Where would you send 5 women for 4 nights of sun, pool and gentle nightlife?

[FussInBoots]

So… we’ve decided to cancel our Bruno Mars London trip this summer. One of our girls can’t come as she’s due to have an op on one of her ‘girls’ to match the other 'girl' after stage 4 BC ❤️ and it just wouldn’t be the same going without her.
But now we need something else to plan and look forward to!!

There are 5 of us and we’re thinking about 4 nights somewhere warm next year. No idea what month yet really, we’ll work that around her recovery and when we can all get away.

We want sun, a pool (definitely a pool!! Heated if we go when it might be cooler), and enough loungers for all of us to lie around, drink, chat and put the world to rights 😂

We don’t want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere though. We’d like local bars and restaurants, a bit of gentle nightlife and some atmosphere in the evenings. Not looking for clubs or anything mad, but equally don’t want everywhere shut at 9pm!

Beach nearby would be lovely, either walking distance or a short taxi. We’d also need a local shop/supermarket nearby for drinks, snacks and supplies.
Flying from Cardiff or Bristol and really don’t want a massive transfer at the other end.

Accommodation wise we’re open. A lovely Airbnb/villa with a pool would probably be ideal, but we’d definitely consider a hotel, B&B or half board. Not really looking for a package all inclusive holiday.

I’ve googled and googled and keep getting the usual generic answers, so I want to know where people have actually been and loved.

Where have you stayed that you’d genuinely recommend for 5 women wanting sun, pool, nice food, drinks and a good laugh? Specific towns/resorts would be great, but actual hotels, villas or Airbnbs would be even better!

We just need something bloody lovely to look forward to ❤️

@TheM55 thanks for the Can Pastilla recommendation, I’ve just booked a weekend there.

Have a look at the Radisson Blu in Lanzarote. Lovely hotel, with large balconies with sunbeds, 4 pools, good food in the buffet restaurant, adults only. Costs Teguise centre is a 20 min flat walk along the beach side path. If you look on catch up there is a programme where Jane Macdonald visits the Canaries and stays in the hotel. It has a gym and spa too. Its less than 30 mins from the airport.

We have just come back, its lovely. We stayed in Pestana Cuitidela which is a modern hotel in the old fortress. 5 mins into town.

Carveiro in the Algarve. One of my favourite places. Relaxed, plenty of private villas with pools to rent. Lovely little fishing town with some beautiful restaurants. Been lots of times, mainly with my husband, but did hire a villa with a pool and have a girls holiday once! Fantastic!

I’ve also been to Lagos in Portugal which is doable for a short stay. Gorgeous place with lovely shops, restaurants and beach. I haven’t been since the early 2000’s though so may be different now. I’m in Skopelos now which is stunning and would be great although the flight and ferry to get here would be too much for a four day trip.

From late May to mid Sept my recommendations would be:

Malaga / Alicante - city breaks with beaches. Both have shopping, museums, parks and great architecture for sightseeing days. Both have great sandy beaches in the city centre, and plenty of bars, restaurants and nightlife. For either you could stay in the city centre, but if you wanted to be a bit further out then there is good bus /tram networks in both areas. Playa San Juan in Alicante is a particularly good area if you want more of a beach vibe, out of the centre.

Nerja / Benalmadena / Altea / Old Town Benidorm/ Cambrils / La Cala de Mijas / Los Alcazeres - all mainland Spain. - Nerja is beautiful and has some great options for larger villas / apartments too. If you want to be closer to the nightlife then look around the Playa Torrecilla or Carabeo area and everything will be in walking distance. For Benalmadena - try the La Carihuela area near the Pez Espada / Sol Ocean Beach hotel. Old Town Benidorm is world apart from the new town (where all the British bars and busy night life is), it's full of tapas bars, cocktail bars and a whole street full of gin bars too! It's very much a pavement cafe culture and you'll find Spanish families and friends sat out enjoying a wine or gin until the early hours.

Majorca - Palma, Santa Ponsa, Puerto Pollensa - depends whether you want more of a beach or city vibe but each of these resorts has enough to keep you busy.

Zadar, Croatia - a great choice for value for money. There's not many sandy beaches near the city centre, but there's plenty of shingle beaches and swimming platforms off the promenade, and you can take some amazing boat trips to see the islands and national parks too. Stay on the Old Town Peninsula if you can for ease.

Other options would be Lisbon, Costa Teguise (Lanzarote), Costa Adeje (Tenerife), Roda - Corfu, Tingaki - Kos, Pefkos - Rhodes, Es Cana - Ibiza.

ibiza in may - lots of low key hang put places besides the massive clubs. Lots of beaches and good food

Lake Bled in Slovenia

Lagos in Portugal is wonderful and would fit the bill - one hour from Faro airport