Does it exist?!

[NoTvNoWifi]

I am looking for an authentic holiday experience (ie if in Spain it feels like Spain etc!), with lots of life for tweens/younger kids, scenery and good food for us, not too much driving....we are struggling to find the solution. We went to Salou last month purely for the kids and it was a huge hit with them (despite 2 of our dc having suspected ecoli, but that is another story). The area left us cold but we were happy they were so excited by evrything on offer (night shows, pools and slides, trampolines etc) Our olders dc loved it so much I would love to find something they love as much again - but where we also like the area. We have done glamping in Umbria (too quiet for dc), Cyprus (mountains and coast - great but too hot in summer!), Puerto Pollensa (successful but a bit soulless for us), several Eurocamps in France (weather hit and miss)... Has anybody got a recommendation of somewhere that balances character/quaintness with liveliness for 10-13 age groups and where we dont need to drive forever. Having returned from Salou where we had a short taxi transfer we will struggle to return to hire car and the stress of driving big distances! I am looking at next summer. Also budget below £5k for 5 including flights. Anyone, help?

Try Portugal maybe? The area between Lisbon, Cascais, Sintra and along the Atlantic coast. There's loads to see and do, eating out was affordable (then, not up-to-date on this year) and beautiful beaches. We did have a car but we saw buses all the time that go between the main towns. And there are trains from Sintra to Lisbon.

Actually, I mean the area between Cascais, Sintra and along the Atlantic coast. The National Park area. But go to Lisbon as well.

Barcelona. The beach is fab, the city is beautiful, lively, historic. Perfect beach and city combo IMHO.

Sicily? Plenty to see and do, glorious weather and very beautiful rustic towns

Try Eurocamp (or even better book direct) in Spain). Great weather and the Spanish sites tend not to be as isolated as the French ones and you can often walk into town. You have all the activities and entertainment, pools, etc for kids. Try the Costa Brava, more authentic, loads of beautiful places to explore. Fantastic food and wine and brilliant value. You might struggle with public transport though. That's probably why it's less built up and not as touristy as the Costa Dorado though.

Thanks for the recommendations. Have done Barcelona but will look at Sicily and Portugal now. May I be cheeky and push for accommodation recommendations to save me a trawl?!

Thanks Mirmac. We normally do Eurocamp and Costa Brava really appeals but struggling to find a site that suits (beach and village/town access but not extra large site). Will have another look now!

Portugal - Has it all I think ! Quick flight and transfer, great beaches , great food and great weather.

I you want Costa Brava I can recommend Tossa de Mar, lovely town, pretty beach. Golden Bahia hotel has a good pool and sports facilities, with a short walk into town, lots of restaurants, beautiful old town area, nice beach.

Tossa is gorgeous and probably easier without a car than other places further north on the Costa Brava. You can get a bus to Girona and Barcelona if you fancied a bit of sightseeing or there are boat trips. Theres a great water park up the road in Lloret de Mar, 20 mins by bus. Don't stay in Lloret though. Tossa is waaay nicer.

We went to Sicily a few weeks ago with Thompson and stayed in Cefalu at a fairly standard hotel called Costa Verde. My children are 10 and 11. There was lots there for them to do including a water park which they loved.
We spent about half the time on the resort and the other half sight seeing. We did hire a car, but there is a train and bus service that runs all round the island so it's really easy to get around. Sicily is massive though, so it would be best to choose accommodation on the half of the island that has the most stuff you'd like to see.
We sound very similar to you, resort holidays are wasted on us as myself and my partner get very bored just being by the pool. It was really important to me though that we find somewhere where there was a pool and activities for the kids, as well as an Quentin experience for us. We had the most amazing time and would definitely go back

*authentic

Malta?

What about Croatia? Lapad near Dubrovnik gorgeous. Amazing city, old town, cheap.

Ultimate wipeout in sea, boat trips. Hire a car go to Bosnia and Montenegro. Waterfalls

You won't regret it

We also went to Salou and DD absolutely loved it. I enjoyed the old town and we went to Barcelona for a day, which was wonderful. It was one of our best holidays. I've heard Sitges is really nice. Maybe try Greece, some of the islands are beautiful and a tour to Athens might be right up your street. Santorini is still on my wish list

Roses/Rosses on costs brava? I live in Spain and the Spanish go there. Dali had a place there. They also go to Peniscola (beautiful - it plays Dorne in game of thrones) and Cadiz area. The most Spanishy/magical Spanish places i've seen have been in Andalusia but no beaches. Córdoba, Granada, Ronda. I also loved Merida which we found by accident and is as Roman as Rome (ruins everywhere!) but inland so nobody seems to know about it. Cascais is lovely, a relative grew up there, but more the surrounding country than the town itself. I loved Sintra and the train to lisbon for a day trip is easy.

We stayed at Umag in Croatia can't remember the name of the hotel. I believe Al Fresco have a site there. We took a boat across to Venice.

Biarritz ? Fabulous surfing and non surfing beaches, cheap flights, nice restaurants, few Brits mainly French and a few good day trips.
Naples for vibrant culture, Herculaneum, fab pizza if you choose the right spot, beaches on Ischia for the day but choose a hotel with a pool or stay a short train ride away in Sorrento.
Scheveningen but weather might be too much of a risk.
Annecy - lakeside beaches, just beautiful, easy by train?

Oh my goodness this is amazing. I am so glad I asked. I am going to start with Tossa and work my way through the list. It is obviously a fairly common dilemma balancing older kids with adults. So helpful everyone. We did Annecy pre-kids and loved it but were rained on the whole time and also Sorrento but beaches were not great. A lovely day of research ahead!

Costa de la Luz? We found it a lot more Spanish than Majorca or Costa del Sol.

Sardinia? But may get very hot in Summer but may work for a May half term.

I like the sound of Lapad ^^

Came on to recommend Caorle in Italy. Beaches, a water park nearby, boat trips to Venice - and terrific cafes and restaurants of course.

Malta?

Though possibly too hot. Unless of course your DC are of an age to learn scuba diving, in which case it would be manageable because of the time spent in the (cooler) water, then using the evenings (if you have enough energy left) for other stuff, plus a day or two at the end when you mustn't dive for sightseeing/horse-riding or whatever you fancy

Lake Garda! If you stay at one of the eurocamp sites in Pesciera at the south of the lake then you won't need a car. There is a great train service to Verona, Milan and Venice. We had a great time at Del Garda camping village.

Thanks again everyone. Sorry I haven't been back before now but battling post-holiday sickness that landed our youngest in hospital. We are looking at Costa Brava as a first point of call. As a family of 5 campsites are best bet and found some luxury rentals in a campsite that might be a goer. Also had a look at Cefalu but Costa Verde dont do rooms for 5. Loved Lake Garda (Camping Weekend) few years ago and loved it but prefer somewhere different. Looked at Umag but no notion of the language between us! Also come across Roussilon but not sure of Pyreneen weather predicability. Thanks all. Happy to recommend our own discoveries if anyone needs.

watching the suggestions with interest. we have a young teen and whilst she loves resorts for the chance to make friends I am really tiring of them.