Advice needed! 1st family holiday - Spain or Greece?

spiro

ailuro2 wrote: »

Be aware that most folks coming back from a holiday in the Eurozone are complaining about how much prices have risen, ok with two kids you're not going to be worried that a Blue WKD costs 5 euros, but apparently everything is terribly expensive, food from shops, eating out etc.

I have to agree that the poor value of the pound (current only just over 1 to 1 compared to £1 to £1.60 when euro introduced) has pushed the price of everything up considerably especially when added to the inflation in these countries.
Plenty of posts about taking kids on long flights and they all seem positive.
If you want to control costs then you might want to consider All Inclusive.

bestyman

Although it would be much easier to book a package I would consider looking out for some cheap flights on here, plenty of help around re booking them.
Keep an eye on the holiday threads and look out for flight sales. Ryanair ones come up from time to time.

When booking accommodation consider all inclusive. I took the kids to Lanzarote this year and found things to be very expensive

As others have suggested the south coast of Spain is good. Fly into Malaga ( 2-3 hrs) then taxi to Torremolinos or Benalmadina or Nerja.

I would price DIY and package and see the cheapest way.

For flights try
www.ryanair.com
www.jet2.com
www.easyjet.com

or use this http://flightchecker.moneysavingexpert.com/

Here is worth a look for accommodation http://www.thomson.co.uk/hotels.html

Before booking anywhere check out the reviews on www.tripadvisor.com also helpful forums there.

Post back if you need more help. Plenty of people on here will find you a deal.

BritRael

creased-leach wrote: »

...Thassos in Greece is amazing for kids, but no direct flights. We went to Paleo in Corfu in September- and it was stunning, but I wouldn't really reccommend it for small kiddies- and none of the other resorts we saw could hold a candle to it.

I've been to Greece many times, but now due to the cost there, I prefer to go elsewhere.

I agree, Paleocastritsa (sp?) is stunning. I returned there 3 years ago and mentioned to a restaurant owner how quiet the rest of the island was compared to Paleo (and compared with my first visit there in '83). He said, wait till around 5pm. It's only busy here because most come in by bus and will leave later leaving it quiet also. His theory was the Euro and also competition from cheaper European destinations like Prague.

The Greek Islands are beautiful and I'm sure you'll love them, but with small kids, maybe better to pick one with an airport (Corfu, Lesbos, Rhodes etc.) because it would be a hassle flying to Athens and then proceeding by boat. Fun for you alone, but not so easy (I'm guessing ) humping luggage and kids .

Have a great time

dangers

Does it have to be Spain/Greece. We have Keycamped/Eurocamped over the May half-term for about 4 years now and apart from a blip in Italy last year where we did have torrential rain (as well as very hot sunshine), we have always had a great time and great weather.

Pssst

I much prefer Greece to Spain.
There is good quality accommodation to be had in the Greek islands and Young children fit in perfectly in Greece.

As others have said, the £>Euro exchange is making things pretty fierce for us Brits abroad at the moment so every penny counts.

JoJo3

We've booked!!!!!! Thank-you all for such a great response. After reading all your advice and excessive searching on the internet, we've found a great deal online and will be off to Puerto Pollensa, Majorca next year. Trouble is, once we've got a taste for it, I suspect we'll want to continue travelling abroad with the kids and will therefore need to tighten our belts considerably! The children are already sooo excited - it's going to be a long wait!

Norman-B

JoJo3 wrote: »

We've booked!!!!!! Thank-you all for such a great response. After reading all your advice and excessive searching on the internet, we've found a great deal online and will be off to Puerto Pollensa, Majorca next year. Trouble is, once we've got a taste for it, I suspect we'll want to continue travelling abroad with the kids and will therefore need to tighten our belts considerably! The children are already sooo excited - it's going to be a long wait!

Puerto Pollensa, a really good choice imo. My family and I have been there 5 times and enjoyed it every time. Lovely beach for the children. Nice park with swings etc. The walk along the Pine Walk is fab, after a meal in one of the many Restaurants. Where are you staying?

Bronnie

Janeyjaz wrote: »

Hi, I would recommend Spain for a family with small children, as Greece is fantastic but Spain has better hygiene, (that sounds awful) but you are more likely to get better accomodation in Spain - been to Majorca in whit week before and the weather was very iffy - quite a bit of rain and not so hot - why not look at main land Spain and maybe Nerja which is a lovely town and has some nice beaches and is not as expensive as the islands.We stayed last year at the Hotel Plaza Caverna in the middle of Nerja nad it was brilliant and only a couple of minutes to the beach.

janey, I too love Spain but I love Greece even more, have been many many times and absolutely can't agree with you on the hygiene point of view.

Standards of hygiene are very high generally across Greece. European toilets across the board tend to be whiffier than we're used to, due to plumbing issues and hot climates, but I've spent many holidays in different parts of Greece over the years and whilst there may always be the unfortunate exception in any country, hygiene-wise I've always found the Greeks to be extremely particular.

I would be sad if your remark gave people the wrong impression of this fabulous destination!

Bron
x

Generali

A thought out of left field. Have you thought about getting the TGV down to the South of France? There's loads of space for the kids to walk about and play and if you live in easy reach of either of the terminals it's not really any longer than taking the plane (check-in times etc), it's far more reliable than European charter flights and IMO very relaxing.

If you chose your route carefully, you can change at Lille. I did that when going to Nice and we didn't even have to change platforms!

Janeyjaz

janey, I too love Spain but I love Greece even more, have been many many times and absolutely can't agree with you on the hygiene point of view.

Standards of hygiene are very high generally across Greece. European toilets across the board tend to be whiffier than we're used to, due to plumbing issues and hot climates, but I've spent many holidays in different parts of Greece over the years and whilst there may always be the unfortunate exception in any country, hygiene-wise I've always found the Greeks to be extremely particular.

I would be sad if your remark gave people the wrong impression of this fabulous destination!

Bron
x
Hope I don't give wrong impression - as I too love Greece - and am going to Corfu again next summer with my kids - think the Greeks are lovely people and it's a beautiful place