Hi,
My 14 year old daughter is asking if we could go to an English speaking European location this summer, and rent an apartment and try to see what it is like to live there.
She would like to go for the whole summer, but 2-3 weeks is more reasonable, as I work full time.
Any thoughts or suggestions?
Somewhere near the water might be nice, as it will be our summer vacation.

I recmmend that you try to arrange a home exchange. Our 3 weeks in a London home certainly made us feel like we understood what it was like to live there! Everything from weird appliances to newspapers arriving twice a day to driving on the "wrong" side of the road was an interesting and different perspective on daily life.

There have been several past threads on Fodors about home exchanges, so you can just do a search for them to get details. A typical home exchange is 2-3 weeks; British kids mostly get off for summer vacation in late July.

That sounds like fun, and I think Anonymous's idea is great!

But England, near the water? That's okay if you want to LOOK at it. If you actually want to go IN it (she turns pale and shudders!), maybe you should think of someplace like Belize as an English speaking alternative, even though it's not in Europe. Maybe Malta?

Or Gibraltar as well.

But I bet she'd prefer the south of France. Rent a place there; most people speak a bit of English; and the water is heavenly.

Hi,
We are from New England, so used to cold water!
I know that beach and England don't exactly go together, but am just throwing it out there, as a "wish list sort of thing." It is not a requirement.
Any other thoughts?
Thanks so far!

There are four English-speaking countries in Europe - the UK, Ireland, Cyprus (at a pinch) and Malta. All are islands - and therefore a large proportion of them is close to water: all have immense resources of houses (and sometimes flats) for rent near the sea.

If not you're sensible, rent somewhere on Ireland's southern Atlantic coast, or in Dorset, Devon or Cornwall. If you're one of those unfortunates who needs uncomfortably hot weather for your happiness, then go to Malta or Cyprus.

But are there really people on this board so completely devoid of moral fibre that they get conniptions at swimming in the British Gulf Stream in August? Millions of us effete Europeans do it every year and survive the experience.

There are many wonderful beaches in the United Kingdom in Cornwall, Devon, Norfolk/Suffolk and the West of Scotland for a start and in many other locations too.

If I was a 14-year-old girl, I would want to spend 2-3 weeks in Brighton.

Cornwall and Devon are stunningly beautiful, but Brighton is much more exciting for a teenager.

"I know that beach and England don't exactly go together"

Since when??? I'm amazed you think this! We are a relatively small island and therefore totally surrounded by coastline and beaches. Of course the weather is a totally different matter. You have to take your chances in Britain! What are your priorities? Lively, quiet, countryside, coast, lakes? Let us know and I'm sure you'll get a few more responses.

I spent several days in Brighton in August 1985, and brought along my daughter who was then age 15. There's plenty to do in Brighton, and a good thing, too, since we never saw the sun once during our visit!

Advantages of Brighton also include plenty of rental accommodations available and an easy 1-hour train trip into London.

Curious about what has prompted this request. I hope you ask enough questions so you're sure what she's looking for.

I think you've gotten great advice. I do think you should consider whether you're prepared to drive whilst there. If yes, you can really stay anywhere. If not, think about picking a place that has decent public transport. If you stay in the countryside without a car it can be a bit isolated and difficult to do shopping. Once you decide on a location, you might try to get her a "penpal" in the area. She'd then have a friend on arrival.

Hi,
I was just saying that I don't think of England as a beach vacation area, not that I didn't realize that it was an island. That's because I have only been to London, I guess.
I would have no problem renting a car and driving, as long as there was not too much traffic, etc. I have never driven on the other side of the road before. I imagine that oyu adjust.
Thanks for the advice so far!

I do understand what you mean! As for driving on the opposite side of the road, yes you do adjust but it can be quite stressful as we found travelling from New Orleans to Chicago earlier on in the year. It's nice to have a few days maybe when you don't have to drive. So, are you looking for a lively base such as Brighton or more chilled out as in Cornwall where you have got magnificent coastal scenery and the choice to drive to more livlier places if need be? You could hire a cottage quite reasonably there.

I wouldn't have thought about it, but Brighton is a wonderful idea. You can even do cheap day trips by train into London from there for further "things" to do, and there are wonderful towns to explore in the southeast.

I third Brighton. I used to spend many a weekend there and the beach (pebbly) area is a lot of fun.

You could easily get by without a car in Brighton and/or London, then rent a car for just a short part of your vacation to explore other areas.

Incidentally, my better-heeled godchildren of cpeicott's age are increasingly spending holidays in the Newquay-Padstow area of Cornwall, which is turning into an area dedicated to low-level early-teen antics.

Our friends seem to be spending huge slugs of their free time chauffering their 14/15 yo's to BBQs and the like on Cornish beaches, then collecting them in a state of mild alcoholic disrepair.

Hi,
Does anyone know of how to go about finding a short term apartment in Brighton?

Hi, Just thought I would ask one more time for suggestions on finding a short term renatl in Brighton for a few weeks this summer. I know there is lots of info on this site for apartments in London. Would the same people that handle these also handle apartments in Brighton?
Thank you for any suggestions.

cpeicott, Doing a google on "holiday flats self catering Brighton" should get you started with possibilities. Good luck!