Looking for: family hol location suggestions (small coastal towns)...
 

Hello,

I am currently looking for a house to rent for two weeks for June 2011 for my family (including grandparents, 30-somethings, tweens, a toddler and a baby) and would love to get some first-hand recommendations that might meet our criteria which are the following:

We would like to be
- in, or within walking distance of, at least some amenities (shop, bakery, restaurant, bar) or preferably a village/small town,
- within driving distance of a decent-sized town/city
- close to the sea and a beach
- in an area with some sights of interest
- not too far from an airport (> 2 hour drive)

Another plus would be if there were some kind of tween-oriented activities nearby.

I am thinking along the lines of
Cassis (France)
Rovinj (Croatia)
Formia (Italy)
Sitges (Spain)

This will be our fourth time to take this kind of holiday, but in the past we have always opted for inland properties in the middle of nowhere (all of which have been in France) and this time we would like something different.

Has anyone any recommendations for small coastal towns/villages that you visited and loved??
I am posting this in a few different country forums as we are interested in hearing about locations in different countries.

Thanks in advance.

Hi FannyMc,

Further south of Rovinj, we stayed at Simply Angelic Apartments in Dubrovnik. http://www.dubrovnik-online.com/simply_angelic/ . I only offer this recommendation because we were so pleased with the accommodations. Immaculately clean and with all the conveniences, including a large terrace. They offer two units, side by side, which might be convient for a larger group. Our traveling companions stayed on the adjacent unit which worked out very well. We have some pictures of the place on our web site if you are interested: http://home.roadrunner.com/~TomShirl/CROATIA2008.HTML

Seems that the Formia/Gaeta/Sperlonga area would meet your criteria. Check out options at VRBO---I liked Sperlonga especially. Also, look at Lerici, Italy as well.

Banyuls sur Mer in France

Maybe Cadaques in Spain, on the Mediterranean coast a few hours' drive from Barcelona. We spent a few nights there at the start of our honeymoon. It's not really a "sandy beach"-type location (more a rocky beach location), but it is a lovely town, with some history, and it doesn't feel too touristy. To get there, you do have to drive for a while on a narrow, twisty road - but that keeps the hordes of tour buses away.

Somewhere in Corsica: fly into Paris and then taking a connecting flight to Corsica.

In or near La Rochelle (Atlantic coast of France).

Go for Rovinj in Croatia.
http://www.tzgrovinj.com/

I disagree with the suggestions of Banyuls sul Mer and Cadaques as they require long drives to any places of real interest.

I also think that with a toddler and a baby, you want to avoid cliffside and hilly locations riddled with staircases. Lerici would be problematic that way, although Sestri Levante could be ideal if you could find the right property.

And check out this article for areas south of Rome:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...familyholidays

We rented an apartment in Arcachon, France and fell in love with the area. It's near Bordeaux, right on the beach, lots of great restaurants and shopping, but has that "small town" feel. Plus it has the Dune du Pyla, Europe's largest sand dune. While there are other that may be more suited to your needs, this is the place we rented: http://www.vrbo.com/25312

PS: Arcachon has a long biking path along the beach and a casino straight out of a James Bond novel for the adults.

Here's a house with 6 bedrooms and a swimming pool:
http://www.vrbo.com/298870

frogoutofwater,
I apologize for hijacking this thread but I wanted to ask you what the drive is like to Cadaques. We are thinking of spending a night there in October. How scary/dangerous is the narrow, twisty road? Are there guardrails? We have driven before in Costa Rica so I wonder how the road compares to Costa Rica. Have you been to CR?
Thank you!

I'm not frogoutofwater, but have driven extensively all over Europe AND in Costa Rica and IMO if you can drive in CR you can drive anywhere. Couldn't believe some of the roads we were on there!

Kwoo,

The road is not scary, it is just a very long mountain road with a lot of switchbacks. There is plenty of shoulder (if not always guardrails) but the real problem is that if you get stuck behind a slow moving campervan, bus or truck, it slows down what is already a long trip from Cadaques to wherever it is you are hoping to go for the day.

If the object is to visit Cadaques for a couple of days, without day tripping, the road really isn't a challenge.

St-Martin, on the Ile de Ré, off the coast of La Rochelle, is ideal for everything you have mentioned.

Maggie & Zeppole,
Thanks for your replies. I feel better about the road to Cadaques. We plan on visiting Cadaques for 2 days/1 night, without daytripping. Based on what I have read, I assume we would stay put once we arrive in Cadaques. When we leave Cadaques, we want to go to Girona for several nights & do day trips from there.

Thank you SO much for all the brilliant suggestions. They're exactly what we're looking for. I'm enjoying virtually visiting them all!
Thanks!