BEACH-EUROPE TRIP-looking to rent a villa for 1 month in Europe.Must be near Beaches/City (more)
 

Traveling w/ 2 little kids & we want to rent a villa for an extended stay. The main requirement is that it be very close to gorgeous beaches (think St. Barts/Anguilla) in terms of nice beaches....so we can relax & play on beach, but within 30 min of a great city that we can go into every other day to break up our stay....Any ideas? Anyplace in Europe-we've been to Italy-could try coastal towns there but worried about safety w/ the cliffs in Amalfi area? but would be nice to try new area just not sure where?

You mught help by giving a budget, time of year and perhaps length of stay.

Hi I am the original poster. Planning on summer for about 3 weeks. Have 2 toddlers so really need gorgeous beaches but really also need other attractions/city within 30 min.....No budget-or Id say, we can do anything pretty much. Any help you can provide would be so appreciated!

To be frank:

There is no beach like St. Barts in Europe. There is no tropical sea and there is no coral sand. Sorry.

There ARE gorgeous beaches in Europe, but they are different from the Caribbean beaches.

There are spectacular beaches on the Algarve in Portugal. One of the world's most impressive beaches (150km long) is Aquitaine, France. The Curonian Spit (Lithuania) is a fantastic beach. Sylt, Germany, has a beautiful beach. There are beautiful beaches on Mallorca. The Cote d'Azur has some fantastic beaches. So many options - you should first make a decision which country you would prefer (dependent on time of year & climate).

You find great cities everywhere in Europe. There is hardly a spot in Europe which is more than 30 min of a great city.

We stayed in a beautiful villa called Casalmare in Levanto, along the Ligurian Coast in Italy. Loved it, loved it, loved it!! Within walking distance of the town, near the Cinque Terre and other Italian Riviera towns. It's bigger than you need, but if you can afford it, I'd highly recommend it. It's a stone's throw from the beach and the ferries to the CT. If you want details, e-mail me @ [email protected].

Nerja Spain has one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. It is also close to Malaga and Granada which have fantastic sites ( like the Alhambra).

It is near other white villages, famous and goreous caves ( where they do concerts inside in the summer).

You can see Africa from there so they call it the balcony of Europe....stunning views!

joaniejd

the only Med coastline we have now not seen is southern France and Sicily. We have covered nearly all of the rest. There are beaches that match the Carribean but not many.

Cala Di Volpe comes close (James Bond - Lotus Esprit soming out of the sea). However, I would not class Olbia as a great city unless you are a member of the Industrial Estate Appreciation society!

The difficulty is getting a good one close to a city. Mallorca has Palma (very fash at the moment) and the beaches on the South East coast are very good. Es Trenc has frequently been voted in the top 20 in the world.


The beaches south of Rome are good. My vote would go to southern Sardinia - Chia ranks pretty highly as a beach is very safe for children and Cagliari although not "great" has plenty of interest.

Alternatively in the north there is the drop dead gorgeous Stintino beach which is close to Alghero.



Happy hunting!

portugal

http://www.vrbo.com/20062
We stayed 3 weeks last summer and loved the beach and small town and it was only a 45 min. ride train to Rome if you need a change of pace.The small villige is very friendly with lots of shops and cafes ect.

I just looked at the web site I provided. The pictures can't do any justice to the size and beauty of the beach or villa. The host's were the best. We spent several nights eating sefood and sipping lemoncello in the court yard with them.

<i>Have 2 toddlers so really need gorgeous beaches </i>

I can't imagine why two toddlers would need gorgeous beaches.

If in August you have a good chance of warm weather at Zandvoort in NL. Amsterdam is 30 minutes away. The Hague is a little further - think Madurodam. Also Duinrell water park in Wassenaar. Some windmills, doggies everywhere, great french fries w/mayo, and plenty of stuff for kids.

If price is not a concern, one of the finest, most Caribbean-like beaches I have seen in Europe is the Plage de Pampelonne, just about a 10 minute drive from the center of St Tropez. See link below and click on the photo that says Anse de Pampleonne for an aerial view. The other photos on this link are for individual beach clubs (restaurant, lounge rentals, showers etc...) situated along the Plage de Pampelonne.

http://www.saint-tropez.tv/pampelonne/

It will be difficult to find a beach like Anguilla (one of the finest in the Caribbean) in Europe but this does come close in that it is a very long strech (several kilometeres) of uninterupted sand, fairly wide, gently sloping into very calm, semi clear water. It is surrounded by undeveloped pine forests. Just beautiful and much different than other mediterranean beaches. There are many fine villa rentals surrounding this beach. Look for rentals in St Tropez and Ramatuelle. Beside the beach there is all that the Cote D'Azur offers.

Another amazing beach is the main beach on the Ile de Porquerolles in the med off the city of Hyeres (Toulon) France. I thought I was on St John here. The water is as clear as the finest Caribbean water but there is not much to do on the island for more than a day or so. Worth a day visit if you want a fabulous beach.

http://www.poros-island.co.uk/ Poros Island: easy access to Athens; easy access to Nafplion, Mycanea, and Epidavros; beaches; and good food.

I would second Hopscothches post, and add Texel as another suggestion. Ok it's an island, but it has lovely beaches, you can hire bikes and take the kids on them all over the island in safety.
The whole of the Dutch and Belgian) coast has great beaches. Plenty of places to rent and lots of things to see close by to anywhere along the coast.
The weather can't be guaranteed of course, but with so many other things to do on rainy days maybe you should consider it.

Don't know why no one else has mentioned it, but the Costa Brava has some lovely beaches and especially coves (calas). And you are only about an hour from the center of Barcelona...water is clean, food is good, and there are great hotel choices....from 1* to real 5* luxury.

You could also go south from Barcelona a half hour by train to Sitges...an ok beach, but a fun beachtown, nice architecture and pedestrian areas...and also close to the airport and Barcelona itself. Rouss

&quot;The Costa Brava has some lovely beaches and especially coves (calas).&quot;

Most beaches are unsuitable for young children as they shelve steeply, often with strong undercurrent. Only ones suitable for toddlers are some sheltered beaches in the resorts, which are nothing to write home about.

&quot;You could also go south from Barcelona a half hour by train to Sitges...an ok beach, but a fun beachtown&quot;

Maybe for adults and older teens, but the beaches are shingly, and most of the nightlife is geared to the large gay clientele. While families do go, there are better choices, like the Catabrian coast of Northern Spain.

Pooh sticks to St Barts - try finding a beach like this in the Caribean.

http://www.italyzone.it/archives/upl...apriccioli.jpg

markrosy, That pix reminded me of Tossa Del Mar in the Costa Brava. The beach in town was abound with the little people!

johnthedorf

Everytime I look at our holiday photos over the past three years in Sardinia - I wonder what the hell I am doing by planning to spend &pound;5000 on a 40th birtday trip to the Caribbean in Sept 08. The last trip with Ryanair to Olbia cost uas about &pound;700 all in (including meals) for a week on billionaires row.

My only gripe has always been that there is more sealife in our local swimming pool than there is in the Med.

I did come across these websites recently :

http://tangoitalia.com/turismo/liguria/balene.html

I think the sites were constructed by Italians on April 1st. Has anyone seen anything other than a tiddler in the Med?

Or a beach like this:

http://www.holidaywarehouse.co.uk/im...0beach%202.jpg

I have to agree though that 2 little kids do not need a gorgeous beach. Any hunk of sand and water will do. ;)

My 6yo had fun on lots of beaches in Greece,( Mykonos, Satorini, Samos, Rhodes, Crete, Tolos, Napflio), Turkey, Venice ( stay on the beach &amp; take ferry over), Morocco, Netherlands, Croatia, Slovenia, Spain etc......so there are endless opportunities.