To be honest looking at the type of things you like, 'croft in scotland' etc i'm not sure you would like an AI package holiday, although I guess variety is the spice of life.

how about choosing somewhere, on a coast but with access to a city like Rome, Barcelona, Seville etc then you could have an AI/HB package but get access to some siteseeing and culture as well.

What about the Italian Lakes ? Tuscany if you can find a hotel rather than villa ? or go somewhere African like Tunisia or Morocco as it might be a bit different to what you normally do, plenty of info on HT on Tunisia forum.

Avoid big resorts like Toremollimos, Marmaris, Falaraki, Ayia Napa etc etc my gut feeling is you would hate them.

walking, swimming, good food, beer and a bit of culture is easy.

I can even do it with one of europes best theme parks thrown in.

But getting it in a package may be restrictive, are you up for a spot of DIY?

I am presuming there are five of you at least. A package holiday for five (or more) would be expensive. Therefore, I am suggesting that you go DIY i.e. book your own flights, apartment/villa, carhire etc.

Now, for suggestions of destinations:-

Algarve, Portugal seems to be a favourite family destination. It would have plenty of walks etc, but an abundance of English speaking holidaymakers.

Turkey, Sunshine guaranteed, plenty of choice re quieter resorts, cheap food etc no longer an option as Turks have copped on bigtime. 4.5 hours flight time could be a bummer also.

France, Huge choice of destinations, excellent wine and food options provided you eat as the French do. Culture Vultures would be among their own here. France can be expensive though.

The Islands, Sardinia, Crete, Rhodes, Cyprus, Sicily, etc each can tick all the boxes.

Spain, Costa Almeria although a holiday destination from UK might be a good option where there is plenty of culture, various levels of walks, inexpensive cafes etc No Chavs.

holyjo wrote:

Things we are not fond of.... chavvy brits abroad, nightclubs, noise,noise,noise

You will probably find most all-inclusive hotels are full of noisy boozing chavs, unless of course you're prepared to go at least 4+ star and away from popular resorts. The exception of course would be Mark Warner resorts, but these are expensive, although the wide range of activities included might make it worth your while if your family likes that type of thing.

Definately up for a bit of DIY.........................fire away

Hi Holyjo

I would say our criteria for a holiday are pretty much the same as yours, so I too would be very interested in the DIY options as next year is looking expensive through the tours ops.

We've done a few AI, by far the best was Mexico, the excursions we did were fantastic and the hotel was wonderful. At the other end of the scale money wise we enjoyed Albena in Bulgaria. There we were pretty much the last hotel at the end of Albena beach, but it was on the beach so you could walk down it to the next town, or wander off into Albena itself. We did mainly organised excursions but did do a horse trek down the beach with the local stables which was lovely. Value for money was fantastic and the people were great.

This year we went to Lara beach in Turkey- wrong destination for us and I suspect you too, as it was very much hotel based. Very barren, unattractive and no-where to meander around the hotels. Other parts of Turkey would have been far better I think, but we did the ruins etc, so wouldn't go back I don't think.

What does appeal is the Dordogne in France, not AI, but you can go rafting down the river, there are high ropes courses etc, so a bit more active than just sitting by a pool. On the other hand a cruise appeals too, as we could see so many places in a short period of time. I just can't decide!!

Pam

I would recommend Austria.It ideal for a family who like the outdoors in spectacular scenery.We went to Kitzbuhel in July and the weather was lovely.There is an open air swimming lido,tennis, mountain biking and walking.We found all the other guests in our hotel were interested in the outdoors despite being all age groups.It only a 2 hour flight from the UK and available with Thomson and Crystal lakes.

Holyjo

I've no argument with the Austrian suggestions, as long as you don't stay in Vienna/ Salzburg/ Innsbruck city areas it's a reasonably priced country. I'd looked up some ideas for a friend last year (who bottled out and went to France for the umpteenth consecutive year!) and one address that might be worth looking at is http://www.familyaustria.at/austria_hotel_apartment_family/index.asp
Areas I'd look at are the usual Tirol and Salzburgland (the country area south and east of Salzburg city) which are everything you'd expect of Austria plus Karnten (Carinthia) which is slightly less mountainous and actually very hot in the summer with loads of lakes you can swim in (the Worthersee claims to be Europes warmest lake). Transport is an issue though. Salzburg has some cheap flights during the summer and Innsbruck might (some operators are ski season only) but Klagenfurt in Karnten is limited to just a couple a week from Stansted (Ryanair). Driving to Austria is quite a haul and needs at least one overnight stop each way, by train it's feasible and can be done overnight in bunks but you'd need advice to ge the best fares.

I was going to suggest the Black Forest. This has many of the features of Austria but is closer and easier to reach. It also has a good theme park http://www.europapark.de/ (English button at top right). DER Tours are based in England and have both Europa Park and more general Black Forest Holidays at http://www.dertour.co.uk/holiday_ideas.php?go=family-holidays For DIY the local tourist offices are mostly well sorted and their websites list the range of hotels and self catering options. Travel is easier, flights to Basel (easyjet and Swiss, who can be as cheap as EZ) or Baden Baden (Ryanair). One long day drive if you're south east based, but probably too long if not. Actually quite easy by train using Eurostar and TGV. Once you're there travel should be free. I'm still waiting to see the 2009 details but the region has an offer called Konus Karte for anyone registered in tourist accomodation in most tonws which allows unlimited use of local and regional buses and trains. The full blown regional tourist board site is at http://www.schwarzwald-tourismus.info/ in German and they have a slightly cut down English version at http://www.blackforest-tourism.com/ . I'd suggest somewhere on the Freiburg-Seebrugg railway, fantastic scenery with walking and lake swimming and if it rains you can reach Freiburg (Germany), Basel (Switzerland) and possibly even Strasbourg (France) for sightseeing.

Great post Steve. I had a couple of summer holidays in Austria years ago, brilliant.

Another place that I had forgotten where you can go on a package holiday that has a fair amount to do, is Lake Bled, really enjoyed it there and we had lovely weather in the summer we went. Plenty to do in this region as well, boat trips on the lake, cycling, rambling, picnics, orgainsed trips to caves etc.

Thanks for the thanks!

Yes, Bled area as a package definately worth a look although lack of scheduled flights makes it less easy by DIY. As well as the countryside also worth a day trip into Llubljana. Overall I'd rate the Slovenians as the nicest people I've met.

I agree about Austria and Black Forest. I think your children might have most fun if you stay on a campsite though, rather than a hotel or apartment. Have a look at http://www.vacansoleil.co.uk They offer lots of sites in these areas with tents or caravans.

Good point! Big family rooms might be scarce in the older hotels.

Another idea, especially in Austria, is staying on a farm. I'm sure there is an agency for that but can't find the link at the moment, I had saved two examples near Salzburg

http://www.obersulzberggut.at/home_en.html complete with pool
http://www.noeglhof.at/index-en.html hinting at All Inclusive once they've got summer 2009 pages updated

and there are loads more of them.

Edit:

I've found the agency,

http://www.farmholidays.com/index.php?L=&id=1&id=1&L=4

We went to the Black Forest with Eurocamp and Bad Liebenzell where we stayed can be reached in a day from Zeebrugge. If mountains etc appeal, look at Lake Annecy in the French Alps. It's only an hour from Geneva. Again we went there with Eurocamp and there was loads to do (cycling, walking etc); well there would have been had we not had a 3 year old and an 8 month old in tow.

France would be a good option for a first holiday. France has some of the most well known tourist spots in the world. With the well-known Eiffel Tower and other beautiful places to visit in France, you are never short of ideas for somewhere to visit. For more information on popular tourist spots in France, see the link below.
Source: http://www.clivespiegler.com/frances-most-popular-tourist-spots/