I have not been on a hot holiday since January 2020… 
I have taken a week off at the start of June with my husband, but have not booked flights or accomodation. Does anyone have any suggestions on where we should go?
Criteria: Nice but not bankrupting, great restaurants/food scene, ability to lie down next to a pool and/or beach.
Other than that, anything goes. Any help would be hugely appreciated. xxx
I really loved Menorca last year! So underrated with so many nice restaurant spots! You would need to rent a car but there are so many nice places to visit and beautiful beach walks etc.
I can give you loads of recs if you need!
Puglia. My husband and I went last September and had a ball. Its easy to get around as the area is not very big.
Some places we stayed:
https://www.castleelvira.com/ (this place made the trip! Cocktails on the rooftop with the most lovely of hosts, the pool area is peaceful and so lovely.
https://palazzodaniele.com/
A small town that is worth a stop for dinner or lunch purely for - https://www.giasottolarco.it/
https://www.masseriamoroseta.it/?lang=en - offered a wine tasting night in the olive groves
Day trips to :
Alberobello - the town with all the Trulli houses
cala dell’acquaviva - For a cheap say in the sun. Get yourself some beers and euro salty crinkle cut crisps and have a day swimming here. The is bar at the top if beer isn’t your thing.
Make use of that annual leave! If you’ve got the budget and are keen to go further afield, Vietnam is my favourite place I’ve ever been.
If you want to stay in Europe, I’d head to Croatia. The food scene is influenced by the best of the med, and it really feels very safe - I left my bag on the beach with no-one watching and did not feel worried at all. The beaches are like the riviera, without the pricetag, and there are some really beautiful day trips you can do to surrounding islands.
Otherwise, Italy is always a good idea, for the food and the vibes . You can go big city, Naples has loads of character but Sorrento is my favourite for views you can’t believe you are seeing.
I would go to Greece! Preferably a Greek island for lots of gorgeous sea views and always rate Greece for food, weather and people. We did Naxos last Oct which was really fun. We flew into Mykonos and got 1 hr ferry to Naxos (was really easy). We hired a quad bike for the week to do some exploring. There are lots of different beaches and also some interesting sites like an old abandoned hotel which I loved. We stayed here which was so nice: https://lagrandevue.gr. This year we’re trying Milos and Sifnos which are apparently gorgeous, but can’t comment on them yet.
We went to Monte Argentario and visited La Maremma (a part of Tuscany). We had stayed at the beautiful Boutique Hotel Cala di Rocca Piccola (https://www.torredicalapiccola.com/). There are beaches surrounding the hotel.
We then had visited neighbouring towns such as Port Ercole, Porto Santo Stefano, Orbetello, Grosseto, Capalbio and did a one-day trip to Isola del Giglio - beautiful beaches to be visited as is the old town.
Oo I’ve just booked Menorca, pls share your recs!
Menorca recs - definitely should hire a car but we found the car rental options really good value.
Old town -
Aquarium (nice authentic by the marina, good paella) nothing too fancy but just a really nice vibe, there are lots of lovely restaurants by the Marina and little shops.
Lolos- didn’t go to but above the old town and looked cool for drinks.
Experimental- just beautiful! Book for dinner or to stay is the dream (££)! They have a nice pool so if you stay you can use that. Otherwise just stunning dinner scenes and really fresh food.
Nonna bizarre also stunning for dinner. It’s quite hidden so on the drive when you are close keep your eyes peeled - maps took us a few mins further on and we missed it. Amazing dinner and also have a lovely little shop. They have a DJ later on.
Ivette or Isabella are both stunning restaurants by the sea for pretty views. We did Ivette was more Spanish tapas but Isabella is sushi.
Bannu looks so cool for dins and drinks by the sea, we were a bit too far away and didn’t get round to going!
Beach walk Macarletta to Macarella - both walking distance, a really lovely Coastal walk but you can also go further on to a third beach to make it a 3 hour walk.
I would highly highly recommend Mallorca, personally Soller & Deia are my fav. I know Deia is having its moment atm but I’ve been going for years and would recommend you stay in Soller town or port, there is a beautiful old tram that runs from the port, stops in the town and then goes all the way to Palma a nice way to get around and visit Palma for the day without needing a car or cabs. Soller is much cheaper than Deia itself to stay in but you could go for a lovely walk around and dinner. In Deia I recommend The Bellmond - Le Olive for a super special dinner (or pop in for a cocktail and enjoy) or Nama is a stunning Thai with views of the valley. Some other lovely areas worth looking at are Santanyi & Port De Pollenca x
SO useful thank you x
Menorca is beautiful, easy to reach, unspoilt with amazing restaurants and beaches
Sifnos is cheap, beautiful and the best food scene in Greece, getting there is a tad tedious but that is what makes it worth it <3
Little Green Bay on Hvar, you’ll want a car to explore the rest of the island but the perfect base. The white wine is nectar.
Comporta in Portugal (Quinta Comporta is a great base), 70km of beach to walk and plenty of beach shacks on the sand for long lunches. It is the Atlantic coast so sea is colder and rougher than the Med
I love the Greek islands & don’t think you can wrong with any of them!
One of my favourites is Kefalonia - stay in or near Fiskardo, which is a pretty fishing village with great restaurants.
Hiring a car is essential as it’s quite a big island with lots to see & do. I’d recommend visiting Assos, Melissani lake (a beautiful underground lake with the clearest water) Myrtos beach (one of the most photographed beaches in Greece) hiring a boat from Fiskardo & sailing across to some nearby islands & beaches.
Generally, I’d say Greece is quite reasonable in terms of eating out etc when you’re there & whilst I loved Mykonos it is very expensive so do be aware of that!
I LOVED Kefalonia too. I went a few years ago and also stayed near Fiskardo, the area has the most beautiful beaches, it is all so green, I loved it. You definitely need a car. There are also lots of authentic greek tavernas with amazing food, I try to go to new places but would love to go back there!
I agree wholeheartedly! There are so many places to explore but it was such a memorable holiday that I’d love to go back 
Any hotel recommendations with a 4 year old in tow - doesn’t need to be a kid hotel just allow them I like boutique with pool in Friskaardo please? x
Croatia is lovely x
Hi there,
I have just started a travel company & am happy to do some research for you? My insta is travellingwith_abbie x
Thanks everyone!