please any advice or experience aprreciated

[Jenarry]

we are planning to go away for two weeks at the the start of aug. a family holiday and to celebrate my 40th birthday (gulp) but we haven't managed to book anything so far.can anyone recommend anywhere specific to visit that they have found to be pretty good. (we would like to avoid anywhere to mainstream if poss) we're hoping for a good hotel near a nice beach with friendly folk and quite nice surroundings. we were considering turkey but we think it may be too hot in august.does any suggestions spring to mind guys?...

[jno]

if you don't like heat, avoiding the Med in August is a good idea. Beaches on the Atlantic coast of France (Biarritz, say) or maybe even northern Germany would be a few degrees cooler. Or how about a 'lakes and mountains' holiday by the Swiss or Italian lakes? Can't offer any specific recommendations, sorry.

[LDC134]

I haven't been, but I have heard very positive reviews of Croatia. I have been to Turkey and personally I found it very touristy.

[jno]

Croatia is nice, but also pretty hot. Most of its beaches are rocky or stony rather than sandy until you get down to the south.

[mosesg]

Sardinia is supposed to be really beautiful, have had a few friend that have gone there and said that it was great

[Jules001]

I know that you said you were considering Turkey, but would you also consider holidaying in the UK. Also as a family holiday are there any young children or babies to consider as in my experience, if they are catered for in terms of things to do, the holiday as a whole is generally more enjoyable.

[Buenchico]

The Italian Riviera (liguria) is lovely. Fly to Genoa, take the (ludicrously cheap) bus direct to the rail station and then hop on one of the frequent (and cheap!) trains which hug the coastline. Rapallo might be a good place to stay. There are some good hotels (which aren't the massive tower blocks you find in so Mediterranean resorts):
http://www.tripadviso...n_Riviera-Hotels.html
The sandy beach is fairly small but it's maintained to a high standard (with some nice bars nearby!).

I like Rapallo so much that I've been just for the day (from Suffolk!) on several occasions. For those with longer to spend there, it's a great base for exploring. The train service means that you can access lots of delightful towns and villages without having to worry about drink-driving. There are also boats running along the coast to places like Santa Margherita (made famous by Liz Taylor and Richard Burton living there) or the billionaire's resort of Portofino.

Chris

[TWR]

Sunny beach Bulgaria, 3 1/2 hr flight, very cheap as you are not using the dreaded Euro, we found it very friendly, warm, we stopped at the Victoria Palace the hotel was fantastic, it was let down by the restaurant.