So indecisive. Need help!

[SausageFairy]

My husband and I both have a big birthday this summer. We've just come into a bit of money and want to go on a 'special' holiday with our two kids 13 & 14.
We have not travelled abroad much before. We had a lovely holiday in Greece a couple of years ago, but mostly just go camping in the UK.
We can't decide where to go. The thought of it needing to be extra-special is giving us too much pressure.
The details:
Going to be 10 days in the beginning of August.
We are not a sporty family but like walks and swimming (and eating).
We're going to want some beach time - hopefully on a nice sandy beach, with calm water.
Would like the holiday to include some cultural activities or excursions that are not too boring for the kids.
Have about 10k (a lot for us) to spend - if it cost less that would be even better.
At least 50% of us are at least a bit autistic and get a rather anxious about lots of things... like crowds and perhaps travelling😅

We considered Caribbean islands - dismissed because its hurricane season.
I don't want to go to Trumps America.
Saw a good deal for Mauritius, but not sure it's a family destination - think we would get bored by 10 days.
Thailand = monsoon season
Sri Lanka?
Then we thought maybe these places are too far for a 10 day break?

We've always wanted to go to Italy. We reined it in a bit, re-considered Europe and got quite excited about Italy - beaches, pizza and culture. But now thinking in August it's just going to be awfully crowded and too 'people-y' for us.

We thought about Croatia - but it looks like the beaches are not very nice.
I like Greece but we did that and fancy something different.

Some friends recommended San Sebastián, but I haven't worked out how we'd get there - or even if there's enough there for 10 days.

Anybody out there any good at this? Where would you go in August, that's lovely, but not too busy and feels safe for wallies not used to travelling?

Anywhere in Mediterranean Europe will be silly hot. Not for me! I'd look at Iceland. Much nicer with culture and nature. Plus whales. There are tours but self drive is easy.

You might be able to afford Eastern Canada. You would have to self drive though. It is lovely! Of what about Ireland? Great history, culture and food. We've also enjoyed Normandy or Brittany in France. Again culture, food and history everywhere. We took ferry and self drive but you might find a tour. Normandy isn't far but it's lovely.

Have been to Mauritius in August and it wasn't that busy (Sugar Beach and Long Beach hotels), mid 20s but that worked well for us as we don't like too much heat, beautiful beaches, great for swimming and water activities like kayaks, snorkelling, boat trips. There is an island to go on excursions to but it is a place for relaxation rather than constant activity. We went to Ile Aux Aigrette which I would recommend. It was fine for families but not full of them.

Med will be seriously hot and my asd child can't tolerate that unless a water based holiday and those tend to be busy.

Costa Rica was really good, lots of swimming though beaches were a bit wild and sea was a bit wild but lots of swimming pools and watersports activities like kayaking, white water rafting etc. Ziplines, great for wildlife, rainforest. Is their winter but was about 27C and sunny every day until about 4pm then big downpour but was fun to watch rain in rainforest and made it greener. My asd child loves rain and hates heat. Plenty of excursions to things like ziplines, hot springs, horse riding, active volcanoes, not so much for culture.

Borneo was amazing but was 2 flights and fairly hot but saw orangutans, crocodile, probiscus monkeys, sun bears and lots of other wildlife. Went to Sandakan for flights then Sepilok and Kinabatangan river. There are good beaches but that's another short flight again to Kota Kinabalu, places like Gaya Island Resort.

Malta? Might be a bit hot - I'm not sure. But it's easy to get around and there is loads to see and do. I'm not sure about beaches though as I'm not really a beach person.

We went to the South of France in august. Hot but not too hot. Lots of things to see and lovely beaches. We were in Antibes & Nice. Juan Les pins has a lovely beach.

The beaches in Croatia are not sandy but the sea is beautiful. What about a sailing holiday around the Croatian islands?

another idea would be lakes and mountains - the Italian lakes, Austria, Slovenia, maybe Switzerland? It’s not the classic beach holiday but it’s safe and easy, there is culture and walking, and lake swimming is fab. Also in Italy, you could consider Sardinia for the beaches.

Denmark? Sandy beaches, great culture, friendly.

Further afield, Canada would make a spectacular special holiday.

Or: safari + beach in East Africa? I think the weather is pleasant in the summer.

I love Croatia, but it lacks sandy beaches, same for Malta. We went to San Sebastian last year and temperature wise it's perfect, can be combined with time in Bilbao for sightseeing and the Guggenheim. It was busy in late August, but not so busy you couldn't move. We did 6 nights (3 in Bilbao and 3 in San Sebastian) but the kids would have happily spent more days on the beach. Accomodation is very expensive though in San Sebastian. I think Mauritius, being in winter, would be perfect temperature wise, I've not been so not sure on the excursion options available, but worthy of more consideration. It will be more resort based than San Sebastian, but as novice travellers that might be what you want.

Mexico? Beaches, watersports, zip wires, caves etc all seem to be possibilities there.

Having done a sailing holiday around Croatia I would so recommend but it will be hot and unless you get a boat with air con it could be unbearable. We did it in June one year and had to sleep with hatches open or on deck and got bitten alive. Still one of my best holidays though.

• can also do a day trip to Chichen Itzá in México which would tick your culture box

I also thought of Iceland when I read the OP. It probably won't be hot 'laying on a beach weather' but there's loads of outdoor geothermally heated public swimming pools with slides etc and spa areas so you probably won't miss the beach.

Also plenty to see and do and walk around. Plus can hire a car to go see geysers, waterfalls etc or go on organised tours.

Or if you want to go to San Sebastian, the easiest way is to fly to Bilbao and get the coach across which is very easy and takes about an hour - Alsa, the Spanish equivalent of National Express, is great.

I'd spend maybe 3 days in Bilbao and as well as the city, there's a beach a short distance away, also if you're interested in Spanish Civil War history, you can visit Guernica. Then get the coach across to San Sebastian, and as well as that city, there's Hondaribba which is a little coastal resort right next to the French border and I think you can get a boat across the estuary to France too. From there, you could even go as far as Biarritz quite easily.

Thanks for all the comments, so helpful. I'm going to investigate and consider all of your suggestions at the weekend. :)

@SausageFairy Some of the suggestions involve pretty long flights. For 10 days that will cut out a lot of holiday time. So I would go for longer or go for a shorter flight. South of France can be very hot in August these days. West coast or north coast are more pleasant.

If crowds make you a bit anxious, would you consider a private villa? France and Italy excellent for this. Perhaps the Dordogne in France, or Loire region, or down near Beziers/Carcasonne, Tuscany or Umbria in Italy?

Or island hopping in Greece, you could perhaps charter a boat? Similar for Croatian coast.

Id look at exodus for ideas of cultural family holidays for a week and then stay on somewhere for an extra few days near the beach.

Vietnam, even though it is rainy season - it rains and drys up and rarely affects your day. There is plenty of culture and beaches in Vietnam, along with apparently very good food

Or if you enjoy camping, France and hire a nice chalet or go for a holiday home for 10 days or do 5 days in one place and 5 days in another. There are plenty of activities, to do in and around campsite places for teens if you get the right place.

I've been to San Sebastian in July. It's a nice city, but it was also hot and crowded and there isn't enough for 10 days - I think we had about four and that was plenty. How do you get there? I think we flew Easyjet to Bilbao, which is also a really nice city. We had a few days there, then transferred to San Sebastian. You could do that, but it was very busy, which you don't want.

Someone upthread mentioned Costa Rica, but a) I don't think you'll get a holiday there for four people for <£10k, because it's a very expensive country and b) it's a long way and there's a lot to pack in when you get there. We went for 12 days last year and it would've been better to have longer, because it's a full-on trip.

I'd look at Sri Lanka, if I were you. I know a couple of people who've been in summer and raved about it. It's quite cheap too when you get there, so I reckon you could get a special holiday there for four in August for <£10k.

Greece would work, perhaps Athens for a few days and then an island.

Turkey also has lovely beaches and really good days out.

I’d do 10 days in Iceland with car hire and a couple of luxury hotels, or 10 days interrailing. Brussels, Bruges, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Luxembourg, Strasbourg.

Domes of Elounda in Crete would fit your bill exactly. Lovely resort and your budget would give you half board dine around and club facilities (totally worth it) with interesting places to visit nearby

I think interlining is a fabulous idea - you can combine some great scenic train journeys - there is one from Switzerland to Italy on a glass train - with beaches and city explorations. Along with overnight train trips.

Man in seat 61 is a the go to website for information on train travel, also some great itineraries on TikTok

i have a 50% neurodiverse family too and we do much better having a villa instead of hotels. So even if it’s a busy day we can go back and take a break whenever. And have food when we want etc! we have had our own pool a few times and it’s great for regulating.

we also live in Scotland so melt at 25 so August would be tricky.

what about Norway? Different vibe altogether but beautiful and more peaceful once you get outside the main tourist spots. Or Switzerland?

personally I’d try to stop saying the word special a lot as that puts extra pressure on. Go on vrbo or similar, put in your dates and private pool and see what jumps out at you. I’d much rather have short flights and a fabulous place to stay on the other end than go too far away and have to watch the pennies once you’re there.

is there anything you’ve always wanted to see? Or an activity or similar your kids are really into?

For a 10 day holiday I wouldn't travel long haul - although Mauritius could be ok as it's direct and a similar time zone (not much to do culturally there but the beaches are fab).

Anywhere in the Med runs the risk of extreme heat, we've had this twice where it's just been too hot to go outside during the day. You might be lucky and just get ordinary hot weather but it's a gamble these days

If it were me I'd go for mountains and stay somewhere luxury with heated pools for the kids. The Alps are so beautiful in the summer and you can always escape the crowds.

Switzerland is very expensive though. Also Norway. I’d definitely swerve the Med. I think moving around is also quite stressful. I would consider if dc prefer to settle in or are happy packing bags all the time and getting trains which cannot be missed! I’ve never seen that pressure as relaxing. You can find 2 well placed hotels in Iceland or Ireland and have a more relaxed holiday for 10 days. Long haul is probably not a great idea unless you really like sitting in an aircraft!

I know you've said you want a beach but would a lake work? I second @Bridgetoo and think that the Alps are beautiful and few lakes there of varying sizes 😀Or maybe one of the south German lakes? If the DC are studying French or German at school it might be interesting for them to hear it? And they might be braver than my DC who rarely speak in Germany despite having pretty decent German

Thank you everyone, I didn't expect so many responses! I can't tag everyone, but there is loads of helpful info here I'll be researching it all.
Child 1 LOVES trains, so an interailing holiday would be their dream come true. I'll look into it - but I don't know if I could handle all the packing/unpacking. (also what do you do with all the luggage when you stop somewhere?) - I will check out 'Man in seat 61' * *This would certainly be very different for all of us.
I also love the sound of a private villa with our own pool - might be that we opt to not go so far, but have this sort of luxury!
I have never considered lakes instead of beaches, I don't know anyone that has ever had this sort of holiday (apart from the year we had a rainy camping holiday in the Lake District) I will definitely investigate these options too....

There's something very calming about a lake 😀I loved Worthersee in Austria and Chiemsee in south Germany. I inter railed twice but many years ago and pre internet and it was fun. With the internet it would be even easier. If you decide to do that I'd recommend you get a decent rucksack - mine is thirty years old and still usable!
I hope you have a fabulous holiday wherever you go OP. What a treat for you all.

I know you want special but for us getting away on holiday with 2 ND DC is pretty special! I agree with the PP who suggested to stop using the word special as that seems to be adding
extra pressure

How about Eurocamp in Belgium?

The DC would be safe to explore. You’d have your own villa to retreat to and days out on the double decker trains which are amazingly cheap compared to the UK