Help me decide on a summer holiday please

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

We usually go to one of the quieter resorts on a Greek island, which is perfect for us but tbh we think we should probably see more of the world.

SO - where would be good? It doesn't necessarily have to have a beach but it does have to be pretty much guaranteed that I won't get rained on! Doesn't have to be hot, although warm would be nice.

Needs to not rely on driving at all. Needs to be no more than £2500 max for 4 of us, and probably either b&b or self catering with nice places to eat out in the evenings.

So far I'm wondering about maybe somewhere in Italy. Or would Poland work? Might it be possible to have maybe 5 days in Krakow and then a couple of days elsewhere? Or is there anywhere in Germany perhaps? I have no idea!

Dp and 1 plus teen dds - it may well be our last holiday with both dds, although I hope not. We like exploring, museums, eating out, walking etc. And I hate crowds.

Any ideas much appreciated. Oh and no camping!

Have a look at Monte Gordo which is in the quieter part of the Algarve. Its near a national park so not built up at all, Really good beaches and loads of places to eat. Its quite historic with castles, forts etc or you can take the bus to different resorts in Portugal and also nip over the border to visit Spain. We went in October and will definitely go back again.

Germany has lots of to offer but rain is equally normal as it is here in the UK. Sayi g that we had average 30 degrees and only two bad days last year end July/beginning August.

Bavaria may be good if you like hiking and Munich has lots to offer culture wise. Or Northern Germany if you like it flatter with Hamburg added for museums etc.

Then there is Berlin and surrounding area.

Thanks both. Will look into Monte Gordo and Bavaria. I really want to go to Berlin, but probably not as our main summer holiday - maybe for a couple of days as a city break?

Barcelona.

You can get the train into the city centre from the airport, takes about 20mins.

Loads of museums, cathedrals, art stuff, gaudi stuff, beach, zoo, tapas bars and sangria.

Public transport is easy with a cheap metro. We also took a train into the mountains to Montserrat which was a nice day out. I don't speak a word of Spanish and we managed to get around.

I loved it, best place I've ever been to. You could get an apartment for a week.

Try the Croatian coast. I haven't been but believe it is lovely.

I think Barcelona might be too crowded for my liking. Again, I'd like a few days there but not sure about as a main summer holiday.

Croatia looks gorgeous but the places I've seen so far in a brochure are much more expensive than Greece.

not wanting to drive narrows your choices a lot - there are loads of places which have access to cities, museums, beaches, lovely countryside etc but without a car probably no good for you

eg Tuscany - we had a wonderful holiday there recently but couldn't have done it without a car

Thanks Ponders. We don't drive. Don't mind getting trains/buses if there's a half decent service anywhere.

well the town where we stayed was on the railway itself - we could get direct to Siena, amongst others, & there were connections further afield (eg Rome & Florence)

I'll PM you with details of the house we stayed in :-)

Thank you. :)

Okay. Have been looking on the Co Op Travel site.

Lake Garda looks a possibility.
Krakow as I said but still unsure whether that would be better as a shorter break.
Slovenia anybody?

Why not try KALKAN on the 'turquoise' south-east Turkish coast - beautiful 'village' with cobbled streets winding down to the town beach/harbour...loads of eateries from cheap & bustling to rooftop/romantic. Fly to Dalaman, 90 minute transfer...we took our 5 kids from when they were small (oldest is 29 now) and they all loved it... We go every year and never tire of it.. Two larger sandy/dazzling beaches within 15/20 minutes... Great beach clubs/water sports..historical/archaeological sites nearby/great day trips..Private boat hire is reasonably priced, someone will 'captain' it for you and feed you with a beautifully fresh barbecue in one of the nearby coves... Idyllic... Very family friendly, great leather/jewellery and gift shops/boutiques..not over-commercialised

There ARE certain parts of Kalkan where you get the best views/tranquility/a bit of a breeze...and still only 5 mins by taxi/20 mins walk into the centre... We did end up building a house here as we loved it so much..also take elderly parents in their 80's...so ALL ages seem to be very happy here and we have a rental property and all our guests are blown-away by the views...

Thank you. That sounds nice. I'm a vegetarian, so barbecue probably not okay but other than that... The only worry I have about Turkey is that dd1 is blonde and leggy and lovely and I'd be worried about her getting 'noticed' as I've heard that some of the men can be quite rude. That was in a different area of Turkey though.

Just looked at it on Co Op Travel site and it looks well in budget - and very pretty.

One of our kids was veggie as some of our friends/guests...it's never ever been a problem as the fresh vegetables/salads (fish?) and fruits/breads and cheeses ar superb - the food is gorgeous/fresh and very varied. They had huge mouthwaterng platters of delicious food and really enjoyed ALL of it.. We also have two very 'noticable' daughters (and 3 sons) ..tbh ALL women (even MY age 49) can get noticed but its always felt safe/unthreatening and we never really let them wander any more than we would in any other holiday destination. And our youngest was 6 when we started going there and he could go into any shop in the village and say hi and get a hug and a drink and stroke a cat/be offered some fruit etc etc. we've also met many single women over the years who choos kalkan because its un- touristy/unspoilt...a lot of walkers tread the lycian way and the nearest town of kas (pron kash) can be reached on the local bus along one of the most breathtaking coastal roads ive ever seen... Sorry, i DO get carried away, i write copy for various brochures and can get a little enthused when im passionate about something!

It looks really lovely. Thank you for getting carried away - it's very helpful! :)

Hi Millais..the main roads are absolutely fine...winding in places but smooth...ok from dalaman airport to kalkan...village roads in kalkan absolutely fine...busy, a few mad young boys on scooters but no 'main' roads in the mostly pedestrianised village. A lot of guests that stay with us or rent our apartment dont always hire a car unless they're doing a particular trip somewhere. Everything in kalkan is very close by anyway, taxis are reasonably priced. And YES the coast road to Kas IS cliff edge but smooth/wide enough and stunningly beautiful!

Remus, you coukd be me! I am looking for a holiday place too. With a variety of tasty veggie food, as I am sooo tired of eating a salad or omelette on holiday.

Plus I would love a place with great pottery close by

Don't worry, the men really aren't rude in Turkey. I lived there for a few years and I never had anyone be rude to me. They do love to chat but in a friendly way. I am married to a Turk too

Turkey is great for veggie food , they have loads of veggie dishes out there, you will be spoilt for choice.

I'm going to do lots of reading about Turkey tonight - loving the insider info!

Flatbread - come to Birmingham. Some lovely veggie food and not far from Stoke for pottery! :)

Remus, that is not a bad idea! I am not living in the UK at the moment, so it would be a real holiday for us

As singapore says, Kalkan is lovely. I know you say you'd rather not drive, but I would still recommend taking a day or two to drive along the seaside to Kas and then to Kemer and even Antalya, following the yellow road signs that designate archeological sites. There are many on that coast!

I would recommend that area (Southern coast of Turkey) at the beginning or the end of summer, as it gets hellishly hot in July & August.

Bodrum used to be very nice, but now it's totally overrun by tourists (no offence ). However, there is a place called Türkbükü near Bodrum which is lovely, with many little restaurants and quaint little hotels. No beach, though. You would fly to Bodrum airport, where your hotel would normally pick you up from.

My personal favorite is Çesme (pronounced "Cheshme") near Izmir. Miles of beautiful white sand and shallow light blue sea. Look up Alaçati, which is one of the two old towns in Çesme and is beautiful, with narrow cobblestone streets, little arty shops, and local restaurants. It is also where world windsurf championships are held, if your DC are interested.

Re noticeable blond DD - Don't worry about it. You will see that there will be loads of leggy noticeable girls parading around in mini skirts and tiny shorts, most of them local Turkish girls. Blonds are rare and she might be told how beautiful she is a little too often, she will never be in danger. Turkish society is very protective of women (especially those perceived to be in distress) and I feel safer there walking down the street alone at 3 AM than here in the South of France where I know for a fact that nobody would come to help if I were attacked.