Post in association with On the Beach
I’ve got this thing with my nose.
When it gets cold, it goes red – a shiny, bright red, Rudolph style. I would like to say it’s kind of sexy and adorable, but it’s not, it’s just RED. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time, now Grannyhood is looming, before I start walking around with drips on the end of it. I may also grow warts on my chin.
What I really need is to be out of this cold, miserable weather and lying on a warm beach somewhere, living my best body-confident bikini life. Any nose redness then can be passed off as me being ‘sun-kissed’, which is a much better look.
Perfect timing then for a 2019 Family Beach Index from holiday experts On the Beach.
I had thought that my family beach holiday days might be behind me for now – for the last few years I’ve chosen holiday destinations based on teenage concerns like the availability of Wifi – but with my first grandchild on the way, (I’m going to keep dropping that in until it feels real), I need to get back into the whole family friendly loop. I’ll have to start considering things like highchairs when I go out for lunch, and how many gins you’re allowed to drink when you’re babysitting.
Back in November, On the Beach asked a load of parents about the key things they consider when choosing a family friendly beach holiday. Temperature and flight duration both ranked highly, and the cleanliness of the beaches and availability of local family friendly attractions were also important. Over half of people rated value for money as one of their top considerations.
On the Beach took all this data, plus dozens of beach holiday destinations around Europe, and put it all into a magical beach holiday calculation machine, encrusted with diamanté buckets and spades, (in my imagination). Out of the machine popped the On the Beach Family Beach Index, ranking Europe’s top 50 beach holiday destinations, (all less than a five hour flight away), by family friendliness.
Top of the Family Beach Index is Crete and second place goes to Costa Blanca, closely followed by southern Cyprus, Costa Brava and Costa Dorada. Majorca, Malta, Corfu, Sardinia and Costa De La Luz complete the top ten.
Check out the top 50 here on the On the Beach interactive map:
I’ve hardly been to any of these places, (I didn’t have loads of money for holidays abroad when my kids were small), so it’s lovely to think that I might get to take a chubby toddler away somewhere fun in a couple of years – somewhere with long, sandy beaches and turquoise water, where we can build sandcastles and eat ice creams and drink ice cold cocktails.
(Seriously, I must research the alcohol/babysitting thing.)
Even though you might be feeling a bit poor this month, you can still crack on and book your family summer holiday thanks to On the Beach’s low deposit scheme. Decide on your destination now, while the sky outside is grey, and you can book your holiday from £30 per person and then split the cost up until two weeks before you fly.
On the Beach also has a January sale on at the moment, with up to 50% off some hotels. Just what you need to jolly everyone along during January.
Which destination from the On the Beach Family Beach Index takes your fancy?
Have you got anything booked yet for 2019?
Images from shutterstock – By Rido, V. Belov, NadyaEugene, marisc