mila0229

Hi,

We are planning a 2-week vacation in Spain next summer. We were in Spain a few times. we visited Barcelona, Figueras, Madrid, Valencia, Toledo, Cordoba, Seville, Granada.
We will need to spend a few days in Alicante to visit our family. We thought maybe we can add Portugal to this trip or some islands?
We can rent a car. We are a family of 3 and our son is 19 years old.
Any suggestions?
Thank you so much for your help!!

spiral

If you haven't visited the Balearic Islands then that looks like a good choice. Whilst there are ferries from Denia there are also direct flights from Alicante. Looking on Skyscanner there are return flights to Palma from about €70 per person. The flight takes just over an hour so even with the hassles of check-in etc it shouldn't eat away too much of your vacation time. Ibiza is closer and cheaper but it has a reputation of being party central for young Brits in the summer although friends tell me the North of the island is quiet and beautiful all year.

bilboburgler

Any idea of dates, certainly Portugal is very nice, the Balearics are ok, but an get crowded, some good cycling on them though.

mila0229

Great idea! Thank you so much!

mila0229

We thought about end of May or June. Not sure if it will be warm enough there though.

bilboburgler

Ok, there are two issues, 1) I have no idea what "enough" means, 2) going in July and August is a crazy idea as so many northern Europeans travel THERE (any of the options above) for their main holiday.

You'll do fine in either but having done both many times I can say Portugal is way nicer overall. But all this depends on what you are looking for, for instance the surfing is better, the old towns are better, the wine is better (and worse), the food is on a par, there are more golf courses in the south of Portugal than you can believe, the bird watching is on a par, the cycling .... is very focused on the Islands but I think better in Portugal, but in Portugal the cycling laws are less silly.