Looking for non touristy holiday recommendations...

*Lees*

Myself and my boyfriend are planning to head away for a week or maybe 10 days during the summer. We're looking for something a little less touristy than the usual package holiday destinations! I was hoping for some recommendations
Ideally we would like somewhere warm/hot and near the sea would be lovely as well as being cultural with lots to see and do! I suppose somewhere that's unspoilt is what were after, with beautiful scenery and great food!
Can anyone offer any suggestions?

P.s. we're hoping to spend as little as possible

mrsWhippy

How about renting a car and driving through Tuscany? Scenery is among some of the most beautiful I've ever seen. Food - well you can't beat Italian food!

You can stay in really cheap guesthouses and agroturismos along the way - it would be stunning!

mum2be

Hi, we spent 10 days driving across northern Spain and southern France from Santander to Barcelona. Loved the holiday, weather was great, not too hot in the mountains, we did some hiking, the Basque region was very interesting, stayed in lovely little villages along the way, even went to Lourdes which I found very spiritual (and I wouldn't be that way inclined normally).
Did the same in Tuscany and I can't say enough about the food and the slow pace of life there, it was wonderful.
Things can be a cheap or as expensive as you want, maybe try camping to reduce the costs. I always think that if you don't do something or go somewhere while on holidays because you're watching your money that you'll regret it later so just go for it.

*Lees*

Thanks for the suggestions, the basque region is something we were looking into alright it looks beautiful! Will definitely check out Tuscany too I love Italian food!!
We will definitely be getting a car so camping would be an option for sure! Thanks for the help :-)

kupus

If ryanair are going to resume flights to Zadar in croatia, you can island hop, visit two or three national parks in the vicinity one being plitvice lakes heres a pic of it now.....

and a pic during summer


Well worth a visit

RINO87

liking this thread!!! My gorlfriend and I are planning something similar for mid april. Camping/ hostels hopefully, anywhere with lots of activity. Not necessarily coastal. Will be keeping an eye on this thread!

Pythia

We are renting a farmhouse on Gozo island in Malta. It looks very unspoilt and quiet. The island is very small so it should be easy to get around and see everything. Apparently it's so small you are never more than 15 mins drive from the sea.

We are going to rent a car and drive from Malta airport over to the ferry and cross the sea to Gozo. We're going for 10 days, Ryanair fly there a few times a week.

Fratton Fred

Pythia wrote: »

We are renting a farmhouse on Gozo island in Malta. It looks very unspoilt and quiet. The island is very small so it should be easy to get around and see everything. Apparently it's so small you are never more than 15 mins drive from the sea.

We are going to rent a car and drive from Malta airport over to the ferry and cross the sea to Gozo. We're going for 10 days, Ryanair fly there a few times a week.

I hope you like quiet, because Gozo is very quiet.

It does, however, have the best diving in the med and if you've ever fancied trying it, Gozo is an excellent place to start.

I love the place, enjoy!

lc180

I noticed this thread in the reviews section and thought it might be what you are looking for.

Albania looks like a really beautiful country that hasn't been spoiled by mass tourism yet. Might be worth considering. I'm gonna add it to my bucket list anyway


http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056533405

Pythia

Fratton Fred wrote: »

I hope you like quiet, because Gozo is very quiet.

It does, however, have the best diving in the med and if you've ever fancied trying it, Gozo is an excellent place to start.

I love the place, enjoy!

I'm not a big diving fan but boyfriend will have his advanced Open Water Padi when we go so he will be diving.

Yes, we want peace and quiet and privacy. We have our own private pool in the farmhouse and I'm looking forward to cooking some meals and eating out sometimes. They drive on the same side of the road as us too so no stress re the driving!

harney

We went to Playa del Carmen in Mexico a few years ago. While the area we stayed in was touristy,we rented a car rather than taking excursions and it was fantastic. It did help that my gf is Spanish, so language was not an issue.

Hong Kong is quite cool also. If you wander off the main tourist paths it can be quite interesting, especially some of the food markets. If you do go there then get a visa to cross into China. It is about 2 hours by train to the border.

I know these are touristy places, but it is so easy to step outside that part of it.

dory

+1 for Albania. Amazing place.

Montenegro is also lovely. A few airlines fly to Croatia and it's only a short hop from there.

Patch_Rick

kupus wrote: »

If ryanair are going to resume flights to Zadar in croatia, you can island hop, visit two or three national parks in the vicinity one being plitvice lakes ...

I've been going to Croatia for years, especially the island of Hvar, it's literally paradise on earth and not spoilt by any means. Well maybe the town of Hvar has become more "touristy" in recent years but it's still a gem!

By the way, I see Ryanair are not offering flights to Zadar from Ireland anymore. This is such a shame as it's the gateway we used to Croatia and very handy for getting to Hvar and other islands. Anyone know if Ryanair plans to resume this particular flight? I tried their website but it's impossible to get through to Customer Care with this specific query!

Degringola

How about Venice (ok, touristy, BUT fab if you haven't been before), followed by Trieste, then Ljubljana (sp) and then onto Lake Bled.

bamboozle

Pythia wrote: »

I'm not a big diving fan but boyfriend will have his advanced Open Water Padi when we go so he will be diving.

Yes, we want peace and quiet and privacy. We have our own private pool in the farmhouse and I'm looking forward to cooking some meals and eating out sometimes. They drive on the same side of the road as us too so no stress re the driving!

Xlendi Bay in Gozo is a lovely spot, loved Gozo, hated Malta

Fr D Maugire

Some very nice ideas in this thread, I have been to Montenegro also and its really nice and the people friendly, I was actually staying in Dubrovnik but did a day trip to Kotor, just watch as the tourists melt away. Hvar another good reccomendation. Albania is definitely on my hit list.

Lake Bled is also beautiful but not a huge amount to do there unless you enjoy rowing.

In Italy, if you fancy Tuscany I suggest trying Siena as opposed to Florecne which is too overcrowded with tourists. Siena is really beautiful and has less tourists.

My favourite place in Italy is actually the Dolomite mountains in the Trentino/Alto Adige region. I stayed camping in a village called Canazei which is primarily a ski resort, thus deserted in summer. Rent a car and drive around the surrounding mountains which are amazing or if you are the outdoors type, do some hiking.

Girona in Spain is another good spot where Ryanair fly direct to, nice old town and central whether you want to hit Barcelona(train) Costa Brava or even Figueres(Dali Museum). Some nice countryside around Girona for hiking or biking. If you fancy Costa Brava, go to some of the smaller places like Roses or Tossa de Mar.

Ok, I need to stop now as I could contine all night on this.