Ideas for 'special' holiday

[SantanaBinLorry]

I'm 50 next year and the first time me and other half will be able to travel/holiday without the kids. Whoop Whoop!!

We've got 12 days booked off together end of July beginning of Aug.
It's a broad brief with a small budget...around £2000
Were just after ideas for something a bit different. We're Fine with low budget travel/hostels etc
Although we've never really done luxury \adults only kind of holidays - so wouldn't mind a bit of that if possible.
We would like to leave the UK! Preferably somewhere warm. We'd also be happy mixing it up, a few cheap nights to be able to stay somewhere really nice for a couple.
We usually do all our own bookings separate flights/accommodation etc but happy to use agents or travel companies to find a good deal but don't know where to start looking...
We know a full 12 days will be impossible on our budget. Thinking something like 5 days of relaxing luxury or 7-10 days of travelling and mixing it up. We can travel light and can be pretty frugal when needs be.
More than happy to fly/train/ferry/buses , prefer not to drive, but will consider it for the right place/route.
I like the idea of overnight trains and boat travel, big or small.
We lived in Spain, so not too bothered about returning (unless for something super special or cheap) Totally open to anywhere in the rest of europe / world!

I'll NEED either the ocean or a body of water for a least some of our trip, it's not a holiday if I don't get a swim!
Other half is interested in Germany, cities and countryside.
I'd love to see Copenhagen.
Morocco is also raising some interest... By train\ferry maybe?I
We've even though of hiring a small villa somewhere and asking some friends to join us...
Just cannot decide what to do, so we need some inspiration.

Things we don't want...
Spanish beach holiday
Camping/Glaming/huts (hostels are ok)
Kids 😂

Hope you can help with some ideas or 'special ' places to visit. Throw it at me, weird and wonderful welcome.
TIA

Not on your list but Croatia is beautiful, you can change it up by visiting a few different islands/places. You could easily mix different accommodation types

Croatia is way up on the list! I'll defo get my plantation that way. Any recommendations?

End of July beginning of Aug is peak family holiday time across Europe (and a lot of the world in fact)

So I would aim to go to non family friendly places to avoid crowds and since it’s a long awaited adult holiday

Maybe island hopping in some of the more remote Greek islands - eg overnight ferry from Athens to Amorgos and work your way back from there?

Or S America - Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile (check the weather, I believe Peru/Bolivia is good then, not sure otherwise)

Malaysia (incl east coast islands, and side trip to Singapore) could be good

Or if budget allows, it’s a great time of year for safari in East Africa (Kenya/Tanzania) and then Zanzibar for beach. Expensive!!

Croatia lovely but will be heaving then- would aim for quieter islands/inland areas

Slovenia is lovely too, you could tour the coast. Montenegro is also a gem of a place.

We went about 25 years ago and did the usual places (Dubrovnik, Hvar, Korcula). Was a lot quieter then though.

We also loved Corsica, it's quite big so plenty of places to get away from the crowds. Probably more on the pricey side though

Some things to look at here, cheers.We get cities and resorts will be busy, so happy to head of the beaten track a little after a little hustle and bustle.

@minipie Other half has been to Peru, USA and Madagascar, but I've never experienced anything other Europe. Morocco could bei n budget for this trip.
We'd LOVE to visit most off your far-flung list, but we're waiting for more time/money to do those in a few years. We'd both like to do USA and Australia at some point too...Brisbane Olympics 2032 is bucket list stuff!

This area sounds a bit quieter

www.kimkim.com/c/ultimate-guide-to-the-peljesac-peninsula

From here you can get the ferry to Korcula. Which will be busy

I’d think most of Morocco will be too hot in July/August

Sorry I had missed the budget, so ignore most of my list!! That is going to be tight in peak season. Def Europe then. Croatia is expensive. Slovenia likely cheaper, with a side visit to somewhere seaside in Croatia. Greece has fairly cheap accommodation outside of the most popular areas (and if you don’t mind basic), and a lot of it has a kitchenette for s/c which helps save costs.

If you go to Slovenia and end up in a hotel or apartment on the seafront, please get the seafood platter from Restavracija Hotela Marina and book a trip to see the 'human fish' - you won't regret it.

We want to go to Montenegro - it’s not far from Dubrovnik which we loved and looks similar to Croatia but hopefully a bit cheaper & quieter. The water in Croatia is stunning - so clear.

Dolomites (Bolzano/Merano) mixed with a few days in the Italian Lakes. You get the blend of Germany and Italy with water and beautiful scenery. Think would be more adult than kids type holiday as well.

See what's available but I stayed in Malmö recently. Super easy on the train from Copenhagen airport (half an hour on the train directly from inside the airport), easy to do a day trip or two to Copenhagen from Malmö. By the sea, with piers for jumping in and a (nude) sauna/sea swimming set up. Access via train + a bus to a national park. Less madly expensive than Denmark though still not cheap.

I have also had lovely holidays in Jerez - again very easy access to the town from the airport and can get a train to Cadiz for some sea. It's the home of sherry making and if you like sherry it's a total bargain - €2-4 per glass in the bars and restaurants unless you buy the mega fancy stuff.

I've been doing Airbnbs round Europe for about £80 per night so could probably do your accomodation for £800 for 10 nights plus £200 for flights if you can manage hand luggage only. That would leave plenty for airport parking/eating out etc and means you don't have to eat out every meal which helps a lot.

The Italian Lakes sounds expensive 😂
Some brilliant ideas here, thanks so much.

@LionWings thanks for that link, loads of explore on there.

We'll redo be checking out AirB&B's and similar when we decide on where we are heading.

Given us loads to think about, thanks again.

The Puglia area of Italy sounds amazing, and possibly a bit less busy / expensive

Not on your list but I went to Iceland for my 50th and it was amazing. Lots of public outdoor geothermally heated pools for swimming in and all the volcano stuff, museums etc.

Unfortunately your budget won't stretch to much time. I think we probably spent around £2k or more in 4 days but we didn't really control costs - flights and hotel were around half that then we did the Golden Circle, whale watching, couple of paid museums and just wandered around Reykjavik. We would have gone swimming or to a spa because that's also what I love, but we didn't have time.

But, isn't Iceland ... cold? 😂😉
Iceland would be amazing and it's right up Other Halves street. Its got that 'something special ' we're after; but it's not for me, for this holiday at least! I

The Italian Lakes are looking amazing...

Cheaper than the Italian Lakes but similar would be Slovenia.

Fly into Ljubljana, do a couple of nights in the city, hire a car and drive out to Bled and Bohinj and stay there for a few days. Then drive down into Croatia and do a few nights in Rovinj.

Beautiful scenery, lakes and mountains in Slovenia followed by ocean and a beautiful town and food in Croatia. I've done this exact trip and it's utterly perfect.

The Italian lakes are beautiful but I'm not sure your budget will stretch to 10 days there.

Couple of thoughts depending on how adventurous you feel like being

1. One of my colleagues is from central Europe and really rates Albania and the beaches look stunning.
2. Interrailing is not just for students - you could cover a couple of countries and see some cool stuff. Fly somewhere cheap and go from there. There's lots of itineraries online.
3. A cruise can offer great value for money and will involve variety in each port without the hassle of having to pack up your bags every couple of days

It's exciting to be planning such a trip and without kids too... dreamy!

Ha, we're looking in to aaaall of this 😁
Albania came up for discussion last night, so we're going to have a closer look at that.

@StoneColdAlibi that trip sound ace and the kind of thing we'd be up. Thanks for the tips !

I was going to say Montenegro. Son recently been there and he said even more stunning than Croatia. Definitely cheaper as well. Daughter now going there end of August.

I have been to Montenegro as well as a lot of Croatia and Slovenia. I have to say Montenegro is beautiful but lacks in the general infrastructure compared to either of the others. I found food was also of a lower standard, which is a big thing for me.

I stayed in a little Airbnb type place on lake Como which wasn't too expensive, £120 a night and we travelled overland stopping off both ways. This sort of holiday you should be able to bring in on budget as it's not really a family friendly trip.

Morocco is amazing! I lived there as a kid and have been back many times.

I'd do a couple of days in Marrakech (it gets a bit much if you're there for a while) then go to either Essouira or Taraghzout for beach time. Don't bother with Agadir, it's a generic tourist town. You really can get value for money - last time I was in Marrakech my sister and I stayed in the most beautiful central riad for about £20 a night each.

Another option that really surprised me was Malta! Went for a friend's wedding and it's beautiful, lovely beaches and gorgeous cities to explore. When DH and I went we booked our last few nights in a really lovely hotel with an underground hot tub and it felt like proper luxury but was about £50 a night!

I wouldn't do Italian Lakes for the whole 12 days but could combine with a few nights in Verona or Bergamo and then a trip up to Bolzano/Merano. Also, I've heard good things about Bosnia for beautiful scenery.