molyneux

My husband and i havent been away alone in a long time. Weve been to a number of places in Europe (spain, france, england, italy), with our kids or friends, or both. We are looking for a romantic, inexpensive holiday where we can take some local bikes to a local market and eat/drink wine, enjoy. Preferably we would like to stay in small/quaint B&B's with a swimming pool or near a beach. Should we just show up or book in advance? Were flying from Dublin (July 4/5th) to anywhere in Europe, and must return to Gatwick airport (July 15). Any suggestions of where we could go and how to get around? Thanks! SM

yoonny

Croatia is in high season in July so booking in advance is recommended. More popular islands may be full of tourists/parties so you may want to consider lesser known islands.

Search lowcost airlines here:
http://www.whichbudget.com

Have you been to South of France? I have a feeling you may enjoy that for biking, wine, food, beach, etc.

molyneux

Thanks for the link. Is there somewhere specific in the South of France you would recommend? Also, do we need everything (Bed and Breakfasts primarily) booked in advance?
Cheers,
Sue

Ackislander

You need lodging booked in advance anywhere in southern Europe in July and August. This does not mean you will not find anywhere to stay, but you will have a lot less stress if you know that you will have a bed.

Many people in Croatia rent out rooms in their houses. Look for signs that say "Zimmer" or "Sobe". Many people have great experiences in these. Some don't. Why take a chance.

Croatia is absolutely fabulous with amazing beaches, but beaches tend to be shingle (small stones) rather than sand and B&B's may or may not have pools. It is going to be hot, so you want air conditioning, and you had better be pretty good bike riders in pretty good shape because it is famously hilly. They have markets everywhere, delicious wine, excellent seafood and the best pizza in the world.

yoonny

Read this recent article in NY Times and see if you like their lodging/food choices.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/06/14...tml?ref=travel

I am not an expert of South of France so I suggest you pose some questions in France board or read up on trip reports there. Good luck.

yoonny

By the way, Croatia is absolutely fabulous and probably cheaper for food/lodging. Most of the rooms are going to be apartments with no pools and possibly have 1 week rental policy in July. You may want to consider Hvar, Korcula, and/or Vis for great food, people, scenery, wine, beach, etc. I only went to Hvar and loved it but it is not a biking island.

Check out this website for ferry schedules:
http://www.jadrolinija.hr/default.aspx?lang=2

LittleVicky

From Dublin you can get to Venice or Zadar for a reasonable fare with Ryanair. Also Split to Gatwick with Easyjet'

KayF

For romance in Croatia, I would suggest Rovinj. We were there earlier this year and loved it. There are no beaches to speak of, but the harbour is lovely and you could walk around the point for swimming. Have a look at this website to get a feel for what it looks like, we stayed at these apartments and they are very popular but you could try emailing them.

http://www.portaantica.com/

We found Croatia cheaper than any countries that use the euro. You could fly into Trieste and hire a car to drive south, staying in Piran in Slovenia on the way, another pretty place. Or you could fly into Pula and get a bus up to Rovinj.

For July, I would definitely book ahead or all the good places will have gone.

Kay

maitaitom

Here is a link to my trip report with descriptions and pictures
Croatia is Day 13 through day 18 and
Day 23 though Day 25.

This should give you an idea. By the way we stayed at Porta Antica (see Kay's advice above) and loved the location.

http://travelswithmaitaitom.typepad.com/travels/