Recommendations for European holiday please...

[Housenoob]

We're looking to go on holiday in September- it will be my husband and I (mid 30's) and my DD who will be 15 months. We're thinking somewhere like Majorca, Portugal (Algarve) or similar but when we look at these places we find it really hard to choose exactly which area would suit us.

Essentially we want to stay in a baby friendly resort type place but still have easy access to do a bit of exploring/walking and see some authentic pretty old town type places, as well as sandy beaches. Nice local restaurants, cafes etc. Not fussed about nightlife obviously with a 1 year old! We want to avoid any big tacky built up areas with all the water parks and kiddy attractions etc as we have all that to come in the future I'm sure!!! Happy to hire a car if we need. I suppose we're after a hidden gem but nothing too off the beaten track if that makes sense?

At the moment Majorca and the Algarve are frontrunners but if anyone can recommend specific parts of those please do! Or happy to hear other suggestions too. Thanks in advance!

Have you had a look at Croatia? I can't comment on resorts but it has some really lovely places to visit and really easy to get around by car etc. You could do some of the islands like Hvar of you want some time on the beach/by a pool or go to a small town line Rovinj, Trogir or a bigger town like Split if you wanted to have a based to relax in. We've been twice now (moved around a bit whilst there) and it's one of our favourite countries.

Ah @Keladrythesaviour great suggestion but I've been to Croatia twice! I love it too, it's one of my favourite countries.

Should have said some others we have already been to so don't want to go- Greece, Cyprus, Lanzarote, Malta, Barcelona

Never expected it, but Malaga completely fits your criteria in my view. Nice town/castle etc, but beach/pools, and lots of great restaurants. We thought it would be noisy/Benidorm-esque, but it wasn’t at all.

@Housenoob ahh, well at least I was on the right lines taste wise!
We have been to Javea/Xàbia twice, in Spain and would definitely recommend. It's a little more commercialised than Croatia but depending on where you stay you can be in or out of the action a little more. The last villa we stayed in had goats herded last every morning!
I prefer Javea/Xàbia to Denia which is just up the coast though it's nice for a visit.
You've also got Valencia not far away so can be good for a split trip! Ignore that it's close to Bendiorm, you can see it when you drive past if you fly from Alicante but it's world's away in experience.
There's a nice, family friendly beach in Javea, lots of restaurants - some great ones by the Marina. The old town is very cute. Lots of beautiful countryside to see if that's your thing and a day trip into the mountains to visit the hilltop town of Guadalest is a must. Lots of cafes and cobbled streets and incredible views.
I haven't done that with children in tow, but at the age of your DD I think you'll be fine.

Estepona is very different from other resorts along the Costa del Sol. It’s not a “tourist trap” with the usual tourist shops and pubs, it’s an authentic Spanish town where locals live and go out. The town centre is very pleasant with beautiful squares, restaurants and small museums. We also like that it’s got a Marina area with restaurants. It’s well located so even if you don’t have a car, you can easily catch a local bus to Gibraltar, Ronda, Marbella, San Pedro etc.

Lovely suggestions, will check them all out properly.

A colleague suggested Cala D'or in Majorca, would anyone recommend here?

I agree, we have recently been to Moraira which is the next town down the coast and found it perfectly suited to a family holiday with a baby. Everyone is so welcoming and restaurants love it when you have children with you! We did a couple of day trips to Valencia where there is an aquarium and a huge park to walk around and it took approx. an hour to get there.