Active holidays but still with sun?

[WaryQuoter]

Looking for some inspiration for a more active holiday next year!
My two girls are 12 and 15 and, how shall I put this nicely… they’ve both podged up a bit lately Between school, screens, snacks and generally not doing a huge amount of physical activity, I think we’re all in need of a holiday where we actually MOVE rather than spending a week rotating between the pool, buffet and sun loungers!
I’m thinking something along the lines of walking/hiking, cycling, kayaking, paddleboarding, water sports, adventure activities etc. Basically something where we’re having fun and being active without it feeling like I’ve booked them onto a military fitness camp!
They’re both old enough now to appreciate doing something a bit more adventurous, and I think it would be good for all three of us to get a bit fitter while actually enjoying ourselves.
Has anyone done an active/adventure holiday with tweens/teens as a solo parent that you’d recommend?
Ideally somewhere where there are other families/teenagers around too, as I think they’d enjoy it much more if they had other kids to join in with.
Would love to hear what you’ve tried, especially anything that worked well for those ages!

Slovenia. Bohinj and Soca Valley would be perfect.

I’ve done several Mark Warner and Neilson holidays as a single mum with 2 kids. Expensive, but worth it IMO.

Neilson offer these but aren’t cheap

We went to Annecy this summer, walking, cycling, swimming, boating. Unfortunately the French food didn't help the diet!

did they gain weight there? thats the opposite of what I'm looking for!

The DCs didn't but weren't overweight to start with, I'm sure I did!

Neilson - they have resorts in Greece, Croatia and Sardina. Lots of other teens around, super energetic leaders for all the kids and teen activities! Bike rides, tennis, sailing, paddle board, swimming, kayaking. Difficult to snack between meals, although meals are buffet, lots of healthy options, fruit and desserts are small so there is enough food for the 80km cyclists and runners and swimmers but the less active people can still have a nice meal and not gain weight as long as they don’t load up on 3 different desserts lunch and tea 😆

We went here with our 2 young adult kids. It's for adults but it was part of a resort that was for families and kids too. We did mountain biking, kayaking and went for a hike. Super active!

https://maps.app.goo.gl/TzNLP7aQEkhSZvEu5?g_st=ac

I loved Madeira for the levada walks and the dolphins 😀

You've had lots of suggestions about the location, temperature would be a consideration, you don't want it to be too hot to move!

But if you stay somewhere near the sea or a lake you can swim, snorkel, mess about in the water and walk around/between the accommodation and the water. We always clock up 15/20k steps at least on these holidays because we walk so much.

The other thing I'd say is don't go AI where there's unlimited free food and drink on tap, having to pay for everything will make you stop and think.

We tend to self cater and eat out once a day or we'll go B&B, but after a decent breakfast and a meal out, we find we don't want a third proper meal so have something light. Get drinks, ice creams and easy food from the supermarket.

Doing it that way is a nicer experience and better food than buffet AI but cheaper than a la carte AI and not a lot of work unless it's all left to one person who insists on proper meals and cleaning and tidying for the sake of it.

Another recommendation for Annecy - it’s stunning. I’ve also heard great things about the Swiss alps for an active summer holiday, but haven’t been myself.

This one has - everything…https://www.neilson.co.uk/beach/croatia/alana-beachclub

What about a yoga retreat? One of my friends who goes to the yoga collab has mentioned retreats before but they've never been on one. Might be a nice option as a solo parent where you'd get some exercise but also some sun at a more relaxed pace. Could be a good balance without it feeling like a military camp too!

not sure they'd be able to lose weight doing yoga?

I wasn't really suggesting it purely for weight loss. OP said she wanted them to be more active without it feeling like a military fitness camp. Yoga is still exercise and can help with fitness, so I don't think it's a bad suggestion!

Club La Santa is brilliant as it’s super active - world’s biggest sports resort- and you can self cater (stock up at lidl or mercadona near the airport or use the onsite small supermarket) or they have healthy catering. My kids were out all day every day doing stuff and I found that DH and I lost some weight as we were constantly active too (we needed to, kids didn’t). Evening entertainment is quite sweet. There is also an onsite spa- weekly membership is reasonable, 50m pools are heated, Pilates, running, sea swimming, bikes, balls, yoga mats to borrow, dance, aerobics, hyrox, padel etc.. because everyone is there to pursue fitness it’s a very encouraging environment.
Editing to add that it is in Lanzarote but it’s Danish owned and doesn’t have a drunk Brits vibe. It feels very safe and is quite an enclosed and protected resort.

My friend said that Club Med was similar in terms of a wide sports class and water sports offering.

ideally its for weight loss

i would have recommended Neilson / Mark Warner too - active holidays but still enjoyable. Not a boot camp feel at all!

can anyone recommend somewhere to stay in Annecy?

@hirsuteonHRTwas Club La Santa full of serious athletes? I’ve heard lots of teams go there for serious training and were very much recreational participators … I wouldn’t want to feel out of my depth! 🤪🤪

For weight loss, it’s more about food back home than anything. Any kind of activity will be good for health but they need to cut out the junk and move more in their normal day to day life . (you know that anyway!)

they always gain weight on holiday in particular! x

Perhaps alter their diets during the year ? There seems little point in going away for two weeks or one ‘to lose weight’, only to go back to old eating habits.

Holidays should have no weighing or measuring involved !

A week or two on an active holiday isn’t going to make much of any difference to their weight, unless you mean you want it to kick start a more active lifestyle and healthier eating on return?

last time the eldest gained 8lbs in 2 weeks so it will make a difference x

Neilson, Mark Warner and club med are perfect for this - they have a huge choice of activities. In the first two you can literally do various sports from dawn till dusk.
there are also places who do sailing and watersports (in Greece) and places focused on cycling but in my opinion Neilson and mark warner are the best for variety of everything

The Alps are great for active, outdoor holidays. France, Italy, Slovenia and Austria have numerous resorts that cater for skiers in the winter and hikers, swimmers and mountain bikers in the summer, and temperatures are warm without being too hot.

Many places also have zip-wires, Go Ape-type climbing parks, white water rafting, sailing and swimming in lakes, SUP and so on.