For really good value holidays head east. Look to Croatia which isn’t part of the EU. The local currency is still fairly weak compared with sterling. Standards in Croatia are getting better. There are tour operators with programmes in the Istrian peninsula of the country and all the way down to Dubrovnik. You won’t find hotels of the same high class standard as the Spanish Costas. But if you are prepared to make a few allowances in less than perfect properties, you will find family-run places offering a tremendous welcome. Croatia is dotted with beautiful little towns, so if the weather is a bit off for a day or two you can explore beautiful historic places.
You could continue south to Montenegro. There are no direct flights to this brand new country but it has a lovely coastline, great resorts and is very historic. The advantage of going now is that everything is still fresh. You can fly into Dubrovnik in the far south of Croatia and it’s not very far. Language is not too much of a problem. German is the main language spoken but plenty of people speak English.
Go across the Balkans to Bulgaria and the Black Sea coast, which is increasingly popular and standards are improving. A lot of people are put off because of the cyrillic alphabet but if you spend an hour or two on the plane coming to terms with the basic alphabet, you will have a much happier time when you get there.
The Polish Riviera is suddenly on the holiday map. It’s great if you have young children and you don’t want them to fry in the Mediterranean sun. There are some beautiful beaches. Hotels are improving, and the price of everything, from ice cream to a glass of beer, is very low. The zloty is a relatively weak currency against the pound.
Family man Simon is off to Germany for his summer holidays. It’s a great destination. It’s very easy to reach. You can take your own car. There are great beaches by the North Sea and by the Baltic. Inland there are wonderful municipal swimming pools, beautiful nature, cultural cities, and everything is very well-run. It’s not too expensive either.
Simon Calder, Travel Writer
Some of the content of the magazine refers to flights or prices from the UK. At Travel Counsellors Ireland we can source flights from Ireland and provide full quotes in Euros. Please call me for latest availability and prices.
