I’m looking for suggestions! I want to go on holiday next June with my DH and DSs, who will be 4 and 11 months when we travel. I think we have very particular travel requirements which are hard to fulfil in a single place, but we don’t want to travel around to different locations while our kids are so small. Here’s the list of requirements (brace yourselves!):
- within 3 hour flight
- warm in June
- self catering
- plenty of things to do nearby with the kids (we are not a family who like to spend the entire holiday on a beach or by the pool)
- BUT access to a beach within half an hour walk or public transport would be ideal
- no car required (neither of us want to drive on holiday)
- ideally in or very close to a decent size town or city (that we could access on foot or via good public transport links)
- places of cultural/historical interest nearby
- plenty of bars and restaurants within walking distance
Last year we went to Valencia, which we both absolutely love and have visited twice. I think it fulfils all of the above requirements, and we’ve stayed in fantastic apartments in the city centre both times. It also has loads for the kids to do: a really good city beach, a great zoo, aquarium, museums, the Turia, a lovely old town, great public transport etc. It’s brilliant. My husband wants us to go there again in June as it will be our first trip abroad with both boys, and with DS2 going to be at a tricky age he thinks it would be easier to go somewhere we know. I’m not averse to this plan, but would like to consider other options before we book. I like to explore new places and feel like we’ve ‘done’ Valencia!
Can anyone suggest an alternative that meets our very specific requirements? Or is Valencia our best option?