2 Week Sun Holiday in June

shuffles03

Looking to book a 2 week sun holiday ourselves (don't want a package deal) and need help with a destination. We were previously in Lagos, Portugal (courtesy of Boards posters) and absolutely loved it! We're looking for something similar to Lagos, nice old town, nice beach setting, a place with a pool (and fridge but don't need cooking facilities). We were thinking of somewhere in Spain but have no clue where would be good. Definitely want to avoid the Costa del Sol if possible.

Lagos was perfect so anything that resembles that would be great! We loved the old town, great restaurants and bars for nice glasses of wine/prosecco etc. I actually looked into going back there (we stayed in Villa D. Dinis - just outside the old town) but pricing was considerably higher than 2014 (€3,000 versus €600 although we went in October back them which was off peak so that's fair enough) and more than we can afford this year unfortunately.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I've checked flights to both Spain and Portugal and Aer Lingus seem to be the cheapest (if we were to go mid week we can get return flights for two for around €400).

Overall budget would be €80ish a night excluding flights? But would love to get something cheaper.

Berberis

Going to Calpe ourselves this June. Been there approx. 10 yrs ago and loved it.
About an Hour from Alicante Airport and a lovely resort.
beaches and sea 1st class and the resort is used a lot by the Spanish themselves and fairly quiet unless you venture into the old town and even that would be no where like Benidorm.
Plenty of restaurants and different types of accommodation. Ideal place for a relaxing holiday

Ryan Mac Sweeney

Hi there
I have read your post. I would suggest Alicante as a great city as there is lots to see and do and its quite good value for money. You can also go direct with Aer Lingus from Ireland and the weather is always good. Lanzarote is also great as the climate is good and there is lots to see and do there. I would suggest Areciffe as it is near the airport and there is lots tp do there and there are also lots of bars and restaurants to eat there.

thejaguar

This might seem ridiculous - but Ibiza Old Town is really nice.

I've been to Lagos in Portugal a few times - I absolutely love it there. I was in Ibiza a couple of years ago, and enjoyed a similar vibe. We didn't even come across the typical idea of Ibiza (clubbing, drugs etc.). We stayed near the Old Town and took a stroll around in the evenings much the same as we've done in Lagos when we've been there.
Plus with the island being reasonably small, there is plenty of options to go an explore other beaches - and even taking a trip across to Formentera is a nice day out.

If you're thinking of Portugal there's a little town called Carvoiero just up the coast from Lagos. It's a bit smaller/quieter than Lagos.

thejaguar

Ryan Mac Sweeney wrote: »

Lanzarote is also great as the climate is good and there is lots to see and do there.

+1 for Lanzarote. Playa Blanca is nice.

SarahMollie

Agree about Ibiza, there is a lot more to the Island than San Antonio and the super clubs. The old town is beautiful!

I also loved Cascais, just north of Lisbon if you'd consider Portugal. Lots of flights to Lisbon available, and its a 40min train to Cascais.

shuffles03

Thanks for all the replies! Just looking at flights and accom in Ibiza - pretty pricey. Calpe flights were reasonable enough. Can you recommend good places to stay? Also, I hadn't thought of Lanzarote. For some reason I pictured it being on the cooler side. However, after a quick look, it's mid to high 20s throughout June. Is there a Lagos equivalent in Lanzarote?

gaillimh

Sitges (about 45 mins by train from Barcelona) is really nice. Was there last summer with the missus.
Good value food and wine, nice beaches etc. Very relaxing.
It has a nice little town centre and promenade and just a nice buzz about it.
Should be able to get flights to Barca reasonably cheaply.

We were there or a week.
Not sure about a 2 week trip but I never stay in one place for more than a week anyway.
Check it out online.

gaillimh

Also, I've never been there myself but a friend was in Santa Eulalia in Ibiza last year and loved it also (it's not the area with the clubs etc)

thejaguar

We stayed in Figueretas in Ibiza for a week or so, then headed up to Portinatx in the north of the island for another few days.

I loved both, and we stopped off at a few nice beaches/resorts along the way - Santa Eulalia & Cala Llonga were 2 of my favourites.

As for Lanzarote, Play Blanca is nice - it was quiet when we were there in MAy last year - but it's not far from Puerto Del Carmen. Although we had a car and my wife was pregnant so driving was always an option

Bananaleaf

Not sure I would recommend Lanzarote - I didn't enjoy it when I visited - although it was in January so maybe that was why!

In Spain - Nerja is nice. It is Costa del Sol but it isn't rowdy at all - at least it wasn't when I was there. Fly to Malaga

Valencia is also lovely. About 3hours from Valencia on train heading south there is a town called Denia - one of the most fabulous places I visited. I don't think it's a major destination for English speakers so pretty nice change. Fly to Valencia I think.

I think it would be more expensive to go to Tarifa - most southern point of Spain - 15km from Morocco - but if you could it is amazing. Even more of a bonus if you are into windsurfing or water sports, whale watching. Fly to Malaga and get bus/train to Tarifa. Definitely not typical Spain - all signs in Spanish and Arabic

shuffles03

Thanks for all the replies! We had a quick look last night - using all of your guidelines for destinations. Ibiza seems like it might be off the cards; pricing for flights and accom (no matter where we looked seemed to be off the charts which is fair enough as it's Ibiza and a small island).

For example, we stayed here last year as part of our honeymoon;

Hotel Villa Campomaggio, Raddi in Chianti
http://www.hotelvillacampomaggio.it/en/index.php

Lower/mid range Ibiza accomm wasn't far off the pricing for the above and we just didn't feel we were getting our money's worth.

Lanzarote - I'm not sure yet. I was there on a family holiday when I was younger but don't recall much of the details.

Spain - this could be a real winner. Flight isn't too long, great weather, pricing doesn't appear to be too high versus value etc. (just need to find Lagos in Spain).

We've also started thinking about the possibility of renting a small villa with a pool (not sure if it's feasible). As we would like to eat our meals out, hotel restaurants aren't a necessity. Any recommended sites for villa rental? I'm going to start with AirBnB.

We've nearly locked down our dates. Having looked at flights, if we go mid week the savings are enormous. Mid week also allows us the opportunity to go for a bit longer. We're now thinking May 31 to June 19.

Just as a side note, we don't mind paying for quality. It might seem like we're looking for the best/cheapest deal possible. We're not. Just looking for the best value in a great location. We're on the other side of our wedding (last year) and savings have been seriously depleted. If we were to find the perfect spot, we wouldn't mind paying the extra required.

Thanks again for all of the help so far.

pjproby

Look at Nerja or Mojacar or Santander in Spain

toadfly

thejaguar wrote: »

If you're thinking of Portugal there's a little town called Carvoiero just up the coast from Lagos. It's a bit smaller/quieter than Lagos.

I was in Carveiro last May and it was a lovely quiet town, we stayed at http://www.montesantoalgarve.com/resort-en/, weather was hot, around 35 degrees but that was a freak week I think. Its usually early to mid 20s I think.

Sundew

shuffles03 wrote: »

We've also started thinking about the possibility of renting a small villa with a pool (not sure if it's feasible). As we would like to eat our meals out, hotel restaurants aren't a necessity. Any recommended sites for villa rental? I'm going to start with AirBnB.

Just as a side note, we don't mind paying for quality. It might seem like we're looking for the best/cheapest deal possible. We're not. Just looking for the best value in a great location. We're on the other side of our wedding (last year) and savings have been seriously depleted. If we were to find the perfect spot, we wouldn't mind paying the extra required.

Thanks again for all of the help so far.

I'm a big Mallorca fan. Like Ibiza it gets bad press because of 2/3 resorts where all the package deals go. We have rented 4 properties there, through this website
https://www.homeaway.co.uk/lettings/spain/majorca-mallorca/r223
We like to do a good bit of walking when on holidays so we usually base around Soller in The Trumantana Mountains.
It is very popular and unfortunately you do need to book well in advance to secure something.
http://www.sollernet.com/indexen.html
We have divided our time between there and Palma when staying longer then a week!
Everybody's taste and budget is different but can pm you the properties I have stayed in, if you wish to check them out!

stargazer 68

We stayed in a villa a couple of years ago in Albufeira - outside the town but walkable - we didnt as it was August!! The German man that owns it was absolutely lovely. Its a huge villa with its own pool - there are 4 apartments in it though. We had a 1 bedroom with a balcony - i think there was a studio, another 1 bedroom and a 2 bedroom. Even in August we had the pool to ourselves for most of the time. Highly recommend it. If you want details I can get them for you.

thejaguar

pjproby wrote: »

Look at Nerja or Mojacar or Santander in Spain

Nerja isn't far off a Spanish version of Lagos actually...

SarahMollie

Does it have to be Spain OP? Personally I think you could do well looking at either Greese/Croatia.

Have you explored either of those?

Wyldwood

I second SarahMollie's suggestion of Cascais, very similar to Lagos and easy train journey to Lisbon.
Alternatively, Dubrovnik has a lovely old town with lots of restaurants and bars.

Jilly14

Hi,
I would also recommend Nerja. Gorgeous little town, great views, lovely beaches & restaurants.
I'm actually just looking at Lagos at the minute. My husband is in a wheelchair so I'm wondering is the the town very hilly or easy to get around?

lorrscann

I would also recommend Nerja - East of Malaga so away from the costa del sol. There are some lovely small towns along this end of the coast e.g. Torrox costa or Torrox pueblo (my fav), Nerja which is stunning, Almunecar - great working town with mainly Nordic tourists.

yqtwqxqm

Jilly14 wrote: »

Hi,
I would also recommend Nerja. Gorgeous little town, great views, lovely beaches & restaurants.
I'm actually just looking at Lagos at the minute. My husband is in a wheelchair so I'm wondering is the the town very hilly or easy to get around?

Its hilly enough that I wouldnt attempt it with a wheelchair. Your only option really would be along the river and a couple of the streets parallel.
If you were to stay around those you would be fine, but you might get bored sticking to them.
Look at videos on youtube of Lagos and you'll get an idea.

shuffles03

Thanks for the suggestions about Nerja. Looking into it now. It doesn't have to be Spain at all, for some reason that kept popping into our heads.

shuffles03

Just had a quick scan at Coatia hotels through trivago (without knowing what area is best). It seems the value for money versus what you get is amazing!! Is this true?

shuffles03

Actually, just checked flights to Croatia - pretty steep.

Indestructable

Nerja is fantastic, one of our favourite places in Spain.

crunchie1

Dovies wrote: »

We stayed in a villa a couple of years ago in Albufeira - outside the town but walkable - we didnt as it was August!! The German man that owns it was absolutely lovely. Its a huge villa with its own pool - there are 4 apartments in it though. We had a 1 bedroom with a balcony - i think there was a studio, another 1 bedroom and a 2 bedroom. Even in August we had the pool to ourselves for most of the time. Highly recommend it. If you want details I can get them for you.

Hi any chance you could send me the details on this, up the walls searching!
Thanks