5 luxury beach holiday destinations in Europe
People have travelled far and wide in search of unique holiday experiences, but when it comes to beach holiday destinations, the classic options are not half a world away. Indeed, many of the best beach holiday destinations are still to be found in Europe, within a two-hour range of Europe’s major capitals, and in this article we compare the main ones.
Algarve, Portugal
The south of Portugal offers some of the finest sandy beaches and pretty sandstone cliffs and coves in all of Europe, along with charming scenery and friendly people. The seafood is excellent and prices in general on a par with Spain, but while beautiful the Atlantic Ocean is rather cold and can bring cold winds along with it. The Algarve is above all popular with golfers and retired people.
Costa Smeralda, Italy
Set at the northern tip of the island of Sardinia, the Costa Smeralda is a gorgeous and largely unspoiled coastline made up of rocky coves and islets extending towards the luxury resort town of Porto Cervo. Very exclusive, it is also expensive to reach and stay at, but Porto Cervo embodies low-volume refinement.
Mallorca, Spain
Apart from coastal resorts such as Magaluf, Mallorca is generally an upmarket holiday destination dominated by luxurious homes and a lively yachting scene. The coves and azure water add a paradisiacal touch, but the Balearic Islands in general have become rather expensive in recent years and can suffer from overcrowding in summer.
Cote d’Azur, France
One of the all-time classic luxury beach holiday destinations in Europe, the French Riviera is an institution recognised the world over. This does bring with it a very high price tag in a coastline where you have to pick the right spot to enjoy a true riviera feel and a summer season that is among the coolest and shortest of all the summer resort areas in Europe.
Marbella, Spain
Marbella, at the heart of the Costa del Sol, bases its reputation not only on the longest, sunniest summer season in Europe and a long tradition of glamorous vacationing, but also on a beautiful natural setting dotted with golf courses and luxurious residential country clubs—not to mention the presence of five-star amenities and services throughout the year.
It is this combination of factors that has for some time now made Marbella the most appealing lifestyle destination in Europe – based empirically on the amount of interest there is for part and year-round living in this region, and this again is expressed most clearly when comparing property sales and value increases between the regions.
The presence of top international schools, high-level shopping, dining, professional and leisure options, as well as numerous golf, racquet and fitness clubs, not to mention spas, marinas and beautiful interior regions combines with space, a very high standard of properties, spectacular views, good value and investment potential to make Marbella the number one lifestyle destination in the world right now.
