sunshine holiday with stuff to do, October 2013 - ideas please?

balletshoes

My budget is around £300 per person, for me and my daughter aged 12.

I'd like to take her on a sunshine holiday for a week, around 18th October (she has 2 weeks school holidays then). We're not lying-on-the-beach people, so would like decent weather but things to do/sightseeing as well.

I was looking at Crete/Greek islands, but it appears at that time of year the resorts are closing down, can anyone suggest a suitable place to go instead?

Thanks.

Velvet_Glove

Barcelona has lovely weather in October. You've got the mix of beach and city, so can chill out some days and sightsee on others.

AlexMac

In October, you'll have to go far south to guarantee sun, and the problem with cheaper resorts is just that- they are resorts! But if she's 12, she won't want discos(?) so is the fact that the noisier places are winding down a problem? Looking at the southern options, in Spain, the Costa del Sol, Costa de la Luz (our favourite as you can see Africa!) and , I guess, the Canaries are options. If the political situation in North Africa is still stable, Tunisia (ruins, souks and amphitheatres) and Morocco are exotic, and we loved the southern Greece as you suggest. Kephalonia in October last year, was still seae-swimmable and very cheap once there, but the air-fare was surprisingly expensive so probably above your budget.

But with a parent like you, she'll have a great time wherever she goes, even if you just get a cheap flight to cooler northern Spain; Santander or Bilbao (called green Spain cos it rains) and jump trains and buses along the coast or into the mountains.

For cheap packages try https://www.lastcheck.co.uk/ as well as the usual (expedia, kayak, teletext holidays, etc) websites and tell us all where you ended up

arthurdick

pompeii : the mystery of the frozen bodies in time.. hi, i might be completely off track here, but after watching that fascinating
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p016v5g0 the other night, i would say for sightseeing, this would be ideal, as for the weather, i think the temperture is up in the low 20's in october, but may be the odd day of rain...and after looking online, i think you could do it on your budget.....

peachyprice

Will you hire a car?

If you will then Crete still might be worth a look, the historical sites are fantastic and it would be a lovely time of year to go, they get so hot at other times. It may be possible by public transport though. If you didn't want to do car hire Athens is lovely.

Or there is the South of France, if you base yourself in Nice it's easy to get along to all the other towns along the coast and even into Italy by train. It should still be 18-20c in October, not bikini but certainly t-shirt weather.

Or Barcelona, you have the benefit of the city, beach close by and Port Aventura for a day out.

cubegame

Canary Islands and Madeira are both packed with things to do if you get out in a car.

susancs

We went to Salou in Spain about that time of year a few years agao and stayed onsite at the Portaventura theme park resort so got unlimited theme park access. There was lots to do as the park had halloween type activities and shows going on and it was fairly quiet except for weekends so no queuing for any rides and good seats for the many shows going on. Good night time professional entertainment in the hotel as well. If you source it through somewhere like Travelrepublic you can get budget flights ro Reus included in the package and are covered for a package deal. There is a bus that meets all flights that you can pay on board for a return journey from airport to hotel or a taxi is not too expensive. if you want to save money as the hotel onsite was expensive you could look at staying nearby in another hotel, as plenty around the theme park.

Doshwaster

balletshoes wrote: »

My budget is around £300 per person, for me and my daughter aged 12.

Is that budget just for flights and accommodation or does it include spending money? If the latter then you may struggle to do a week in Barcelona on that money as it's not a cheap city.

balletshoes

Doshwaster wrote: »

Is that budget just for flights and accommodation or does it include spending money? If the latter then you may struggle to do a week in Barcelona on that money as it's not a cheap city.

No the £300 is to get us there it doesn't include spending money.

balletshoes

thanks for the replies guys - I've been away more or less internet-less for the last few days . Is it wrong that I still want to go to Crete ? I will look at your other suggestions though, before I make a decision.

Resorts winding down wouldn't be a problem at all, we won't be going to bars or discos, I just want some restaurants and excursions which are still up and running while we are there.

bouncydog1

I would definately recommend Canaries with accommodation via Owners direct or direct with a hotel. Look on trip advisor for recommendations. Only thing is that week is half term with price hikes so flights won't be cheap.

You can travel all over by bus and loads to do. Eating out is cheap and it you self cater you can also stay in if you wish.

Would not recommend Greek Islands at that time as the weather can also be hit and miss.

Whatever you choose, involve your daughter in the choice so she feels it's her holiday as well :-)