Totally stuck finding a holiday - help please :)

[Muthaofcats]

Looking for a family holiday with 3 and 6 year old during school hols, so either late may, summer of late October half terms.

criteria:

warm/sunny
kids club
pretty area
preferably close to local towns so ability to escape resort
not too ‘resorty’

Thought martinhal sagres was great and v family friendly but possibly a bit ‘resorty’ in the sense you could have been anywhere in the world / not much character.

LOVED country kids as much more charming/rustic and great with kids although only criticism is it was rather in the middle of nowhere.

Have looked at Domes of Elounda but worry it wouldn’t be warm enough in may / October and the prices are crazy high in august (when I also fear it may be too hot!?) - anyone been there in may / oct half terms ?

people often recommend ikos etc but I worry those don’t pass the ‘not too resort-y’ test!? Not sure I fancy anything that feels too large scale / busy.

do I seem too picky!? Does what I want exist?

Have you thought about a cruise? Their kids clubs are great and it’s a great way to see lots of places. Some good itineraries that leave from Southampton so can do it without a flight too.

Thank you / really don’t fancy the idea of a cruise at all but appreciate you taking the time to suggest it :)

Bloody love Ikos. I believe some are smaller than others.

We went to Club Med Marrakech in May half term, it was lovely. Obviously more French than British but we saw this as a plus.

Try Travel Counsellors, they are great at sorting out holidays like this

Also been to Plaka near the domes of Elounda. It is a lovely place. Don't know about the hotel though

Sadly this hasn’t been our experience at all

I did see this holiday and thought it looked great! What was temp like in may?

whzt do you like about ikos? Which is your fave?

We like Sani and Ikos but I don't think they'd fit your requirements. Don't get me wrong they're amazing but very resorty.

Domes Zeen is nice and it's easy to go out for the day sightseeing. Not sure it would be hot enough for October though.

For October you probably have to look further afield for guaranteed weather.

We went to Domes of Elounda in Oct half term. It's a lovely hotel with great swimming pools & kids club, but the east facing beach is quite narrow and shadey with lots of palm trees. This probably works great in August when you want protection from the sun, but not so great in Oct when you need the sunshine to be comfortable in a bathing suit! We tended to drive to Plaka beach, which was sunny and had a great playground too. But if you're kids are keener on pool v beach that might not matter. If you go to that area, definitely do a trip to Spinalonga Island and read The Island by Victoria Hislop before you go - just fascinating.

Crete and other southern Greek islands are a great option for Oct half term. You could also consider Rhodes or Kos.

We went to Club Med Marrakech for May half term, it was late 20s early 30s. Definitely pool and bikini weather, the odd overcast day but still hot. Weather wise it was great. There are shuttle buses to get to Marrakech. In terms land, it is a big resort, however, a lot of this is taken up with a golf course and tennis courts

There is a more exclusive riad area of the resort if you want a quieter area but that was more expensive.

The kids clubs were amazing - they did circus skills as well as football, tennis etc. There were a lot of French children there but if you go when there are school holidays, there will be more English children.

The food was wonderful and the wine was very good for AI

Ikos - we went Oceana which is a big resort, so not for you. I believe Olivia is smaller, they have more now so there might be one that fits your needs.

My travel counsellor is amazing. Let me know if you want her details

Sorry, I didn't answer your Ikos question. We went there as it was our first 'big' holiday with young DC, they were 4 and 18 months, they had amazing childcare. British qualified nannies and great kids clubs. They were amazing with DC, they had worked out that if your DC were having a great time then the DPs were happy.

The food was amazing, lots of choice.
The rooms were ok. There were more expensive ones that were bigger more secluded, we weren't in there.

Edited - wrong thread