Help me find a holiday - September sun, short flight, five nights, near restaurants

[Whodrankmytea]

So time consuming searching various holiday sites without really knowing what I'm looking for. We're going mid/late September for a short break (five nights probably) and want some sun, relaxation and some restaurants within walking distance. Two ladies, no children, flying from London airports (ideally no more than a 3 hour flight). Can anyone recommend me a hotel/resort that fits this (but not £££) and which company should I book with?!

What is your budget?

Look at the holiday finder in British airways websute

Georgioupolis Beach Hotel near Chania in Crete (a little over 3 hours) has quite a short transfer and we felt that half-board was incredibly good value for money. Very close to the resort centre.

Vilamoura, Portugal is lovely. Various hotel options around a marina with plenty of bars/restaurants. Easy to walk to the beach too. We book and fly with Jet2.

here are some ideas
Vilamoura in Portugal.
palma majorca
nice south of france
let me know your budget and rough dates and I’ll find some links.
i always find jet2 is good

Malaga is lovely and has decent flights from UK

Santa Eulalia Ibiza. Lovely area, not clubby. loads of restaurants, good choice of hotels and apartments. Can do as a package or separately, direct bus to airport, Ibiza Town and other parts of the island.

Malta would be a good choice, only issue is that you'll want to spend a couple of days in Valetta but otherwise the north of the island is much nicer as well near the ferry to Gozo which is also worth a visit, so need to plan to avoid back and forth on very slow buses or needing taxis or hire car.

I would suggest Carcassonne, Jerez or Lecco are all fab. I've not stayed in hotels there but all were lovely, have very accessible airports (Carcassonne and Jerez about 5-7 miles away, Lecco you can get a flight to Milan Bergamo).

Chania is lovely.

Do you have any hotel recommendations for Santa Eulalia please?

I’m going to Sorrento mid September. Fits your requirements to a T. We usually book everything independently but this time have booked via Jet2 as the price was very competitive compared to independent.

Who did you book with please?

We've only been once and stayed here in a self catering studio. I liked it, was clean and modern, decent balcony, good pool (we mainly went to the adults only rooftop pool, but there was also another pool and a splash park) 5 mins walk to 2 supermarkets, 10 mins to beach, 15-20 mins to main part of SE.

Suited us as a 50 something child free couple, many Mumsnetters might prefer something more central, closer to beach, higher specification, and without the semi open plan bathroom but it was a last minute 'what's available and not thousands a week' choice but I'd be happy to stay there again.

We booked through Jet2holidays, but if I went again, I'd probably book separately as there's a direct bus from the airport virtually to the hotel.

@ReallyReilly TUI

Nice, France.
Languedoc, France (and probably less expensive).
Centre-South Portugal, probably nicer if you drive though.

Short flight - Málaga. It's a coastal city with lots to see, lots of restaurants and close to the airport.

Yes it can be time consuming, looking for a holiday when you’re unsure where you want to go. I just look at a map to decide on a place I haven’t been to before, then go on Skyscanner to look at flights, then look at hotels according to price and proximity to the airport and city centre. If it all matches then I book.

How about Barcelona?

Where have you been before that you enjoyed? What countries have you not been to that you would like to visit? September is in general a perfect time to visit most Mediterranean countries, with a 3-3.5 hour flight or less. Do you like small coastal towns? A city break (which can include cities by the coast )? Or do you fancy a larger hotel complex somewhere?

Places we’ve visited in September recently have been Alvor (Portugal), Puerto Pollensa (Mallorca), Sardinia (near Olbia), plus stays outside of Dubrovnik and Split (two separate holidays). If I were to return to these areas I may chose Lagos rather than Alvor (slightly larger), Cavtat rather than Dubrovnik and one of the islands outside Split. This year we will be staying just outside Sorrento.

Malaga.

Why would you stay in Cavtat over Dubrovnik? Im trying to decide which of these places to stay. Is it easy to get from one to the other for a day trip?

This place is amazing

Skiathos town

Malaga has everything. History, culture, great restaurants , beaches, harbour, gardens, retail therapy. Lots of flights, easy travel from the airport. Gateway to visit other places in the area.

Malaga / Estepona.

Another vote for Malaga if you’re open to a city break + beaches along the coast.