Top ten half-term holiday hot spots
Half-term falls towards the end of February, with many schools finishing up on Friday, 18, and returning just in time to see out the shortest month of the year. How to spend it? This half-term we’re looking at our favourite, family-friendly beach resorts in Spain and Portugal.
Fiesta … at Pedregalejo
Malaga
Spain’s warmest, sunniest city has buckets of beaches and spades of culture. The airport is the gateway to the Costa del Sol so flights to Malaga are plentiful year round. Our pick for beach fun is in the suburb of Pedregalego. The Playas de Las Acacias are composed of kiddie-friendly coves. For older children, there is a rich Moorish heritage, botanical garden and Picasso museum. The February high is about 20 degrees.
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The original resort … Torremolinos
Torremolinos
No longer tacky, Torremolinos makes a great resort for families. It was the first package-holiday destination in Spain so its family-friendly credentials are impeccable. There’s a super stretch of sand and sea (El Bajondillo beach), mix of restaurants and cafes and all the attractions to keep the littles occupied. Aqualand won’t be open until May but Crocodile Park and Bioparc Fuengirola are open for visits. Temperatures will be closest to 20 degrees in late February.
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Majorca … a family favourite for decades
Majorca - Alcudia
Alcudia in the north has one of the best beaches on the island. Puerto Alcudia has white, fine, sand and the water is shallow enough for little bathers. There is an Old Town and it is close to Puerto Pollensa and the old town of Pollensa, as well as Albufera National Park.
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Palma Nova … resort of choice in the south of Majorca
Majorca - Palma Nova
Palma Nova lies on the southern end of Majorca. It is situated north of Magaluf and separated from the noted party town by a rocky headland. The hotels are geared towards families and the beaches - Palma Nova, Son Matias and Son Caliu - are safe with soft sands and sparkling waters. The weather in February will be sunny; water cold but not freezing.
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Punta del Papagayo … rated as top beach in Lanzarote
Canary Islands - Lanzarote
Families love the sandy beaches of the south coast. The beaches of Punta del Papagayo are clustered around the southernmost tip of the island. All six beaches - Playa Mujeres, Playa del Pozo, Playa de Papagayo, Playa de La Cera, Puerto Muelas and Caleta del Congrio - have fine sand and clear waters. Playa del Papagayo is considered the best, but families should bear in mind that some of the small coves and inlets are popular with naturists. Maximum temperatures in February are in the low 20s.
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Costa Adeje … more suitable for families than Playa de Las Americas
Canary Islands - Tenerife
The south-west is the most developed part of Tenerife, but this means you’ll never be at a loss for things to do. Consider Costa Adeje, close to - but much quieter than - Playa de Las Americas. End-of-Feb temps run to about 25 degrees with a (slight) chance of rain.
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Lagos … a standout even by high Algarve standards
Portugal - Lagos
Great beaches with those world-famous rock formations, the blue, sparkling Atlantic and plenty of historic buildings in town for away-from-the-beach days. It may not be sunbathing weather but there’s a good chance of getting teeshirt weather and lots and lots of sun. Even by the high standards of the Algarve, the Praia da Dona Ana, accessible by steps, is a real standout.
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Albufeira … the beach is pure Portugal
Portugal - Albuferia
A bit more Britain-in-the-sun with pubs, all-day breakfasts and a lively, lively nightlife. But for those who are craving sun and want to keep the kids occupied it has it. There’s the typical Algarve beach - acres and acres of sand, plenty of rocky outcrops for children to clamber over, shallow waters and water sports for those beyond bucket-and-spade age.
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(Images: Malaga - sharonstoned1; Torremolinos - lhourahane; Majorca Alcudia - Fagerjord; Majorca Palma Nova - Martin Hey; Canary Islands Lanzarote - foto.bulle; Canary Islands Tenerife - Daimen.Richards; Portugal Lagos - loufi; Portugal Albufeira - girolame; )
This entry was posted on Monday, January 31st, 2011 at 12:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.