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Where have you enjoyed (short haul) with young DC?

14 replies

HamCob · 11/05/2021 09:30

Looking for some suggestions please.
We have 2 DC who will be 6 and 10 next year.
Previously we've taken them to Ibiza (Es Cana) and Majorca (Puerto Pollensa)
We've enjoyed both of those as they have nice beaches and are somewhere in between being peaceful/lively. Have been to Cala Dor in Majorca but wasn't so keen as all of the bars etc are set a way back from the beach. We also travelled to Kefalonia as a couple which was beautiful but not enough to do for DC I don't think.

Have you been anywhere with a nice beach and maybe day trips/boat trips or a water park nearby? My eldest was a bit bored by day 4 of our beach holiday last time so any places with plenty to do would be great.

Thanks! Thanks

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Fivemoreminutes1 · 11/05/2021 16:51

Costa Adeje (has Siam waterpark, Aqualand and Jungle Park). Playa de el Bobo was our favourite beach.

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FionnulaTheCooler · 11/05/2021 17:01

Salou in Spain was good, its close to Port Aventura theme park and there's a good water park nearby in La Pineda. Barcelona is doable for a day trip if you want a bit of sight seeing.

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Aroundtheworldin80moves · 11/05/2021 17:04

We lived in Cyprus for two years, near Protaras/Ayia Napa. Nice water park, lovely beaches, great boat rides. Can't advise on hotels though.

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Hellocatshome · 11/05/2021 17:05

Marmaris despite its reputation was great with small kids, lots of things to do lots of boat trips, very accommodation of kids in restaurants etc.

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LindyLou2020 · 11/05/2021 17:06

Menorca.
I know it's another Balearic island, but our kids were 9 and 6 when we first went, and they loved it so much we went again the next year.
I'd been to Majorca and Ibiza before we had children.
All 3 islands are gorgeous, but Menorca just seems much more family-orientated and geared up for children.
And Menorca is smaller than Majorca and so easy to explore.
We went on packages to apartment complexes which had lots of facilities and activities for children. Wouldn't appeal to me now, but the kids were never, ever bored and made lots of "holiday friends".

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sansou · 11/05/2021 19:00

Sardinia twice at May Half Term at Chia Laguna Resort. The most beautiful beaches that I’ve seen in Europe.

For more liveliness, Lagos in the Algarve and Cascais - also in Portugal were good bases.

We also really enjoyed our base in Conil de la Frontera one Easter (flew into Jerez) and did day trips to Jerez, Seville, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Roman Remains at Bolognia, Tarifa, and experienced the never to be forgotten Easter Day Bull runs at Vejer de la Frontera.

A few years ago, we spent a week during Easter touring Andalusia, basing ourselves in Antequera & Granada and visiting, Ronda, Cordorba, Granada and the highlight was walking through the Caminito del Rey as opposed to the Mesquita (fabulous) or the Alhambra (heaving even though we were there on opening.)

We preferred to go at Easter or May Half terms rather than Aug due to fewer people, less scorching temps and lower cost.

Really missing the excitement of travel & planning. Can’t muster any enthusiasm at the moment since we’re staying in the UK this year (again). Don’t want to tempt fate even thinking of booking for 2022 yet.

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HamCob · 11/05/2021 21:46

Thanks all. Some great ideas for new places here, I shall have a look at them.

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Kwackerly · 11/05/2021 22:04

Playa Blanca in Lanzarote. Tui blue flamingo beach, lovely low rise all inclusive resort right next to a beautiful white sand beach, took my son there for a few very easy holidays when he was small.

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LubaLuca · 11/05/2021 22:08

I suggest Playa Blanca too. It's a very pleasant, small resort with good beaches. Lanzarote has plenty to offer for day trips and is easy to get around if you hire a car.

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Ballygowenwater · 11/05/2021 22:11

Was also going to say Lagos in Portugal

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slug · 11/05/2021 22:11

2 slightly more off the wall suggestions

  1. SPLIT in Croatia. There's one lovely Sandy beach that stays shallow for a long way out. Plenty of offshore islands for day trips and interesting stuff inland


  1. Lake Ballaton in Hungary. A 2 hour train ride from Budapest (in itself really interesting) one side is a bit posher the other is full on child friendly fun


A final suggestion, the Azores. Both EasyJet and Ryan Air now go there. Beaches, thermal pools, whale and dolphin watching
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OllyBJolly · 11/05/2021 22:13

We had fantastic long weekends in Copenhagen and Barcelona. Both cities offer so much on a short break.

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scaredsadandstuck · 11/05/2021 22:26

We've had some lovely holidays with our two at similar ages over the last few years in South west France. We've done Eurocamp and private villas. Lots to do down there - boat trips on Canal du Midi, Carcassonne is an amazing medieval walled city with a castle, lovely beaches (Argeles, St Cyprian and Canet). Beziers, Perpignan and Narbonne are good towns for a day trip, and you can easily drive over the border to northern Spain. The Eurocamp sites tend to have amazing pool complexes, plus entertainment of you are into that, and if you're lucky the kids will make friends. The mobile home accommodation can be very modern - we usually get one with an en suite, dishwasher, nice deck etc.

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Etherealhedgehog · 12/05/2021 05:10

I was also going to suggest the campsite thing - we used to go to SW France, staying with Keycamp (in mobile homes, not tents!) DB and I were teenagers so a bit more self-sufficient to roam around by ourselves but I assume there was also a lot on for younger children and close to great beaches. I suspect there were good day trips nearby but by that age my parents struggled to drag us away from the pool/beach!

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