Hi - my wife is pregnant and I would like to take her away for one last holiday together before our lives are changed forever. We can only get away sometime in late March-early April. We live in London now and don't want to fly too far (so Asia, etc. is out). Any suggestions for relaxing places, hopefully sunny and warm, maybe with beach and hopefully warm water? Would Malaga or Marbella be warm enough? What about Madeira? Any other ideas?

Mediterranean sea is not warm enough to swim in March/April, so that leaves Costa del Sol out.<BR><BR>Madeira is a wonderful place, and water is warm enough to swim, but there are no beaches in Madeira. Except a small one near Machico, and a lava stone beach Praia Formosa between Finchal and Camara de Lobos. I have been swimming there, but it is very difficult to get into water and out of it. So, nothing for pregnant people. But you can swim in hotel pool or big municipal piscines. Or take a boat to nearby Porto Santo island. There is a huge beach.<BR><BR>All seven Canary islands are also warm enough, so is Egypt. How about Sharm el Sheikh or El Gouna near Hurghada? Very good beaches, and water is warmer than Atlantic.

Hi Fred, I reply you from Tenerife (Canary Islands). Don´t joke with <BR>&quot; before our lives are changed forever&quot;<BR>because is true.My son has born 10 months ago and our lives are changed forever, but is amazing to see and play with him every day. His name is Mario.<BR>Anyway, I think Tenerife is a very nice place to choose because of the weather and proximity (just 4 hours from London).You´ll find every thing you need in: www.abouttenerife.com and www.tenerifealacarta.com<BR>Elina is right: Mediterranean see is warmer than Atlantic Ocean.<BR>

In the summer Med is warmer, but not in March. Then Atlantic is warmer. I meant El Gouna and Sharm in Egypt. They are by the Red Sea, and that is warm even in March.<BR><BR>I agree, Tenerife is also nice. In fact I was there just a month ago. Fred, I assume that you don´t want discos and pubs – so, if you choose Tenerife, don´t go to Play de las Americas. Instead choose for example Los Gigantes. Or Puerto de la Cruz, which has a lot of tourists, but is still a charming town.<BR><BR>Just wait you both when yours kids grow a little. Nothing is more rewarding than travelling with a 7-year old! Then nothing matters, everything is always fun: rain,snow, sun, insects, goats, cats, dogs, even crummiest hotels. Children are great travelling companions!

Thank you so much for your suggestions. Tenerife sounds like a nice suggestion, and you're right, we don't want discos or pubs. Excuse my ignorance, but I always thought Tenerife was over-run with mass tourism (similar to the Costa del Sol), and I'm not sure she would like that. <BR><BR>We've been to the Red Sea, and although the water/snorkelling is wonderful, I am a little concerned about sanitary conditions especially for food (we both got a little sick the last time we were there...)

Hi again Fred, don´t worry about Tenerife and mass tourism. Of course it exist but only in one area in the south, Playa de Las Am&eacute;ricas. Most tourist who came to Tenerife doesn´t know how the island is because they don´t know where to go to find espectacular landscapes, familiar an inexpensives restaurants, natural and amazing beaches etc. If you need some help and you want to discover something else contact me. I really love Tenerife ( I came here 9 years ago from Madrid )and I have information and pictures, if you want to have a look.<BR>

Fred, you are right: Tenerife is very, very touristy. But like Antonio says, it is just the stretch around Playa de las Americas. And like I said, also Puerto de la Cruz is full of tourists, but the town itself is still charming.<BR><BR>When I was there in December, we had a car for the whole week. First couple of nights we stayed in tiny Carachico (north-west), then we went to north-east and stayed in a small village in a charming old manor house turned into a small hotel (8 rooms). And the third place was La Orotava just south from Puerto de la Cruz. All those little hotels I found from internet with search words &quot;agroturismo&quot; and &quot;Tenerife&quot;. We rented the car from the airport and left it at the airport.<BR><BR>So, there are two kinds of Tenerife, you just have to leave the tourist areas, and you´ll find the other Tenerife.<BR><BR>

Fred, didn't you post a similar message on the U.S. board? Aren't you going to Texas instead to visit relatives near Austin?

Hi, Fred here - You're right, I did post a similar message on the US board. and yes, we are planning to go to Texas to visit family. I'm just trying to get some good ideas of where to go after... i.e. should we try to go to somewhere warm and sunny in that part of the world, or come back here and fly to somewhere warm from the UK. Hope it didn't lead to too much confusion. I think we have decided to come back here and then go to somewhere in the Canary Islands on the helpful advice of Elina (and some friends of ours who have lived in the Canaries and also say not to dismiss it as a package tourist hole!)

Dear Fred,<BR><BR> By this time, you probably have already made your vacation plans. If not, allow me to add some comments about the Canary Islands. My wife and I stayed in Gran Canaria for five days as part of our Honeymoon last July (we also went to Seville (or Savilla), Spain and the Costa del Dol).<BR> <BR> I think we had read Fodor's Spain from cover-to-cover before our plane landed.<BR><BR> A couple of important points that I have not seen made... First, maybe the most appealing aspect of the Canary Islands in the weather-almost constant sunshine and lack of humidity and bugs (at least along the coast of Gran Canaria in July-although Fodor's had mentioned the ideal climate as well). We stayed at a resort on the water and left our balcony door completely open at night and while were in our flat. The air was clean and refreshing, and there were no bugs or humidity. Further, from what I have read, it would be in the 70s and 80s (Farenheit-yes, I'm American) in March.<BR> Although Gran Canaria does have its touristy party spots, you are not confined to such atmosphere. The most enjoyable part of my stay there was touring the island in a convertible rental. There are some interesting, non-touristy towns nestled in the interior mountains and valleys of the island. One such city is Tejeda, where my wife and I enjoyed a lunch in a small restaurant having an open great door (the size of a barn door) overlooking the valley. The owner was something like the fifth generation of owners of the place. The food was fresh and tasty, the wine local, the service personal, and the whole meal cheap. We felt that we had stepped back in time a few centuries when walking around Tejeda.<BR> We also visited the historic section of the main city on the island, Las Palmas (I think). It was interesting and beautiful. We dined in a restataurant that was a converted religious building of some sort that had a history dating back several hundered years (although you are probably used to that sort of thing being from London). Again, we enjoyed great service, food and local wine, for a very reasable price. We were amazed at the patience of the wait staff in dealing with our lack of Spanish, and explaining dishes to us. This sort of treatment was common wherever we dined on the island.<BR> Fodor's is a great source for finding places to go, including restaurants, and things to do on the island.<BR> Although we stayed in other parts of Spain where the food had a better reputation, we thought the best meals we had on our Honeymoon were in Gran Canaria, particularly the seafood. We did not seek out the best restaurants either.<BR> Other places of interest include an extensive outdoor Botanical Garden, an exotic bird park, hiking, an camel rides.<BR> The beaches are not great, but the best is probably English Beach (I will not attempt the actual Spanish name here)<BR> In short, yes, Gran Canaria has its touristy areas, but there is much else to do. I would highly recommend renting a car if you plan to tour the island as well.<BR><BR>Dan<BR> <BR><BR><BR><BR>