My partner and I are middle-aged and reasonably active with a nine-year-old daughter but we haven’t been on holiday since she was born. We would welcome some suggestions on choosing the right type of holiday for us. The choice is overwhelming, and as a result we are finding it difficult to make a decision. — Peter McIntyre
What an exciting prospect: to survey all the options the world has to offer. To narrow things down, I have looked exclusively at accessible, good-value destinations that combine many holiday dimensions: warm weather, a decent beach, great scenery, fabulous food, rich culture and plenty of options for activities.
Happily, all those are available reasonably close to hand. On the French Mediterranean coast, Nice ticks almost all the boxes — except for the beach. Split in Croatia is an excellent choice, with easy access to offshore islands, though costs for both flights and holiday spending are higher than you might like.
Barcelona would be another good option, except for the high cost of accommodation and sometimes overwhelming energy in the city.
So I shall strongly recommend two nearby destinations: Cadaques, the former home of Salvador Dalí, on the Med close to Girona; and, across the French frontier, the fine city of Montpellier. Both will be perfect for a week during the May half-term but are going to be rather more crowded and expensive in July and August.
If your hearts are set on a school summer holiday on a slim budget, then I propose as an outside chance you consider the Polish Riviera in the second half of August — warm Baltic beaches, fascinating heritage and low prices. The resort of Sopot is lovely, and the historic city of Gdansk just a short hop away by train.
Email your queries to s@hols.tv
Read More
MORE ABOUT