Reccomendations for Holiday Destination...

[Jasonbirder]

As I have dismally failed to persuade my family to go to Eilat for a family holiday in spring does anyone have any reccomendations for a European destination in April that will combine

1) Good birding from a single geographic base - enough variety to keep me going for a week!!
2) Nice location (not too touristy) but has to have nice beaches (wife & daughter to appease)
3) Plenty of nice scenery and historic sites to investigate

I was considering Cyprus but don`t know the Island at all so if anyone knows best area to go? Good place in Spain? I had considered Turkey but fear my wife will have safety reservations....

[birdman]

My first thought was to say Slovenia, but the Slovene coast is short, and the beachfront is a bit touristy... so, although I haven't been, might I suggest Croatia, as a similar destination... somewhere in the North... perhaps, close to Slovenia... you might need to do a bit of research, but nip down to the library for the Lonely Planet guide!

[leovb]

Hi Jasonbirder,

If you go to Southern Spain in the vicinity of the Cota Donana you'll have all you want! Especially in spring!

marvelous birding, beaches nearby and some nice cultural history to get into if you are not limiting your mobility to walking.

Have fun,
Leo van Brunshot

[tom mckinney]

Cyprus would be my choice.
I've been there twice in early April based in Paphos - a bit touristy, but very characterful and of course devoid of d***h***s outside the main season.

This is some of the best stuff I've had:

Bimaculated Lark.
Semi Collared Fly.
Isabelline (vagrant) & Masked Shrike.
Finsch's, Cyprus Pied & Isabelline Wheatear.
Long Legged Buzzard.
Great Spotted Cuckoo.
Little Crake.
Citrine Wag.
Black Francolin.
Cretzchmar's Bunting.
Slender Billed & Audouin's Gull.
Greater Sand Plover.
Spur Winged Plover.
Richard's & Red Throated Pipit.
Eleanora's Falcon.
Orphean, Eastern Bonelli's, Ruppell's, Spectacled and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler.
Cory's & Yelkouan Shearwater.
Rock & Blue Rock Thrush.

Plus stacks & stacks of other stuff.

It's excellent for seeing some highly prized British vagrants and also has a particularly eastern flavour to it.

Have fun!

Tom

[Grousemore]

I was going to suggest Southern Spain as well.
A recent Thread on the area sounded really good and there are of course attractions for the non-birders in the family.

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=11642&highlight=malaga

[Michael Frankis]

Bulgaria - excellent birding, very safe, cheap, everything anyone could want.

Michael

[Surreybirder]

Cyprus... see you there!
(I've got links to a couple of trip reports on my web site if you are interested... see below). We've been twice before, staying in Paphos and loved it.
Visit Aphrodite's temple (on-going archeological site with 'finds' going back to the Etruscan period); Polis (best kebabs); Aphrodite's pool, Akamas peninsula; Troodos mountains; Paphos lighthouse (excellent for migrants). A week is hardly enough!!

[Reader]

I went Spain last year and am going again this year. The Costa de la Luz stretching from Gibraltar westwards has some fantastic beaches and you are not that far from the Coto donana, which I must admit I will spend 2, possibly 3, days there.

There is one other place I would highly recommend that has the best birds and some great beaches and April is the time to go and that is Lesbos but I'm not sure if the Package flights have started then. Apart from Eilat I can't think of many better places to go. Mind you the area around Ronda (on the Costa del Sol) and south is excellent for raptors and birds in general and that region is close to many beaches, albeit busy ones.

Here are a few linked trip reports to look at for the Costa del Sol area. See what you think.

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/spain/andalucia5/and-may-03.htm
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/spain/andalucia4/s-Spain-ap-03.htm
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/spain/costa7/costa2http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/spain/costa5/index.htm001.htm

And a John Butler report for Donana

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/donanabirdtours/don-report.htm

And a couple for Lesbos to tickle your tate buds.

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/greece/lesvos6/ap-2002.htm
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/greece/lesbos7/lesbos-may-2003.htm

[Jasonbirder]

Blimey....thanks everyone for the speedy and helpful responses!!!

[Adey Baker]

Haven't been there myself but I believe that Lesvos is not unknown on the birding scene in April

[Tim Allwood]

Hiya Jason

southern Turkey (if you can convince the wife) is ace as it has lots of smallish places to stay on the coast, quiet beaches, loads of ruins etc, good restuarants and bars and very friendly people. Away from Istanbul it ought to be very safe.
The birds are very good too of course and perhaps a bit more enticing than other mediterranean places but it's a close call. You can got to Northern Cyprus from here as well as it's only two hours on a cheap hydrofoil that the kids would love. Cyprus Pied Wheater and Cyprus Warbler are a doddle very close to the port.

the downside of Spain is that the driving is slightly more onerous than Turkey and it's a bit more expensive and perhaps busier. all the places quoted above would be worth it though and Mallorca can be ace too apparently

[Michael Frankis]

the downside of Spain is that the driving is slightly more onerous than Turkey.Dunno, when I was in Turkey I saw a car going the wrong way along a dual carriageway . . .

But otherwise, I'd agree the Med coast of Turkey is pretty safe from terrorism etc, probably less likely than problems from Basque terrorists in Spain or real IRA & Alqaeda in Britain (on which subject again, Bulgaria is VERY safe: Bulgarians don't have any enemies).

Michael

[Tim Allwood]

Hiya Michael

agree with you re the erratic turkish driving - I was thinking of the amount you'd have to do in turkey....

Bulgaria and Greece too are both wonderful places

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Would agree with Turkey. Fantastic birding in spring and the people are most amicable (despite their dodgy driving).