would you recommend your holiday to us?

[LowLevelWhinging]

We fancy somewhere new this year.

We are 2 adults and 3 kids (8,6 and 2).

We used to like villa holidays, but have had a couple of bad experiences with private villas in the last two years.

Have done AI in Turkey a couple of years ago, but not impressed with the crush around the pool and limited food options.

Definitely need a pool, maybe a beach. I would love to be walking distance to stuff but a short drive is ok too.

Since having kids we've done:

Fuengirola (a bit egg n chips IYSWIM)
Algarve - great beaches but villa got burgled. Albufeira a bit trashy too.
Turkey - never left the hotel as surrounding area was just massive dual carrigeway lined with hotels and nothing else.
Ibiza - was ok.
Puglia - holiday from hell

Anyone got any new ideas we could look at? 3k ish budget. (do we need bigger budget perhaps?)

thanks

Playa Blanca in lanzarote. Good range of hotels, lovely beach, walking to shops and bars.

We went here www.thomson.co.uk/destinations/europe/spain/gran-canaria/meloneras/hotels/lopesan-baobab.html last year and I cant recommend it enough.

We are considering returing this year even though I NEVER go back to the same place twice. It was quiet and relaxed, the pools were fabulous and kept my 3 entertained all week, the food was brilliant and the family room the best we have ever stayed in. We went half board. We didn't do any trips as we were all happy to laze around by the pool for a week which is unusual for us.

Majorca is lovely. Our favourite resort is Cala D'Or.

We went to Playa Blanca in Lanzarote the year before last. It was awful. It was like mini-Blackpool in the sun imo. We went on the recommendation of PIL who have a time-share there, we spent the whole time asking ourselves why anyone would go back.

A couple of years before we hired a villa in Puerto Del Carmen old town! that was much nicer.

Alvor in the Algarve is absolutely lovely.

Menorca is beautiful too.

thank you so much everyone!

personal recommendations count for a lot I think

I'm having a look around your suggestions now.

I can also vouch for St Maxime on the South of France-this thread is making me pine for holiday's past! (Or holidays pre 3 dc's and school holiday times when we could actually go to these beautiful places for less than 4k a week!)

Amalfi Coast is also amazing but accommodation is tricky self catering wise.

Soller is also another lovely area of Mallorca.

I am now onto looking at Greece but clueless as know nothing about where is nice. Chania seems to be a nice area?

wow there looks to be some great suggestions here. The place in Lake Garda looks great.

Are there any suggestions for spain? Maybe seville?

I think you must have gone to the wrong area in Turkey as there are some beautiful resorts there, also AI is not the way to go in Turkey, it is far better to get an apartment or villa and eat out. Have a look at Bitez or Yalikavak on the Bodrum Peninsula, or Olu Deniz, Akyaka, Kalkan and Cirali just to name a few places.

We loved Tuscany too but we stayed in a very quiet vill away from everything, I had to walk 1km up a hill every day for bread. It was wonderul there but may not be what you are looking for.

We the whole family stayed in clean and cheap motel rooms in Niagara Falls close to the beautiful Falls

One of the best family Motel in Niagara Falls. There was a basic room with ensuite shower, an overhang, a kitchenette, and a twin room with ensuite which could be useful for the entire family.