Atlantic Islander
09-14-2013, 08:55 PM
Beat the winter blues by planning your perfect beach holiday. Here are 20 fantastic trip ideas for starters, many of them new and offering great value for money
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Santa Maria island, The Azores
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Crowds aren't an issue on this speck in the eastern Azores its mid-Atlantic location sees to that. What they miss out on is wild, wooded landscapes, nature reserves, famously good custard tarts and one of the best and few white-sand beaches in the archipelago, Praia Formosa. It's also home to the smart new Hostel Azores in the island's 15th-century capital, Vila do Porto. After days of arduous beach-hopping, return to lie by the pool here or hang out in the bar.
Doubles from 31.50, dorm beds 11.50 (+351 296 883 592, *******/12G28gR), including breakfast. Flights from Heathrow to Ponta Delgada (on the island of Sγo Miguel) via Lisbon cost about £300 with TAP. Sata flies from Ponta Delgada to Santa Maria island from 94 return. Further information: visitazores.com
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Adriatic coast, Albania
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Had enough of Hvar and bored of Brindisi? Try Albania. With 380 miles of coastline, and its fair share of pretty seaside villages and Roman ruins, the Adriatic underdog is being touted as the next Croatia among adventurous beach-seekers. A new seven-night break is a good introduction, taking in historic towns, Byzantine and Ottoman remains and numerous white-sand beaches, lagoons and bays.
From £500pp, including return BA flights from Gatwick to Tirana, seven nights' half-board and tours with an English-speaking guide (+355 68 205 8766, pastandpresent.al)
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Fuerteventura, The Canaries
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If you prefer to enjoy the sand between your toes while doing the downward dog rather than downing six pints of lager, head to Lotus Yoga Lodge in the Canaries. A new centre for budget yoga and Pilates retreats, the lodge offers breaks that include two or three yoga classes a day and a one-hour massage (extra treatments and surfing lessons can be added). It is also a few steps away from the beach at Corralejo, for kitesurfing and windsurfing.
One-week yoga retreats from £345pp (+34 693 026839, azulfit.com). EasyJet and Ryanair fly to Fuerteventura from several UK airports. Transfers cost from 20pp each way. More information: visitfuerteventura.es
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Cτtι Ocιan, France
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Under four hours from Paris on the TGV, this new budget resort in Angoulins, on France's Atlantic coast, consists of 20 apartments (from a one-bedroom suite to a four-bedroom villa) plus swimming pool, sauna, hammam, bar and table tennis and is only 200m from the sea. Butlins it ain't; 15 minutes' drive from La Rochelle, it's owned by the team behind Paris' Le Citizen hotel and the decor is stylish and playful. An all-day deli supplies everything from snacks to ready meals, or you can book a set dinner at the dining room's long refectory table.
Dorm rooms for six from 150 a night, one-bedroom apartment from 120 (+33 5 8616 0007, cote-ocean.com). Train tickets from London to La Rochelle start from £109 return (0844 848 4078, raileurope.co.uk). Further information: poitou-charentes-vacances.com
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Marina di Venezia, Italy
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Eurocamp's Marina di Venezia holiday park, over the lagoon from Venice, is the perfect compromise if you're dithering between a city break and a beach holiday. It's easy to get into the city for sightseeing by ferry from nearby Punta Sabbioni or stay put and make the most of direct access to long sandy Ca' Savio beach. For souped-up camping, book one of its safari-style tents, complete with beds and patios.
From £252 for up to five people for seven nights, accommodation only (0844 334 8744, eurocamp.co.uk). Ryanair flies to Treviso, just over an hour's drive away, from four UK airports from £56 return
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The Beach House, Sicily
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This simple, whitewashed, two-bedroom apartment near Donnalucata, in south-east Sicily, doesn't come with many frills the real luxury is the location. Wooden steps trip from the terrace straight on to sandy Stina Santa beach. The beach gets its share of visitors in the middle of the day but go for an early morning or late afternoon swim and you could have it to yourself. As the sun goes down, enjoy a simple barbecue supper and finish with shots of chilled arancello (blood orange liqueur).
Sleeps four from £595 a week (01223 460100, essentialitaly.co.uk). Thomson and Flythomascook fly to Catania from Gatwick and Manchester
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Calcebianca, Puglia, Italy
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This three-room B&B is owned by architects, and it shows. With sleek, modern decor but also hints of tradition native plants brighten plain white walls and the long thin pool is a natural jade colour, designed to reflect the old stone irrigation baths used across the Pugliese countryside Calcebianca is great for guests seeking local heritage without tweeness. It's worth dragging yourself away, though, to explore the pretty town of Ostuni and some great local beaches.
B&B from £40pp pn (01694 722193, long-travel.co.uk). Ryanair flies to Brindisi from Stansted
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Casale Villarena, Amalfi, Italy
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The British Museum's Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition (28 March-29 September) is set to be one of the most talked about shows of 2013. Visit the Roman cities themselves while holidaying on the Amalfi coast. Casale Villarena is a small complex of five apartments between Sorrento and Positano. Set among terraced gardens, there's a small playground and pool on site, and a beach at the end of the road.
£547pp (based on 4 sharing) for a week in a two-bedroom apartment in the summer school holidays, including flights (Gatwick-Naples) and car rental (expertoitaly.com, 020-7520 3100).
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Silver Island, Greece
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Can't afford your own private island? Share someone else's. The Christie family have owned 60-acre Silver Island (Argironisos) in the Aegean for 50 years and are opening this former olive farm to guests, in the guise of a yoga retreat, from April to October. There's no mains electricity and only three of the six bedrooms have bathrooms, but it's not as rustic as it sounds. The accommodation is chic colourful painted window frames and woven throws are set against brilliant white walls much of the food is grown on the island, and the yoga is led by professional instructors. Between morning and evening yoga classes, follow sun-dappled paths out to secluded beaches and quiet coves.
Weekly rates from £950pp full-board (silverislandyoga.com). Fly to Athens with BA or Aegean then take a bus and ferry from Athens to Oreoi, around 40 return. Guests are picked up from Oreoi
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Beach-hop by bike, Sardinia
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If you get fidgety lying on the same beach all day, Freedom Treks' new "leisurely" self-guided cycle tour of south-west Sardinia promises a variety of sandy bays. Taking in the pink flamingos of the Sinis wetlands and Cape Malfatano's 16th-century tower, the week-long route allows plenty of time each day for detours for a dip and a snooze. Piscinas beach, with its 50m-high sand dunes, is a highlight.
Seven nights from £497pp, including B&B accommodation, luggage transfer, maps and notes but not bike hire, which can be arranged (01273 224066, freedomtreks.co.uk). Fly to Cagliari or Alghero with Ryanair. Further information: sardegnaturismo.it
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Sliding House, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Beach holidays don't have to mean bikinis, umbrella-laced cocktails and peeling noses, as this designer holiday home in Nova Scotia proves. Dubbed the Sliding House because of the apparently precarious angle at which it sits, it promises an uncluttered, back-to-nature beach holiday. Sleeping four, it has streamlined wooden interiors, with picture windows at every turn, and it's perfectly positioned for enjoying two-mile long Hirtle's Beach.
From £1,250 a week (+1 415 252 7972, slidinghouse.ca). US Airways flies Heathrow to Halifax from £520 return. Further information: uk.canada.travel
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Almiros Beach, Corfu
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This new villa isn't the most distinctive property ever to have graced the local rental market (they rarely are), but it's a handy 100m walk away from a five-mile-long sandy beach on Corfu's north coast and offers great value. It sleeps four, is smart, bright and comfortable, and comes with a pool, shady terrace and a bougainvillea- and palm-laced garden. And there's a little taverna you can walk along the beach to.
From £695 a week (01954 261431, vintagetravel.co.uk). Fly to Corfu with Monarch or easyJet. Further information: visitgreece.gr
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Forodhani House, Lamu, Kenya
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This large holiday home is so close to the Indian Ocean that when you look out from its terraces you could almost be on the deck of a ship. It sleeps 11 and comes with a team of staff. Its name means lookout post in Swahili and you can see why, with its sprawling panorama and 7½-mile white sand beach. Gather a group of friends and hang out here, swimming in the pool, watching dolphins and dhows or wandering the alleys of Lamu town.
From 2,800 for seven nights with welcomebeyond.com. BA flies from Heathrow to Nairobi from £580. 540 (fly540.com) flies Nairobi-Lamu from around £240 return. Further information: magicalkenya.com
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Azur Hotel, Antalya, Turkey
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Great for grown-ups but also a hit with families, this budget hotel with friendly staff consists of 20 comfortable cabins in grounds full of hibiscus, dog rose and lilies. You could easily while away a week between the pool, coastal hikes, snorkelling, boat trips and visits to ancient ruins. But it is just five minutes' stroll from one of Europe's most impressive beaches, two-mile long Cirali. This is also where you'll find the hotel's sister restaurant, ideal for a lazy lunch of octopus salad or marinated sardines followed by thick coffee and sticky baklava.
Doubles from £70 per night B&B (i-escape.com). Airlines flying to Antalya include Thomson and Pegasus
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Lighthouse Marlera, Istria, Croatia
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The latest in a string of beautiful old lighthouses along Croatia's coast to find themselves revamped as holiday homes, this one was built in 1882. It is surrounded by lavender- and rosemary-peppered scrub just 50m from the sea and has a spectacular outdoor dining terrace. The surrounding shoreline is rocky rather than sandy, with deep water, but guests can make use of free transfers to neighbouring Levan, a small private island with a glorious sandy beach and restaurant. Inside, the luxurious lighthouse has been sensitively updated, with a huge open fireplace, exposed beams and simple white walls.
Sleeps six from 1,540 a week (0808 168 3471, adriatic.hr). Thomson flies to Pula from Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester. More information: istra.com
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Suleyman's Garden, Turkey
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On this new, week-long yoga break at Huzur Vadisi's second venue, Suleyman's Garden, you stay in cute, rustic cottages surrounded by terraced vegetable fields and flower-tangled gardens, overlooking the sea. Morning and evening yoga classes mean there's plenty of time between sessions to explore the coast. Less than 10 minutes' walk away is a small rocky cove great for swimming.
22-29 July, from £645pp, including full-board accommodation and yoga but not flights (020-7733 2996, yogaonashoestring.com). Monarch flies to Dalaman from £200 return in July
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Xaghra Farmhouse, Gozo, Malta
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Another good option for families, this simple but characterful townhouse in the small town of Xaghra, in the north-east of Gozo, sleeps eight and comes with a great range of baby and child equipment, including toys for use in the small pool. The island's just 14km long and 7km wide, so you're never very far from any of its scenic red-sand beaches try Ramla and San Blas.
From £120 a night (i-escape.com). Air Malta flies to Luqa from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester. Return ferry crossings from Malta to Gozo cost from 9.30 (+356 2155 6114, gozochannel.com)
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Valhalla Spa Hotel, Almeria, Spain
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With mosaic-tiled spa, slick swimming pool and ultra-modern furnishings, this 33-room bolthole is close to some of Europe's most untamed coastlines. Set in the fishing village of Carboneras, a former hideout for pirates and, later, artists, it's well placed for striking out into Almeria's whitewashed villages or wandering the desert terrain and hidden coves of the Cabo de Gata-Nijar natural park. The designation has saved the latter from development, leaving its beaches some of the best and wildest in Europe (start at Playa de los Muertos).
Doubles from 100, room-only (+34 918 596428, rusticae.es). Ryanair flies to Almeria from East Midlands and Stansted
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Costa Vicentina, Portugal
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With a new 150-mile-long path, the Rota Vicentina (rotavicentina.com), opening in April, Portugal's neglected Alentejo coastline (see feature on opposite page) will attract attention this year. Inntravel has just added four of the region's new self-catering cottage apartments to its books. Right by the beach near Zambujeira, the apartments are in the grounds of a hotel, so if you don't fancy cooking after a day exploring the coast (walking maps are included and bikes can be borrowed), you can book dinner in its restaurant. Guests can also use the hotel pool.
From £294pp B&B for a week in a two-bedroom cottage, including car hire (01653 617004, inntravel.co.uk). Fly to Faro or Lisbon with easyJet. More information: casasbrancas.pt
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Casas Na Areia, Portugal
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If you're craving a tropical beach but can't venture beyond Europe, these thatched beach cabins are a good compromise. An hour's drive south of Lisbon, and an easy bike ride from pristine Comporta beach (four bikes are included in the rental rates), this development mixes hi-spec modernist architecture (design by Manuel Aires Mateus, state-of-the-art sound system, high-speed internet and sleek dipping pool) and rustic luxury (the dining and living rooms are open-sided and sand-floored). Dine on fresh seafood from the fishing hamlet of Carrasqueira, explore the 1,200-acre private nature reserve and pine forest, or sit and watch flamingos as the sun sets over nearby salt pans. The owners also offer horseback treks on Comporta beach and the Sado estuary nature reserve.
From 500 a night B&B, for up to eight guests (+351 934 418316, casasnaareia.com). EasyJet flies to Lisbon from five UK airports
source (http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/jan/04/20-best-beach-bargain-holidays-2013)
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Santa Maria island, The Azores
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Crowds aren't an issue on this speck in the eastern Azores its mid-Atlantic location sees to that. What they miss out on is wild, wooded landscapes, nature reserves, famously good custard tarts and one of the best and few white-sand beaches in the archipelago, Praia Formosa. It's also home to the smart new Hostel Azores in the island's 15th-century capital, Vila do Porto. After days of arduous beach-hopping, return to lie by the pool here or hang out in the bar.
Doubles from 31.50, dorm beds 11.50 (+351 296 883 592, *******/12G28gR), including breakfast. Flights from Heathrow to Ponta Delgada (on the island of Sγo Miguel) via Lisbon cost about £300 with TAP. Sata flies from Ponta Delgada to Santa Maria island from 94 return. Further information: visitazores.com
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Adriatic coast, Albania
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Had enough of Hvar and bored of Brindisi? Try Albania. With 380 miles of coastline, and its fair share of pretty seaside villages and Roman ruins, the Adriatic underdog is being touted as the next Croatia among adventurous beach-seekers. A new seven-night break is a good introduction, taking in historic towns, Byzantine and Ottoman remains and numerous white-sand beaches, lagoons and bays.
From £500pp, including return BA flights from Gatwick to Tirana, seven nights' half-board and tours with an English-speaking guide (+355 68 205 8766, pastandpresent.al)
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Fuerteventura, The Canaries
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If you prefer to enjoy the sand between your toes while doing the downward dog rather than downing six pints of lager, head to Lotus Yoga Lodge in the Canaries. A new centre for budget yoga and Pilates retreats, the lodge offers breaks that include two or three yoga classes a day and a one-hour massage (extra treatments and surfing lessons can be added). It is also a few steps away from the beach at Corralejo, for kitesurfing and windsurfing.
One-week yoga retreats from £345pp (+34 693 026839, azulfit.com). EasyJet and Ryanair fly to Fuerteventura from several UK airports. Transfers cost from 20pp each way. More information: visitfuerteventura.es
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Cτtι Ocιan, France
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Under four hours from Paris on the TGV, this new budget resort in Angoulins, on France's Atlantic coast, consists of 20 apartments (from a one-bedroom suite to a four-bedroom villa) plus swimming pool, sauna, hammam, bar and table tennis and is only 200m from the sea. Butlins it ain't; 15 minutes' drive from La Rochelle, it's owned by the team behind Paris' Le Citizen hotel and the decor is stylish and playful. An all-day deli supplies everything from snacks to ready meals, or you can book a set dinner at the dining room's long refectory table.
Dorm rooms for six from 150 a night, one-bedroom apartment from 120 (+33 5 8616 0007, cote-ocean.com). Train tickets from London to La Rochelle start from £109 return (0844 848 4078, raileurope.co.uk). Further information: poitou-charentes-vacances.com
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Marina di Venezia, Italy
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Eurocamp's Marina di Venezia holiday park, over the lagoon from Venice, is the perfect compromise if you're dithering between a city break and a beach holiday. It's easy to get into the city for sightseeing by ferry from nearby Punta Sabbioni or stay put and make the most of direct access to long sandy Ca' Savio beach. For souped-up camping, book one of its safari-style tents, complete with beds and patios.
From £252 for up to five people for seven nights, accommodation only (0844 334 8744, eurocamp.co.uk). Ryanair flies to Treviso, just over an hour's drive away, from four UK airports from £56 return
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The Beach House, Sicily
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This simple, whitewashed, two-bedroom apartment near Donnalucata, in south-east Sicily, doesn't come with many frills the real luxury is the location. Wooden steps trip from the terrace straight on to sandy Stina Santa beach. The beach gets its share of visitors in the middle of the day but go for an early morning or late afternoon swim and you could have it to yourself. As the sun goes down, enjoy a simple barbecue supper and finish with shots of chilled arancello (blood orange liqueur).
Sleeps four from £595 a week (01223 460100, essentialitaly.co.uk). Thomson and Flythomascook fly to Catania from Gatwick and Manchester
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Calcebianca, Puglia, Italy
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This three-room B&B is owned by architects, and it shows. With sleek, modern decor but also hints of tradition native plants brighten plain white walls and the long thin pool is a natural jade colour, designed to reflect the old stone irrigation baths used across the Pugliese countryside Calcebianca is great for guests seeking local heritage without tweeness. It's worth dragging yourself away, though, to explore the pretty town of Ostuni and some great local beaches.
B&B from £40pp pn (01694 722193, long-travel.co.uk). Ryanair flies to Brindisi from Stansted
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Casale Villarena, Amalfi, Italy
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The British Museum's Life and death in Pompeii and Herculaneum exhibition (28 March-29 September) is set to be one of the most talked about shows of 2013. Visit the Roman cities themselves while holidaying on the Amalfi coast. Casale Villarena is a small complex of five apartments between Sorrento and Positano. Set among terraced gardens, there's a small playground and pool on site, and a beach at the end of the road.
£547pp (based on 4 sharing) for a week in a two-bedroom apartment in the summer school holidays, including flights (Gatwick-Naples) and car rental (expertoitaly.com, 020-7520 3100).
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Silver Island, Greece
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Can't afford your own private island? Share someone else's. The Christie family have owned 60-acre Silver Island (Argironisos) in the Aegean for 50 years and are opening this former olive farm to guests, in the guise of a yoga retreat, from April to October. There's no mains electricity and only three of the six bedrooms have bathrooms, but it's not as rustic as it sounds. The accommodation is chic colourful painted window frames and woven throws are set against brilliant white walls much of the food is grown on the island, and the yoga is led by professional instructors. Between morning and evening yoga classes, follow sun-dappled paths out to secluded beaches and quiet coves.
Weekly rates from £950pp full-board (silverislandyoga.com). Fly to Athens with BA or Aegean then take a bus and ferry from Athens to Oreoi, around 40 return. Guests are picked up from Oreoi
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Beach-hop by bike, Sardinia
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If you get fidgety lying on the same beach all day, Freedom Treks' new "leisurely" self-guided cycle tour of south-west Sardinia promises a variety of sandy bays. Taking in the pink flamingos of the Sinis wetlands and Cape Malfatano's 16th-century tower, the week-long route allows plenty of time each day for detours for a dip and a snooze. Piscinas beach, with its 50m-high sand dunes, is a highlight.
Seven nights from £497pp, including B&B accommodation, luggage transfer, maps and notes but not bike hire, which can be arranged (01273 224066, freedomtreks.co.uk). Fly to Cagliari or Alghero with Ryanair. Further information: sardegnaturismo.it
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Sliding House, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Beach holidays don't have to mean bikinis, umbrella-laced cocktails and peeling noses, as this designer holiday home in Nova Scotia proves. Dubbed the Sliding House because of the apparently precarious angle at which it sits, it promises an uncluttered, back-to-nature beach holiday. Sleeping four, it has streamlined wooden interiors, with picture windows at every turn, and it's perfectly positioned for enjoying two-mile long Hirtle's Beach.
From £1,250 a week (+1 415 252 7972, slidinghouse.ca). US Airways flies Heathrow to Halifax from £520 return. Further information: uk.canada.travel
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Almiros Beach, Corfu
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This new villa isn't the most distinctive property ever to have graced the local rental market (they rarely are), but it's a handy 100m walk away from a five-mile-long sandy beach on Corfu's north coast and offers great value. It sleeps four, is smart, bright and comfortable, and comes with a pool, shady terrace and a bougainvillea- and palm-laced garden. And there's a little taverna you can walk along the beach to.
From £695 a week (01954 261431, vintagetravel.co.uk). Fly to Corfu with Monarch or easyJet. Further information: visitgreece.gr
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Forodhani House, Lamu, Kenya
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This large holiday home is so close to the Indian Ocean that when you look out from its terraces you could almost be on the deck of a ship. It sleeps 11 and comes with a team of staff. Its name means lookout post in Swahili and you can see why, with its sprawling panorama and 7½-mile white sand beach. Gather a group of friends and hang out here, swimming in the pool, watching dolphins and dhows or wandering the alleys of Lamu town.
From 2,800 for seven nights with welcomebeyond.com. BA flies from Heathrow to Nairobi from £580. 540 (fly540.com) flies Nairobi-Lamu from around £240 return. Further information: magicalkenya.com
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Azur Hotel, Antalya, Turkey
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Great for grown-ups but also a hit with families, this budget hotel with friendly staff consists of 20 comfortable cabins in grounds full of hibiscus, dog rose and lilies. You could easily while away a week between the pool, coastal hikes, snorkelling, boat trips and visits to ancient ruins. But it is just five minutes' stroll from one of Europe's most impressive beaches, two-mile long Cirali. This is also where you'll find the hotel's sister restaurant, ideal for a lazy lunch of octopus salad or marinated sardines followed by thick coffee and sticky baklava.
Doubles from £70 per night B&B (i-escape.com). Airlines flying to Antalya include Thomson and Pegasus
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Lighthouse Marlera, Istria, Croatia
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The latest in a string of beautiful old lighthouses along Croatia's coast to find themselves revamped as holiday homes, this one was built in 1882. It is surrounded by lavender- and rosemary-peppered scrub just 50m from the sea and has a spectacular outdoor dining terrace. The surrounding shoreline is rocky rather than sandy, with deep water, but guests can make use of free transfers to neighbouring Levan, a small private island with a glorious sandy beach and restaurant. Inside, the luxurious lighthouse has been sensitively updated, with a huge open fireplace, exposed beams and simple white walls.
Sleeps six from 1,540 a week (0808 168 3471, adriatic.hr). Thomson flies to Pula from Birmingham, Gatwick and Manchester. More information: istra.com
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Suleyman's Garden, Turkey
-----------------------------------------------------
On this new, week-long yoga break at Huzur Vadisi's second venue, Suleyman's Garden, you stay in cute, rustic cottages surrounded by terraced vegetable fields and flower-tangled gardens, overlooking the sea. Morning and evening yoga classes mean there's plenty of time between sessions to explore the coast. Less than 10 minutes' walk away is a small rocky cove great for swimming.
22-29 July, from £645pp, including full-board accommodation and yoga but not flights (020-7733 2996, yogaonashoestring.com). Monarch flies to Dalaman from £200 return in July
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Xaghra Farmhouse, Gozo, Malta
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Another good option for families, this simple but characterful townhouse in the small town of Xaghra, in the north-east of Gozo, sleeps eight and comes with a great range of baby and child equipment, including toys for use in the small pool. The island's just 14km long and 7km wide, so you're never very far from any of its scenic red-sand beaches try Ramla and San Blas.
From £120 a night (i-escape.com). Air Malta flies to Luqa from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester. Return ferry crossings from Malta to Gozo cost from 9.30 (+356 2155 6114, gozochannel.com)
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Valhalla Spa Hotel, Almeria, Spain
-----------------------------------------------------
With mosaic-tiled spa, slick swimming pool and ultra-modern furnishings, this 33-room bolthole is close to some of Europe's most untamed coastlines. Set in the fishing village of Carboneras, a former hideout for pirates and, later, artists, it's well placed for striking out into Almeria's whitewashed villages or wandering the desert terrain and hidden coves of the Cabo de Gata-Nijar natural park. The designation has saved the latter from development, leaving its beaches some of the best and wildest in Europe (start at Playa de los Muertos).
Doubles from 100, room-only (+34 918 596428, rusticae.es). Ryanair flies to Almeria from East Midlands and Stansted
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Costa Vicentina, Portugal
-----------------------------------------------------
With a new 150-mile-long path, the Rota Vicentina (rotavicentina.com), opening in April, Portugal's neglected Alentejo coastline (see feature on opposite page) will attract attention this year. Inntravel has just added four of the region's new self-catering cottage apartments to its books. Right by the beach near Zambujeira, the apartments are in the grounds of a hotel, so if you don't fancy cooking after a day exploring the coast (walking maps are included and bikes can be borrowed), you can book dinner in its restaurant. Guests can also use the hotel pool.
From £294pp B&B for a week in a two-bedroom cottage, including car hire (01653 617004, inntravel.co.uk). Fly to Faro or Lisbon with easyJet. More information: casasbrancas.pt
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Casas Na Areia, Portugal
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If you're craving a tropical beach but can't venture beyond Europe, these thatched beach cabins are a good compromise. An hour's drive south of Lisbon, and an easy bike ride from pristine Comporta beach (four bikes are included in the rental rates), this development mixes hi-spec modernist architecture (design by Manuel Aires Mateus, state-of-the-art sound system, high-speed internet and sleek dipping pool) and rustic luxury (the dining and living rooms are open-sided and sand-floored). Dine on fresh seafood from the fishing hamlet of Carrasqueira, explore the 1,200-acre private nature reserve and pine forest, or sit and watch flamingos as the sun sets over nearby salt pans. The owners also offer horseback treks on Comporta beach and the Sado estuary nature reserve.
From 500 a night B&B, for up to eight guests (+351 934 418316, casasnaareia.com). EasyJet flies to Lisbon from five UK airports
source (http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2013/jan/04/20-best-beach-bargain-holidays-2013)