Tell me about your lovely holidays…

[MoiraRoseIsMyQueen]

…so we can decide where to go!

DH and I are both turning 40 within a month of each other next year, so we’re planning a special holiday. We’ve drafted in grandparents so we’ll be child-free, which is a massive treat for us and almost never happens, so we’d like somewhere that is not child-friendly 😁

We don’t have a vast budget, maybe £2k (that we can stick on a credit card), and we probably want somewhere no more than about 8 hours-ish travel time from the UK (and we definitely want somewhere abroad). We love the outdoors, walking, food, and culture/history, and we don’t like big cities (so eg New York would be no good for us I don’t think).

So, have you been anywhere that fits the bill? Give me all the details of your lovely holidays 😊

I think I would probably go to Iceland. Easyjet flights should fairly cheap for the both of you. I'd do 3 nights in the Golden circle hiking to the geysers, national park, waterfalls or horse riding and finish with 2 nights in Reykjavik for the culture hit, Cathedral, Museums, shops and spa time.

What month/season will you be going?

Oh my goodness I didn’t think of Iceland! That sounds amazing, can I ask what time of year you went, or when is best to go? Is it expensive for food etc?

Birthdays are July/August but we’ll probably go earlier in the year to avoid school holidays, maybe April/May/June?

Lake Garda is lovely.Lots of walking/hiking available and well placed for a day trip to Venice or Verona.

Thank you, I’ll have a look!

We love Turkey. You could possibly at a squeeze have a 2 site Turkish holiday - fly to Antalya or Bodrum, have 5 days or so on the coast somewhere low key like Cirali or Kas. Then take an internal flight to Cappadocia - hot air balloons, amazing scenery, weird old underground churches...

@Babamamananarama hmm, I have been to Turkey once and I didn’t fall in love with it, but we went on a package hol so I doubt we saw the best of it. I’m not keen to go somewhere super hot, so I’ll have a look to see if it would be feasible to go in the cooler months. Thanks!

May or June you’d have lots of wonderful options in Europe . How long do you have? Here’s some ideas assuming about a week:

Dolomites & Lake Garda
Amalfi Coast
Corsica
Sicily
a Greek island or two - Crete and Amorgos are good for walking (Amorgos could fly to Athens, have a couple of days there then get overnight ferry).
South of France could be fabulous too - maybe the Alps around Annecy or around Carcassone
Tuscany - stay in a foodie agriturismo and do trips to Florence/Bologna

I wouldn’t go further than Europe as flights will eat up too much of your budget

Crete around Chania
Lots of walking and history

Istanbul is wonderful

Sicily. Every time.

Stay somewhere you can use the trains to travel about. We loved Syracuse.

I’m not sure you could do that on £2k, it’s really expensive.

lake Garda is a lovely suggestion early June?
Morocco would also be okay on your budget if you book flights early.

I always have the perception that Lake Garda is full of old people?!

@minipie thank you, there are some great ideas there! South of France definitely appeals - I can’t decide whether I want somewhere with lots to do, or whether I just want to sleep in the sun and drink wine for a week 😂

@StillWantingADog yes I’ve heard it’s amazing, I think we might find it a bit overwhelming though (we are country mice!)

We toured Iceland beginning of September for 9 days it is lovely but very expensive to eat out. We flew using Play which is was cheaper than Easyjet i think but more than ok, the way our the leg room was huge but coming back was more normal.

@bruffin I think we’d really love Iceland, but I am a bit worried about the cost - it’s a bit stressful to count the pennies on holiday isn’t it.

Azores is lovely, Ryanair have direct flights once a week in main season from London on Mondays, otherwise its via Porto or Lisbon. Great for culture, food, walking, scenery, hot springs. We stayed in Octant Furnas which had very few kids and they weren't allowed in pools after midday, this is the outdoor pool which is 37C all year and from hot springs. We went in March, flowers everywhere like a big tropical gardens.

Milan and lake como

Las Vegas, maybe April

Slovenia! Ljubljana is a very small, clean, green, pretty city with a great castle, funicular railway, lovely flea market, pretty river walks etc. And then you can go to Lakes Bohinj and Bled which are spectacularly beautiful for walking, castles, churches, boat trips. The local wine is delicious and cheap It's a very romantic place.

You could have a great time on 2k.

Iceland is totally amazing. You can hire a car and stay in Airbnb...even take your own food in the hold luggage...frozen chicken breast, bacon, pasta etc. Restaurants are expensive but if you're out am day seeing waterfalls etc there aren't many cafes so you kind of have to take your own packed lunch. Eat in your self catering and then go out for drinks or walk around the area. Local swimming pools, which are all thermally heated, are really good value. If your lucky enough to see the northern lights, that's free.

Whale watching and dog sledging are worth the money. We went in Easter a few years ago and going back in April this year. Even daylight / night time hours. Not too cold, approx 6 degrees. Can do Iceland in fancy hotels but lots of alternative ways to do it. Look at travel blogs for inspo

@fizznchips I think that would be our worst nightmare 😂

@OwlWeiwei ooh this sounds interesting, I’d never have thought of Slovenia! Will look into it, thank you.