Please guide us. We are a small family: all 6 adults ( 2 active seniors; 2 parents; 2 young men) looking to rent a comfortable (pool ??) home, for a 5 day vacation idea in a destination with many choices for how to spend the days. Near shopping, restaurants, pretty beach, adventure, hiking, a good glimpse of the people/ way of life/ and tours to sites of interest. Have an idea where we should go? Which month? Thanks so much !!

Mrs. G

Do you have an idea of the month you want? Is budget a consideration?

My family of five celebrated my husband's 80th birthday by renting a house in Palm Springs between Christmas and a few days after New Years. We had a heated pool, ample space with three bedrooms and we really enjoyed Palm Springs. There were plenty of restaurants although we had breakfast in the house as well as late afternoon drinks and snacks. We went to Joshua Tree for a day trip and we took the Aerial Tramway another day and it had snowed up there and so it was just beautiful like walking in winter wonderland. We enjoyed the mid-century modern architecture as well as the Palm Springs Art Museum and strolling the streets and visiting quirky shops. We couldn't get to the gardens at Sunnyside but we did visit a cactus garden that was small but fun.

From your other thread:

I wouldn't think the Cinque Terre would match your preferences. For one thing, it is often nearly impassable these days because of tourists. For another, it isn't a great place for shops.

Maybe somewhere in the south of France? Or the Costa Brava? southern Turkey?

When you have a chance, please click the orange triangle to ask a moderator to merge your two threads.

Avoid July and August everywhere, too hot and too busy. So May, June or September

Choose a town like Bilboa, Bordeaux, La Rochelle, Strasbourg, Reims, possibly with a bit of public transport so you can rent a place away from the bustle and commute in.

search on the town website to look into tours, public transport and museums. See what interests you.

Or get the Rough Guide to Europe and start reading

You don't say how you plan on getting around.... my biggest piece of advice is not to expect everyone to be together all the time.

It is very confusing having these two almost identical threads.
You have 5 days. You don't say where everyone is coming from for this gathering, but if it is North America I would seriously think about somewhere closer to home.

The main problem here is "pool". Nearly everywhere (unless it's a posher hotel) pools aren't heated, so if you want a pool you need to go in the busy, sometimes scorching summer.

That said, if you are comfortable renting/driving a car in a foreign country: 1) the Algarve, in the south of Portugal, around March (Spring Breakish) is stunningly pleasant (looks like California in the 1960s) has beach towns, isolated gorgeous beaches, pretty whitewashed towns inland, excellent food, though generally too cold to swim as pools aren't heated and the ocean is just plain cold; 2) Provence in shoulder season (April/May; September/October) is gorgeous, tasty, culture-rich, with endless daytrips to meaningful sights (Roman acqueduct; Van Gogh history; walled city; beaches still swimmable in September; markets); 3) Umbria - - gorgeous hill country with multiple daytrip small city destinations, each with individual character, car essential.

If you do not want to rent a car: 4) the less touristed cities of Northern Italy: Bologna, Turin, Padua, Lucca?, Vicenza, Ferrara, Mantua - - maybe a daytrip to Venice - - fab food, great sights, easygoing feel - - totally memorable, but a bit chop-chop efficient or a bit 'foreign' - - not the most easygoing unless you feel comfortable anywhere, though the people are super kind; 5) Nice in France - - very easy, plenty English spoken, daytrips to Cannes, Antibes, into the Italian Riviera, excellent food, very casual vibe - - this might be the easiest choice overall, because it is a piece of cake culturally, and still vibrant, colorful, and sensual.

Algarve is a good idea, and some pools are heated. If you go on Booking.com and search under heated pools you will find a few, though charge may be extra.