can anyone recommend a holiday destination please?

[therootoftheroot]

I want a beach holiday in europe basically.

I'll be going with my two teenage sons so a bit of buzz would be nice but definitely nowhere like magaluf/san antonio etc

nice restaurants, bars etc

we've loved puerto pollensa, liked nerja, really liked corfu

finding flights to greece/cyprus too expensive this year

not turkey/egypt/tunisia

any ideas?

Ibiza

Costa adeje in Tenerife?

acommodation in ibiza seems really expensive. which parts should i be looking at?

will look at tenerife-thank you

Ibiza- avoid San Antonio but pretty much the rest of it is fab

Have you looked at self catering apartments on Trip Advisor ?

What about Croatia, said to be cheaper but I haven't been

Croatia is nice. Cavtat?
Algarve also nice.

went to croatia as a child and loved it but everytime i look it seems really expensive

i have spent ages trawling all the websites and i am just lost now

my problem is that would be happy to go back to the same place again and again-if i know it's good then..that's fine

rest of the family want a change though-new experiences etc and i get scared of booking somewhere, getting there and finding it's awful!

Agree with Ibiza, you can get some great deals and its a great island and there's lots to do. I booked my last holiday next there with Teletext holidays ( online ), v good value and really enjoyed it!

I have been to many varied places in my 50+ years and I can say hand on heart none of them were "awful"

Some were nicer than others, sure but I have

I tell a lie. Blackpool is awaful.

*enjoyed every single one, for different reasons

Benidorm. It gets a bad rep but we took our 4 year old last year and it was brilliant. If you avoid the strip then it's really nice. Good weather and cheap prices and most of the hotels are a good standard. Lovely beaches with the sea right near the sand, the old town and its little shops to explore, mundomar a big sealife/zoo, terra mitica theme park and loads of coach trips to different areas and places. There's also the Benidorm palace for food and a show

Blackpool isn't awful for everyone. Stags and hens seem to like it. Would be my idea of hell.

Root: what'a the holiday that you would go to again and again?

I know you want a beach holiday but any particular reason? I always thought a holiday wasn't a holiday without a beach but then we went to the Dordogne last year after a recommendation on here and had such a good time we're going back this year.

Didn't miss the beach once as there are lovely rivers which we went on canoe trips down. And loads of prehistoric caves and castles to visit. Depends what your teens are into. Mine don't like lying on a beach. They want wifi, a decent pool (have had private, big hotel ones and shared with just 3 other family ones) and never want a crowded hotel one ever again. They want a games room with table tennis etc, somewhere to kick a football around, not in the middle of nowhere so town within walking or driving distance, nice restaurants nearby (preferably serving decent pizza!!), fun stuff to do locally like crazy golf or aquarium (and canoeing last year!) and are happy with cultural stuff like castles and caves (which DH and I like).

Dordogne ticked all those boxes. We also love Puerto Pollensa and Nerja so am watching this thread with interest.

really sorry mrsmoggy but i went to benidorm when i was younger-when i was pregnant with my eldest actually and i hated it.

Costa Adeje tenerife. Very nice area, lots of nice bars, restaurants and hotels. Clean and well kept.
Croatia is nice, but both split and dubrovnik are ridiculously busy with cruise ships in summer.

I live in Carvoeiro in the Algarve, lots of self catering apartments and villas, wide choice of restaurants etc, not a 'party' place but there are bars with live music, and live music or a DJ by the beach every evening through the summer

Happy to answer any questions

for me -being near the sea and being able to swim in it, is the ultimate relaxation. i absolutely love it. I look forward to it like nothing else.

The teens are very easy going-they like a pool, wifi.being able to go for a meal in the evening-walking through the town etc
They enjoy lying on the beach with a book. We have hired a boat in the past and pootled round the coast a bit and they love that.

we like somewhere with something to look at-something interesting. Didn't like the algarve because the sea was too cold and rough to swim and there was nothing to do other than beach/bars etc

also we tend to go self catering-haven't done a catered holiday since my eldest was 2 and we hated it.

got a lovely villa the other year with a very quiet shared pool which was gorgeous.

I also hated Benidorm. I had no idea how massive and high-rise it was. There a LOT of English/Irish bars and restaurants and they're not my thing at all, although I fully get why some people look for them in a holiday (in laws do, it's/ just they like familiar food, nothing wrong with that but not for us)

We had to go to Benidorm to take a hire car back when we stayed in Moraira (also recommended on here!). That's a nice Spanish town with a couple of beaches and loads of nice restaurants. It's not a "resort" though if that'/ what you're looking for. Most people stay in villas which are very reasonable. We would go back.

You're always going to have Puerto Pollensa beach in your head though (and possibly Formentor?) so it's hard to find something as good as that.

I think Ibiza might be a good choice. It's on my radar, but never veen

Been!

There's a lot more to the Algarve than beach and bars but yes the sea can be 'refreshing'

costa-i am so sorry -our posts crossed and mine looks like a really rude response to yours! Not intentional honestly!

Corralejo in Fuertaventura has a massive beach. There's a Thomson hotel there with lots of sporting facilities.

We're going back to Crete. So much history and lots to see and do.

I'll live

Soller in Mallorca is lovely, as is Cuitadella on Minorca - great restaurants and I have to say the beaches on Minorca are gorgeous. The bluest, clearest water I've swum in

I would second Corralejo . Beautiful beach , fab restaurants x