Same time next year? The holiday destinations that keep ’em coming back
They say familiarity breeds contempt, but not when it comes to travel
Home from home…. same old, same old…. groundhog day… You can apply all the cliches to a repeat holiday that takes the same format in the same location year after year, but the opportunity for instant relaxation and the warm feeling of familiarity is very appealing.
Elizabeth Court flats, East Cliff, Bournemouth
“My grandparents bought the flat in 1982 – the balcony has the most amazing view and is the perfect spot to people-watch from. We would always go for two weeks in August and you would see the same people in the restaurants, including the ‘Bournemouth Mafia’ who would sit in the same beach spot every year. We’d take our windbreaker, deck chairs and cool box and pitch down on the beach just across from our flat, hanging out, playing cricket, relaxing with friends we would see every year who had also bought there.
“The street lamps have different designs like a rocket or a star, which look so pretty along the promenade at night. Ours was a butterfly. If we ever got lost – and it happened to everyone! – we would make our way back to the butterfly marker.
“My boys are teenagers now and often moan about going, but once they’re there they love it and head off to the amusement arcade just like my brother and I used to.
“My parents use the flat year round but even if we don’t go in the summer, I’m using it a lot for girlie trips or if a sunny weekend comes along, we can do a spur-of-the-moment trip and be there in two hours if we drive late at night. The beach is so gorgeous – no stones, pure sandy beach – but we never sit by the pier as you’re squashed in like sardines. Where we are is further along and it’s not cramped; you could be in the south of France.” Kim and James Swead
Hotel Palace Bonanza Playa, Mallorca
“We’ve been going for so many years and always in August. You get that same special feeling when you return, as it’s the same staff and diners in the restaurants. There’s a little beach alcove straight into the sea and it feels very safe round the complex and we request the same bedrooms every year.
“The kids are getting older, so it starts to get a bit boring for them as they don’t want the kids’ club although there is a PlayStation now so my son is happy! My kids have picked up Spanish, which is lovely because mine is terrible but I can at least order a café con leche! We always say “let’s go somewhere else” and end up booking it again – we’ll be back this summer.” Debbie and Jon Cohen
Mare e Pineta, Milano Marittima, Italy
“You know how everyone knows where they were when Elvis Presley died on 16 August 1977? I was at the Mare e Pineta, where we used to go for two weeks every summer and every year we would see the same families there. We had a routine – beach in the morning, pool in the afternoon, dinner in the restaurant in the evening, same table every year and I always had consommé to start. Saturday nights were very exciting because there was a buffet. My dad used to get up early to get the custard doughnuts for breakfast before they ran out, and in the afternoons they would wheel a tea trolley around the pool with delicious little Italian sponge cakes with crystallised sugar on the top. I can still taste them now.
“After dinner, we would hire a special bike, which had seats for four, and my parents would pedal us around the town. There was a toy shop right next to the hotel, from which we were allowed to choose something. I could never decide, so we had to go in every night for me to consider my options. If I close my eyes, I can still smell that place now and feel the anticipation. Twenty years later, when my own children were small, we took them to the Mare e Pineta and my parents joined us. The memories came flooding back as soon as we walked in. It was as if time had stood still.” Louisa and Simon Walters
Coral Beach apartments, Marbella
“We were originally roadside, but it was Mum’s dream to be beachside with more space. Dad bought the apartment in the mid-1980s – it was built by a French Lebanese man so we’ve grown up with so many Lebanese friends. When October 7 happened, they all got in touch – there’s 40 years of history and friendship there.
“We would always go in July and August, and dad would fly back and forth. We return to the same restaurants and even though I’m married, I still book under ‘Family Green’ – it’s how they know us. My Spanish has improved over the years and I even got married there – I met my husband in the port at 14!
“We’re going back this summer for three weeks and there’s always crossover with my sisters so lots of spare beds squeezed in – we pack ’em all in! It’s so special to be together as a family.” Lara and Marc Perilly
Le Roi Soleil apartments, Antibes, France
“My family has been going every summer for 45 years – some friends had places on the complex when they bought and my mum’s best friend was next door, plus locals who live there full-time, so we grew up with them, all different ages playing in the pool together. At the end of the summer, all the kids would write each other ‘plane letters’ and I was in awe of a couple of older French girls with whom my brothers were friendly – so fabulous and exotic!
“I studied French at school and then practised over the summer, booking the restaurants and ordering food for the table. I remember being 11 and allowed to go to the boulangerie round the corner to order fresh pastries for breakfast. I still do it. We’re going back again this year. Now my brothers and I are all married with our own kids, so we have to take it in turns, but we make it work because we all love it there so much.” Gemma Swead and Rich Cohen
Ikos Aria Resort, Greece
“We’ve been going for quite a few years now, sometimes with my whole family – there are a lot of us! It’s lovely to be together and because it’s so well set up for babies, it makes life simpler when you don’t need to bring any baby stuff with you.
“We barely leave the resort because there’s nightly entertainment, loads of restaurant options and even an app to book everything. You always see the same faces each year, plus the weather is guaranteed. It’s the easiest holiday and we are going back this summer.” Myra and Jacob Confino
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