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Mrs Rock and I have had a terrible couple of months, and we feel like treating ourselves to a short break away to pep up our spirits. Criteria,
Not chavvy
Coastal
Circa two hour flight (LBA or MAN)
Not too long a transfer, max 45 mins perhaps
Good for three days, say arrive Friday evening and depart Tuesday midday,
Not too busy but good selection of restaurants
Hotel (I think, but not a deal breaker)
Decent weather
It's likely a sit and relax, rather than a city type break
We've made a start and the usual suspects (Balearics and Algarve) are coming to mind but I wondered if there was a curve-ball answer we could look at.
Ta
For it's a flight to alicanti the somewhere the other side of benidorm (I hate that place) Altea, calpe etc..
With the ex we used to go to Moraira but without a car (or bike, I used to take my bike) you could get bored.
Xabia might be better as more ot a "resort" town.
Edit: just spotted the 45min transfer above might not meet that, I used to get a car and drive and it was an hour at least.
Nice is nice. Old town, new town, easy transfer from airport. Easy to get to Monaco. Last time I went it was from Liverpool John Lennon airport.
Alicante to denia is c 1 hour 15. Flights from Manchester with ez, Ryanair, Jet2.
I d stay at hotel Rosa, denia. We are going to eat there next week. Deffo not chavvy and easy walk into town. A hidden gem.
If you are feeling flush I d take a day trip to formentera.
I've got a place in Torrevieja, which is just down the coast from Alicante. Not particularly fancy, but definitely not chavvy, fairly cheap, lots of restaurants, it's basically a smallish Spanish town on the beach.
Malaga City has some lovely spots.
Cordoba (an hour comfy train from Malaga).
I'd go with Cambrils on the Costa Daurada. Cheap 2 hr flights from Manchester to Reus, 15 minute transfer. Chilled non chavvy resort with plenty of nice restaurants and Port Aventura just down the road if you like roller-coasters or Roman city of Tarragona for culture. 20 minutes from where I live so I should know.
Nice or Palma
I’ve got a place in Torrevieja
Very nice of you to invite the OP to stay! 😉
Cala d'Or
Transfer is a bit of a bugger as it's the opposite side of the island (get a car rather than the bus), but the place is lovely.
Port de Soller?
I really like Tarifa. Fly to Gibraltar and about an hour drive. Couple of nice hotels and the old town is great to wander round plus some nice beaches. Might not be the sort of place you’re after and is a bit of a (kite)surfer town so that may or may not appeal. Some great restaurants too by the way.
Portugal - mrs_oab had a lovely few days with me while I worked in Cascais, just outside Lisbon.
Curveball incoming.
Helsinki, beautiful city, water everywhere, hold off a month or so for nearly 24hours of day light and the temperatures will rise.
Yeah Cascais is said to be the Riveria of Portugal, just 20min on train from Portugal (and the station is just outside the timeout food market in Lisbon.)
Also the town of Ericeira is great. Lots of amazing places to eat & drink and nice beaches to chill. Surf lessons and nice local hiking if you want to do something active. We stayed at Hotel Villa Gale which was a bit elderly coach party, but worked really well as a base for a few days.
Second shout for Malaga. Beautiful town, nice beaches, good hotels, not at all what you would expect. All the naff people land and get straight on the bus, missing the town altogether.
Helsinki (just back from there and Stockholm), Palma or Alghero (Sardinia) would be my choices.
Fly into Almeria, it's about half way between Malaga and Alicante so a bit more off the beaten path.
The town of Mojacar is nice..
There's a large beach resort and the old town just up the hill for a more authentic/rustic Spanish experience.
There's also the fishing town of Garrucha next door for some of the best sea food and tapas you'll ever have.
And you've got Cabo de Gata national park nearby too if that's your thing.
Gothenburg might be an alternative. You have access to the Archipelago (which is lovely) and the weather is really nice in these parts just now. Not sure if there are direct flights to Säve from Manc, but it's worth a try.
Failing that, Algarve maybe. Somewhere is bound to be nice within an hour from Lisbon and you'll be on track for some nice food and wine.
just got back from a few days in Sweden (Helsingborg) and then Copenhagen. Weather was great (better than here! and the forecast for the next week is good also), super chilled out & relaxing, quick flights, food (and beer!) everywhere was absolutely top notch. Yes they're cities but so many quiet areas really easily accessible via the excellent public transport or hire bike/scooter.Gothenburg might be an alternative.
So anywhere like that really would be my recommendation! Any "resort" is going to be somewhat chavvy, isn't it? 🤔
Ibiza.
Avoid San Antonio and head to the other side of the island, north of Ibiza Town.
Beautiful part of the world, and ticks all of the boxes you state up there.
Plus, all the morons are on the other side of the island, though I accept you may end up sharing a flight with some of them.
Yeah Cascais is said to be the Riveria of Portugal, just 20min on train from Portugal (and the station is just outside the timeout food market in Lisbon.)
A good point - you do not need a car, public transport is ace and easy to Cascais.
really like Tarifa. Fly to Gibraltar
OP - If you do fly to Gibraltar, be prepared to be diverted to / from Malaga if it's at all misty or windy, based on previous experience. We've been diverted on our way in, and had a flight cancelled on the way out with the next one 2 days later from Gibraltar. We use Malaga now to visit family in Sotogrande.
Tarifa does look good, so thanks.
All good ideas thanks, most we hadn't thought of. Flights might be the decider on this, LBA is much easier for us than Manc, and some are crazy late departing or v early leaving and we are hoping to maximise the time away (from the kids)
...in a good way, of course.
Don't forget there's a train station in Manchester Airport which can sometimes mean it's more convenient than LBA, but that also rules out early flights out or late flights back.