where to go?

[mydogsandme]

I'm planning to try to fly abroad next year for the very first time. We thought of Montenegro as that's the scenery I'm looking for-mountains,beautiful coast etc BUT I'm not a good traveller full stop and wherever we look there's a long coach ride after the plane to a destination which will just about finish me! Does anyone have any thoughts about nice places with great scenery,not too far by plane and not too long a trek when we get there? Doesn't have to be hot as long as it's not freezing. Am I asking the impossible??

[Buenchico]

For beautiful mountains and a stunning coastline my thoughts first turned to Ireland but I'll assume that you want to go a little further afield.

Liguria a lovely part of Italy, with some delightful small coastal resorts along the beautiful Italian Riviera, such as Rapallo and the billionaire's haven, Portofino. The coastal strip is backed by a range of rugged hills, which offer great hill walking or, for the less adventurous, the chance for leisurely exploration of Cinque Terre. The name means 'the 5 lands' and the area is a National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

You can find package deals to Liguria but they don't exactly leap out at you from every holiday brochure. That's because, thankfully, the area hasn't been despoiled by massive tourist hotels. You'd need to do some research (or visit a 'proper' travel agency, which actually employs staff who really know about travel).

However, it's easy to arrange you own holiday in the area. Ryanair have dirt cheap flights from Stansted to Genoa. BA's flights from Gatwick are also reasonably priced. (The flight time is only around 2 hours). From Genoa Airport, it's only a few euros for the coach to Genoa rail station (or you can take a taxi - I've done it and it didn't break the bank). The train service from Genoa hugs the coast and it will take you effortlessly (and very cheaply) to resort towns like Rapallo or to the stations which serve Cinque Terre.

http://homepage.sunrise.ch/homepage/avong/cinq ue_terre/index.htm

http://5terre.itgo.com/index.htm

http://www.thomson.co.uk/destinatio

[mydogsandme]

fantastic answer! I shall be looking at this area closer,thanks for such a helpful reply. x

[vehelpfulguy]

How about the Island of Madeira ?

This is a relatively small island so nowhere is going to be a long coach drive from the airport (also you can find out how far a hotel is from the airport when booking)

It is a beautiful island with plenty of scenery, wildlife, flora, fauna and costline.

Luckily there are no huge beaches so it does not attract the young yobs who tend to ruin many foreign seaside resorts.

There is a web site here

http://www.madeira-web.com/

Here is a picture of what some of the island is like

http://baixaki.ig.com.br/imagens/wpapers/BXK16 358_balcoes-madeira800.jpg

[vehelpfulguy]

by the way, Madeira is here, just South West of Spain, off the coast of Africa.

http://www.propertyforsaleinmadeira.com/images /portugal_madeira_map.gif

Flight time is about 3 and a half hours from UK.

[vehelpfulguy]

Another option is Jersey.

I went there last year and fell in love with the place. The Northern coast particularly is amazing. Here is a picture

http://www.nationaltrustjersey.org.je/theme/Vi ew%20lAne%20Head.JPG

It is less than 1 hours flying time from the UK.

The island is very small (only 7 miles across) so easy to get around, there is a great bus service that goes all over the island (we had no car and where able to get all over the island with ease).

Nice walks if you like that sort of thing, plenty of nice beaches, some lovely towns and villages, and lots of good places to eat.

They speak English and use English money so much less hassle than going "abroad".