JET2HOLIDAY AWARDS
TEXT WENDY SAUNT
The judges have considered the nominations and their decisions are in, so roll out the red carpet and cue the fanfare – here are the winners of the inaugural Jet2holidays Best Of awards
Best Experience Sharm el Sheikh
Lovely Sharm el Sheikh has quickly established itself as an alternative destination to resorts in the Med. The year-round sunshine, great range of activities – including superb diving – and appealing mix of five-star living and relaxed vibes made it the favourite for our Best Experience award.
Sharm owes much of its success to its fantastic Red Sea location. The nearby Ras Mohammed National Park has been designated as a protected marine area and its spectacular reefs are thought to be two million years old, so it’s little wonder that divers rate the underwater adventures to be had here as among the best in the world. The area’s emergence as a kite surfing centre has consolidated its status as the mecca for watersports, pushing it even further ahead in this category.
There’s plenty to do if you can’t face getting wet, though: quad-biking and camel rides into the desert for the daring, or golf, yacht trips, high-end hotels and luxury restaurants for those who appreciate the finer things in life.
Isango (isango.com) runs a particularly impressive programme of activities – from a dinner with the Bedouin, to shopping in Dahab, to submarine trips. They’ll also show you some breath-taking sights with their excursions to a range of destinations like the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, the Pyramids of Giza, St Catherine’s Monastery and the Coloured Canyon – guaranteeing that your Sharm experience will be one to remember.
Best for Teens Costa Teguise
Parents of teenagers who just can’t be “bovvered” say Costa Teguise – the winner in one of our toughest categories – has been nothing short of an answer to their prayers.
Chock-full with stuff to enthuse even the most apathetic of yoofs, teenagers here have been known to forget how much being on holiday with their parents totally cramps their style, man, and actually enjoy themselves.
Think submarine and shopping safaris, deep-sea fishing cruises, the Rancho Texas theme park, and volcanic dining at Timanfaya National Park. Check out isango.com for more information.
Lanzarote it is also good for cycling, and you can even hire push-bikes with a small electric motor that are great if your budding petrol-heads want power about the place but you don’t want to worry about the risk of nasty moped accidents.
For those that think cycling is “so last year”, Native Diving (nativediving.com) is the answer. It runs Bubblemaker introductory courses (and more advanced ones too) that are specially designed for tweenagers of eight years and up.
Catamaran day trips are another massively popular option (also available through www.isango.com). As an added advantage, they can also provide a very powerful incentive for good behaviour when the adolescents are starting to look restless.
For little misses who want to go, like, shopping, the Sunday market (Lanzarote’s biggest) has proved a hit, as has the Beatriz Spa (www.beatrizspa.com) whose Dermakleb facial is designed to blitz those zits.
So did they like it? Yeah, but no, but yeah…
Best Beach Nissi Beach
A consistently popular draw for the hip clubbing crowd, Nissi Beach has become the favoured place for daytime sea and sand action in the Cypriot party capital – which is why it’s carried off the coveted Best Beach award.
After rocking the night away in the fleshpots of Ayia Napa, revellers take their shapely tushes down here and carry on the good times. Sure, it gets super-busy and, as you search for a patch to call
your own, you’ll have to pick your way around packs of glistening Adonises and Gucci-clad Venuses, toasting themselves under the blazing Mediterranean sun. But it’s worth the effort.
As well as a buzzing vibe, this pristine stretch of sand – located just 4km from Ayia Napa’s main strip – boasts a Blue Flag. The clear shallow water makes it perfect for all kinds of water sports, although after a night of dancing, the pedalos may be as close as you get to strenuous activity.
But most of all it’s where the party’s at and the people-watching is phenomenal.
Best Family Find Alcudia
On the basis that kids like ice cream and burgers, and aren’t so good with raging surf and strong tidal currents, it’s no wonder that Alcudia has proved such a winner with families. Blessed with warm, shallow waters and fine, clean sand, its beach has the miraculous power to keep your small people entertained for days on end. But what if you’ve got a fortnight to fill?
If it’s just a case of the little angels getting antsy over gritty gussets, whisk them off to Aqualand El Arenal (www.aqualand.es) – the biggest water park
in Europe, which has got a big thumbs-up from parents. With lots of slides, pools, oh-my-God-is-this-really-safe rapids and whirlpools, trampolines, and not a grain of sand in sight, this will stop any whining in its tracks.
If they love the water but are starting to look a bit prune-like, then Marineland (marineland.es) – with its dolphin, sea lion and parrot shows – makes for another top notch kids’ day out. There’s an underwater viewing area and a dolphin school where your nipper can learn about flipper, plus penguins, flamingos, tropical fish, and the big scary daddy of them all – sharks. For more information, check out www.isango.com
Best for Nightlife San Antonio and Ibiza Town
They’re the originals but they’re still the best – San Antonio and Ibiza Town were a dead cert for the nightlife award. After all, a week of going hard it here should be on everyone’s list of things to do before they die (bearing in mind you have the rest of your life to recover).
So where to go? “Something for everyone” may be a hackneyed old phrase, but in Ibiza it’s true – fans of everything from trance to anthemic house will be able to find something to their taste.
As well as serving up the nightlife equivalent of the little black dress – perfect, timeless, and always the right choice – Ibiza is never a place to rest on its laurels. You can get your classic clubbing fix at Pacha, El Divino, Amnesia, Privilege et al, but don’t forget to try something new.
In recent years the party island has really freshened up its offering with clubs like Es Paradis, Eden, Underground, and Somny, and a slew of destination venues like Aura (www.auraibiza.com) that combine dining, drinking and dancing in gorgeous, off-the-beaten-track locations.
Best for Stag/Hen Dos Magalluf
Magalluf needs no introduction. It’s hot, cheap, bursting with stag-and-hen-tastic ideas, and no one is going to judge you if you wander around with a toy sheep strapped to your groin, or a blowup willy stuck on your head.
There are a gazillion companies offering packages to tempt large single-sex groups, from the “classic” (i.e. strippers) to the bespoke, with the island really excelling itself in 2008.
You might want to opt for catamaran booze cruises, casino trips, paintballing, pirate shows, adrenaline-fuelled activities like speedboating, cocktail-making, and pampering days. Check out the Jet2holidays website (www.jet2holidays.com) – they book group tours and can help you plan the mother of all stag and hen dos.
Or you can just wing it: there’s enough good times and naughtiness in Magalluf to go round. Just don’t forget to pack the inflatables.
Best Hideaway Rhodes
Sometimes you just want to get away from it all and recharge in peace. Sometimes you want to do that and be amazed by some world-class heritage sites and outstanding natural beauty as well, which is why we’ve given the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes our Best Hideaway award.
Of course, there are places to kick up your heels (yes, that’s you Faliraki) but away from the main tourist drag, Rhodes is all about breath-taking scenery and fascinating history.
There’s something of historical import at every turn, but notable sites include Ialyssos (an ancient Minoan settlement), the Lindos Acropolis (a 9th-century BC hilltop fort), and the Palace of the Grand Master (built by the Knights Hospitaller on the site of a 7th-century Byzantine fortress). Nature buffs will love the Valley of the Butterflies, a gorge 27km from the city of Rhodes that’s home to thousands of the lovely fluttering insects.
Hire a car (www.hertz.com) or a scooter from one of many local operators and you’ll be free to see the whole island, taking in more stunning beaches, picturesque, unspoilt villages and mountain-top monasteries than you can shake a stick at.
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