Help us pick a destination - v picky criteria!

[myotheraccountsa]

Hi, appreciate this is being way too picky but just seeing if anyone sees this list and thinks they know just the place! Criteria =

• Max 6/7 hours flight from any London airport
• Must be a direct flight route for BA, Quantas or Emirates (I know this is mad but truly terrified flyer and these are the only ones I feel ok with)
• As exotic/ tropical as possible but safe!
• Lots of culture if possible. No "Little England Brits Abroad" vibe
• Good luxury all inclusive options
• Good weather in Aug, no likely hurricanes

Does such a place exist?

@HermioneWeasley Then add on Uk to Amsterdam bit and you are way over 12 hours with the connection. It’s not worth it! Antigua or Barbados are easier if op went up to 8 hours. Bermuda is even nearer - I’d definitely consider Bermuda.

OP, only specially trained pilots can land in Madeira due to the winds and it’s not uncommon that planes cannot land due to the conditions and are re-routed to other airports. I really would re-think that destination if you are a nervous flyer…

I think the time limit thing is such a shame. You would love Mauritius!!!

Yes we’ve been here and it was excellent. Lots of great trips in Cyprus.

Barbados is lovely - very humid in August. We went in July 2 years ago - it IS hurricane season BUT Barbados has had one hurricane in 40 years as it’s not in the chain of other islands, it’s further out.
we stayed in Fitts Village which is on the east coast but further up than the really really touristic bit around Bridgetown.

we did Virgin flights and they were brilliant, and booked via Airbnb for accommodation. It cost us £400 more than going to Greece - about £4k for 3 of us do you could find an amazing place for £10k!

This might sound a little bonkers, but the northern part of Tenerife is beautiful. Lots of culture in places like La Laguna. Rainforests in the Anaga National Park. Not sure about where you could get AI but we stayed in Santa Cruz (the capital).

Your husband shares with son and you share with daughter

Italy - Amalfi coast, you can visit Pompeii and Naples. The sea is blue as blue, the food is amazing and you can get a wonderful hotel with an infinity pool

The Azores.

The family suite is 2 x doubles. If we just book two standard rooms, it's still 2 x doubles. There are no rooms with single beds and we can't afford 3 x double rooms! Plus no guarantee they'd be anywhere near each other.

Yes we could do that. But if paying 10k ish for a holiday, it's not really what we're after...

Totally agree! It's another place we have done in the past few years, gorgeous.

Oh interesting...I might manage Virgin, will take a look...

Airbnb in Andalucia, somewhere off the beaten track. Are you going to hire a car?

Go by train to Spain, Portugal, or France.

Yep came her to say Oman - will be super hot though. Emirates fly to Dubai but a 1hr hop with them to muscat. Or direct with Oman Air.

Madeira or Ponta Delgada? No so sure what they have culturally but very beautiful and not brits abroad type places.

Sorry, I just realised I made a mistake - we stayed on the WEST coast - that’s the Caribbean Sea side - you can’t swim on the east coast as the Atlantic is too rough, but the west side is the sheltered side and is beautiful for snorkelling etc….

https://www.airbnb.com/l/EGicC9KF

https://www.airbnb.com/l/7xKvp6Jp

just a couple of examples of Airbnb’s you can get for a week in August….

flights with virgin, economy on the way out and premium on the way back (night flight) are just over £4600….

Booking two rooms if at least one of those has two double beds means that the teens share a room, not a bed though?

You're going to struggle to find hotels that will accommodate you in less than three rooms if the teens are going to be in separate rooms - you’d need to be looking at a villa / apartment.

Hi OP, we are also very picky and with a similar list. We decided on a Greek island -Zakynthos, it is mad hot most days 32 at least up to 37. But being so picky we had a new villa with fierce AC. The little port resort we stayed in had so many lovely places to eat. The Greek families mostly spent the day at the beach in the sea. So probably our little resort wouldn't work for you with your children.
But the flight time and the BA thing and the heat and not being overun with British tourists does. Other Greek islands I've been to are very different of course. Mostly though it pretty easy to spot the resorts which are like Magaluf .

Jordan or Oman - very very hot though that time of year - upmarket Greek island? ( we go to Hydra- no packages) and fly BA to Athens and then hydrofoil. Not really an AI kind of place though. Kalkan or olu deniz in Turkey - BA to Dalaman

I loved Bermuda. I can’t remember where we stayed (I’ll look up hotels and see what rings a bell).

One thing I remember was the hotel pool scared me a bit though as the shallow end was still too deep for me to barely put my feet down (and I’m 5’6) and I’m a bit scared of water. I only went in once.

We went with our children last August and it was their favourite holiday. We hiked and swam in a waterfall, did some cliff jumping. Visited a misty forest, ate bananas straight from the trees. We drove a lot though to see the whole island, easily 1.5 to 2 hours driving a day. Would definitely go back as we didn’t see everything we wanted to.

Cyprus is a 4.5 hour flight, hot in Aug and good standard of AI. The last 2 years we've been to Aphrodite Hills, 20 mins from the airport, 25km from Paphos and great swim up rooms.

Another place you could consider is Sardinia. It has beaches that look like you could be somewhere like the Caribbean, short flag carrier flight options, and a lot of very high end accommodation. It’s where the glitzy Italians go.