Suggestions for our holiday destination please

[rosemarble]

We are me, DS1 (26) and DS2 (16).
Dates 2nd and 3rd week July (DS2 is doing GCSEs so we are trying to make the most of being able to get away outside of school holidays).
Somewhere in Europe.
Mid - high 20s C. We were in the S France last year where it hit 40C which was too much.
Near the sea.
We like the sea, hiking, cycling, some culture (DS2 less so!)
3 bedrooms - we enjoy being together during the day, but very much need our own space as well. AirBnB rather hotel probably more suited to us.
Somewhere we are not reliant on a car to get day to day food etc.

I have been looking at Lagos (Portugal not Nigeria!).

Croatia.
Anywhere in Europe has the potential for a heatwave by that point though.

Or go for a mountain break where it’s likely to be less hot but good for hiking /activities on boats on lakes. Southern Germany?

We were in Croatia last year in July, it was 35+

I agree with mountains. Rent a flat in Morzine for example, loads to do. Can get hottish but not crazy hot and cools down at night. But you’ll have to sacrifice the sea.

Royan area of France could also work, but can get heatwaves

Italy

I hear what you say about the south of France but if you go to the mountains (French or other alps) the temperature drops dramatically. During that heat wave we were in southern French alps at about 800m and the weather was fab. Lakes to swim in.

Friends went to Portugal a couple of years back as they thought Greece would be too hot… it was over 40 degrees.

The other option would be Northern Europe, German, danish, Baltic coast but I’ve not been there.

We have this same dilemma every year - summery weather but not too hot! Portugal is a good choice, because the Atlantic coast tends to be much cooler than the Mediterranean. Lagos is apparently really nice too. My DSis really likes it and she hates tacky places. I would avoid anywhere on the Med in July if you want to be pretty sure of it not being 30+ degrees, because it often gets up to 40 degrees now in southern Europe in July and August.

Thank you. We've been to Croatia (Zagreb) so it would be nice to go somewhere different - there is so much of the world we haven't seen.

Yes, we might need to forfeit the sea in favour of more a comfortable climate.
Maybe looking away from the more popular coastal locations means we might be able to get accommodation with a pool.

Things to think about, thanks :-)

We're going to the Azores but have booked everything by January. I booked flights in the autumn and I could see accommodation being booked up because early July is still peak summer so there was increasingly less choice on Airbnb, etc. Get your skates on!

we were in Brittany-Pays de la Loire - Ile de Re last year in July and weather was lovely, mid-high 20s. You could check out Ile de Re, you can bike the entire island, no car needed.
Sea was a bit fresh, but same will apply to Portugal.

I’ve been to Brittany at the start of the school summer hols & the weather was in the teens and wet. Still plenty to do but just like holidaying in the UK it’s not guaranteed good weather.

@sansou the Azores seem a good option as less commercial than other holiday hotspots. Have you booked everything independently and is there a good website you’ve found to help planning?

Can we just tag along with you? We're very agreeable.

I always DIY it because we get more space/have more choice for our money. Budget flights at a reasonable cost plus car hire & airport car parking since it only gets more expensive, the closer it gets to July. Even booking in Dec/Jan, I could see availability of rentals going for our dates so had to make decisions sooner rather than later. The last few summers, we've done road trips across Northern Spain, Portugal (Porto - Lisbon) and a circuit of the Norwegian fjords from Bergen so this summer, we've decided it's going to be a more relaxing one with only 2 bases with a week at each one. Research is easy - google is your friend. Many rentals are on both Airbnb & booking.com - the latter maybe cheaper due to loyalty credit (Genius Level). I always err on the side of caution and pick properties with lots of reviews/have higher ratings.

It sounds like we have similar wishes for holidays. Do you have recommendations for the criteria (temps, proximity to sea/pool, town, hiking, cycling)?

Last year we spent 2 weeks in the south of France, the year before 3 weeks in Canada (3 different bases) - also Croatia (by train), Scotland (where we we SO lucky with the weather), Spain in other years.

I know I've already limited things a bit by not booking already, but (as well as not being terribly organised) it's about this time of year that my budget becomes available. It is what it is.

I'm looking at AI.
I can't see how to choose that I want my 16 yo in his own room, it won't allow me to book anything apart from an adult in their own room. Do teenage kids always share with their parents?

Am a complete noob at booking AI. I just see 'Room 1' add a room. Nothing about suits or adjoining rooms or anything.