Private villa walking distance to restaurants?! WHERE?!

[Higgywiggy]

Planning first holiday in June with DS (will be 7months), DH & my parents.

Ideally we'd like a private villa with pool & bbq (WEANING - ARGH!) but it must be in walking distance to both nice restaurants for the evening and beach. No soulless resorts need apply - we don't want to stop experiencing nice parts of the globe just because we have a child. A tall order, I know - but such places MUST exist?!

DH, the parents and I enjoy eating local food and lazy late night drinking (there will be one responsible adult per night probably) and generally hanging in a place with a bit of character. The idea with a villa being that if we don't want to take DS out we have the option to leave him snoozing in his room whilst we're cooking up a storm on the bbq. Similarly - taking the parents means babysitting - so local nightlife (and by nightlife I mean somewhere with a decent wine list, not a disco ball!) is preferable.

My darling dad is adamant that we have to be walking distance to the action - we will prob hire a car but don't want to rely on it.

Budget not miniscule but I am on mat pay so nothing too silly....

Anyone got any gems up their sleeve?!

oh, this is the holy grail my dear!

I've gone blind looking for villas over the past 3 years

Hope you find something and marking my place!

Holy grail indeed. Watching

Just get on ownersdirect - they show maps etc. Those villas exist - I've stayed in many of them. We've also stayed in villas in the back of bloody beyond and while the remoteness is nice and all, being able to walk somewhere to eat is so much better.

Just booked a gite in the Vendee. Walking distance from beach and village restaurants. Found it on www.holidaylettings.co.uk where you can specify those things, amongst many others, using the advanced search. Try www.ownersdirect.co.uk and www.homeaway.co.uk too. Apols if you have already exhausted those sites, but that if where I would start. Good luck!

Kalami in Corfu is nice. Little place with tavernas/restaurants and lots of little villas and apartments. Very beautiful and not touristy at all. We took our little girl at 18 months with her grandparents too and all loved it. Small beach with rock pools etc. Bliss.

Pollensa in Mallorca
Praia de Luz in Portugal
Try villa select or babyfriendlyboltholes

Puerto Pollensa in Mallorca fits your needs I think. Lots of lovely houses and apartments a stone's throw from the beach and restaurants.

I'd look at Santo Tomas or Cala Galdana in Menorca if you need a beach nearby. If you're happy to pay more and drive to beaches, look in the capital Mahon - very chic and cosmopolitan, huge array of places to eat, "real" Spain. The old capital Cuitadella is even more so, but beware if hiring a villa there as you don't want to end up in one of the resorts to the north of the town.

Watching this out of interest

Sardinia - the Cala di Falco resort has villas 2 mins walk from the beach and town where you can also use the hotel facilities.

Kalkan in south-east turkey, fly to dalaman, gorgeous village/town, huge choice of restaurants/nice shops... Our 5 DC's have always loved it - been taking them from when they were very small and our octeganarian family members love it too..

We have been twice to the algarve in may/ June because it was the cheapest/ most convenient (ie sat to sat daytime) shortest flights and short transfer time with the most reliable weather. It worked really well for us, but not exactly classy or that interesting for culture etc. Evening entertainment no longer a priority as I only have non sleeping children.

I wanted to go to Croatia but couldn't convince my in laws. Cavtat looked like a food bet, family resort but short boat ride/ bus to Dubrovnik. Rovinj is also lovely, but im not sure of transfer times. Or the blu radisson hotel in O something, self catering apartment... When I win the lottery

Luz, Portugal.

I've had my eye on this villa in Algajola in Corsica for years, but never been there!
It doesn't seem luxurious, and it is a good price for Corsica (it is more £££ than most med islands) but we visited Algajola during a holiday once and loved it & want to return one day. There are restaurants and a beach within walking distance of this villa.

Puerto del Carmen lanzotote, we had a 3 bed villa with swimming pool.
Lots of villas within easy 5/10 min walk from restaurants bars shops beach etc. no car needed.

Yes, Puerto Pollensa. Or, just a few miles away is Cala San Vincente which we love. Lots of villas within easy walking distance of a few restaurants/hotels there, and a choice of beaches. Loads more restaurants in Puerto Pollensa and Pollensa Old Town.

Brac in croatia and hvar had villas of that description. They are big on bbq/kill it and grill it

Praia da Luz, Val de Lobo or Olhos D'Aguas are all nice on the Algarve but Vilamoura has more there as it has the marina with lots of reataurants around it and is a very short taxi ride from Quarteira which has more traditional Portuguese places. Lots of villas there too

you haven't mentioned budget but have a look on Owners Direct in Nerja

Nerja is lovely; cheaper places tend to be a much longer walk from the centre (as you'd expect), & into town is downhill, but there will be nice private places available

Masses of flights into Malaga & good cheap car hire too

We did Lake Como last year and was as you described, although beach was more for looking at than sitting on (a bit shingley) although we did swim in the lake a few times.

\link{http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S26377.htm?src=LS#summary\something like this?}

no garden though - just terrace.

Beach: 2km
Shops: 1km
Restaurants: 1.5km
Resort Centre: 1.5km

Dalaman

Look at simpson travel. Lovely place in dalaman

\link{http://www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S12927.htm?src=LS#summary\or this} - much closer to beach, similar distance to town centre

(Burriana beach very popular)

Have you looked at the villas4kids website? They have a good selection and very child friendly.