Help please. we really want a gorgeous beach holiday long haul in july /august but everywhere shows dodgy weather.

[ihatethecold]

This is the only time we can go due to school hols and exams.
Mexico looks rainy,
Mauritius poss a bit chilly and windy.
Florida looks boiling hot!

Poss Koh Samui will be dry?

I'm driving myself nuts trying to organise this.
We are going for a special occasion so we want to go long haul and have a budget of about 6K for 4 of us.

please help me!

Perhaps it would help us all to help you if you defined 'long haul'. Or why long haul is so important to you?

There are plenty of short haul destinations at that time of year that will give you a gorgeous beach holiday.

Long haul to me is beautiful white sand beaches, sea you can see through. The typical postcode image I suppose.
We can't travel at Xmas due to work or Easter because my ds will be revising for his exams.
It will be the first time we can afford this type of holiday.
We usually go to Europe, Holiday parks in Italy or France.
If it's not the right time for long haul it's ok.
Nothing is set in stone.
I just wanted to see if all options had dodgy weather.
I know a lot of you are well travelled.

The Dalmatian Coast has white sand beaches, very pretty, fairly hot in August.

We went to Mexico last July. Think it rained once, holiday was brilliant would really recommend it!

Another place to look at is Sri Lanka. We love it.
We went for 3 week and cost just over £1000 each and that included flights.
We did a tour, safari and beach.
Used a company called Genuine Srilankans who were amazing.
genuinesrilankans.com/
We loved this hotel
www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g304142-d1674695-Reviews-Turtle_Bay-Tangalle_Southern_Province.html

Pinarellu on the Corsican east coast is a white sand/turquoise sea experience, and Corsica is fab, will be very hot in august and fantastic food. Or plage de saleccia, with it's famous cows! I'd be tempted to shelve long haul and get a gorgeous villa in Europe.
Long haul the I'd recommend Sri Lanka. The east coast is lovely, but the weather may be unpredictable.

Bahia in Brazil? Temp in July 21-26, beautiful beaches, wonderful local culture. Visit Rio during Olympic build up...

regarding Greece, the kiddy-drunk resorts are:

Faliraki on Rhodes
Kavos on Corfu
Laganas on Zante
Malia on Crete

anywhere else, even on the same islands will be fine.

what you don't get in Greece (or really anywhere in Europe) is powdery white sand and bath-temperature water, although it will be warm in July and August. You also don't get dengue, malaria and 15 hours plus on a plane.

there are some wonderful luxury resorts all over the Med.

Aruba is great if you like windsurfing but it's very dry & flat. I wouldn't describe it as lovely at all (we went in early July as DH is a very keen windsurfer). Lots of casinos and big hotels along the beach.

Montenegro has clear blue seas and white beaches

Mauritius is brilliant, lots to see and do. In August, the Northwest is the driest and warmest part, have a look at the Maritim hotel. It had its own giant tortoises, I loved them.

Because of school hols we have always had to take grandchildren long hauling in August. Yes, it can rain in tropical places, but not usually for long. Strangely, we find the heat is easier to cope with than Greece or Turkey in the height of summer.

DH and I have had a few autumn trips to a lovely hotel in Corfu, but when I had a look at prices in August, it was a lot more expensive than Mexico or the Dominican Republic, both of which we love, so where 'bragging rights' come in over Europe v. tropics I don't see.

We have done Mexico in July/ August 3 times. You do get some rain but its only for say an hour a day and is actualky really refreshing after the hot hot sun all day. We are looking to go back this year after doing short haul last year and being dissappointed! We absolutely love it, obvs... Amazing place, so much to see and do. Would steer clear of Cancun and stay in Playa Car whuch is a gated community of hotels right on the beach of Playa del Carmen. Much more "mexican"

I, too am wondering why it has to be long haul. OH travels long haul a lot for work, so our holidays have always been short haul. For crystal clear sea the Adriatic is a good bet as there is very little heavy industry on the coast. So that gives you Croatia and Italy.

Last year we stayed in a luxury 5 star hotel in Crete in a low key resort with access to a few sandy beaches. Sadly, the hotel is now adults only, otherwise we would be back there like a shot. You would never have known that Malia was four miles down the coast.

I don't understand the snobbery about long haul holidays when there are lovely, upmarket holidays to had much closer to home.

Here is a good beach guide.

Well I have explained why earlier in the thread.
Thanks for the ideas everyone. It's given me lots to think about.

The fact that it is a special occasion shouldn't mean it has to be long haul though. But if I wanted to go long haul in the summer holidays my choice would be California.

No jabs or anti-malarials required, no worries about cleanliness, no language barrier, great food, some absolutely fantastic experiences to be had - flying over San Francisco Bay in a helicopter, Yosemite, Death Valley, San Diego etc. The weather in SF will be cool, but everywhere else it will be hot and sunny.

We did a three week holiday in California many years ago during the first three weeks of the school holidays and we didn't have any rain. I was unprepared for how chilly San Francisco was and ended up buying a sweatshirt while we were there.

Actually for amazing white beach with see through sea you could go to Alderney in the Channel Islands pity the sea is freezing.

Thanks East,

I'd like bath water warm sea!

I'm not a fan of the med do we deliberate this every year OP.

I'd second California, Hawaii.
And we had great weather in Kenya one Sunmer ( particularly good safari time ) but you may feel its a bit tricky there at the mo.

We did have a great Summer in Italy. Sorento, Vesuvius, Pompeii, Capri etc. butcher avoided the beaches ( booked a villa ).

Or how about Canada? We've had fab holidays on both east and west coast.

Maine, USA

California has freezing cold water!

I've been to Greece in July/August at least 10x and have always had amazing weather. Try Lesbos or Folegandros or Hydra.

Yes we are wondering about Canada.
I'm desperate to visit Alberta. It's looks amazing.

Some of the links above are mega bucks.
The one linking to halkidiki quoted £11K for 1 room

I still strongly recommend Fiji!

I don't know how old your children are (you mentioned exams so I am thinking at least one teenager?) but Fiji has a wide range of resorts at varying prices. Have a look on trip advisor I can assure you they are not £11k!

E.g. the Sheraton you would be looking at £100-£300 per night for two rooms and four people in peak season. What you spend on airfares you should make up on accommodation.

And July-August is dry season, you will skirt the tropical storms by a good 3 months!

There have been some other great countries suggested on this thread too though.