Another teen one….

[mindymindy]

Real first world problems: my two eldest (15 and 13) don’t want to come to the villa in Portugal we’ve booked. We stayed in the same villa last year and in my eyes it’s perfect - quiet, sea view, private pool….. but the girls are putting in a strong bid to go somewhere more lively next year where they can meet other teenagers and do things without us.

We’ve always self-catered and the idea of a hotel room with communal meals daunts me - is there a half-way house option anyone can suggest? And any particular resorts/towns in Europe to try? We’ve only really stayed in Wales, Western Algarve or a Gite in France as a family so don’t know where to start. I’m bracing myself for a fortnight of moaning and attitude, all they really want is to be at home with their friends….

You can get self catering apartments in resort complexes all over the place. There’s unlikely to be a private pool, but you’ll have your own kitchen and balcony with access to resort services if you want them. Try looking at the Marriott Marbella Beach resort and the Marriott Playa Andalucia. They are not cheap but they are very nicely appointed with loads of space, with lots of communal games areas on the resort, and they are right on the beach.

We also like the Four Seasons Fairways in Quinta do Lago near Faro. Most apartments have their own pool or hot tub, and the resort itself is lovely, but maybe a bit quiet still for your teens, and it’s not right by the beach.

The Pestana group might also offer you something suitable.

I was also going to suggest self catering apartments, with a shared pool.

Lagos in Portugal has quite a cool, surfing vibe and sea kayaking etc. Loads of little shops and restaurants. Great beaches in town, some quieter ones a walk away and a marina.

Could you rent with walking distance of the centre which would give your DC’s some freedom?

Thank you all - I like the idea of staying very near somewhere with lots going on. We’ve been to Lagos a few times for the day, and really liked the bohemian, studenty feel, that’s a good shout.

The Four Seasons looks lovely, I’d not heard of it before - suspect it might be a bit quiet and grown up for the girls, but the apartments look lush, I’d love to go without them!

Ours loved cruises as all under 18s are well catered for on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity

Sadly, this happens. I always found that as long as the complex had an adult only area, we were all happy.
god I remember our last villa we took, even though he took a friend, they were bored, sounds bad, but they were, they just want to be with a bigger group

Your options are apartments in hotel complex like Pine Cliffs Portugal or Sun Gardens near Dubrovnik for example.

We have opted for a 5 star AI this year for our teens, they have a teen programme so we can chill and they can have a blast.

Pick the AI carefully though some are amazing and others not so much.

I find the Facebook groups really useful on the different AI places.

I agree that cruises are great for teens that age - especially on the larger boats run by NCL, Royal Caribbean or MSC. There are teen clubs which give them lots of opportunities to meet other kids, and there's plenty of them to do with their new friends.

The downside is that it's certainly quite a different vibe for you from a quiet villa! That said, if you have a balcony, that's a great way to get away from it all, sipping a drink while looking at the view. Many ships also have adult-only areas, and you can almost always find quieter spots once you've scoped out the ship a bit.

There's also the advantage of seeing a different place almost every day, which can be great for teens, and also means that you do a lot as a family during the day, then the kids meet up with their friends once back on board in the afternoon/evening. They'll never be bored, and you can relax in a peaceful spot, knowing that they are having a great time.

Celebrity ships has plenty of quiet places so you can be busy or quiet, kids clubs are great too.

It’s such a tough age. When mine were similar ages/slightly older we tried :
B&B in Skiathos Town
Villa in Corfu near a resort - they both took a friend
AI but in self contained & with own pool

Tbh they weren’t happy with any of these 😂. Taking friends was the least enjoyable for multiple reasons, I’d never do that again!!

It gets better. Mine are 18 & 20 now and we are just back from a fantastic long haul holiday which we all really enjoyed.

There must be a half way house between a remote villa and a cruise. I wouldn't fancy a cruise as I hate being surrounded by people all the time.

DS is an only so last couple of holidays we brought a friend. Somewhere like Costa Adeje Gran might work as it has a lovely relaxing adults only sun roof and pool, but all the entertainment downstairs. Or La Manga with apartments and villas but communal activities. Or many places in the Canaries have apartments on a complex.

French / Spanish campsites are awash with gangs of outdoorsy teens having the time of their lives. Book direct and you can get lovely self catering lodges with air con - you don't have to camp!!

If you use a site that has Eurocamp then it's likely they would meet other teens but you don't have to book with them. Just use their site as a start to look then go to campsite website.

The vibe is so relaxed, no fancy meals but generally a decent restaurant and snack bar on site for the nights you can't be bothered.

We have a villa in portugal and spend a lot of time out here, if you’re in the Algarve, you could take them down to Valle do lobo where there is quite a good nightlife for teens. It’s not far from The Four Seasons country club.
All inclusive a which have worked for us with teens before has been Aphrodite hills in Cyprus and more recently Hyatt Ziva in Mexico which both had good teen options.

What about an activity holiday in the Alps?

we went with teens to Morzine with Alpine Elements and all had a great time.

Neilson