Tropical but not long haul

[Sweetpea1989]

Can anyone recommend a sunny beach destination that has a tropical feel but is not a long haul flight away.

Cirali Turkey seems to be a good option?

2 adults and an adventurous 4 year old.

Thanks

Go straight south. Canary Islands. Lots of English speaking people, no time change, can be there in about 4 hours.

Turkey is fabulous with children. Loads of resorts to choose from. Some very lively and others much quieter.
Although things are not as cheap there as they used to be, it is still good value for money. EG a boat trip. Hotel pick up and drop off with lunch provided is about £25 for a full day.

Neither Turkey nor the Canary Islands has 'a tropical feel'. The Canary Islands are hot and dry in the summer and warm and mild in the winter. If you want a tropical climate, then I'd say somewhere like The Gambia is your best bet.

This Gambia ? https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/19/the-gambia-votes-to-reverse-landmark-ban-on-female-genital-mutilation

La Palma in the Canaries is very lush and has a couple of low key resorts.

@flippingflips I doubt the OP is going to be at risk of FGM. But if she wants 'tropical' but not long haul, her choices are very limited!

If you mean white sand and turquoise waters try Menorca.

Tropical means “hot and humid climate” - usually in the Tropics, ie close to the equator. Rainforests, lush vegetation, lots of rain etc. Europe isn’t tropical it’s temperate. The Middle East (including Turkey) definitely isn’t although they are a few green oases!

As a previous poster said, your closest tropical countries (if you’re in the UK) are on the continent of Africa - eg Zanzibar / Tanzania, Mozambique, Ghana as mentioned (which is stable and nice one to visit).

OP is this what you’re after? Or perhaps a slightly different climate / landscape? There are places in Europe which have a tropical look and feel even jf bot in the tropics - ie thick green forest, hot temps. Some of the northern Greek islands might fit the bill - how about Corfu? Another could be Madeira in Portugal. Let us know where you land!

Don’t write off Madeira - we avoided it for years thinking it was very dull and aimed at retired people. We loved it and were blown away by the gorgeous mountainous landscape. Fabulous walking and while the beaches aren’t great the waterfront hotels are stunning and there is plenty to keep a 4 year old occupied.

Gambia is not a nice place for women or girls. I'd say we should be boycotting it until they stop hating us and our bodies. https://twitter.com/jahaendfgm?lang=en

Sardinia or Corsica for beautiful white sand beaches.

Agree re the FGM law but do you boycott every country that has a poor human rights record for women and girls?

If you don't mind medium haul, ie 6 hours then Cape Verde might work.

I believe I do.

USA? Malta? Andorra? Much of central and south America, much of Africa, all of the Middle East, much of southern Asia...

Basically you just stick to Europe (avoiding Malta) then?

@Sweetpea1989

what time of year and what does “tropical feel” mean to you? Soft white sand beaches. Warm turquoise seas? Lush vegetation? Cuisine?

It may shock you to learn that yes, some people do try and make ethical choices when spending their money and that sometimes this means making sacrifices in terms of choice of products, services, destinations etc.

Like @flippingflips we also try to avoid countries with poor human rights records.

Antalya in Turkey - not tropical vibes but certainly feels tropical
CIrali is stunnign and is paradise for adventureous kids.

Correct. I actually don't think anywhere can beat Europe (no desire to go to Andorra) We have a campervan. We are self sufficient for up to a week. We have been to absolutely incredible places that I'd never heard of. Areas of Europe so "undiscovered" by the mobs. I have no desire to fly again.

Thanks for the thread OP - having just looked up Madeira as pp suggests, I want to go there myself now!

Is Mexico classed as long haul? If you go to Riviera Maya/Cancun side, the flights aren’t too bad (8/10 hours), very warm and humid, lovey beaches and sea, feels very different to places in Spain etc. Maybe you could give us some more detail about what you mean by tropical though OP? Or what you’re trying to avoid with long haul.

There isn't anywhere tropical, short haul.

Having searched and searched and searched. There simply isn't. There are some amazing places to visit, but not that tropical island you're thinking of.

Isn't there that place in Albania that's a bit tongue in cheek the "European Maldives?"

By definition you won't find tropical climate in short haul distance of the UK, but as for short haul beach holidays I'd probably say the Adriatic, Canaries, Balearics or Greek islands. Croatia is particularly beautiful, as is Montenegro but far cheaper, and some Greek islands are still very reasonable outside of Mykonos, Santorini and the like.

The little village/town of Cirali where it backed onto the beach actually gave me Thai vibes. Very laid back, we loved it. Be aware there wasn't any shade on the beach at all that I recall and in August it was extremely hot.
Playa Flamingo Lanzarote has a very pretty beach with palm trees along it. Might be the sort of thing you're looking for. Very family friendly, definitely an easier choice than Cirali.
Menorca has some beautifully turquoise water and pretty beaches, we liked Macarella ans Macarelleta but I think you have to hike to both.

We stayed in a lovely little place in the north of Corfu which had a tropical feel. It was completely green and lush, with banana trees, palms and bright flowers. We were totally surrounded by green lushness. At night the temperature didn't drop much, which continued the tropical feel.

Or for white sand beaches, maybe try Sardinia.