Somewhere in the Med for late Sept/early Oct?

[UsedToBeAPaxmanFan]

D and I have the opprtunity to go away for up to 2 weeks at the end of September into the beginning of October.

We'd quite like somewhere within 3 hours flying time of any London airport. We'd like to be somewhere where its still quite hot ( think mid - high 20s) during the day. We usually do self catering, but are also happy to do a hotel. Ideally near a beach but also somewhere where there is a bit of antiquity/interesting ruins etc. If there are good hiking trails then that would be a bonus.

I was wondering about Kefalonia but don't know how warm it would be at that time of year, and whether there would be enough to do for 2 weeks.

Alternatively, we wondered about a few days in Istanbul followed by a week in a Turkish resort.

Anyone have experience of either option? Or have a better suggestion?

Crete!

I second Crete ! No where is guaranteed sunshine at that time , but your best bet is south east med. we've had a few very wet holidays in Spain and the Balearics at the end of September - seem to be storms that time of year, then it calms down again

Kalkan or Kas in south west Turkey. Hiking on the Lycian Way, near to fabulous ruins at Patara and Xanthos. Gorge walking at Saklikent. Canoeing on the Xanthos River if that's your thing. Wonderful food. Pm me if you need any help picking accommodation.

Definitely interested in kalkan or kas myself!
I'm thinking hiking and staying in traditional type town maybe
Is driving a possibility here?
How far is xanthos river canoeing from where you mentioned?

Xanthos is half an hour from Kalkan. Kas is a further half hour down the coast from Kalkan. Yes, driving is absolutely fine as long as you keep your beady eyes on the other drivers and watch out for unlit donkeys at night!

Thanks for the info, sounds as though Kefalomia is out, but we'll definitely look into the Turkey suggestions.

One question about Turkey
We thought about it in the past but after going to Egypt and HATING the being pestered walking down the street to buy if you glance at a shop -heard Turkey is very similar.
What about this area? Is it endemic?

No, I know that the local mayor in Kalkan at least has stopped all that - hasn't been like that for over 15 years. They don't touch you and the shopkeepers don't call out to you. They do ask if they can help when go into a shop, mind you. At the local market on a Thursday (Friday in Kas) the stallholders do call out the usual stuff like "apricots, peaches, cabbages and potatoes, roll up, roll up" (but in Turkish of course) and some of the cheekier ones will say things in English, but they would never touch you or follow you.

Valencia! It's still baking hot at that time of year and you won't get hassled in the street :) Flights from Stansted are about 2 hours I think.

Rhodes, the weather will be perfect and there is Rhodes Town and Lindos

Turkey is beautiful that time of year, it is still lovely and warm.

The shopkeepers in Turkey are nothing like those in Egypt, they will chat to you and try to get you to buy but it is more friendly banter than hassle, especially if you avoid the big tourist resorts like Marmaris.

Places like Kas or Kalkan are fine as are the smaller resorts of the Bodrum Peninsula, which is where we go. Turkish people are generally very friendly and chatty but not annoying like those in Arabic countries.