Beach. Some things for children (e.g. rides, funfair, maze) bit of history, maybe an art gallery or two. Pool. Not too cold.

[bossykate]

...these are dh's criteria for our summer holiday next year.

another criterion he seems fond of is... "not anything dw has suggested"

uk or shorthaul please.

all suggestions very welcome.

TIA

thank you, tmj

come on travel fiends.

No suggestions but will be watching this thread with interest as our criteria are pretty much identical to yours! Would also add a request for restaurants which serve local food, not fish & chips or identical menus in every restaurant in town...

Italy

Ok, so it is Tuscany so no beach but the rest is fab. Very international campsite with good restaurants, lovely pool, nice friendly staff, yummy Gelateria.

We have been there a few times, first without kids, last year with DD, 4 yo last summer, DS 2 yo. They loved it, DD is still asking to go back.

Book direct with the campsite, it is cheaper than going through Eurocamp.

They offer bus trips to most towns in the area, Siena, Florence, Pisa, Greve in Chianti and a wine tour.

thank you very much

blimey you have to work hard to keep a thread in active convos these days!

We'll keep it bumped between us BK

cheeky bump before the lunchtime rush subsides...

Malta? Seem to remember a good mix of beaches / snorkeling and interesting places to walk around! Couldn't recommend a resort but the whole island is so small that it probably wouldn't matter where you stay.

thank you

see, i think these criteria don't narrow things down very much (perhaps who so few responses?)

what do people think?

perhaps why so few responses?

Message withdrawn

i like the sound of mousses. what about local culture there?

Hmmm. Art galleries and beaches - well, it's sounding like either near Barcelona or Italy to me.
There is lots of history on the Charente coast bk - Rochefort has a stunning old naval base with a wooden ship being laboriously reconstructed, La Rochelle is full of beautiful old buildings, good shops and restaurants, and some interesting small museums. It is lovely down there and there is absolutely scads to do with little children (Chateau des Enigmes, les Antilles indoor pools at Jonzac, forest train on the Ile d'Oleron down to St Trojan les Bains, Roman ruins and boat trips at Saintes etc).
Would somewhere near Naples (for Pompeii and Herculaneum) suit? Could you face Sicily ?
I hope dh's criteria will not include "not anything recommended on Mumsnet"

Message withdrawn

Don't come to Cyprus It's hot and it has beaches but that's about it!!!

re Cyprus.

And fantastic greek and roman mosaeics near Paphos.

And the temple of apollo, near the early Christian basillica!

and a 14th centuary Turkish fort!

Keep the little ones entertained for all of 10 minutes. Health and safety is a nightmare, no buggy access......won't fill up much time.

thanks for these, ladies

marina, why the wink for sicily? have you remembered we went there before when ds was a crawler and had our worst holiday ever? haha. i would still go back there, albeit older and wiser this time.

i really fancy the amalfi coast actually...

dh is not so keen on france. apparently.

and cyprus but we will be going in august which i think would be a bit too hot...

OOOOH massive no no if planning a trip in AUgust. I left the island for a month because it was too hot for us and we're acclimatised!!!!

Portugal - fantastic resort called Sintra, about 1 hour away from Lisbon, so could go to Lisbon for a bit of culcha( or send dh to go and look at some paintings while you lay on the beach)

portugal - yes, great idea, thanks for that

would love it if you lovely mnetters could come up with the same suggestions that have been poohpoohed already

shameless bump for the late crowd.

Wink was indeed for Taorminagate

If he's sniffy about pedestrian old France how about the good old Ile de Beaute

If you went for the round the Golfe de Porto/Valinco you have the heaving, Napoleonic metropolitan purse-nicking Ajaccio experience nearby, plus the fascinating menhirs at Filitosa

And it is SO lovely on that island

Two hours tops from Stansted, Corsican Places, you know you want to

thanks

see, i could go for corsica.

i think the thing is (1) he wants to go with another family again and it's an "over my dead body" issue for me (2) he is not one of life's planners so asking him where we might go on holiday next august is like asking him what we might be doing next century (3) who knows if we will still be together then anyway?