At the risk of banging on about this place, have a look at Lykia World in Turkey. It has its own PADI school and the weather is great in September. It's paradise for teenagers too.

Val, the hubby and I were both 40 last year and we went to New York to celebrate. I'm sure the teenagers would love that. September is said to be one of the best times of year to go.
Alternatively, my best mate is 40 this year and is looking at Dubai, simply because of the various (and different) things you can now do there. Not sure how far you want to travel but other 'nice' cities with plenty going on are Florence, Madrid or Hong Kong.
Re: Scuba - don't know where else you've been but friends who are divers have been to the Red Sea and really enjoyed it. We found Mexico good for snorkeling and diving.

Hope that helps a bit.

Val, I hope you don't mind if I hijak your post. I am 40 this year but my birthday is 29 December so with Christmas etc don't know where to go. We want to be at home on Christmas day with family but don't mind being away for New Year. Was thinking of cold snowy places and as will only be for a few days not too far to fly. A hotel on a lake with view of snow capped mountains perahps. Any one have any ideas?

Thanks

Trish

What about Lake Lucerne (Luzern) in Switzerland - fly to Basel or Zurich then good train connections.

Much though I love Swiss scenery it can be very pricey. So I suggest the Black Forest and in particular Park Hotel in Titisee as better value. I stayed in early December 2005 and there was already snow on the mountains (although the town was clear) and not a cloud in the sky thanks to the altitude. Not all the rooms have views of the lake but it is only a couple minutes walk away. It has an indoor pool also in- and outdoor jacuzzis and a superb buffet breakfast. I didn't try restaurant in the evening as I was pacing myself (doctors orders!) but looking in it seemed good . They also have gym, sauna and beauty treatment facilities. The big problem is that the website is currently only in German although it has plenty of photos and they will answer Emails in English. New Year (Sylvester) may be subject to a specific booking period and compulsory dinner on the night.

Nearest airports are Basel (easyjet and Swiss), Baden (Ryanair) and Stuttgart (TUIfly and BA/Flybe?). As long as the flights are not too late in / early out it is easy to reach by train.

I took my OH to Toronto for her big 40. In return I spent my 40th in Hong Kong. Both great cities to visit for a week and plenty to see and do for all ages.

I agree with Steve - Titisee is a lovely German resort in the Black Forest, and you can get a train directly from Freiburg - about 40 mins with stunning scenery. And Freiburg? Direct rail connections with Frankfurt Airport, Basel and Stuttgart (change at Karlsruhe).

Thanks for the ideas. The Hotel looks stunning. Just the sort of thing I had at the back of my mind. I will start doing some research. Only 11 months to go..........

Trish

Thanks everyone..someone suggested a trip on the Orient Express? Anyone done that or can tell me more about it?

Thanks everyone..someone suggested a trip on the Orient Express? Anyone done that or can tell me more about it

I've got the website address Val as my parents looked it for their ruby wedding anniversary - http://www.orient-express.com. They eventually decided on a tour of Italy instead so can't offer more than the address I'm afraid but hope it's useful to get you started.

Presumably they meant the Venice-Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) which these days sometimes misses out Venice and usually the Simplon! Currently most famous for being the setting of the Marks and Spencers underwear advert shown on TV before Christmas! It's not cheap but does have a certain style and is an idea for these sort of special anniversaries. The classic trip that gets the coverage is London-Paris-Venice (or vice versa) which takes about 24 hours one way. VSOE will sell it on it's own or as part of an inclusive holiday but many of the short break operators also feature it in their brochures, normally with a night or 2 in Venice and flight in the opposite direction, so it is owrth comparing prices. It is an excuse to dress up and the food is supposed to be good although eastbound you normally sleep through the best scenery. Not really suitable for the kids though.

The Orient Express group also do day trips in England and short tours of Scotland and a few other foreign trains.

Thankss Steve and Puddleduck..certainly one for me to look into...it might be nice to dress up and be spoilt for a change. I wouldn't want to be asleep and miss the best scenery though... i hate to miss anything!

If you like diving, you always have Sharm, although I have been told the snorkelling off the Conrad is as good as Scuba Diving in the area with less effort. When we stayed at the Conrad there were some folk there who used to go to the Great Barrier Reef until they discovered the Conrad, so it must be fairly good. There is also Mexico, where there is a large reef off Cozumel where they run diving trips to from the whole area. We were at Riviera Maya at the end of September and it was nice and warm all the time.

But do you really want longhaul to Mexico for a week's break? Ditch the kids - lovely as they no doubt are :-) - the secret will be to pick somewhere where there will be absolutely nothing of interest to them and bu gg er all for them to do and that way wild horses wouldn't drag them along! That will leave you free to go somewhere romantic where the two of you can enjoy romantic candlelit dinners for two after a day of wandering round soaking up the atmosphere. You say that you'd give up the scuba diving for the right City break so how about one of the Moorish cities in Andalucia? Seville, Granada or Cordoba would be great at that time of year - warm and sunny still but not too hot. Amazing Moorish palaces and gardens to wander around, plenty of street cafes when you feel like a rest and a some tapas with a cup of coffee (though a glass of Fino or Manzanilla would be my choice!).

Seville, as the setting for 'Carmen' is absolutely filled with atmosphere and the Santo Cruz area has a number of small, good quality hotels that are ideally placed in the most picturesque area with all the well known sights close by. The Alcazar is amazing and the shoe shops are to die for! As are the convent made pastries which are truly delicious and so light they can't possible be as calorie filled as they look! Similarly, the Alhambra in Granada is always worth a visit and the central pedestrian area of the city contains some beautiful flower filled square surrounded by pavement cafes with small pensions and hotels providing accommodation from the basic to the luxurious. And if you go there get him to treat you to the works at the restored Moorish Hammam (steam baths) - the massages are top rate - at the foot of the escarpment on which the Alhambra is built. And no visit to Granda would be complete without 'sundowner' cocktails on the terrace of the Alhambra Hotel watching the sun set behind the Sierre Nevada mountains. The shoe shops are pretty good here too! Avoid the tourist traps and you'll see the best and most authentic flamenco ever in either city. Haven't been to Cordoba yet but planning to go in April and everything I've read about it so far suggests that I won't be disappointed.

Public transport is good in the area and whilst you can fly direct to both Seville and Granada from the UK, train (for Seville) and bus (for Granada) links from Malaga are easy. Or if you want to push the boat out, Iberia do excellent deals with good local connections via Madrid. If you are interested let me know as I can let you have a lot more info about things to do/see and places to eat and drink in both Seville and Cordoba,

SM

Val

Small correction, whilst the VSOE runs via Innsbruck you only miss a little bit of the mountains on the eastbound run. But for part of the summer that route will be blocked and I'm not sure what they will do, possibly fall back on the original route.

I have had a look on the website.. it is looking a real possibility at the minute..but it is not something the kids can really do, even though they are 18 and 16.

I am also thinking of Vienna as a city break...

We go diving several times a year and will be holidaying in Sharm at some point this year anyway..so that is out of the equation as are the Canary Islands (we have holidayed there several times in the past before). Definitely want it to be somewhere different...

SMa, your description of Seville and the Cordoba region sounds great. I like the Granada region and perhaps should explore it a little better than I have done. I don't really like areas that are too commercial, i prefer to go off the beaten track and explore the real areas. I cannot lie still on a sunbed and have to be doing some physical activity such as diving or some cultural exploring that will fascinate and delight me.

Everyone is coming up with such great idea's it is making it even harder for me to choose!

Hi Val,

If you liked Granada and the surrounding area then I think you'll love Seville. I went there in connection with my work for a week this September just gone at around the same time as you are looking at - the weather was very warm and sunny during the day and even at midnight was still warm enough to be out and about in lightweight summer clothing. I took a lightweight linen jacket with me and only wore it on the journey there and back - it stayed in the hotel wardrobe for the duration of my stay and I wished that I'd packed more than just the 2 sleeveless linen shift dresses that I ended up wearing more than anything else. But it wasn't so hot that you didn't want to be out and about visiting the cultural sites. I'm not a lazing around on a sunbed type of person either and of course I did have to spend a fair bit of time doing worky things but that is why I'm planning to go back this spring with a couple of friends - I felt that I'd barely scratched the surface of the things to do and see. The other thing I loved was that the city is small enough to mean that you can walk everywhere but they've just opened a new tram system that traverses the city from one end to the other. I managed to arrange things so that I had a full day and half in the city before my conference started and an afternoon and evening at the end of it before I had to return home but still left feeling that I could have easily filled another couple of days with 'must-sees' and this despite the fact that colleagues arranged a social programme for us of an evening during the conference too.

Obviously, Seville is a bit of a magnet for day-trippers from the coast but it definitely has a life of its own and of an evening I barely heard English being spoken. For example, if you are into the idea of going to a flamenco performance I can point you in the direction of the place where my Spanish work colleagues in Seville recommended as THE place to see the most authentic professional performances as well as the bar which also came highly recommended by them because it runs the flamenco equivalent of 'open mike' nights where the local enthusiasts gather to sing and dance just for the fun of it. The latter performances were a bit rough at the edges but it was filled with locals and naer a tourist in sight - huge fun.

And one of the reasons why I'm keen to go to Cordoba on the next trip is because so many of the academics and artists I met in Seville kept telling me that if I loved Seville then I really must go to Cordoba because it was an even more beautiful city and even less commercialised and touristy than Seville. I didn't manage it but some colleagues at the conference visited Cadiz and raved about that too on the same grounds.

SM

SM I think you'll love Cordoba - I did, and it was relatively untouristy and I went mid March with brilliant sunshine but cold starts!

You could do Sevilla and Corboba (linking them by rail) and enjoy two wonderful cities and make your 40th really worth remembering.

Val, I've sent you a pm!