Single parent holiday advice needed - Sicily or elsewhere?

[ShiningBright]

After a few years of holidaying in Britain on my own with DS age 5, I really want to go abroad. Trouble is, I have very little experience of travelling abroad and not on my own!

I would love to visit Sicily, there are plenty of cheap B&Bs but I'm not sure about flights and transfers and haven't been able to find direct flights from Midlands or Bristol so far. Can anyone advise me on this?

Also, if Sicily turns out to be a bit too ambitious, can anyone suggest anywhere else such as the Greek Islands. I want sightseeing and history for me and beaches for my son, not too expensive to eat out and I don't fancy big resorts. Friendly and safe too!

All advice welcome.

What about Malta? Should be easy to get to from England, people speak English, and plenty of sightseeing and history for you and beaches as well for your sun. Having grown up there I would say it is safe too!

Thanks, araminem. Any particular locations?

Hi, I absolutely love Italy and have visited many areas, either on my own, with DS on my own or with exH and DS. We went as a family to Sicily twice. I wasn't sure - ex had been before but I was so glad we went. It is beautiful and so much to see. We live in the south and Ryanair (from Stansted) used to fly to Trapani, right on the west coast. British Airways and Citalia used to fly to Catania on the east coast (possibly Gatwick). I am sure others fly to Palermo on the north.

It is a big island - the roads are not too bad - dual carriage way and were fairly empty. I don't mind driving in Europe. But it did take several hours to drive across the island.

I like Taomina - tourist resort, NE - near to Etna. I also liked Syracusa and a lovely little baroque town called Noto due South of Catania. You can easily get to the Bikini Girls villa (just watch for unofficial tourist guides). I am not keen on Agrigento - I realised that all the temples are Italian 19th C reconstruction. I cant comment on Palermo but there is quite a lot there.

Near Trapani is erice. That was quite an interesting hill town. We also ended up at some lovely small town on the north coast - and there are also islands to go and see.

All of Italy is expensive but you can economise by having a good breakfast, a packed lunch, drinking coffee standing up in a bar and then the evening meal is not so bad.

Be prepared for the Italians to coo over your DS. Quite normal.

It's not about which country you pick but the accommodation and amenities I think. You still have to do childcare 24/7 so a balcony or sitting area for the evening and a beach or pool would be essential.
Somewhere near to a shop for snacks, drinks and ice creams etc also important. As is somewhere to go and see that would interest them.

My easiest holidays have been a cruise, Jersey and Barcelona. My son was 4 and 5 when I did these. Out of all of them he remembers the cruise the most. It was a cheap one and he loved the whole ship, finding our cabin and the pool. I really liked visiting somewhere new everyday and as he refused to do the kids club he came too. But it was very easy and stress free and we got a lot of holiday experiences for the money.

WEll, wherever you stay in Malta you can easily reach any other location. Depends on if you want to hire a car or use public transport, if you want to be very close to a good beach, or want to be in the countryside.

Thanks to all for the advice and suggestions :-)

Cruises are expensive but brilliant for single parents. And virtually no additional cost after booking.

Have you considered one of the single parent travel groups like singlewithkids.co.uk? Only been camping with them but they do overseas holidays too and we've made great friends through it.

revealall - can I ask what "cheap" one you did - I'd love to go again but can't afford it

Btw, does anyone know if the fine for taking children out of school is per day or for the week would be away? I've read it's £60 per period but don't know what that means. Obviously not going to ask the school or local authority as it would cause trouble and I haven't decided whether we would go in term time yet, but I wouldn't rule it out.

shiningbright - you need to find out the policies of your school and your local Education authority. some haven't fined at all yet, some fine if its more than 4 days, some more than 5 - anyway you get the picture, it varies from area to area. you need to apply for the leave and if turned down then the school either do nothing or they pass to the LEA. if there is a fine its £60 per parent per child and this in some areas includes absent parents. check out the schools website, ask for a copy of their policy and get a copy (usually on line) from your LEA then decide.

Not been to Sicily but loved neighbouring Sardinia. One of the most child friendly places we've been. You can get cheap flights to Alghero or Olbia. Alghero you could get away without hiring a car though I recommend you Google 'Agriturismo' for accommodation. Many will need a car to reach but for a relaxed environment with a child they are excellent.

Kewcumber
I'm afraid mine was on the now defunct Ocean Village. I do look on Cruise Critic for reviews. I'm guessing Costa is the cheapest but it doesn't get good reviews.
There are occasional bargins on P&O and nearly went last year but ran out of options for a cabin for 3 ( was taking my mum).

On the issue of fines mummy is right. Very variable and open to interpretation but most only fine for the entire period rather than every session missed. Whether that kicks in for a day or a few days is up to the head really. Mine overlooks absence until it exceeds 5 days in a school year.