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[Travel] *Different* Relaxing Holiday Locations







Herr Tubthumper

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 11, 2003
62,498
The Fatherland
Bit of a strange reply - There's nothing to boast about as I've got nothing booked, just looking for some suggestions on places that are awesome but maybe not as well marketed as other places.

Also, I'm English and proud but I don't think it's wrong to want to avoid going somewhere that is trying to be a hot version of England with Stella on tap and Turkey dinosaurs with chips and beans at the buffet.

If that's what you want from a holiday then more power to you and hope you have a wonderful time!
Ignore the moody snowflakes. I agree with you. Rather get away from the typical tourist destinations and visit the less travelled areas.


Hmmmm. It was an attempt at humour.

1) I am a fan of NSC holiday boasts, although I prefer the thinly veiled “can anyone recommend a bar in insert some exotic location“ type.

2) I’m a hand wringing Guardian reader and some people suggest we loath England and our fellow people. I was playing on this idea.

All things considered, if you have to deconstruct humour like this I guess it isn’t very funny :smile:

Bullet point 2) reminds me, I need to go over to the England Greece thread and mention I didn’t even realize England were playing. (Come on, this is worth at least one laughing emoji)
 
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Coldeanseagull

Opinionated
Mar 13, 2013
8,316
Coldean
Rab, Croatia. All inclusive, southerners only...no flights from north of Gatwick(2019 when we went), adults only, no kids, good food, good weather, friendly locals, two hour flight, one hour bus and ferry transfer, loads to see and do or to laze around in the sun and drink
 


Arthur

Well-known member
Jul 8, 2003
8,750
Buxted Harbour
We went in peak season this summer..near Split also and didn’t appear to be overwhelmed by Brits. So much to explore in Croatia..would love to go back there late Sept early Oct.
Likewise I went end of August last year and it was busy but not uncomfortably busy. Only thing I would add about Zadar is you don't need long to see it all as it wasn't very big. I had 3 nights there and I think that was probably about right.

That whole coast is lovely though. From Zadar I went south to Pakostan which was very quiet but had a lovely little beach which again wasn't crazy busy for the time of year. Split is amazing as is Dubrovnik but both are very busy with tourists especially Dubrovnik. We found a little village a few miles away called Cavtat which was beautiful and quiet. You could get a boat round the cove from Dubrovnik. If you keep going south and can handle the border crossing Montenegro is equally as beautiful.

I ended up driving to the very north of Croatia to a place called Rijeka which was had a bit more a modern vibe to it. Only had a night there so didn't see a great deal of it because it pissed it down pretty much from the second I got there until it was time for bed. I was flying home the following day and typically the weather was amazing. Was also probably the smallest airport I think I've been in but again that added to its charm.
 




juliant

Well-known member
Apr 4, 2011
605
Northamptonshire
Took my wife here for her 40th in August, lovely place. And Sicily itself was very quiet and enriched in history and culture

 


Cordwainer

Well-known member
Jul 30, 2023
521
Likewise I went end of August last year and it was busy but not uncomfortably busy. Only thing I would add about Zadar is you don't need long to see it all as it wasn't very big. I had 3 nights there and I think that was probably about right.

That whole coast is lovely though. From Zadar I went south to Pakostan which was very quiet but had a lovely little beach which again wasn't crazy busy for the time of year. Split is amazing as is Dubrovnik but both are very busy with tourists especially Dubrovnik. We found a little village a few miles away called Cavtat which was beautiful and quiet. You could get a boat round the cove from Dubrovnik. If you keep going south and can handle the border crossing Montenegro is equally as beautiful.

I ended up driving to the very north of Croatia to a place called Rijeka which was had a bit more a modern vibe to it. Only had a night there so didn't see a great deal of it because it pissed it down pretty much from the second I got there until it was time for bed. I was flying home the following day and typically the weather was amazing. Was also probably the smallest airport I think I've been in but again that added to its charm.
Agree you don’t need many days for Zadar..rest of your trip sounds great. We stayed outside the centres of both Zadar and Split so only came across the tourist hordes when going into both old city centres. Will definitely go back..endless beautiful coastlines and islands to explore.
 


The Maharajah of Sydney

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
1,410
Sydney .
San Sebastian.
Three great beaches (2 of them surf), pinxtos in the Parte Verga, more Michelin stars per capita than any other city if that’s your thing.
Nothing like southern Spain, it’s quite lush with greenery and very few English.
Fly into Bilbao (Vueling have the best flight times from Gatwick) , spend 3 nights in San Sebastián and a couple in wonderful Bilbao - less than 90 minute bus ride between the two.
 








Since1982

Well-known member
Sep 30, 2006
1,600
Burgess Hill
San Sebastian.
Three great beaches (2 of them surf), pinxtos in the Parte Verga, more Michelin stars per capita than any other city if that’s your thing.
Nothing like southern Spain, it’s quite lush with greenery and very few English.
Fly into Bilbao (Vueling have the best flight times from Gatwick) , spend 3 nights in San Sebastián and a couple in wonderful Bilbao - less than 90 minute bus ride between the two.
That's on my list. My brother in law has a place and hour or so on from Bordeaux so was thinking of driving it with a couple of night with him to break the journey.
 




Tom Hark Preston Park

Will Post For Cash
Jul 6, 2003
72,212
Not exactly off the beaten track but... Madeira was an unexpected treat, full of surprises. Banana plantations everywhere, even in the centre of towns, great walking trails, cable cars galore, wonderful food and drink options, including a mind-boggling market in Funchal with evil-looking black eel-like fish, craft beer paddles and eighteen different kinds of mangoes. Oh and there's CR7, a Ronaldo museum the size of an aircraft hangar. Fascinating place
 


Official Old Man

Uckfield Seagull
Aug 27, 2011
9,034
Brighton
Sorry I'm late to the party, away on holiday.
Over the past 20 years I've done plenty of 'adults only' holidays so here comes my advice-
Go to the absolute maximum of your budget.
Avoid the Brits, Yanks and Canadians, which means everybody.
We've been to Tenerife, bad
Cape Verde, people from Tenerife go there now
Cuba, loved it 3 times but go 5* and some more. No Americans and few Canadians.
Mexico, was great. But 'adult only' includes 21 yo Canadians.
Jamaica, expensive.
Dom Republic. As above.
Even our last holiday at the Hilton, Dom Rep was ruined by parties in all the pools.
Avoid a hotel that has an Adult section. No one abides by the rules. Kids still get in the adult pool.
£10K holiday to Maldives was the best, an entire island with 36 others and staff. But left me skint.
 


Surf's Up

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2011
10,426
Here
San Sebastian.
Three great beaches (2 of them surf), pinxtos in the Parte Verga, more Michelin stars per capita than any other city if that’s your thing.
Nothing like southern Spain, it’s quite lush with greenery and very few English.
Fly into Bilbao (Vueling have the best flight times from Gatwick) , spend 3 nights in San Sebastián and a couple in wonderful Bilbao - less than 90 minute bus ride between the two.
This - San Sebastian is a wonderful city
 


essbee1

Well-known member
Jun 25, 2014
4,671
I was in Durres in Albania last year. The people there are great, the food great and it's cheap. We were considered a
novelty being Brits. I would say only one thing. The beaches are beautiful (sand etc) but the facilities around the beaches are not
great and things are a little run down still. Needs massive upgrading to get to Spain and Italy etc standards.
 




Professor Plum

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 27, 2024
534
The most relaxing holiday I remember was Taormina in Sicily. We sat on our hotel balcony in the sun for a week, reading. It was great, though a very unusual holiday for us. Mind you, in the second week we packed up and hired a car. Driving a car round Sicily, and especially Palermo was the least relaxing thing possible. It was like a fairground ride, trying to dodge horn-blaring madmen shooting out from every side road. Great fun though.

Italy in general (outside the big cities) is a very beautiful, relaxing, placid place to be. Wonderful food and wine, sunshine, ancient streets, atmospheric church bells tolling across the valley, that sort of thing. Lovely.
 




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