Recommendations for a solo beach holiday

[MinnieMountain]

I'm currently on a beach holiday with our 12yo but without DH as was the plan as he's had knee surgery. DS is being a typical tweenager in that he needs lots of his own space, so it's got me thinking that I'd enjoy a beach holiday alone next year.

Where have people gone by themselves that works well? I just want a pretty sandy beach with a view and no driving required to get around (I don't drive), so I can laze, read, dip in the sea and eat nice food.

I don't want to travel outside Europe.

Is a hotel better when alone?

I haven't but my dream when kids are older is tango back to Skiathos on my own for a week and just relax and eat amazing food. Greece is my fave place in the world people are lovely and always feels so safe!

I stayed at a Be Live Hotel (with friends) near Palma a year or so ago. It wasn’t posh but was directly on a small sandy beach and had some suprisingly nice restaurants and bars with Spanish people dining nearby (the area looked a bit tacky on first glance). The room was really comfy with a balcony with a view and the breakfasts were very good. It was a few minutes walk to a bus stop which had a bus into Palma in 20 minutes. We did a little trip out to Soller from there. I thought I’d be very happy to return alone for a few days. This was early season (early May) but it was warm enough to swim in the sea and not one mossie.

I go to Turkey on my own every year, I love it. After all these years it's basically reading, swimming and doing what I want to do, when I want to do it. I love it. I also have other holidays alone during the year but they are more sightseeing breaks

I'm off to Skiathos solo on Thursday. I can't wait 😊

Skiathos looks beautiful. Where are you staying @Cloverforever?

Another vote for Greece. I love Parga on my own, safe, friendly, great food and a choice of beaches.
The Île de Ré was also lovely.

It sounds like Greece is the answer 😁 I've been to Corfu and Kefalonia but I think I'd like to go somewhere new.

Is self-catering or a hotel/B&B better? I've tended to self-cater on solo trips but they've been shorter, active trips.

I always self cater so I have a fridge for drinks, but I don’t cook on holiday

I think it depends on what you prefer. I went to Playa Blanca in Lanzarote on my own last November. I stayed HB in a hotel but if I do it again, I think I'd self cater as I don't mind making my own breakfast (usually ready made tortilla with bread and allioli) or going to supermarkets and I hate the way hotels make the bed. I also prefer to eat at lunchtime while out and about so don't want much in the evening so would be happy with drinks and something light on the balcony. Most hotel rooms have a small fridge I've found but unless it's an apart hotel, no food preparation facility.

I went out for a walk each morning and swam in the sea in the afternoon. One day I went on a coach tour around all the Cesar Manrique sites. I also spent lots of time reading and had lunch out each day. Then I just went to the hotel restaurant in the evening for a drink and bit of food from the buffet (HB was only £4 more than BB so worth taking as I knew I'd want something but not a full meal. I just got the public bus to and from the airport and another day got the bus back to the hotel when I'd walked a few miles away and didn't want to walk back.

Never been to Greece, but Spain incl Canaries/Balearics would be another good option and the buses are usually good so easy to get around without driving.

I'm leaning towards self-catering. I think if I break the week up with a boat trip or something I wouldn't be lonely.

Cesar Manrique's house is amazing isn't it @Bjorkdidit?

Also took DD to Skiathos by myself a couple of years ago - getting the water taxi back to the hotel after dinner in Skiathos Town and swimming in the sea in our underwear is now a favourite memory of ours😀Would go back solo in a heartbeat.

One advantage of self catering when on your own is that the accommodation is usually better for sitting in compared to a hotel bedroom. When I’m away on my own I tend to have earlier evenings as I don’t, for example, want to sit in a bar on my own. I’ll happily have a drink earlier in the evening on my own - love the aperitif culture in Italy for example, but not so much later on. And in a self catering place I’m quite happy coming back mid evening to my box set, but I find it depressing in a hotel room with an uncomfortable chair or sitting on the bed.

Take a look at Fuerteventura. Great beaches and depending on what resort you choose you can have a mix of quiet/lively locations.

Almyrida in Crete. Some great adult boutique hotels, a strip of great restaurants, beach with loungers and warm shallow sea. Can get a bus from the airport and definitely no car needed. Bustling but not noisy holiday vibe. Easy kind of place to eat alone.

My favourite solo beach holidays in Europe were:

Cefalu, Sicily
Puerto Carmen, Lanzarote
Lagos, Algarve
Hvar, Croatia
Crete

Would it be bad to go back to the same place I've been to a few times? Part of me feels I should explore but I also think that the point of beach holidays is they are easy.

I love Alghero. I've even found a 1 bed place in the building that DS and I are currently in. It's central and on a quiet street.

Of course not. I find it odd when people say 'I've been to X so I want to go somewhere else'.

There's a lot of value in going somewhere familiar if you like it and its easy so you have a relaxing break with minimal planning.

Also most places have lots to see and do so it's impossible to see more than a snapshot in one visit so you're likely to come away with thoughts of 'I'd like to eat at that restaurant, visit that attraction, walk along that path or take the bus to the next village for lunch etc etc'.

Tavira in Portugal. They’ve got a train station and it’s not far from Faro - it’s got a new town so you can get everything you need if self catering, and an old town which is quaint. A water taxi takes you to a magnificent beach which has bars along it that delivers cocktails to your sunbed. What more could you want?

I also enjoyed Chania in Crete, very pretty town/harbour and all walkable.

I'd say Croatia. Beautiful beaches and lots of nice cities and towns with fascinating history and architecture. I've only ever been with my DP, but have always seen plenty of people on their own just having a coffee, reading on the beach etc. I find it very laid-back and not couply or full of gangs of mates or loud families (obviously it does depend on where exactly you go though.
Personally I much prefer self-catering; I tend not to cook much at all on holiday, but like to have the option to have at least coffee and toast in the morning and keep some cheese, salad etc in a fridge. Plus I don't like being confined to one room.