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Original poster

Which is cleanest Portugal or Spain?

64 replies

crazydazy · 02/05/2006 15:39

Am going to Portugal this year, after having been to Menorca last year and experiencing such a lovely beautiful clean resort I just was hoping that somebody could tell me that Portugal is the same as I think it would be hard to beat.

Have been to Greece and did not like it there as the sanitation was appalling and so would not take the kids.

OP posts:
PrincessPeaHead · 02/05/2006 21:02

will email you. can't bear even the title of this thread!

can you imagine the furore if I said "which is cleaner, Leeds or Manchester? I went to Newcastle once but it was so filthy I couldn't risk taking my children there"

Angeliz · 02/05/2006 21:02

Should've gone to SunderlandWink

calicopie · 02/05/2006 21:06

Leeds is cleaner than Manchester.

They all stink there.

Wink
Original poster
crazydazy · 02/05/2006 21:10

I just like to make sure my children are safe on holiday and because one of my children almost died on a trip abr0oad I think I have every reason to be extra cautious.

Who asked you to join the thread anyway?

OP posts:
Frenchgirl · 02/05/2006 21:20
PrincessPeaHead · 02/05/2006 21:25

one of your children almost died on holiday so you want to know if one WHOLE country is safer than another WHOLE country?

Crap excuse for idiocy I'm afraid

Original poster
crazydazy · 02/05/2006 21:35

I suppose there is always one, who has to come out with a smart remark.

The country as a whole would have the same kind of sanitation wouldn't it? In my opinion Greece was not as clean as Spain is so this is the reason why I would not take my children to somewhere I would not be comfortable with.

Sorry you feel I am an "idiot" for feeling this way but the way I see it I just want my children to enjoy their holiday.

OP posts:
TravelFiend · 02/05/2006 21:53

Crazydazy, why don´t you just stay nearer home till you´re more confident about travelling? Or stay in one of the Club Med style villages where it doesn´t make any difference which country you´re in...

Nightynight · 02/05/2006 22:49

IME, hot countries are a lot cleaner than cold countries, because you have to be more hygienic or die.
sorry crazydazy, but this thread is a bit funny! I took ds on hols with washable nappies, driving round the Med when he was just 5 months old...you can imagine how stinky that was! We did survive though.

I find UK v dirty, myself. Maybe you'd better come on hols to Bavaria, it is v clean here!

chipmonkey · 02/05/2006 22:51

Idiocy, PPH, that's a bit much isn't it? I'm someone who would love to visit Greece but would be a bit wary of having to keep ds3 away from toilet-roll-filled baskets because that's the sort of thing he would find fascinating. Far prefer my toilet roll flushable personally. From that point of view the whole of Portugal would definitely better than the all of the Greek islands.
Crazydazy, I love Portugal. We have stayed in Lagos, Montechoro ( near Albufeira) and Alvor. I preferred Lagos because it had a "real town" feel about it but my children preferred Montechoro largely because there was a fairground-type ride in the middle of the strip where mad people would get into a big catapult and allow themselves to be flung into the air at speed. Ds1 wanted me and dh to try itShock but we declined. Also for the grown-ups the old town of Albufeira is very close by and there's a lovely atmosphere there with lots of little restaurants and bars. We had the advantage of being able to bring my Mum to babysit the odd night. The resort we stayed in there was Villa Alba, which are all two bed apartments and each has it's own washing machine (How's that for hygiene!Grin) Also, it's First Choice and they have the usual Kids clubs. Tbh I have found the quality of apartments in Portugal generally better than in the Canaries which is my only experience of "Spain" as a grown-up but I have friends who would agree who have visited mainland Spain also

Gingerbear · 02/05/2006 23:16

I wonder how Greek toddlers cope with toilet roll in baskets then?

handlemecarefully · 02/05/2006 23:20

crazydazy - sorry to hear that you had such a traumatic experience previously.....

chipmonkey · 02/05/2006 23:27

Gingerbear, their mothers are probably more vigilant than me!Grin

chipmonkey · 02/05/2006 23:29

Crazydazy, what happened?

chipmonkey · 02/05/2006 23:41

TBH , I have great support from my Mum, she comes on hols with us sometimes and is willing to look after the ds's for a few days if dh and I go away. There are places I would happily go to myself but wouldn't bring the ds's. One reason would in fairness, be hygiene. My ds's are prone to tummy bugs as it is and to bring them somewhere where hygiene is poor compared to here would deffo lead to a miserable holiday. It is worth remembering that no matter where you go, the bugs will be "different" and your children will not have the same immunity as at home, however good the hygiene.
Another factor is the amount of walking. Dh and I love city breaks but we do try to see as much as possible in the short time we are there and the ds's (particularly ds2) would always be moaning about tired legs whenever we had moved more than 100 metres from the hotel.
But if I had not my Mum's support, I would more than likely drag the children everywhere so that I would not miss out.

chipmonkey · 03/05/2006 00:09

Frenchgirl, did you get that deodorant I sent you?Grin

chipmonkey · 03/05/2006 00:10

OK, I am on this thread all on my own. Everyone else has gone to bed.

Frenchgirl · 03/05/2006 08:37

deo-do-rant??????????????????????

que?????

what do you do with it? Spread it on your morning baguette?

Wink

thanks chipmonkey Grin

chipmonkey · 03/05/2006 08:58

I'll have no truck with baguettes, thanks. It's pain-au-chocolat or nothing!Grin

Original poster
crazydazy · 03/05/2006 10:12

Hi Chipmonkey, sorry I didn't reply last night, I left Mumsnet last night as I just couldn't do with the smart comments that were made. Thanks for your posts, they were the kind of posts I wanted to hear from Smile, I just don't understand why people feel the need to post if they are not interested in the thread and it irritates me, Mumsnet, after all is a big place.

You have made me feel like I want to go to Portugal this minute!!! Am so excited but like you said some children are more vulnerable than others and as a mother you feel the need to take them somewhere you feel is good for them. I am over protective when it comes to sanitation, I have a vomit phobia for a start and my little girl contracted meningitis when we were in Salou when she was 3, it was nothing to do with the country as they think she contracted before we left England but spending 8 days in hospital where about a handful of people spoke english was a traumatic time for us and her and I was already quite nervous of taking our children abroad anyway and this just did not help, it hasn't put me off, I love going on holiday and my children love going too but I just like to be careful thats all.

OP posts:
trace2 · 03/05/2006 10:21

hi crazydazy, ive been to Portugal and Spain and greeece, i did like all three, but the best is greece, i go to a little town in zante its so nice the greek people are great too. every ones diffrent and likes diffrent things jusy go with how you feel, but where i go in greece ive not had a problem, with it being dirty.

Original poster
crazydazy · 03/05/2006 20:52

Thanks for replying Trace2, hope you are okay Smile. Yes it was a long time ago when I last visited Greece and tbh it was Corfu that I didn't like, I have been to Zante too with my friends (before kids) and thought it was okay there.

OP posts:
Angeliz · 03/05/2006 20:57

crazydazy, just out of curiosity, where abouts in Corfu did you go?

trace2 · 03/05/2006 21:25

am ok, not seen you on here much, since i saw you at christmas. hows you?

OldieMum · 03/05/2006 21:57

I am trying to imagine what a Portuguese, Spanish or Greek person would make of this thread title. If it's any comfort to PPH et al, Americans and Australians have similar stereotypes about British people's reluctance to wash regularly. I know, as I'm married to an Ozzie and have lived in the US.

You can't really hope to suggest that whole countries are 'dirty' without inviting some negative comments. This is an internet chatroom, after all. We're all free to post wherever we like.

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