islandmom

First of all please don't bring up a debate about traveling with kids because of health issues this may be a final wish kind of trip. So where would you suggest I begin looking for the following in Europe-

30 something fun loving couple
5 year old and 1 year old
multi-racial
only speak English
not rich, but like a bit of pamering
Somewhere warm enough for strolls in the early spring.
We love nature, museums, photography, outdoor cafe's, good food, history, art, music, cultures etc...

Thanks

aeiger

It sounds more like an ad in the Village Voice than asking for assistance.

Weadles

I'd suggest Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, which is one of the most spectacular areas of Italy.

Sorrento has hotels available in every price range, and offers good transportation connections to Pompeii, Naples, Positano, Amalfi,Ravello, and Capri.

There's excellent reasonably priced restaurants in the old town, as well as lovely areas to stroll ( Marina Grande, where artists set up for the day) and savor a gelato-- or two!

Good luck with your plans, and all the best to you and your family.

ira

Hi mom,

When are you going?

ira

OOPs.

Early Spring.

April in Paris.......

amelia

Consider Rome, too. Even though the kids are older in this article, please read:

http://www.slowtrav.com/tr/TripReport.asp?tripid=288

mclaurie

On another thread, one of our regular posters kindly listed for someone else's request all the English speaking places in Europe. He said,

"There are four English-speaking countries in Europe - the UK, Ireland, Cyprus (at a pinch) and Malta"

Cyprus and Malta, both islands, would both pretty definitely be warm in early spring and have, I think, a modicum of your other requests. I would add the Azores, a group of islands off Portugal, where English is widely spoken as another possibility.

But if English is not a requirement, while I agree with Ira that Paris is a good choice, I think the South of France, perhaps Nice, would be even better. It will be warmer than Paris, spring is not yet high season there so prices will be less and there's everything else you require including some great natural beauty.

rex

Fuengirola.

Best wishes,

Rex

clevelandbrown

I think Florence would match your interests well. Speaking English only is not a problem there, although it is courteous to learn a few words of Italian, such as please, thanks, do you speak English, etc.

Hotel rooms are usually small, so you might look for a pair of rooms, or even an apartment.

suze

I think the Venice and Paris combination makes a great trip. Book plane tickets into one, take the overnight train in-between in a sleeper-cabin, then fly home out of the other. I have not encountered problems traveling either place as an English-only speaker. There is lots to see and do on this itinerary, but the logistics are not overly complicated, so I'm guessing would not be too stressful for family travel.

hopscotch

Go Holland. Stay in Haarlem. Everybody speaks English. Every race on the planet is represented and the people are very open minded about nearly everything. Not exactly warm in early spring but you can put on a windbreaker.

Some ideas for the kids which you won't find in many guidebooks:
Linnaeushof amusement park at www.linnaeushof.nl/ It's just south of Haarlem. Unfortunately the web site is only in Dutch.
Duinrel water amusement park at www.duinrell.nl/duinrell_en/index.htm. Duinrell is in Wassenaar, just north of The Hague.

Also, Madurodam (www.madurodam.nl) in The Hague is a fascinating place. Keukenhof (www.keukenhof.nl) gardens will be in bloom from late April to mid May.

Plenty of museums, outdoor cafes, music, etc. to last you a few months.

islandmom

Thank you for your help. My dream is to go to France but friends keep mentioning the hatred towards Americans right now. Like cabs wouldn't pick them up etc. We wouldn't want the kids to be in a bad situation. Is it really bad? If I try to learn a few phrases in French would that be enough?

islandmom

I will look up all the places mentioned above, thank you.

Nikki

Have any of your friends who say there is hatred toward Americans in France actually been there? I have been in Paris three times in the past three years, and I never encountered any such thing. People were friendly and helpful, and many speak English at least as well as I speak French. If this is your dream, I would seriously consider looking into it more deeply.

goingwithbaby

We travel regularly to Europe with our little one. May I suggest to forgo a bit of pampering and rent an apartment. There are tons of choices on the internet. They are usually about half of the cost of a hotel, you can cook your own meals and there is usually about 3 times the space of an average hotel room. I also try to rent with a washer and dryer in the unit.

We have never had a probelm in Paris. A few pleasantries in french as well as the smiling (or tear stained) face of a child melts many hearts and political ideologies.

Definitely go somewher (Rome is a personal favorite) where there are playgrounds and birds to chase and you will all have a wonderful trip.
Bon voyage!

islandmom

Amazing! I just looked up all those locations. If only time and money weren't an issue. Everyone should travel before they have families and responsibilities.

It looks like an ideal trip for us would be France, Italy and then Greece.

I feel my roots calling me home. My great-grandparents came over from Ireland, England, Germany and Spain. Are there any resources to find exactly where family lived with only names of the people?

Surfergirl

Everyone experiences things differently. Although I don't doubt that your friends may have had problems about attitude towards people from the U.S., you'll probably find twice or three times as many that did not. We were there this summer, and I didn't see or hear any of this. It could have been because I speak French, but my husband doesn't and never expressed any discord the times he was exploring on his own.

There will always be people that hate you, no matter where you come from or what color your skin is. That should never be a reason to resist doing something that, as you say, could be a "final wish kind of trip". In fact, all the more reason to go!

Further, the attitude of the French towards multi-racial couples or families is -- I'm trying to think of the right word here -- heartwarming is okay, but doesn't really adequately describe what a non-issue it is. You will be impressed.

The south of France I think might really work for what you want to do. If you could make it a little later, I would be suggesting the jazz festivals, like Jazz a Juan (in Juan les Pins) or Montreux, since both offer a variety of music (not just jazz, but blues, R&R, etc.), which children and adults both love.

islandmom

Thank you so much for all your help. Any books I should head to now?

artlover

My vote would go for Spain, but I've become a "Spain addict" (am even taking Spanish lessons), so that's my personal bias. We've been in Spain in April and the weather was very nice.

While I love Italy and France as well (an have never had any anti-American incidents directed towards me anyplace in France--quite the opposite, in fact, France and Italy tend to be a bit more expensive than Spain. Plus, the fact that you have roots in Spain would make it all the more worthwhile for you. Also, if you just learn a few words of Spanish, the people seem to really appreciate it. Most of the time we were able to find someone who spoke some English (or I managed with my very limited Spanish.)

Check out trip reports from here and some guidebooks and websites such as spain-living.com, okspain.org, red2000.com, etc. and see what would appeal to you. And then you can come back with more questions here.

mcmomx4

I would encourage you to check out Lucca, Italy. It is in between Florence and Pisa in a wonderful valley. The city center is surrounded by a massive wall that has been maintained over the centuries. Currently, it is a major Park where you can walk and ride bikes.

Lucca is such a charming town. Have spent a week there and would gladly go back. It is not well known by many American travellers due most likely to the fame of the surrounding towns. It is a great place to station yourself to visit Siena, Florence, Pisa and the like. Check it out and find a gem!