Everyone wants something different - where to go?!

[CommonFishDiseases]

Can any well-travelled MNers advise? We are a family of four looking for somewhere to holiday in either May half term or August. Budget about £2k. Everyone wants something different…

Me - somewhere with nice towns to explore, hot and sunny, preferably French speaking (but not essential).
DH - Stress free all inclusive package holiday, short flight, Spain preferred but open minded to other destinations.
DD14 - city break, finds package holidays boring, not keen on a long flight, open to UK, Ireland, France or Germany.
DS10 - Lazy all inclusive package holiday with pool, Spain preferred.

I know one solution is to holiday in two groups, but we’d rather all go together (except perhaps DD who has asked to stay at home…)!

That’s a tight budget for all Inclusive! Does that include flights? How about a campsite in France, maybe near Biarritz area- then you can pop over the border to San Sebastián. Some chill, surfing and some city/culture.

I agree with a campsite somewhere- not AI but often have restaurants and bars on site so you don't have to cook and often have good pools and entertainment. You can probably find one that meets the locations you're after (near towns/cities). If you look at eurocamp you can filter by this sort of thing as well.

What is it that they like about all-inc/package hols? Specifically?

One of the campsites near Argeles Sur Mer? You can get the train into Spain and visit Perpignan and Collioure...

We have similar with a culture seeking daughter and theme park loving son. We've had good holidays at salou in Salou (eurocamp) - theme park, swimming pools and sea, with Barcelona, Tarragona and reusable nearby for day trips, and peschiaria del Garda on lake Garda (camping del Garda) for water park, theme park and watersports on the lake, with Verona, Simione, and beautiful towns nearby (Venice also possible by train). We do self catering but lots of hotel options there as well

Croatia or Montenegro perhaps, although the budget may be tight for the school holidays.

£2K is not going to get an AI holiday for four in the school holidays.
I agree with the PPs re camping in France. There are some amazing sites with brilliant facilities, pools etc.

Have you looked at holidays? 2k will be a very tight budget. What about portugal? Half board?

Now this sounds like a good idea. I was going to suggest the Costa Brava and 'somehow' visit France, didn't know there was a train, public transport from the smaller resorts in the Costa Brava is variable, some decent, some very infrequent/slow.

But staying in the south of France (Eurocamp or similar) would also be excellent and visits to Girona, Figueres (home of Salvador Dali) and even Barcelona would be possible as well as places in France.

But I agree that AI on that budget will be difficult (and very basic food/accommodation) or impossible. But Eurocamp with some eating out and everyone pitching in with sorting easy food, BBQs and supermarket runs for drinks, snacks etc might be possible. Plus you and DD would be able to go out sightseeing and leave DH and DS to laze around and sort their own food out.

You’ll be lucky to get something within your price range!

We’ve recently booked a holiday for 2 adults in June abroad and it cost us over £2000, we’ve also booked flights only for September and they have cost us over £1000 alone

While I agree that the OPs budget for AI in the school holidays is optimistic at best, just because you've booked two expensive holidays, it doesn't mean they can't have a Eurocamp holiday for £2k.

We also go away as 2 adults in June and it tends to cost £1000-1500 and that's not the cheapest holiday available and if I wanted to book two flights in September for the sort of holiday the OP is talking about - France or Spain Med coast, we could probably get them for about £2-300.

Definitely a Eurocamp style holiday. I know my kids would be bored on an AI holiday so we generally do Eurocamp usually around the £2-3k mark with fuel costs.
Camping Bella Italia is in Pescheira which someone else mentioned above. It's a lovely town, some great restaurants, you're on the lake. The site has a restaurant and pizza place, a little supermarket and a few swimming pools. Gardaland theme park is a great day out. You can get a boat across the lake to explore other towns and there's a train station in Pescheira to explore further. We have driven there and stopped in France overnight so stretched it to 10-11 days away, can be helpful to use the August bank holiday to eek out annual leave.

Flights are more expensive in September than they are earlier in the year!
£2000 is not expensive for a 5 * holiday

The trains in Spain are great. And cheap. I’d get an AI in southern Spain and then do day trips with the DC who’s interested.

my Family is similar in terms of some liking city, some liking beach, some liking pool, some liking cooking, some liking eating out. We’ve found the best holidays are a combination. We usually do a few days in a city first but in an apartment that’s nice enough that if anyone just wants to sit in the sun and not do the sights then it’s ok. And then a week in an Airbnb or holiday park. Kids like holiday parks as bigger pools and other kids around and a bit more freedom. Not sure you’d get one of these holidays for £2k for 4 in August but some that we’ve liked are - Barcelona and Salou or Cambrils (also trip to water park and port aventura), Venice and holiday park just down the coast, Zadar in Croatia and nearby holiday park, Trogir in Croatia and Airbnb, palma in Mallorca and then Airbnb or hotel in port de Pollença or Alcudia, etc etc

Lake Garda - camping del Garda was where I immediately thought of. Great site, we had the villa which was ideal for us and it was a nice walk to restaurants, the train station to visit Verona and Venice and we even walked back from Gardaland. DS10 would love the football pitches if he’s anything like my DC - there were always plenty of kids around to kick a ball with and then the camp organised tournaments too. Would go back in a heartbeat.

Thanks for the suggestions and detailed tips everyone, much appreciated. The budget is flexible and camping not really an option. I like the idea of a combination of city/beach so might do it that way.

I’d look for an AI in Spain and base yourself somewhere you can visit either Granada, Valencia or Barcelona easily on the train.
Majorca near Palma is also a good shout.

You don’t need to actually camp at the French campsites, though. They have a big range of cabins, safari tents et where everything is provided for you.

Jet2, Costa Brava, Fergus Club Pineda Splash, Pineda-Del-Mar, May half term week, £2,390 all inclusive, flying from Luton. You can visit Barcelona and Girona for cities. They also have options in L’Estartit where you could hire a car and drive over the border into France for the day if you want to go somewhere French speaking !

Im sure there are other options. I was looking at this corner of Spain thinking it was fairly close to France, but as a package you aren’t going to get close enough to get there on public transport.

Catalonia Spain. There are some yelloh camping sites there not far from Barcelona, Girona etc and I think one near the French border. Obviously not AI and self catering. But £2K is not going to get you really anything for 4!