Being brutally honest, my ideal holiday

[cozymystery]

. . . would be me, and only me, with a fully loaded kindle in a comfortable hotel with good 24h room service, virtually anywhere in the world, in or near a small market town or within walking distance of restaurants, maybe a view of some mountains. A pool wouldn’t hurt.

You?

Me and my family in a luxury hotel on a beach within walking distance of a very interesting French, Italian or Spanish city, lots of friendly family-owned restaurants nearby. All with our own separate double bedrooms and bathrooms. Flights leaving London no earlier than 10am and arriving back no later than 6pm. Temperature 25 to 30 degrees every day.

Sounds great. I’m even more of a philistine and would go for huge telly with unlimited subscription services rather than kindle.

With my husband. Somewhere near the sea with a pool for me and coast walks for him. Art galleries, nice places to eat, a market, bookshops. Warm sun.Opportunities for people watching and strolling in the evening after dinner. Puerto Pollensa Springs to mind but St Ives in Cornwall would do just as well if the sun is out .

I build in 2-3 solo trips a year where I catch up on reading and podcasts, take myself to lovely restaurants, get a spa treatment, and go clothes and skincare shopping.

These are usually when DP is at yet another stag weekend or on a golfing holiday.

I get most of this when I go by myself to Turkey. No room service, I do have to stagger about 50m to the bar/restaurant. View of Babadag. Pool - rarely anyone else there - maybe a couple, never had an issue with sunbeds. It's also not expensive (which anywhere with room service would be) - actually, I suspect I could, if I wanted, hire somone locally to respond to Whatsapp messages and bring me food and drink. Giving a waiter an extra few quid (maybe a fiver a day) could double their wages. Beach, if required, £5 in a taxi

I did 4 nights in Puerto Pollensa earlier int he year, just me and some books. Swam in the sea, went out to restaurants I wanted to, ate the food I wanted to with no compromising. It was bliss. It’s a good resort to do a solo holiday in, not too big or loud.

That's sounds amazing. Sign me up please!!

Yes please to that too!

Very similar to my holiday last year…on my own, cottage in the Dales with gorgeous views and a hot tub (I know, but I like them!).

Shopping delivered from Waitrose and M&S and just chilled and did my own thing for a week.

huge landscapes with water and height - lochs, mountains, lakes, fjords, etc. bust myself moving each day. Maybe on foot, boat, kayak etc. Then each night in a different place where I don’t think about food - it’s all just ace and there. Plus booze. And great books. These couple be luxurious or simple places. Every couple of days, stay in one spot with a jigsaw puzzle and maybe some top end spa stuff.

I would go on a road trip with my DH. I'd like to go across the US or Canada. I like driving, seeing lots of different places with hiking opportunities and city visits. There would also be lots of opportunities to just sit, chat, read and soak in the views on our drives.

It sounds ideal...but I think I'd feel guilty/miss my 2yr old DS in reality. I love lots of things about my life now, and the smaller scale holidays we do now are wonderful in their own way. One day!

A house in a national park. Exotic wildlife, waterfalls for swimming, 30c heat. The house would have a chef, huge private pool and library. Bonus points if there are fruit trees and veg gardens

I have a very close group of friends I holiday with once a year, all women and all extremely laid back. We like to cook nice food, have a gin or two, chat, read, walk and wild swim. Holidays with them are idyllic. They are kind and supportive and non-judgemental. I much prefer going away with them than my family. I know that sounds awful.

I'm with you OP. I do this once a year in Tenerife. Tiny suite of apartments, each very roomy, with balconies, mostly single occupants, so very quiet. Pool that you sometimes have to yourself it's so quiet. Not expensive because it's not fancy and no entertainment, room service etc, but apartments are the size of a flat so you can just stock your fridge up with wine. A couple of shops and a dozen restaurants about ten mins walk away by the sea. Half my case is books. It's glorious.

An old cottage with great Wi-Fi. No neighbours at all. Endless fields and woods and hills for walking. A secure garden for the dog. Dry sunny but not too hot weather. And a good supply of films and food.

Just me and the dog.

Ooooh lovely yes 5 star hotel, hot tub on the balcony and a loaded kindle with a fab view of the sea, the sea would be lovely and warm, a crystal clear bay with loads of fish for snorkelling and the beach would have lovely comfy sunbeds where you could order perfect cocktails. The local town would be teaming with fabulous local restaurants where you can stay for hours eating bits of tapas (or other local small plates), sipping drinks and people watching. Lovely walks either by the coast, mountains or nature reserves with lots of dramatic scenery. The weather is sunny and around 25°C.

I think I would definitely bring DH though and I would probably miss my DC3 too much although the idea of an adult only holiday is quite mouth watering. Maybe my extended family and his cousins are on holiday too but they decided they wanted a super child friendly hotel nearby with slides and everything and my DC is just having the time of his life and doesn't miss Mummy or Daddy and just wants to stay with his cousins although we do get to pop over whenever we want for a cuddle.

If any of you seekers of sun and solitude live in a city in the UK or northern Europe, my ideal holiday would be house-sitting for you while you're away. I live somewhere quiet and remote and lovely, but sometimes I want a week or two of being able to step out my front door into a world of interesting shops and restaurants and theatres and miles and miles of streets to explore on foot and plenty of public transport. Permission to invite well-behaved friends and family members to visit for a few days would be appreciated.

I have that place in Majorca where I jump on a plane once twice a year and switch off from everyone! Book ,patio overlooking the sea,sun umbrella and chilled bottle of wine ! It’s my happy place .

Similar to you but I'd want to be overlooking a beach and be able to hear the waves.

A lovely Campervan some warm country with a coastline, mountains and a town with nice restaurants. Preferably on my own.

@Toobusytoocare ha- if you ever need company- I'm a very avid book reader who loves wine!!

Someone mentioned Lac de Bourget earlier. About 10 years ago I flew to Chambery and spent a week in Aix-les-Bains. Lovely place with a beautiful central park, casino and thermal baths. Some fabulous restaurants by the lake and lots of walking.

Sounds perfect. I'd like to add in some daily meditation/yoga/tai chi sessions which are just for me and can happen whenever I feel like it. Plus drinks and food which miraculously appear whenever I'm hungry or thirsty.

Also in the days before the holiday, I'd like a service where someone comes into my house and cleans and organises every millimetre of it, they'll take care of all the life admin and do the garden too. And if they could also bring me a pre-packed case full of outfits that I'll feel great in and a full compliment of toiletries that perform miracles that'd be perfect.

Yes, this is my dream. I like the idea of being tucked up under a nice blanket, outdoors with a light breeze blowing, in a comfortable chair with pleasant things to do like reading, jigsaw puzzles and sketching. I would also like a small pair of binoculars to watch birds from my chair. Someone would serve me simple, nourishing meals three times daily and I would be reprimanded if I attempted to over-exert myself.

I read an article about a house Lenny Krabitz owns in Brazil, all fantastic decor, tropical surroundings and laid back luxury.. I’d like to go there, please, with a chef to serve fabulous food and horseriding for an adrenaline rush