Find Barmaid A Holiday!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Barmaid]

Me and the OH have had a tough 6 months. And now its official and we are going to have a holiday (very excited).

Date of travel - late September, early October
Hotel requirements: Very upmarket and no kids (min 4*)
Weather requirements: Hot but not blistering
Location: Dont care. Want sun, a little beach but need stuff to see - neither of us can sit on a beach and do sod all
Activities: Both love wildlife, birds, sealife (snorkelling OK, not sure I can do SCUBA), architecture, flora and fauna. He particularly likes marine fish/things. Dont want anything too energetic (we are of a certain age)!
Food: Me, I'll eat anything; him, wont eat chillis or pasta (so I guess that rules out Italy)
Budget: Not stupid money, but we will pay a couple of grand each for the right holibobs


Me: I reckon Malta. Him: Gran Canaria. Safari has been ruled out.

Ideas please..........personal recommendations appreciated.

[Barmaid]

And that is why I do chancery, Zacs.......

[237SJ]

I`m looking to go away at the same time. I might be talking myself into Costa Rica. Need to look at the flights. My sister went there and loved it but had to go from Madrid. That is no longer the case though.

[Bazile]

Good grief - thanks for BA , your honour .

[jno]

I had a week in Greece the September before last. Poured every day. You probably need to be a bit further south to be surer of nice weather. Croatia's lovely but rain on 8 or 9 days a month at that time of year. Malta maybe. There are posh hotels in Tunisia (the FCO has cleared travel here again) and Morocco.

Further afield, the Canaries will be warm (stay in the suth of whatever island) but not a whole lot to see. Florida, but you might want to hire a car to get around. Dubai's very good, enough sights to see for a week (probably not much more though).

[EcclesCake]

Simple solution, take me to Mauritius with you and I'll show him stunning volcanoes, almost extinct birds, giant tortoises, fantastic food markets, great walking, cycling and the biggest spiders I have ever seen in my life :-)

[Barmaid]

lol Bazile, you really made me laugh

[237SJ]

If you go to Mauritius, stay at the Maritim resort and spa. The food is fantastic. And don't do the swimming with dolphins because it's pants

[jno]

re cruises, if you do the Caribbean you'll probably be in a different port every day so it doesn't matter if you don't like cruising as such, there's lots of sightseeing. Same for the Mediterranean but again the weather isn't guaranteed there.

[ladybirder]

Don't know about the weather but how do you fancy Leopards, Elephants, deep-sea fishing (Marlin and Tuna). It's got everything. Sri Lanka. Is it too far?
http://www.srilanka.travel/index.php?route=common/home

Croatia is beautiful and Romania also and it has a wonderful bear sanctuary my friends visited.

[goodgoalie]

Hi Barmaid
Agree with sunny-dave and gness that Tavira in the eastern - quieter - Algarve is lovely, and there is a fantastic beach on a big sandbar that you get a little boat across to. I'd hire a car at Faro as there's plenty to see (and you can easily cross into Spain) and you should check out this hotel - haven't stayed there, but it was recommended recently in The Times:
http://fazendanova.eu/

[Peter Pedant]

Tunis ?
go and see Leptis Magna

( needs full body armor - but hell you have to make sacribices to have a good hilly holiday )

[Peter Pedant]

yeah Croatia - Dubrovnik and Spoleto ( Diocletians pad there but not much else ) Split to Split I mean

and the rebuilt bridge at Mostar - I went over the unrebuilt bridge in 1973 - It is where the muslims and christians swapped prisoners of war - without killing them - one shouting allahu akbar and the others miserere nobis

You can probably work out who shouted what
yeah 1280 - crusades - then

[jno]

I'm not sure your insurance will cover you as far as Leptis, but hey, as long as you know a good lawyer...

[-SharonA-]

I love Portugal and have spent many a happy holiday there. Thoroughly recommended.

[Peter Pedant]

oh I am uninsurabubble - since 1999 - ca colon
just go and let rip !

I did go to Egypt when I was immunosuppressed -- in retrospect somewhat unwise - a bucket holiday is not actually meant to kill you is it ?

[thugulike]

Aqaba in Jordan. From there you can visit Petra and the Dead Sea and Wadi Rum. The Royal Jordanian Dive club is cheap and fantastic to snorkel. No need for a boat, the reef is right there and there was never anyone there weekdays. Some top notch hotels on the beach and great local restaurants which are cheap. Short flight too