Holiday in March- Hot suitable for first holiday

[AllHisCaterpillarFriends]

Can anyone recommend a location - not hurricane season, hot (so I guess not Europe) and resort style or easy transport (no driving) for my 19 year old DD and her boyfriend.

I've never even left England so not really able to help. They have been saving and have £1k each so far, looking for 2 weeks.

Thank you

Mexico is lovely and they should be able to get a decent AI package with flights for £2k pp. Bear in mind though that won't leave them much for trips etc and it would be a shame to go to Mexico and not get to see any of the historical sights! If they do go to Mexico, I'd stick to the Caribbean sea side - I took my sister and DN there a few years ago and we stayed in a lush place near (not in) Cancun which had day trips to the ruins in Tulum and snorkeling with giant sea turtles etc. Staying in Cancun and going for B&B or half board rather than AI might be a better option, especially if they're going to want a bit of nightlife. The AI place we stayed at was great for us (DN was 18 months so it was more of a chilled holiday we wanted) but there was very much a family/older couple feel).

I love Morocco too but would not recommend two weeks in Marrakech! It's very very full on and even after living in Morocco and going back quite a few times for holidays I get exhausted after 2 or 3 days. Also no beach! So if they went to Morocco I think it'd be more of a DIY holiday - fly into Marrakech and stay in a lovely traditional riad for the first few nights, visit the markets and the souk etc, then head to the beach - I'd recommend Essaouira which is a lovely town with plenty of things to see, a nice beach and lots of places to eat out and gorgeous hotel options etc. They'd get a lot more for their money in Morocco for sure which would mean more money for day trips and so on - last time I was there we went on a horseback tour of the mountains for example which was beautiful (I'm not a horse riding person but felt very well looked after and it was a great experience!). The travel in Morocco is pretty easy, it's very straightforward to get a coach from Marrakech to Essaouira and then an airport shuttle from there. Any decent hotel or riad will organise this for them.

Note - if you look up package holidays to Morocco a lot are in Agadir which is quite close to Essaouira. Avoid! It's a soulless tourist trap, dirty and full of Brits eating chips and drinking beer. Bit like a Moroccan Benidorm 🤣

I don't see the point in going AI if they don't drink!

Oh I missed that post! Totally agree. Much better deals if you go breakfast only or half board!

I'd look for some kind of apartment in a really nice hotel with pool etc in that case with a fridge and basic cooking stuff for snacks etc or if they fancy a chilled night in.

Thanks all for the posts.

I'm not booking it for them but DD always wants to chat through her decisions and I just wanted to have some useful input, so this has all been really helpful.

@Andoutcomethewolves thanks they have been talking about Morocco but that really isn't them.

Mexico or Canary Islands seems to be the discussion point at the moment.

@PoopedAndScooped 5 star boozing, eating and swimming then! DH and me just prefer small and select and a Michelin starred restaurant. We don’t do resorts.

My teenagers both did an all-inclusive trip to Egypt for their first holidays - they are not big drinkers, but it was still a relatively cheap holiday for them. They did discover that the minimum drinking age in Egypt is 21, but hotels do seem to turn a blind eye to this as they had no problem getting alcoholic drinks on the rare occasions they wanted them.

If your DD is wanting to go self-catering, or a hotel with breakfast, I'd look at the Canaries. It's usually pleasant weather in March, particularly in the south of Tenerife, and there's a huge choice of accommodation, resorts are generally easy to walk around, and there are coach trips / buses for day trips around the island if they want to go a bit further afield. They're a good choice for a first holiday abroad. Just make sure they choose a hotel/apartments with a heated pool. Unheated pools are way too cold to be usable at that time of year.

My advice would be Canary Islands, which isn't too far from home, if they would prefer a shorter flight. If happy to fly long-haul, Mexico. But either way, I agree with the poster upthread who advised going through a well-known company like Tui, especially as it's their first time. Then they're covered and supported should anything go wrong. I have holidayed with TUI quite a few times with young children, and I must say, they've gone out of their way to pick me up from the airport at no extra charge when our plans changed at very short notice. Otherwise I would have had to pay another £250 approx, for a taxi to the resort. The reps are super helpful if you have queries or, God forbid, you need to call out a GP, which I have had to do previously. Would recommend Tui.

Mauritius/Barbados/Mexico/Thailand

Egypt

Again. Your opinion

@PoopedAndScooped Yes. MN is an opinion forum! Your opinion is also stated above. Your opinion!

That was my point 😂

Very expensive once there though.

Marrakach. Not too hot in March. I wouldn't recommend Cape Verde for their age, its boring.
Mexico is also lovely but long flight times.

I would choose the Canary islands. Each of the main 4 islands have something for everyone and easy to get to.
Last March I was in fuerteventura, it was mid-high 20s and gorgeous. It was also Carnival week so lots of fun events on!