recommendations wanted for a relaxing holiday right on the beach please

Nenen

We are a couple in our mid 50s and dh has had a rather rough time of things recently so I would like to book a holiday he can look forward to, ideally something which would help him really relax and recuperate. I would be very grateful for some recommendations/inspiration for a 14+ day holiday somewhere lovely!
We can go anytime between 1st September - 20th December 2014 and our maximum budget for flights and accommodation is £1,100 for self catering/B&B or £1,900 for half board/all inclusive (obviously it would be good to spend much less than this if possible). I'm not sure how realistic this budget is for what I'm hoping for. If we need to spend a lot more to get what we want then I'd be grateful for some suggestions regarding how much more we'd need to spend.

We live near Cambridge and can fly from any London airport although I would prefer to go from a smaller airport e.g. Birmingham, East Midlands, Norwich if possible.

It would be wonderful to find somewhere that meets the following criteria, in order of importance:

1. DH has a heart condition and needs a reasonable level of comfort, without too many steps or steep hills to climb (car hire is a possibility if costs aren't too prohibitive).
2. DH loves the sea, especially listening to the sound of the waves when he wakes up and I'd love to find him a holiday somewhere we are right on a sandy beach.
3. Picturesque and fairly quiet - we both dislike built up, modern, high-rise touristy places.
4. Clean, reasonably spacious room with a good shower.
5. Warm enough for me to swim in the sea but not unbearably hot (approx 25 -30 C)
6. Comfortable king sized beds (2 linked single beds would be fine).
7. Friendly locals, good service and ambiance is very important to us.
8. Safe - low crime rate and far from war zones/civil unrest /low likelihood of disasters = low stress for us!
9. We enjoy places with beautiful scenery and interesting art and culture, where we can take in the views, visit art galleries, see traditional music and dancing and wander round local markets etc.
10. Good degree of privacy, where we aren't likely to be subjected to hoards of rowdy drunks or high pressure selling (a holiday in Italy a few years ago was spoiled by the constant stream of beach sellers hassling us to buy fake designer bags, sunglasses etc every few minutes while we were trying to relax)

Are we looking for the impossible?

lea2012

How far are you wanting to fly?
If you're wanting reasonable weather then how about Croatia or Greece in September? The weather would still be good but flights are reasonable too.

If you head to Croatia there are plenty of coastal hotels near to Dubrovnik that may suit you. Obviously you would get your culture and arts fix there too. In all honesty I have never been to Dubrovnik so wouldn't want to comment on how flat the area is so it might be worth looking on the Tripadvisor forum for Dubrovnik.

The Radisson Blu Dubrovnik is right by the beach and has a spa too, but it may be a little big and too touristy for you. They do hotel rooms and apartments. (http://www.radissonblu.com/resort-dubrovnik/apartments)
The More Hotel Dubrovnik is in the Lapad area and has 36 rooms so is a little smaller but still 5* (http://www.holidaynights.co.uk/hotel/more-hotel-dubrovnik/220982133/)

For Greece, if you really want to relax there's plenty of smaller islands or resorts, try Marmari in Kos, Benitses in Corfu (close to Corfu Town), Kefalos, Skiathos, Mykonos. Again I couldn't comment on the flatness of all the resorts so a bit of further research would be needed.

PompeyPete

Was in Dubrovnik 6 weeks ago. It was very busy then, so must be cheek-to-cheek in summer.

Cruise ships alongside significantly increase the tourist population too, and they all head for basically the same place.

lea2012

It's only seeing your name pompeypete that made me click, but how about Icmeler, Turkey?

Weather would be lovely in Sept and the resort is flat for walking about. There are several hotels along the beachfront that might suit you. Some of them are slightly bigger like the Aqua or Fantasia Deluxe but they do have fabulous views. Personal favourite of mine would be the Kontes Beach Hotel, the views from the rooms are simply to die for if you book a sea view room. The only downside would be that you wouldn't get a king size bed, it would be two singles. It isn't the ritz and I won't pretend that it is, but it is a very nice hotel with great staff and is clean and comfortable.

The beach is sand and shingle in Icmeler and you can get some people asking if you would like to look in their shops, but a polite no is usually enough to stop them. I would take a look at it and see if you think it's for you or not.

richardw

Has his Cardiologist given the green light for travel?

itsanne

Nenen wrote: »

We are a couple in our mid 50s and dh has had a rather rough time of things recently so I would like to book a holiday he can look forward to, ideally something which would help him really relax and recuperate. I would be very grateful for some recommendations/inspiration for a 14+ day holiday somewhere lovely!
We can go anytime between 1st September - 20th December 2014 and our maximum budget for flights and accommodation is £1,100 for self catering/B&B or £1,900 for half board/all inclusive (obviously it would be good to spend much less than this if possible). I'm not sure how realistic this budget is for what I'm hoping for. If we need to spend a lot more to get what we want then I'd be grateful for some suggestions regarding how much more we'd need to spend.

We live near Cambridge and can fly from any London airport although I would prefer to go from a smaller airport e.g. Birmingham, East Midlands, Norwich if possible.

It would be wonderful to find somewhere that meets the following criteria, in order of importance:

1. DH has a heart condition and needs a reasonable level of comfort, without too many steps or steep hills to climb (car hire is a possibility if costs aren't too prohibitive).
2. DH loves the sea, especially listening to the sound of the waves when he wakes up and I'd love to find him a holiday somewhere we are right on a sandy beach.
3. Picturesque and fairly quiet - we both dislike built up, modern, high-rise touristy places.
4. Clean, reasonably spacious room with a good shower.
5. Warm enough for me to swim in the sea but not unbearably hot (approx 25 -30 C)
6. Comfortable king sized beds (2 linked single beds would be fine).
7. Friendly locals, good service and ambiance is very important to us.
8. Safe - low crime rate and far from war zones/civil unrest /low likelihood of disasters = low stress for us!
9. We enjoy places with beautiful scenery and interesting art and culture, where we can take in the views, visit art galleries, see traditional music and dancing and wander round local markets etc.
10. Good degree of privacy, where we aren't likely to be subjected to hoards of rowdy drunks or high pressure selling (a holiday in Italy a few years ago was spoiled by the constant stream of beach sellers hassling us to buy fake designer bags, sunglasses etc every few minutes while we were trying to relax)

Are we looking for the impossible?

This may be a bit of a wild card, but we went on a gulet cruise in Turkey last autumn. http://www.thomascook.com/destinations/turkey/bodrum/bodrum-resort/blue-cruise

(There are other options, both with Thomas Cook and with other travel agents.) We found it very relaxing and it would come in well under your budget. One of the other passengers had a heart condition and looked considerably better by the end of the week than he did at the start. If you're interested, I can give you a lot more information.

PompeyPete

lea2012 wrote: »

It's only seeing your name pompeypete that made me click, but how about Icmeler, Turkey?

Yep, I agree Lea. Icmeler is a really nice place with exceptional views both out into the Bay and the pine forests that surround the town. And as you say it's flat, great for walking, and the coastal walk to Marmaris is delightful, with plenty of places to stop for a drink or rest.

My only reservations for the OP are...

- That the beach is a bit more shingle than sand, and if it gets windy, which it can, it whips-up the shingly sand and if it hits you it hurts!

- Icmeler is also a 90 minute to 120 minute transfer from Dalaman, which is a bit too far for some people.

How about a Thomson Cruise. They're great value, and you're well looked after all the way from start to finish. Thomas Celebration or Thomson Spirit are the smaller of their Fleet.

DomRavioli

I can recommend the Barcelo Thalasso Spa in Caleta de Fuste in Fuerteventura. Went in June last year, its lovely and quiet and very flat! Its on the beach, ask for block 3 with a sea view - its warm all year round, and there's quite a bit to do on the island.

You can go half board or AI, entertainment is great in the hotel, food is really good and they have a spa which is included if you get the superior room (well worth it as it is so secluded if you want a quiet morning).

There's quite a bit to do on the island itself, and its not very big so quite easy to get around - bus service is good, taxis are pretty cheap. We did the cruise and markets to Lanzarote (its on a Saturday and Lanza is also really flat where the market is held in Playa Blanca), the market was great and full of stuff! The harbour is also lovely, plenty of places to eat and drink.

We went with Thomson, it was around £1200 for a week in June for the two of us, which was well worth it in my book. There are other hotels on the beach which might be cheaper but this one was beautiful. They are upgrading it to a Platinum hotel in November this year, so if you are going please try and go before then as they will put the prices up.

Flight is about 4 and a half hours, and there's a CEM health clinic literally over the road if you (fingers crossed you shouldn't) need it. They're really nice in the clinic!

Fuerteventurans are really friendly - they will always help you, and being quite a quiet resort, there is little crime.

Its also a UN Biosphere, so very unspoilt. Corralejo in the north is a little hilly but not very hilly - in the main resort its pretty flat. Jandia in the south is flat, but not too much to do there - the bus from Caleta to Corralejo takes just under an hour so quite easily done.

Beach in Caleta is flat, it is man made as is the whole resort - only 15 mins transfer from the airport - plenty of room, sea is lovely, and great for walking (it has a path for the most part except the dunes area and right near El Castillo round the bay) and has plenty of fish who will swim up to you and just chill near your feet.

The hotel has ramps and lifts for everything, its very accessible. Has 2 adult pools, and plenty of sun loungers and shade. Beds are great, superior room has a pillow menu, and the beds are huge and very comfy. Linen changed as often as you like.

Scenery is lovely as most of the island is unspoilt. Take a tour of the island - you can do it in a car, a bus, or even a trike. Good restaurants nearby if you fancy a change, and a couple of bars if you fancy a night out including an irish bar, a show bar and one with singers and stuff on, all within about 400m walk.

Apologies for rambling on, but we chose this hotel based on a brochure and were pleasantly surprised on arrival of how good it actually is!

Oh it also has mini golf - its a laugh!

lea2012

Yes I was thinking about the beach, that's why I mentioned it was shingle as wasn't sure how sandy they want it. It's a lovely beach due to the views but not what you could describe as sandy really and not everyone's cup of tea. I love Icmeler and would recommend it to anyone but I would always say that wherever you choose you need to research it for yourself, as what I love others will hate.

Nenen

richardw wrote: »

Has his Cardiologist given the green light for travel?

Thank you for asking such a pertinent question - yes she has and we have also arranged travel insurance as I was worried this would be prohibitively expensive given his pre-existing condition.

Blue264

Your list of requirements sounds exactly like the break I and my OH had in November. We had a few wonderful nights sleep just drifting off whilst listening to the sound of the waves at this place...

http://www.steris.gr/

We booked one of the Exec rooms at the front of the hotel (the gold room with the free standing mirror), which had a lovely balcony directly facing the sea and all the facilities you could need. Steris Beach only has a plunge pool, but with 7 miles of blue flag beaches across the road, who needs a pool! This family owned hotel is immaculately clean, and the reception staff are very friendly and attentive when you need them. Best thing is, it's a level walk for 20-30mins into the heart of Rethymnon, which is blessed with a maze of Venetian streets and dozens of cafes.

The rooms at this hotel have little kitchenettes, and there's a good little food store a few doors down with friendly, English speaking staff, so you can have lunch on your balcony overlooking the sea.

You can book low cost flights to either Heraklion or Chania airport, then hire a car to drive to Rethymnon. If you don't fancy that, you can get a taxi from the airport to the local bus station in either town, and catch the coach to Rethymnon for about 6 Euros each, which is far cheaper than the transfers offered by the airlines. We flew into Heraklion just too late for the coach, so got a hire car with Avis, which was parked opposite arrivals, and dropped the car at Chania on the return.