Cultural Holidays in April (not in UK)

falconmum · Postby **falconmum** » Thu Jan 08, 2015 3:39 pm

hi ! We are looking to do a 4-7 day holiday in April and I am looking for some interesting ideas after having done quite a few beach holidays .
We are not a particularly sporty family , so activities like walking/hiking, swimming, cookerty classes, wine tasting sound more appealing than skiing or extreme sports.
Looking for somewhere warm in April , does not have to be blazing hot and near a beach .
Oh yeah..the other problem is we dont drive, so some mode of existing transportation is good.

pie81 · Postby **pie81** » Thu Jan 08, 2015 4:33 pm

How about Marrakech plus a couple of nights in the Atlas mountains? I loved Marrakech and think older children (prob not preschoolers) would love it too, many riads will organise cookery classes and the Atlas mountains are beautiful for walking/hiking. No beach though. You can organise a taxi to the Atlas mountains pretty easily, or your tour operator can.

lemonzest · Postby **lemonzest** » Thu Jan 08, 2015 6:19 pm

Malta? Short flight, pretty good weather all round. Loads of fascinating towns/historical sites etc. Some lovely, sandy beaches, plus rocky coastlines for a wander/boat ride. Quite a bit of nice food, too!

LP73 · Postby **LP73** » Thu Jan 08, 2015 6:37 pm

I agree with Pie - Marrakesch would be a fabulous option for you. There is so much to see and do there, plus the temperature will be good.
A trip to the Atlas Mountains is great to do. I would suggest staying in a Riad rather than a hotel, they are wonderful and can arrange most things for you.

falconmum · Postby **falconmum** » Thu Jan 08, 2015 7:51 pm

Good travel organisers for Marrakesh?
My husband has been to Malta for work quite a few times so not so keen

LP73 · Postby **LP73** » Thu Jan 08, 2015 8:07 pm

There are specialists such as http://www.lawrenceofmorocco.com/about-us although each time I've been I have booked flights with the airline and then the Riad directly.
There are lots of Riads reviews on Trip Advisor and I would suggest having a good look there before selecting one.

A group of us stayed here http://www.riadkarmela.com/home/ for four nights. It was a great location, they met and collected us from the airport for a small fee and even cooked when we required it. They also arranged taxis for us, a trip to an amazing spa in the Atlas Mountains and also booked various restaurants. I can't praise their customer service skills enough.

There are some amazing hotels too but they don't feel cultural whereas a Riad does. Again they vary in standards and prices.

Good luck

Tots Too · Postby **Tots Too** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 2:00 pm

For Marrakech, have a look at Fawakay Villas, for something a little different:
http://www.totstoo.com/hotel/fawakay-villas/

Or another good choice for culture, Belmond La Residencia in Spain (you mentioned alternative transportation, well how about a donkey?!). Great for cookery and art classes.
http://www.totstoo.com/hotel/belmond-la-residencia/

juliantenniscoach · Postby **juliantenniscoach** » Mon Jan 19, 2015 5:02 pm

A friend of mine runs a company which runs cycling and wine tasting. The cycling is relaxed, not lycra clad like my trips! The cuisine is very good too. If you'd like more information just drop me a message.