Beach & History Holiday Recommendations

[JP_]

Thinking about holiday for 2025.
Just got back from Rome, which was great, but wife and son #1 missed the beach.
So looking for something that provides both...
Crete comes up in search, but not really clear what hotels / resorts are really good for sightseeing too.

So, anybody had a nice holiday in recent years that provided a good combination of beach and warm, calm seas, with historic sightseeing, culture etc?

If going in Greece direction then a May half-term week might be a good idea. Will consider anywhere, as we are not very well travelled.

Needs to be relatively cheap though ... ideally no more than £2.5k for the week.

Have considered 2 hotels if that works, eg 3 days in town, then taxi/coach to a hotel on the beach etc. But not sure if we really want that ... and will probably limit hotel options.

 

[Notch7]

La Rochelle region of France?

Tons of history around the area with places like Cognac

It’s not that far south but is known to have a micro climate so gets plenty of warm sunshine

Obv South of France is great but it’s expensive.

 

[wobs]

Never been but heard Malta fits that bill. Certainly for the history.
Too hot for me.

 

[Andydevon]

St just in Penwith. Plenty of wonderful hidden beaches. History mining focused but makes for dramatic scenery. Climate not quite Mediterranean.

 

[Bod ...]

Why not wait until

St just in Penwith. Plenty of wonderful hidden beaches. History mining focused but makes for dramatic scenery. Climate not quite Mediterranean.

It can be if your a gambler.

 

[Mottie]

Barcelona.

 

[justigator]

Was going to suggest Malta but wobs has beaten me to it. Yes there are lots of mass-market seafront hotels but there is also plenty of culture and Valletta is nicely historical. Had an enjoyable family trip there some years ago.

 

[justigator]

And to respond to Mottie's suggestion: yes Barcelona is wonderful but is now one of those places like Venice that is touristed to death.

 

[ajohn]

I went to Crete for 2 weeks with a car hire. There is Knossos rebuilt and another left alone on the other side of the island. Town in huge extinct volcano crater. The gorge. We stayed in the general Rethimmno area. Plenty of beach and not that much used but 30+years ago. Likely to be hotel land now. It's seen as greener area so bugs can be a problem and it gets rather hot in the summer. One end of the Island was pretty packed but I recollect concrete slabs with people on them. I was talked out of booking the 2nd weeks car as told it would be cheaper there. Totally incorrect. Heat wise the locals think winter time is better for us. Pass but could be true. We got friendly with a couple of places that sell food. They might have gone now and replaced by hotels.

Turkey has stacks of history and beaches in various places but I have only toured there. Big country and a fair amount of coach travel. We used a company called RSD Travel and were well looked after. Sometimes they offer a mix of a beach stay and a tour. Also in other countries. They don't use 5 star hotels but select what they do use. No complaints from me any time we have used them. Nor from any other people they are moving around which is usually groups of different nationals. Turkey gets so hot at times that even the locals aren't too keen on it.

There is a bit WWII history in Jersey. Hired a car there too. Late in the year as it's warmer than here.

 

[motorbiking]

You cannot beat the Greek islands. La Rochelle is lovely but its Atlantic coast so water is cold in May.

Kos, Rhodes corfu are nice. And there are good transfers and plenty of all inclusive places that are reasonable.

I would suggest Rhodes is where you start. There is enough of everything on the island.

 

[carmanmemoranda]

Depends if want to fly or drive I guess.

Driving would be south France I would suggest. Great beaches and some stunning places to see. Gorge du Verdon for example, but only really works if you have a car, or rent when there. The south coast is full of great beaches.

The drive to and from there is also good, and easy.

Flying makes a few more places accessible, but I don't enjoy airports and flying as much as driving, with the ability to stop and explore as I want.