was Tenerife."

Several people in our resort were flown by helicopter to lanzarote so I suspect that's the case. Most of them idiots that ignored the warnings not to go into the sea and one who had a stroke I think. Her husband wasn't allowed to accompany her and just had to wait it out at the hotel.

Please consider how local people are treated in your choice of destination. Such as whether same-sex relationships are legal.

@JubileeTissues The sea was absolutely ferocious! Never seen anything like it - the beach was stunning though

Feeling a bit 😕 about our holiday to Egypt for February now having read this thread.

if you are happy with staying in your hotel then you’ll have a nice time I’m sure. Be careful with what you eat.

I just found it mostly very dull but the snorkelling was fantastic.