Does anyone else find looking for a good holiday so confusing and go round and round in circles?

[Dartj]

i seem to spend hours and hours on the internet looking at options and not being sure what to do. I am so jealous of people who just jet off on a holiday to Greece/ Spain etc or other exotic places. I can’t seem to make any decision. The choice is so vast. My parents never took us on package holidays and they are a mystery to me. So far with kids we have just done cottage holidays in the uk next to a nice beach for sandcastles. The options abroad seem so varied and the reviews are always so mixed it’s different to know what’s right. The one time I went to Cyprus with dh and it was awful, we chose a hotel in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do! I don’t want to make that mistake again.

If you say what you want and give an idea of budget then maybe people can help with suggestions.
E.g. length of flight, self catering, HB or AI, must have pool be near a sandy/stony beach, harbour, shops, restaurants etc. Do you want a British type of resort or one with more local culture - busy bars with karaoke and tribute acts or quiet ones by the sea? Do you want to be able to go in boat trips, to a water park etc? If you can come up with the answers to questions like these that should help!

I find it easier to pick something I want to do, then look for holidays based on that. For example I wanted to see turtles, googled and saw they’re good to see in turkey so then started researching there. Make sure to check trip advisor and read reviews but be realistic about what you wouldn’t want. I’ve just booked an all inclusive where the complaints are that the hotel is dated (I don’t care) and that the all inclusive beer is unpleasant (I don’t drink beer!) so I don’t mind that. The rest of the reviews are good 🤷🏼‍♀️

So we need to fly from Edinburgh preferably which limits destinations a bit. Somewhere with some sun and preferably something to do like kayaking or water sports for two teen boys. Maybe local town with nice cafes and bit of culture. Don’t really want all inclusive. I also quite like the look of Switzerland or Austria next to a lake so we could do some mountain climbing or train trips. We aren’t too keen on hiring a car though so preferably public transport or taxis. My kids have never been to a water park and I think they would like to do that. It sure if anyone could do anything with that list? I like the look of the Croatia coast line too but not sure which areas best there

I looked at lake Garda Bella Italian apartments but wasn’t sure if our kids are too old. Kind of feel like we missed the eurocamp age during covid times

Think about what you want to do - would your dc get bored on a Jet2 type hotel/ beach/pool holiday?

What is the budget - feeding teens 3 meals a day is expensive. Do you need to self cater to have more options?

What about flying to Munich - do a summer Bavaria / Alps holiday. Public transport is good. Or a Europe by rail holiday - fly into one city home from another. There are tons of places you can go from Edinburgh. USA or Canada included.

You might be better off going to a travel agent. I know many on here despise travel agents and like to do everything themselves. But for a first-timer there’s nothing wrong with using a travel agent or a tour operator. There’s no shame in that.

I think because we have never done a beach/pool holiday the boys think they want that cos it looks nice in the photos. But in reality I think they would be bored

There are plenty of beach holidays that include water sports. My teens think they want a beach holiday, but tend to get bored after a few days so we compromise and book a beach/pool holiday but with day trip options. Last holiday, teens are now old enough that they stayed at the hotel and DH and I went off a few times to explore.

I know you said you don’t want all inclusive, but we prefer it with teens. We tend to choose a bigger hotel with lots of restaurant options but have found it works out cheaper in the long run when you take in to account meals, ice creams, drinks etc. Also bear in mind that if you aren’t used to travelling abroad, a package will include transfers to your hotel.

Have a look at On The Beach or Tui for ideas of prices and hotel facilities. I would maybe start with Croatia or Greece from your previous posts.

To be honest, we are at the stage where we are pandering to DC’s wants a little as we probably only have 1 or 2 more holidays left where they’ll want to come with us.

I live in Edinburgh too OP, so might have some ideas.

Simply Morzine might fit the bill, depending on what age your DCs are. You book their own flights and then they pick you up from Geneva airport and there's lots of activities you can book through them, including a day trip to Evian which was lovely.

Or just book your own summer time alps accommodation.This place www.neigeetroc.com/fr/ has reasonably priced apartments attached to the hotel and there's a lovely heated pool and various summer activities. Just get a transfer there and back which costs about the same as hiring a car for the week.

Neilson looks good, but limited flights from Edinburgh.

Dubrovnik - stay in Cavtat so you can do some water based activities or get the boat into the centre for sight seeing.

Or we had many holidays to Tenerife in October- it has an amazing water park called Siam Park and there are various day trips such as going up Mount Tiede.

Or we're just back from Lanzarote with DS16 and his pal. We stayed at the Seaside Los Jameos half board. Not normally the type of hotel we stay at but it worked really well with the boys as they could eat unlimited breakfast and dinner, and spent a lot of time in the gym and spa area. The rooms were lovely and there were lots of sporting activities on if people wanted to participate.

Slovenia might be a good destination if you want lakes and mountains. It’s considerably cheaper than Switzerland. Ryanair and EasyJet fly from Edinburgh to Ljlubljana. It’s a small country with good public transport. Somewhere like Kranjska Gora could be a good base with trips to Lake Bled etc. It’s a ski resort but there’s lots to do in the summer too. It’s a very beautiful country.

Actually, I’m not sure if you can fly from Edinburgh. I’m sure I did a few years ago though. This thread is probably going to sow even more confusion in any event. Lots of random ideas added to the mix.

No it’s the most fun part but then I hate travel agents and tour operators.

we love to do our own thing and hate ‘resort’ holidays - and definitely never AI

just booked Thailand for December/January. Away for nearly 3 weeks all self booked and planned

What about Corfu? EasyJet and Ryanair fly there from Edinburgh. Lots of resorts with water sports, kayaking, scuba diving etc. There is a big water park on the island so you could spend the day there.

Lots of resorts with glorious sandy beaches, some with pebble beaches which are great for snorkelling.

You can go on jeep safaris up into the mountains, shopping to Corfu town, hire your own motor boat and have an adventure, go on trips to the mainland or other islands. Kassiopi is great for sorting round the harbour watching the world go by. It's gorgeous.

So much to do although the beach and pool are where we usually spend most of our time!
You can be eat cheaply too - and things like sun loungers are free in most resorts if you buy a drink. You can easily feed a teen boy on gyros or souvlaki pittas for around €2.5/€3 a go and it's pretty cheap to eat out as long as you don't go for steak and lobster every meal. My teens love it there!

Thanks so much I am just looking at corfu now.

so I like the look of Dubrovnik a lot but wonder if we are better in October?
also liking the look of Valencia as plenty to do with a city and could do trips out the city maybe

also I have always wanted to do Iceland and think the boys would love that. But maybe the cost will be off the scale with spending money

Which side of corfu is best do you think? Not party central area but close enough that there are things to do

Dubrovnik might be too cold in October and too hot in Summer (mid 40s)- sorry !

Now I happen to know that the Easyjet flights to Iceland were still pretty cheap in the summer holidays, last time I looked a couple of weeks ago. Friends went this summer and booked self catering accommodation, they said that whilst it was pricey, it wasn't ridiculous provided you didn't drink.

DS has just been there with school, it did look amazing. Mind you if you don't want to drive I guess you would need to go on tours to see everything.

Yes the tours look a bit expensive. Say £80 per person per tour will add up very quickly

Depends on whether you want a Sandy beach or a pebble one!

Kassiopi is great with a busy harbour and lovely shops, bars and restaurants. Pebbly beaches do great snorkelling and there's usually one of the big inflatable water sports things on one of the beaches. It's bustling rather than party central with a good mix of nationalities.

Sidari has all the water sports you could wish for and a glorious Sandy beach but is a bit party central and British. There is the Sidari watersports hotel which is on the outskirts of resort so a bit quieter and it has 3 or 4 slides. We've visited for a day as you can buy a pass which was cheap for a day out somewhere different - bus stop just outside.

Paleokastritsa is beautiful abd where the trendy ones go! Def worth a visit though as it's so stunning. Lots of boat exploration around the coves sbd caves though!

Arillas is lovely but might be a bit quiet for teens. I've not been properly down in the south for years but might be a bit quiet for teens - except Kavos which is party central! I don't like the beach at Ipsos (another busyish resort) either as right by the road! You could look at Be it's, Messonghi, Agios Gordios and St George's south too.

We stay in Roda which we love - plenty to do but not party central. There's no water sports any more on the beach though but you can hire boats. You can get a bus to Kassiopi or Sidari and it's not expensive in a taxi if you want to have some fun on the watersports.

Lots of trips from Roda too and you can go up into the mountains or into town easily. If you want a self catering place which is busy with families (other teens), a swim up bar etc look at Theodoros resort, a quiet place I'd look at Elizabeth apartments and a budget one look at Valentinos. All very close to each other, couple of minutes walk from the beach etc and we've used them all! There also Makis apartments right on the beach. Book early if you need a 2 bedroom apartment and I would book direct with the owner as it's cheaper and you usually get air con and a safe free. You can use any pool as long as you buy a drink and sun loungers are free on the beach if you buy food/drink.

Lovely restaurants along the beach and it's cheaper than a lot of other resorts. My teens go back there with their pals now as they're not into lager lout places! There are a couple of bars with tribute acts and a couple of others who do quizzes etc but no ott carry on! Good mix of nationalities.

Sorry I meant to quite the OPs post asking about Corfu in my reply!

For two teenage boys I would recommend Tenerife Costa Adeje.
The water park there is absolutely fantastic. I took mine as teens and they loved it.
They also loved the all inclusive hotel where they could eat, drink and snack all day, as well as activities such as water polo in the pool and use of the gym. The hotel was next to a beach where they did water sports. I would like to say we did some sightseeing but I couldn't tear them away.

Dubrovnic is lovely for a short city break, as is Split. Valencia was a big disappointment to us.

Thanks that’s great. I just found a hotel in roda I liked the look of

I worry Tenerife is too hot in summer. Is it better in October?

You could call up Tui, for example - they are usually happy to talk through your requirements and budget and find you something.

I've not been in the summer but I believe the Canaries are meant to offer a year round pleasant temperature maxing around 30-32 degrees. Its Greece, Italy and mainland Spain where I would worry about it being too hot in Summer.

We've been to Tenerife in October many times and I think most teens would enjoy it. Obviously the terrain is a bit scrubby and it's not Tuscany scenery wise, but there's lots to do and Costa Adeje is pretty upmarket- try to be close to Playa Del Duque and you can't go wrong accommodation wise.