Hi lucylockett, you may need to narrow things down a bit for suggestions, ie, do you want to stay in europe or travel further afield ? whats your budget ? hotel or apartments ? self catering or AL ?
I'm sure you will get loads of suggestions ! good luck !
cheers,
juby

for really good beaches and without going long haul, it has to be Fuerteventura

I would suggest the following based on my hols with my girlfriend over the last few years (we are a few years older than you but you seem to list the things that we like! Beaches, bars, restaurants and a club now & then!)

1. Cyprus - Beaches are superb and the standard of accomodation is high, Ayia Napa has great restaurants and the nightlife is good. (It isn't as manic as it was years ago! - we went last year and are going again in June)
2. Kos - Beaches are good (not great), accomodation is ok but read reviews first, stay in Kardamena and the restaurants and bars are excellent. (Went last year)
3. Crete - Beaches are superb but stay in Stalis NOT Malia. Loads of restaurants and bars. (Went in 2003 and 2005)
4. Ibiza - It is just not full of idiots. The beaches are absolutely amazing and the bar life brilliant.
5. Faliraki! It has actually calmed down quite a lot since it got it's reputation... i wouldn't rule it out completly as the beach is good and the nightlife good. (went in 2005)

There's loads of other places that are probably good too but I'll only comment on where I know!

Thanks for the help guys!!!!

Judy5: Wew both don't really mind where we travel to be honest, No where to far for our first holiday! lol But were both quite easy!!! We haven't gpot a budget, just nothing to expensive! All in would be nice, don't have to worry about money soo much, but then no ruling out self catering either!!!

Phildo74:

Ibizia - He's allready going there this year for his brothers stag doo, I hope he behaves lol ha

Falaraki - I went there last year, so rather not go there to be honest!!!

Just want somewhere with good night life, like bars and stuff, not too hetic, roaming with drunken idiots, but good fos us as we love to drink and party lol ha! But like good things to do during the day and lush beaches!

Cyprus maybe a good one, but I think he's been there and wasn't too keen on going back!

We arn't easy are we lol ha

What do you think would be good for us?

xxxx

Fuerteventura, as already suggested, may be one to look at. Corralejo has quite good night life and great beaches.

what about turkey, 1 of the busier resorts like icmeler, marmaris,kusadasi,bodrum etc might suit you, as its not in the euro zone prices might be slightly cheaper too, icmeler is lovely, great shops, bars, restaurants etc, the beach is nice with lovely views but not amazing, marmaris is great for night life but the beach isnt the best. kusadasi has lots of nice beaches, plenty of night life

olu deniz has a fab lagoon area which is just so scenic with lovely sandy beaches, medium sized resort, but hisaronu is 5 mins up the road with more bars, shops, restaurants

the weather will be very hot in turkey in july and august, but turkey might be worth a look at

Me and my girlfriend seem to look for the same things as you do and I would have to second Phildo's suggestion of Ayia Napa. Been a few times and its got everything - quality beaches, outstanding restaurants, plenty of bars (and clubs if required), good choice of trips etc. Its by far my favourite holiday destination.

I'd also seriously consider another of Phildo's suggestions in Stalis. Again its got everything you are looking for. Another option would be Lindos on Rhodes which is a beautiful, pedestrianised village (only transport allowed in the village is donkey!). Its got rooftop restaurants, 2 good beaches, a good choice of bars, as lively or as quiet as you want, and plenty to see and do.

Albufeira on The Algarve may also be worth a look. Its split into two main areas - the strip and the Old Town and The Old Town in particular is very nice. Lively but not over the top with the strip very close for those livelier nights if required.

As Ellie_meg says with the Euro being as it is at the minute it might also be worth looking at Turkey. Thats where I'm trying this year simply because I'll get more for my money than in Eurozone countries.

Thanks for the tip guys,

Been to Rhodes before, so considering looking at Ayia Napia or Stalis in crete, Do you guys know any good hotels, obvisously we don't want it to be somewhere full of drunken idiots, want it to be quite nice and maybe all in!

Whats Ayia Napia like for all inclusive holidays???

Stalis the nightlife, as long as there is bars, pubs, family bars, a few clubs, wed consider that too! ANy decent hotels there? How far is Stalis from Malia as I have three mates working there this year, would be nice to pop there and see them???

Turkey - a few people said the nightlife isn't too good there, sooo hmmm???

xxxxxxxxxx

I would recommend Santa Eulalia, Albufeira.

It's right by the beach, got some great bars and restaurants and yet it's only a 10 min stroll
to (the beach end of) The Strip. The bars that end of the Strip are really geared up for your age bracket so
you would have a ball!

There's also have Kiss (down towards Priaia Da Oura beach - about 15min walk) or Kadoc club
(out of town - need a cab to get there)

It's also only a 5min bus (€1.10) or cab ride (Approx €5.00) to the Old Town.

Ideal!

re nightlife in turkey i think that depends on which resort you go to, marmaris for example has bar street which is very lively ,my daughter spent her 21st there and had a great night, you need to read up on reviews to find which areas are suitable for your needs

I would also recommend Albufeira, me and my then boyfriend (now my husband!) went there in 2007 and had a blast. We stuck to the Old town which was actually pretty lively and had a fantastic time. It's not too far to fly and there are also things to do in the daytime (marine park, waterparks etc). Also the beaches are gorgeous.

I personally wouldn't choose to go all inclusive to Ayia Napa simply because of the amount of quality restaurants to pick from. Theres loads and loads of top quality places doing all different types of cuisine from traditional Cypriot/Greek dishes to Japanese, Mexican, Chinese, Italian, Thai etc. If eating out isn't a major part of your holiday then All Inclusive may be the best option for you. If you do choose Ayia Napa read up on the hotels first and make sure you get one away from the centre and one that isn't used by 18-30s, twentys etc. If you pick the right hotel you'll absolutely love it but I would warn you that its not a particularly cheap resort.

As for Stalis, this is the neighbouring resort to Malia and you could walk it along the beach road, but its easier to jump into a taxi. Theres plenty of bars and pubs, ranging from your quieter places doing pub quizzes and bingo to Irish bars, karaoke bars, places with live music, coffee bars, louder disco style bars etc. Most of the bars are located on either side of the beach road that runs through the resort parallel to the beach. Me and my girlfriend loved it because it was lively but not over the top and Malia was only next door if we wanted a wilder night. You'd have no trouble going accross to Malia to see your mates.

I totally echo what steve-mcr says.... unless your view of a meal is just something you do to stop feeling hungry - don't all inc to Cyprus or Greece, there are plenty of excellent restaurants and loads of lovely dishes to try!!! (before anyone says anything - i know All-Inc is great for some people and in some places but a young couple in Ayia Napa or Stalis???)

Anyway, good hotels in Ayia Napa - We stayed at the Napa Mermaid last year, it is a lovely hotel that's about 10 mins walk from the square and just across the road from Grecian sands beach - we enjoyed Ayia Napa itself so much that we're going again this year, it's the first time we've ever gone to the same resort two years running! but this year we're staying at the Napa Plaza which is just by the square in town but it gets very good reviews! The reason we're going there rather than back to the Mermaid is that the prices for Mermaid have gone up to over £1,000 each for 2 weeks B&B, we paid £450 each last year for 10 days Pricewise we found Ayia Napa a little more expensive than Kos where we also went last year, I think we spent about €950 in 10 days in Ayia Napa and €1,100 in 14 days in Kardamena, that's eating out every night and then drinking after but not spending much during the days.. just sunbeds on beach, drinks and snacks etc etc

Stalis - easy walk to Malia, we stayed at the Kyknos beach hotel last time and it was 10-15 mins to Malia beach road and 5-10 mins the other way to the centre of stalis. You do need to read the reviews for stalis as some accomodation is on the main highway and can be noisy, also it's a long thin resort that runs along the coast, almost joining up with Malia at one end and Hersonnissos at the other. If you want to have the option to walk to Malia, make sure you're at the right end... Thomson do a nice SC called Socrates II that's between Malia & Stalis - was looking at it for this year but opted for Ayia Napa and Ibiza this year instead!

Thanks for all your help guys
Looks like Stalis has been sold to me to be honest!

I'm taking your word for it guys and hoping theres some nightlife there for me and him, we love to party lol ha ha

Were booking it this weekend!!

Our first holiday, hope it goes well lol ha xxx

Hi Lucylocket,
I'm sure you won't be disappointed with Stalis. Where are you staying? We had a great time at the Socrates SC. It was in a great position.

Hi Shirley,

Yes I'm hoping we won't be disappointed, just as long as we have somewhere to party, a lush beach and a hotel with a pool we will be happy
Yes we are going to the travel agents this weekend, I am going to mention this hotel, 'Socrates SC' and ask her for advice and if she knows any other hotels!

Thanks for the tip

The name of the studios and appartments are Socrates and I'm afraid they're self catering only. Not sure if you were after an hotel or not. Have you read the reviews on here. I wrote one after our summer hol last year and my sis Helen T has also put her review on. Good Luck with whatever you decide on.