Ian - can you answer a few more questions, in order for us to give you appropriate answers. What month are you looking to go, as £400 isn't going to get you far in July or August. How old is the youngest member of your party. Are you into "clubbing" or do you prefer pubs with some entertainment etc. A little more info will get you better results from members.

What do you mean by common? As Magaluf seems to be the place for you, amazing beach, good drinking, clubbing,etc
Only thing is it can be very full of young people like yourself. Does this mean it's common? Maybe!
If you don't really want to be right in the thick of the action then maybe somewhere like Salou or Benalmadena, Torremolinos would be a bit more like it?

Ibiza is another way to go which although known as a clubbing Island can be anything you want it to be! With San Antonio being the 'magaluf' of the Island and Playa D'en Bossa or Ibiza Town being more relaxed but with still plenty of bars/clubs etc!

Also Benidorm is a great place to go but too many people are put off by it's bad reputation of being Blackpool in the sun! It is nothing like Blackpool and is great for people of all ages!
It's also one of the cheapest Spanish resorts to go to!

What about Turkey? Holidays to Turkey are often cheaper to book than Spain/Greece and because Turkey is out of the Euro zone you should (in theory) find your spends going a little further.
Marmaris is generally thought of as the big lively resort, if you want somewhere slightly less 18-30, Icmeler or Bodrum/Gumbet are popular.
You may struggle with £400 each in peak season (Jul/Aug school holidays) but if you can go in late June/early July (in between school holidays) you might find some bargains.

If you prefer to stay in Spain you can often find some good deals for Puerto Rico in Gran Canaria, or Puerto del Carmen in Lanzarote - both lovely places with a good nightlife. Or how about Alcudia in Majorca - not as rowdy as Magaluf but still plenty to keep you busy.

Not really sure what you mean by common ?

Was thinking either Ibiza or Malia in Crete, Falaraki in Rhodes If you are going out of season as you will probably get better weather in Greece, than Ibiza out of season.

What month do you wish to travel ?

Hi,
Having a 23 yr old who's been going abroad with his mates every year since he was 18, perhaps I can pass on some of his opinions on the best places for you. As Helen T says though, we need a bit more info first. If you could answer some of the questions people have asked here, I'm sure you'll be spoilt for choice

Many thanks for your replies guys!

Helen - it will be around July/August, which was my main fear regarding the budget we had allocated. (If I'm perfectly honest, I'd be willing to double my budget, but a few of my mates are tight arses.) All of us, by then - will be 18. So that should make things a little easier on the whole I guess.

Chivas - by common I mean, we don't want to feel like we're holidaying in Benidorm! (The TV show). ((EDIT - haha, I just read your next post RE Benidorm. We all totally have it in our heads that it's not the place for us. But now you've said that, I guess we could certainly look into it). Obviously, we don't want someone to go to look at the architecture and nice landscapes, but at the same time, we don't want it to be swamped with loud english families and everyone who is off their face. We most certainly do want the amazing beach and good drinking - but not so much clubbing. (A cheap pub would suit us fine!).

Cyberspacekadette - We actually looked at Turkey, and it did seem to be one of the cheapest options, as you say, in particular Marmaris.

Doepsmc - Again, we've also looked at Ibiza, Falaraki and Greece - but really don't know which ones would be the best choice?

Shirely - Great idea! I'd be interested to see what he says.

Last year we went to Torremolinos, and honestly we had a great time. It wasn't over crowded with roudy teenagers or families from Blackpool, and there was a fair few decent pubs and cocktail bars that suited us down to the ground. No clubs, but really we weren't looking for any.

We'd go there again, but want to try somewhere a little bit different I think.

Thanks again people, appreciate your input.

ok from your reply I'd leave out magaluf as although Palma Nova is lovely, Magaluf is very 18-30 croud and after reading your reply I don't think you and your mates seem the type to be lying in their own puke by 5am?
Alcudia would be a better choice for Majorca. Plenty of places for a drink, and a brilliant beach!

I've never been myself but Bulgaria and Turkey seem to be the cheapest places to go as in eating and drinking but I think even they are starting to put up their prices!

Salou (Costa dorada) seems like a good place for you as it has a nice beach, loads of bars, bus trips to Barcelona and the Football ground (great day out), Also theres a massive theme park (never too old for that).

The only problem I can see is the £400 each! It'd probably have to be a DIY holiday where you book the flights and accomodation seperately but even then you'll need to add on transfers etc!
One thing to tell your mates is to remember that whilst away the won't be spending what they normally would when at home so if they normally spend £100 a week then thats £200 to add for a two week holiday! £600 each would give you a lot more options!

How about kardamena or Kos Town in Kos, or Stalis in Crete. Also Playa D'en Bossa or San Antonio Bay area in Ibiza. I still think you'll have to be very lucky to get somewhere for £400 in July or August.

Your main problem is going to be your budget as others have said. How much pocket money will you have? With the way the Euro's going at the moment you may be better off going AI. The other option is Turkey or Bulgaria.
My son usually goes to the 18-30 type resorts (magalluf, Kavos, Playa d. las Americas) which I don't think will suit you.

However, last June they went AI in Turkey. They found a good deal (not with one of the big TO's)and although they stayed put for their meals and most of the day (apart from a boat trip and a few visits to the beach), they found they could afford to wonder into the bars of Marmaris, late evening.

I suggest you all look at your overall budget, flight/accom/transfers and spending money to see what your best option would be. If you're not tied to specific weeks, you'll find the holidays are cheaper at the start of July before the schools break up.
Good Luck!

Agree with a lot of the comments. First two weeks of July will be cheaper than last two weeks of July/Aug and there should be less families about.

Like Chivas I also wondered about Salou for you, it is a family orientated resort, but has a massive seafront with a huge sandy beach and there are all kinds of pubs, bars and restaurants, plus I think it is still pretty cheap to get accommodation there as there is loads of it so keeps the prices low compared to other places.

The theme park is a little out of the town, but if you got bored you could spend a day there to break the holiday up a bit, also has a couple of water parks if thats your thing. Plus you can do a day trip to Barcelona, Nou Camp, Las Ramblas etc

Marmaris might be OK, not been though and I dont think it has the type of sandy beach you would get in Salou or Torremolinos.

To be honest a lot of Turkish beaches are a kind of gritty sand and don't compare favorably to Spanish beaches IMHO. I expect someone will now come on quoting a beautiful sandy beach they once found in Turkey lol.

Doe

Kardamena, Kos...Specifically, Cleopatra Apts with Direct Holidays. £350 for 1 week mid august or £450 for 2 weeks.

I stayed in the Cleopatra Superior hotel last August and Kardamena might well suit you pretty well. Yes, there are a couple of clubs but you don't have to go if you don't want to, and there is 'bar street' which is full of bars giving out shots but.....there is a nice square with some chilled bars and loads of bars and restaurants along the sea front. It's not overrun with drunk yobs and the beach is pretty good if you walk to the best part.

Primarily though, it's got good atmosphere and it's pretty reasonable price wise. The cleopatra apartments are just round the corner from the hotel and looked pretty decent, they get good reviews and the main thing that made me think of them is that they have 2 bedroomed apts. So 2 apartments for the 8 of you!.. Not sure you'll beat it for the £££'s

Hi again Ian,
where would you like to fly from. The best deals will probably be from one of the larger airports e.g. Gatwick, Manchester etc. YOu normally have to pay a supplement from some of the others.

Years since we went to Kos, but I would have thought that would suit you well. I guess what you don't want is your stereotypical 18-30's scene/Brits abroad at their worst type place. As I say years since we went to Kos, much younger then and pre-children, but we enjoyed it. Well done for doing your research, we hear so much about teenage binge drinkers, it's so refreshing to hear of a group who aren't seeking out the wild nightlife.

Hope you manage to find a great holiday-enjoy

Pam

I was also going to suggest Kos, either Kardmena or Kos Town.

Hiya, I went to Icemeler in Turkey a couple of years ago and had a wicked time- Marmaris is just a short minibus (Dolmus) ride away for when you fancy a big night out with loads of clubs/bars. It was really cheap when we went especially if you are happy to drink local beer. Its not an 18-30 style resort but still has plenty of bars/restaurants and a night club.
The only downside is the beach as it is gritty- we stayed around the pool most of the time. Our apartments were only 2* but were perfect for us- basic but clean. They were called the Dilhan I cant remember what we paid but we stayed 2 weeks and I am pretty sure we didnt pay m0re than £450 each (this was May 2005)
I have also been to Malia in Crete which has a beautiful beach but the nightlife is nuts! Definately not for you if you dont fancy 18-30 style!
Alcudia, again has a great beach but I really wasnt impressed with the nightlife at all.
I would however recommend Lanzarote (Puerto Del Carmen) its a great island and the nightlife is brill- loads of bars and small clubs- the only downside here may be the prices, we went in 06 and 07 and the prices had risen considerably between those years.

Hi there, Falaraki is really good, there is bar street if you want pubs or club street if you want clubs! The beach was gorgegous. I went in June and had a ball. I went to Marmaris last year (and Im going back this year) and its also fab. The euro ruled out alot of Europe for us. The beach in marmaris isn't great but the nightlife is fantastic and you can either go clubbing all night, go to fun bars, got to cabaret or stay in smaller cheaper bars away from the front. My favourite resort, hands down though, is Ayia Napa. Best holiday, best beach, best nightlife! Saying that I went there 3 years ago now and it was expensive then so drink prices may be very high now.

I'd definitly give Tuscany a miss

I'd deffinately recommend turkey for the type of holiday you want. The usual places like magaluf, malia, ayia napa, faliraki etc may to be busy for you and its more geared towards clubbing.

I personally didnt like turkey because i prefer clubbing and a big atmosphere for that type of holiday, turkey was more bars and pubs with people of all ages so would be more suited.

Marmaris beach was very nice and it was very cheap to eat out, the resort was clean and deffinately didnt see any people "off their face" . I went last september for £250 bed n breakfast for a week which i thought was an absolute bargain.