Holiday Suggestion

doctorwhogirl

Hi all!

Very broad query but we literally haven't a clue where to start with our holiday this year so any suggestions welcome.

This is generally what we're thinking:

*relatively budget friendly
*Europe (linked to the above budget!)
*We both want a mixture of things from the holiday; an opportunity to relax in a "sun holiday" sort of way but also the opportunity to see interesting things and sightsee

I understand that maybe this holiday does not exist but any suggestions welcome!

Thanks!

Greenduck

My favorite place in the world is the Cote D'Azure in South of France. We usually stay in Nice which is a large enough city with plenty do. Not only have you the shops, restaurants and bars but your just a train or bus from Cannes,Monaco, Antibe etc. The food is incredible and if you look around very reasonable. Weather is great for the summer months - lovely beach. I cannot recommend it enough. We rented a lovely apartment (Pebbleshttp://www.nicepebbles.com/) from these guys. All their apartments are of a really high quality. Ryanair fly there too.

wandererz

A few years ago we went to Kusadasi, Turkey with wingsabroad.ie and stayed in the Golden Day Wings hotel which had just been taken over by them and newly refurbished. At the time we got 14 nights for circa 530 per person including flights.

This year i had booked early for June and got it for €550pps. Sadly i had to change to end August / beginning of Sept and the price went up to about €650pps. Still, not bad for Flights & accommodation for 2 weeks. Works out to about €47 per person per day.

Pro's:
1) Prices we got were great for the time of year we were travelling (Sept/early Oct) - Prices can vary so it's wise to perhaps look outside of the peak periods.
2) Not too long a flight
3) Great weather - although July/August can get to 40+ which may be too much for some.
4) Great views of the Harbour from the upper floors of the hotel
5) Some great beaches a short distance away. Either hire a car and drive yourself or use the local minibus taxi's, which are cheap and plentiful.
6) Some nice local towns and historical places nearby - e.g. Ephesus
7) Can take a ferry across to the Greek island of Samos - about 1.5hrs away- either for a day trip or even to spend a few nights there.
8) Cheap to eat and drink out in Kusadasi, even cheaper if you visit the traditional restaurants and bars.
9) Good option if you need to get some dental work as well.

Cons:
1) Local bars/restaurants/markets can be quite pushy in terms of trying to get you to visit their establishment - although not so in Samos.
2) Hotel pool has various "activities" during the day i.e. games where residents are enticed to join in - great for the younger crowd, but perhaps not for the 35+ set.
3) Hotel only caters for Irish - so don't be shocked to hear the same accents as wherever you are from in Ireland.

I'm sure there are lots more pro's and cons, but that's my 5 minute summary.

P.S. I travel to Nice & Cannes a good bit these days as well (will be there in july - yippee!). However, eating and drinking out can be expensive.
To compare, i use the time honored method of the price of a pint of beer.
- Turkey - 5 Turkish Lira = €2 or less
- Nice - €10+

wandererz

Another option would be Spain of course, but i'm just talking from experience here.
We rented a great apartment 100mtrs from the beach, on the Costa Brava, couple of swimming pools in the complex too.

You can walk up to the beach huts for drinks, restaurants a 10min walk away. Towns on ether side about a 10min drive or taxi ride away.
Loved this one because it was outside the big cities, yet only a short taxi to/from the local town.

If driving then lots of fantastic beaches available and also options of winery's, historical towns etc.

We prefer to do things on our own, so rented a car even though the first time it remained parked outside for the majority of the time.

Apartment rental costs do go up considerably in summer though, mainly i think due to the higher temperatures and people using the aircon 24/7 even while leaving doors open etc.

MissM89

Hi all - I am thinking along the same lines as the person above. Was thinking about Lisbon, with a day or so in Cascais. Does anyone have any advice on where to stay in Lisbon or what would be good to see?

All help much appreciated! Thanks

veetwin

doctorwhogirl wrote: »

Hi all!

Very broad query but we literally haven't a clue where to start with our holiday this year so any suggestions welcome.

This is generally what we're thinking:

*relatively budget friendly
*Europe (linked to the above budget!)
*We both want a mixture of things from the holiday; an opportunity to relax in a "sun holiday" sort of way but also the opportunity to see interesting things and sightsee

I understand that maybe this holiday does not exist but any suggestions welcome!

Thanks!

I would suggest Croatia if you're looking for something a bit different. EI fly to Dubrovnik or FR to Zadar. Car hire is probably the best best but there is loads to see and do along the coast once you get going. The islands of Brac and Hvar are stunning and well worth a visit. Plenty watersports and diving are available reasonably cheapy. Inland there is plenty sightseeing or white water rafting if you're that way inclined. Mostar in Bosnia is worth a visit for the history. Weather will be hot but bearable in the summer months. Beaches on the islands are fab but are a bit stony on the coast. Dubrovnik is a stunning city especially on the drive from the airport towards town.

Stone Deaf 4evr

MissM89 wrote: »

Hi all - I am thinking along the same lines as the person above. Was thinking about Lisbon, with a day or so in Cascais. Does anyone have any advice on where to stay in Lisbon or what would be good to see?

All help much appreciated! Thanks

I found lisbon to be quite tame in terms of cities to visit, the tour bus with the audio guide had long periods of silence, so that tells a lot!

caiscais on the other hand, is a lovely spot. be sure and stop at estoril to see the casino etc. some lovely beaches out there too.

JuanJose

MissM89 wrote: »

Hi all - I am thinking along the same lines as the person above. Was thinking about Lisbon, with a day or so in Cascais. Does anyone have any advice on where to stay in Lisbon or what would be good to see?

All help much appreciated! Thanks

We did a city break to Lisbon at Easter & loved it. Stayed at the Lisboa Plaza hotel just off the main avenue. Super location, really good hotel.

JuanJose

Stone Deaf 4evr wrote: »

I found lisbon to be quite tame in terms of cities to visit, the tour bus with the audio guide had long periods of silence, so that tells a lot!

My advice would be to avoid tour buses in general & also in the case of Lisbon, which we found to be a joy when explored on foot. Best described as shabby-chic but have to say that we loved it.