All smiles

The resort of Nerja, on the coast of Andalusia, is well known to British tourists, but drive inland just a couple of miles and you come to the unspoilt pueblo blanco of Frigiliana (think sugar-cube houses, steep cobbled streets, medieval churches, orange trees). On the edge of the village, Car-mendos is a splendid four-bedroom villa with a private pool, olive beams and a sun terrace with built-in barbecue. It sleeps seven and costs £1,249 for the week beginning July 30, with James Villa Holidays (0870 085 0722, www.jamesvillas.co.uk). Flights are not included: £243 (children £233) from Gatwick or £273 (£263) from Manchester. Car hire starts at £139.

BIKES AND WINE IN FRANCE

The Ile de Ré, off the Atlantic coast of France, is a sensual feast: long, sandy beaches, big skies and 60 miles of cycle paths that crisscross vineyards and pine forests. Strap the bikes to the car, take the ferry from Poole to Cherbourg and drive down to La Rochelle, where a toll bridge takes you across to the island. A week’s self-catering in a two-bedroom apartment at La Couarde Holiday Village, 100 yards from the sea, costs £1,399 for up to five people, including Channel crossings, departing on August 13, with Brittany Ferries Holidays (0870 536 0360, www.brittanyferries.com; ref YP0004).

A SUMMERHOUSE IN SWEDEN

A cool breeze, a secluded setting, a few beers chilling in the lake — now this sounds like the perfect summer escape. For a break from the Med, do as the Swedes do and rent yourself a traditional summerhouse surrounded by lakes and forests. DFDS Seaways (0870 533 3111, www.dfdsseaways.co.uk; ask for Cottage Holidays) has a smorgasbord of tasty properties across rural Sweden, including a converted farm building near Lake Vattern, an easy drive from the delightful city of Gothenburg. The house sleeps four and has access to a swimming pool (www.novasol.com; ref S05577). A week’s self-catering for two adults and two children (aged 4-15), including a berth on the overnight car ferry from Newcastle to Gothenburg, costs £1,405, departing on July 16.

WILD BEACHES IN CORSICA

Cap Corse, in the north of the island, is where you’ll find some of Corsica’s most rugged and least developed coastline. At the base of the peninsula is the pretty resort of St Florent, and a few miles inland lies the village of Patrimonio, famed for its muscat wine. A short walk from St Florent, on a hillside overlooking a beach, is the Residence Fior di Rena, which has spacious apartments with sea views. A week’s self-catering in August costs £510, based on a family of four sharing and including car hire and insurance, with VFB Holidays (01242 240310, www.vfbholidays.co.uk).

SANDY BEACHES IN CROATIA

Stick a pin anywhere on a map of the Croatian coast and you’re likely to hit on an unspoilt beach and a sleepy fishing village or two. If you’re lucky, you might find a lovely little place like Orebic, on the Peljesac peninsula, north of Dubrovnik. It has a long, sandy beach, restaurants serving black squid risotto and whitebait, and a jetty where you can take a 15-minute ferry ride to the delightful island of Korcula. The Villa Melita has six air-conditioned two-bedroom apartments, ideal for families. A week’s self-catering starts at £549 (children £400) with Tapestry Holidays (020 8235 7766, www.tapestryholidays.com), for travel between July 24 and August 21, a saving of up to £280 on the brochure price for a family of four.

CAIQUE SAILING IN THE SPORADES

The boom in family adventure holidays shows no sign of abating. Explore (0870 333 4001, www.explore.co.uk) has six new itineraries in Europe this summer, including an eight-day cruise in the Greek islands of the Sporades. Sailing on a traditional-style motorised caïque with 10 cabins, you are taken to deserted coves for swimming and snorkelling, and ashore to visit forts, ancient ruins, thermal baths and a working monastery. Depart on July 23 or August 6 or 20, and the price is £650, B&B (under-12s £625; minimum age 5).

FUN (AND EDUCATION) IN TURKEY

Many people think of Turkey as a cheap fly-and-flop destination. Others know better. To see more of this fascinating country, take the kids on an 11-night escorted tour that combines adventure, culture and an overnight train journey. From the bazaars of Istanbul to the mud baths at Dalyan, the trip includes Ephesus, turtle-nesting grounds, a two-day cruise on a traditional gulet and rafting on the River Koprulu. Departing on August 6, the tour costs £659pp (family rooms only at some hotels), including some meals, but not flights, with The Imaginative Traveller (01473 667337, www.imaginative-traveller. com). The firm can arrange flights; from about £250 (£170 for ages 6-11).

BARGAIN CRUISE IN THE MED

Head to the Med by cruise ship from Dover. On August 10, the four-star Nor-wegian Jewel begins its maiden voyage, a 13-nighter to Lisbon, Gibraltar, Livorno, Rome, Cannes, Barcelona and Almeria.The ship has been fitted out with families in mind, with three pools and clubs for children and teenagers. A family of four sharing a state room will pay £2,996, including all meals (a saving of £1,000 on the brochure price), with Cruise Classified (020 8515 4650, www.cruiseclassified.com).

BLING-FREE IN SARDINIA

Gallura, the northernmost pro-vince of Sardinia, is dominated by granite mountains, cork forests and dazzling sandy beaches. One corner is occupied by the millionaires’ resort of Costa Smeralda, but elsewhere you’ll find reasonably priced, family-friendly hotels such as the four-star Dune Village. Overlooking a five-mile beach, it has six restaurants and offers a slew of child-pleasing activities, including tennis, archery, bike hire, canoeing and a daily schedule of sports and games. A week’s half-board costs £635 (first child £395 when sharing parents’ room), departing from Gatwick on August 19, with Thomson Direct (0870 550 2555, www.thomson.co.uk).

FINE LOCHS IN SCOTLAND

Go against the traffic and head north. If the heat wave holds this summer, there will be few finer places to be than the west coast of Scotland. But where to stay? Try Scottish Country Cottages (0870 197 6892, www.scottish-country-cottages.co.uk), which last week had good availability in most regions, including Ashfield Cottage (ref SFF), near the wooded shores of Loch Sween, in Argyll. A traditional stone-built house, it sleeps five, has an acre and a half of grounds and makes a handy base for coastal walks and ferry trips to the Western Isles. A week’s self-catering, beginning on July 30, costs £696.

HIKING IN CHAMONIX

Kit the kids out in hiking boots and head off to the Chamonix valley, in France. Andante on Foot (01722 713813, www.andanteonfoot.co.uk) claims its week-long self-guided mountain walk is a great bonding experience for families with teenage children. You walk for 4-6 hours a day, covering a variety of scenery, from lush Sound of Music meadows to high traverses reached by cable car. The trip costs £585 (children £535) and includes stays at four Alpine lodges, luggage transfers, walking notes, maps, four packed lunches and one dinner. Flights are not included: EasyJet (0905 821 0905, calls cost 65p/min; www.easyjet.com) flies to Geneva from seven UK airports; from £105 in July.

PADDLING IN THE IONIAN

Far from the madding crowds in Tuscany, the remote region of Basilicata, in southern Italy, offers untouched sandy beaches and forested hills overlooking the clear waters of the Ionian Sea. The specialist operator Discovery Tours (0845 230 1212, www.discovery-tours.co.uk) suggests staying at Orto, a traditional farm in the Bradano valley. Nearby is the town of Matera, famed for its ancient cave paintings and rock-cut houses. A week’s self-catering in an apartment for four with shared pool costs a total of £654 in August. Flights and car hire are not included, but can be arranged by the operator.

COASTAL DRAMA IN CO CORK

West Cork is the place to go for dramatic coastlines, long walks and outstanding food. The village of Durrus makes an ideal base for exploring the Mizen Head, Sheep’s Head and Beara peninsulas, three fingers of land that poke into the Atlantic and have some of Ireland’s loveliest beaches. ()

Durrus itself has a few pubs, a highly rated hotel and rest- aurant, Blair’s Cove House, and the four-star Durrus Holiday Cottages, where a week’s self-catering in a two-bedroom house costs £664 for a family of four, with Irish Ferries Holidays (0870 517 1717, www.irishferriesholidays.com). The price includes car-ferry crossings from Pembroke to Ross-lare or Holyhead to Dublin, departing on August 20.

GO WILD IN SPAIN

The Picos de Europa, in northern Spain, make an ideal base for a family activity holiday, with awesome scenery, great food, mild temperatures and a short flight. In the foothills of the mountains, the village of Arenas de Cabrales is the base from which Exodus (0870 240 5550, www.exodus.co.uk) offers an exciting menu of outdoor pursuits, including caving, riding, mountain- biking, canyoning, canoeing and gorge-walking.

A week’s stay in a small, family-run two-star hotel costs £601pp in August. Some activities are included in the price; most cost £29 per day. The minimum age for children is 5, but this holiday is best suited to young teenagers.

GO RURAL IN BRITTANY

Looking for a slice of rural France, away from the stresses of modern life? French Country Cottages (0870 197 6893, www.french-country-cottages.co.uk) has a selection of properties available, including Le Moulin de Boblaye (ref F56227), a converted water mill deep in a 100-acre forest in southern Brittany, with a lake on its doorstep — ideal for swimming. The house sleeps seven and costs £1,251, including Dover-Calais car-ferry crossings, for the week beginning July 23.

AMALFI COAST SECLUSION

Perched above the beautiful Amalfi Coast, with panoramic views of Capri, is the Casetta della Volpe, a secluded two-bedroom cottage with private plunge pool and lawned garden. The house is surrounded by olive groves and is near some great restaurants in the village of Termini. A week’s rental, beginning on July 2, 9, 16 or 23, costs £1,295 (a saving of £350), including car hire, with The Owners’ Syndicate (020 7801 9807, www.ownerssyndicate.com). Flights to Naples are not included: try British Airways (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com), BMI (0870 607 0555, www.flybmi.com), EasyJet (0905 821 0905, 65p/min; www.easyjet.com) or Monarch (0870 040 6300, www.flymonarch.com).

JAZZ IN GASCONY

Managed to escape the Glastonbury mud this year? Then get yourself down to Marciac, a village in rural Gascony that holds an annual jazz festival in the first two weeks of August. The setting is so idyllic, and the homespun vibe so friendly, that many of the world’s top musicians go out of their way to play it. This year’s line-up includes Wynton Marsalis, Ibrahim Ferrer, Femi Kuti, the Count Basie Orchestra and the Afro Cuban All Stars (details at www.jazzinmarciac.com). You can stay 20 minutes from Marciac at L’Amersfoort, a four-bedroom maison de maître with an acre of grounds and a heated pool. It costs £995 per week with The Gascony Secret (01284 827253, www.gascony-secret.com), excluding travel. Try Brittany Ferries (0870 536 0360, www.brittany-ferries.co.uk), which has summer crossings from Plymouth, Poole and Portsmouth to Brittany; from £198 for a car and passengers.

THE ALPS IN SUMMER

Kitzbühel, in the Austrian Tyrol, is a lively ski resort in winter, but when the snow melts and summer arrives, the traffic-free, cobbled medieval town makes an ideal base for walking in the surrounding hills and splashing in the lake. Stay in the four-star Hotel Kitzhof in July or August and you’ll pay £482 for a week’s half-board, including three guided walks, with Voyages Jules Verne (0845 166 7035, www.vjv.com). The child price is the same; one child shares with parents, while two get their own room.

GO ACTIVE IN SLOVENIA

Slovenia is a new hot spot for active families. On the edge of a national park, the village of Bovec sits on the River Soca, in a green, unspoilt valley, and enjoys a mild summer climate. From it you can go white-water rafting, canyoning, paragliding, hydrospeeding and riding. A week, half-board, at the three-star Hotel Alp costs £549 (children under 15 sharing their parents’ room £489; under-7s £424), and you get free guided hikes and three days’ mountain-bike hire. Activities start at £20 per day. Book with Crystal Active (0870 888 0266, www.crystalholidays.co.uk).

DIVING IN GOZO

As children get older, finding activities you can all enjoy together becomes increasingly tricky — so try diving. In the limpid blue seas surrounding the island of Gozo, children over 10 can share the challenge of a five-day Padi open-water dive course while learning about the marine environment. A week in August at the four-star Calypso Hotel costs £685 (£645 for under-12s), including course fees and equipment, with Aquatours (0870 442 3288, www.divegozo.com).

ALFRESCO ISLE OF WIGHT

Get back to nature on a cheap and cheerful camping trip on the Isle of Wight. Pitch your own tent at Landguard Camping Park and you’ll find yourselves sharing a forest clearing with red squirrels, owls, voles and foxes. The camp site, which holds the David Bellamy Gold Conservation Award, has hot showers and is only 10 minutes’ walk from the resort of Shanklin.

A week, arriving in late July or August, costs £263 for a family of four, including car-ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington. Book through Wightlink Holidays (0870 582 0202, www.wightlink.co.uk).

HEAD NORTH TO ICELAND

Too hot for you at home? Then head up to Iceland, where the specialist operator Discover the World (01737 214214, www.discover-the-world.co.uk/iceland) has designed an 11-night self-drive tour with families in mind. To avoid too much packing and unpacking, you stay in just three places: a farm, a country cabin and a timber-framed summerhouse with an outdoor hot tub. The easy pace allows plenty of time to visit geysers, glaciers, volcanoes and beaches, and there are opportunities to go riding, quad-biking and kayaking. Prices start at £855 in August, including internal flights and car hire.

... AND FURTHER STILL

If Iceland isn’t cool enough for you, how about going further north, into the Arctic Circle, and staying in a rorbu (a traditional fisherman’s cottage) in the Norwegian Lofoten Islands? Bathed in yellow light — the sun only begins to set in mid-July — these starkly beautiful islands are warmed by the Gulf Stream and, although air temperatures rarely top 14C, the sea is warm enough to swim in. There are untouched beaches, coastal paths and rowing boats that guests can borrow to explore nearby bays and coves. A week’s self-catering in a two-bedroom rorbu — with all mod cons — costs £938 (children £489) in July or August, including three days’ car hire, with Inntravel (01653 617727, www.inntravel.co.uk).

SUMMER CAMP IN FRANCE

Manor Adventure (01584 861555, www.youcancometoo.com) runs a children’s summer camp with a twist — mum and dad can go too. The setting is perfect: the Château du Broutel, an 18th-century chateau set in 40 acres of parkland less than an hour’s drive from Calais. Activities are all included, on a take-it-or-leave-it basis: everything from canoeing and raft-building to abseiling and archery. If families want a break, they can head to the beach at Le Touquet or the first world war battlefields nearby. A week in the summer holidays costs £549 (under-17s £379, under-7s £289), including all meals and car-ferry crossings from Dover.

FORGET THE CANARIES

The Canaries are good value in summer, but it’s hard to escape the idea that they’re just a little dull. Far more thrilling are the Azores, a cluster of volcanic islands 1,000 miles off the Portuguese coast, where you can stay in a stone cottage, swim off sandy beaches and go whale-watching. The best time to go is between May and October, when 40ft sperm whales can be seen off the coast, along with dolphins and humpback, pilot and blue whales. A week’s self-catering in a two-bedroom cottage in Nordeste costs £547 (under-12s £485), including car hire and a whale-watching trip, with Archipelago Azores (01768 775672, www.azoreschoice.com). If that sounds too rustic, a week at the three-star Hotel Vila Nova costs £519, B&B (children sharing parents’ room £363), with Atlantic Holidays (01452 381888, www.atlanticholidays.net).