Hi Travellers,

I am returning to the forum for the first time in years. We now have 2 kids in tow so needs have changed. Family of 4 - kids ages 9 & 12.

Essentially we are looking for a location with a great beach (ideally white sand) that is in, or within walking distance to a town with lots of shops, restaurants, bars - ideally with a traditional feel. We have been to places like Calpe on the Spanish Costa Blanca that was great. We recently returned from Kalamaki, Zakynthos - Greece. Whilst the hotel and island were lovely there wasn't much to Kalamaki and the beach was poor.

(Anyone experience of Ksamil Albania?)

We normally hire a car so we can spend a day or 2 exploring, so it would be good to have some places of interest within an hour or 2.

Planning for 10-14days. We will fly from Ireland so should have access to most airports, but maybe not some of the smaller islands.

We normally rent a nice self catering option via Air B&B or similar but have also done hotels. A good pool is a must for the kids either way.

Budget wise, whilst it will be a bit of a treat we have limits so would say mid range (4 star, possibly 5 star if its a real deal!)

Looking forward to some good suggestions.

La Rochelle, ferry to Brittany, straight down

Limni Resort in Ksamil would be a good choice.

I will have to mention Senigallia, a Town near where I live in Le Marche. It has a lovely white sand beach, an interesting town with all sorts of shops that haven't been completely bought out by chains (although they're making inroads).

Finally, Senigallia is a gourmet dining mecca. It has one Michelin 3-star restaurant and one 2-star, and many lesser-known excellent restaurants.

With a car, you can visit the many charming hilltowns in the interior, such as Corinaldo, with its 14th century walls and gates. You could visit the small Renaissance city of Urbino, or the spectacular Frasassi Caverns.

The small airport of Ancona (AOI) is near Senigallia, and you can rent a car there. Ryanair serves AOI, but they don't have direct flights from Ireland. Lufthansa also serves AOI, with connections in Munich.

Living so near, I don't know much about lodgings there. There are lots of so-called "country houses" in the vicinity. One interesting possibility would be the Castello di Monterado, a castle about 15 km from Senigallia. It really looks more like a stately home than an actual castle, but it's elegant and fairly affordable. I've never stayed there.

Here is a post I made earlier about dining in Senigallia.

https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/senigallia-italy-food-lovers-paradise-1716445/

The article is in Italian, but you can get Google to translate it. I put a link in the post to an English language article, but the link takes you to a different website, which, strangely, is the web page of one of my favourite seafood restaurants in Senigallia. I don't know how I managed to screw that up.

SENIGALLIA---yes, yes!!!

Beach, great sights, gorgeous eating in all budget types......Yes, Yea, Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is my partner nuts to say there was recently a music festival there featuring USA doo op groups????

LOVED our visit there....

Your partner was right. There's a '50s festival, called Summer Jamboree, in Senigallia every year in July. Rock'n'Roll, vintage cars, and some people have period clothing and hairstyles.

I haven't attended in a long time, but the last time I was there, visitors from all over Europe were there.