A first-pass comparison of the all-inclusive beach options already found on Loveholidays, so the organising committee can drop the weak fits and send a shorter list to the main group.
The group has now picked Fuengirola. Read the trip info pack for dates, the two board prices, and how to pay.
Late April into the first days of May is still spring in most of these places. Air can feel pleasant for sitting out, but the sea is cool almost everywhere. For a three-night trip this matters more than summer brochure photos suggest: a 4–4.5 hour flight plus a long transfer eats a lot of a long weekend, and some resort strips are not fully awake yet.
Scores are a committee aid, not science. They are based on typical resort character, official UK health advice, and long-term April/May climate averages — not a live quote for a named hotel.
The comparison below is for 30 Apr–3 May. Moving the trip four weeks later is the single biggest weather upgrade available without changing destination. Typical packages at the end of May are about £50 more per person than the £240–£300 band already agreed.
| Coast | 30 Apr–3 May | 28–31 May | What changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Costa Brava | Days 17–20°C. Sea 14–16°C. Cool nights, some showers. Sea feels cold to most people. | Days 22–25°C. Sea 19–20°C. Resorts more fully open. | Biggest jump. Becomes a proper beach trip, not a spring city-by-the-sea. |
| Salou / Oropesa | Days 19–22°C. Sea 16–18°C. | Days 23–26°C. Sea 19–21°C. | More swimable. Still not stronger than Fuengirola or Mallorca for this group. |
| Fuengirola | Days 21–23°C. Sea 16–18°C. Sunniest mainland option. | Days 24–26°C. Sea 18–20°C. The Atlantic-side sea stays cooler than the eastern Med. | Still excellent. Its early-May weather lead over Costa Brava shrinks. |
| East Mallorca | Days 19–22°C. Sea 16–18°C. Refreshing, not warm. | Days 23–26°C. Sea 19–21°C. Sheltered east-coast bays start to feel swimable. | Stronger beach case. Transfer from Palma is unchanged. |
| Canaries | Days 23–25°C. Sea 19–20°C. Most reliable sunshine. | Days 24–26°C. Sea 20–21°C. Almost the same. | Smallest weather gain. The long flight is even harder to justify once Spain has warmed up. |
| Crete / Corfu | Days 19–23°C. Sea 16–18°C. Corfu wetter. | Days 24–27°C. Sea 19–21°C. Drier, more taverna weather. | Crete stays the Greece pick. Food and GHIC were already the reason, not heat. |
| Side / Alanya / Marmaris | Days 21–25°C. Sea 18–20°C. Warmest Mediterranean package. | Days 26–29°C. Sea 21–23°C. Genuine swim weather. | Still the hottest. The gap vs Spain is smaller, so no-GHIC is a weaker reason to choose Turkey. |
| Sousse / Djerba / Agadir | Days 22–26°C. Sea 17–20°C (Agadir Atlantic cooler). | Days 24–29°C. Sea 18–23°C. | Warmer, but health, insurance and pay-on-the-spot care stay the same. Still park. |
| Durrës | Days 19–22°C. Sea 16–17°C. | Days 24–27°C. Sea 19–21°C. | Weather improves. FCDO hospital warning does not. Still park. |
| Sunny Beach | Days 16–20°C. Sea 13–16°C. Weakest beach weather. | Days 22–25°C. Sea 17–19°C. Usable for sitting out, still a cool Black Sea. | No longer miserable, still not a reason to poll a party strip. |
No. Keep the same five: Fuengirola, Costa Brava, East Mallorca, Side or Alanya, and Crete.
Late May does not rescue the parked options. The Canaries, Tunisia, Morocco, Durrës and Sunny Beach were set aside for flight length, hospital cover or resort character, not just a cool sea.
On 30 Apr–3 May, weather is a real reason to lean Fuengirola or Turkey. On 28–31 May, Costa Brava and Mallorca become honest beach holidays, and Turkey’s extra heat is less of a reason to accept no GHIC and a longer flight.
Late May also means more hotels, beach bars and supermarket hours are actually open — useful for 20–30 people.
Same coast, same weather, same hospitals. Difference is town personality.
UK flight about 2 hours 15 minutes to Girona or Barcelona.
Girona is then about 45–60 minutes by road to the resort; Barcelona is about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Proper town, not just a hotel strip. Hospital Sant Jaume is in Calella. Promenade, shops, pharmacy, trains along the coast. Beach is a long urban sandy stretch — decent, not wild. Strongest amenities score on this coast.
UK flight about 2 hours 15 minutes to Girona or Barcelona.
Girona is then about 45–60 minutes by road to the resort; Barcelona is about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Wide sandy beach, close to the water, package hotels, supermarket and pharmacy in town, Calella hospital a short hop. Very similar to Santa Susanna; pick whichever hotel block can take the group.
UK flight about 2 hours 15 minutes to Girona or Barcelona.
Girona is then about 45–60 minutes by road to the resort; Barcelona is about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Purpose-built British-friendly strip. Easy for a large group that wants to walk between hotel, beach and a few bars. Slightly less “real town” than Calella or Malgrat. Same hospital and weather story.
UK flight about 2 hours 15 minutes to Girona or Barcelona.
Girona is then about 35–45 minutes by road to the resort; Barcelona is about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Best nightlife and most shops on this coast, Hospital de Blanes nearby. For a mixed 20–30 group it can feel loud, drink-heavy and a bit seedy on the main strip. Only poll this if the committee wants a livelier trip.
UK flight about 2 hours 15 minutes to Girona or Barcelona.
Girona is then about 50–60 minutes by road to the resort; Barcelona is about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Best beach and old-town setting of the Spanish list. Weaker for 20–30 people: fewer big all-inclusive blocks, tighter streets, longer transfer from Girona/Barcelona, and a smaller supermarket scene. Lovely for a couple, fiddly for a coach group.
Same country protections, different airports and climates.
UK flight about 2 hours 45 minutes to Malaga.
Then about 25–35 minutes by road to the resort.
Long sandy urban beach, huge supermarket and pharmacy choice, English widely spoken, public and private hospitals on the Costa del Sol used to UK patients. GHIC/EHIC in public hospitals; hotels may still send you private, so insurance stays essential. Food is ordinary tourist-Spanish but with real Spanish town options behind the front.
UK flight about 2 hours 15 minutes to Reus or Barcelona.
Reus is then about 15–25 minutes by road to the resort; Barcelona is about 1 hour 20 minutes.
Good sandy beach and a proper resort strip. Reus can be a handy short flight; Barcelona makes the transfer long. Family-plus-nightlife mix, PortAventura nearby. Hospitals in Reus or Tarragona. Fine if a cheap Reus flight appears, otherwise Fuengirola is cleaner for a short trip.
UK flight about 2 hours 15 minutes to Valencia, or sometimes Castellón.
Valencia is then about 1 hour 15 minutes by road to the resort; Castellón is about 45–60 minutes.
Blue Flag sandy beaches and a quieter Spanish feel. Weaker UK package scene, fewer English-speaking desks, and airport choice is less convenient than Malaga or Girona. Hospital de la Plana is inland at Vila-real. Only keep if a standout hotel deal appears.
Same island, same airport, same hospital story. Beach quality is the split.
UK flight about 2 hours 30 minutes to Palma.
Then about 1 hour 10 minutes by road across the island to the resort.
Long pale sandy beach, the classic east-coast package resort. Shops, pharmacy and a walkable front. Hospital de Manacor is the local general hospital; Palma for major trauma. Best beach-plus-amenities mix on the island list.
UK flight about 2 hours 30 minutes to Palma.
Then about 1 hour 5 minutes by road across the island to the resort, next door to Cala Millor.
Quieter sister of Cala Millor, still a proper sandy bay, still walkable. Good if the group wants the same beach quality with less strip noise. Treat as interchangeable with Cala Millor when you poll.
UK flight about 2 hours 30 minutes to Palma.
Then about 1 hour by road to the south-east coves.
Smaller sandy coves and a nicer harbour-town feel. Food a bit better. Worse for a large group: the resort is spread across several calas, so people get split. Keep only if two hotels sit together.
UK flight about 2 hours 30 minutes to Palma.
Then about 1 hour 25 to 1 hour 40 minutes by road to the north-east tip — the longest Mallorca transfer on this list.
Real harbour town with shops and a mix of beaches. Transfer from Palma is the longest of the island set, which hurts a three-night trip. Otherwise perfectly usable.
UK flight about 2 hours 30 minutes to Palma.
Then about 1 hour 10 minutes by road to a more isolated east-coast hotel pocket.
Purpose-built and further from a proper town. Beaches are smaller coves (Cala Domingos and similar). Fine if you never leave the hotel; weak if someone needs a late pharmacy run or the group wants an evening wander.
Best climate on the list, weakest three-night logistics.
UK flight about 4 hours 30 minutes to Tenerife South.
Then about 20–30 minutes by road to the resort.
Quiet residential / villa area, not Los Cristianos. Playa de Ajabo is a small rebuilt beach, not a wide sandy bay. Shops are limited; Costa Adeje hospitals (Hospiten Sur and similar) are a drive, not a stroll. GHIC/EHIC works in public care. For this group, the climate is excellent and the named resort is a poor match.
UK flight about 4 hours 15 minutes to Fuerteventura.
Then about 15–25 minutes by road to Nuevo Horizonte.
More a residential urbanización than a group beach resort. Local beach is ordinary; better sand is a drive. Hospital General is in Puerto del Rosario. Same GHIC story as Spain, same long flight problem as Tenerife.
Strong food, EU healthcare, slightly longer flights than Spain.
UK flight about 3 hours 45 minutes to Heraklion or Chania.
Heraklion is then about 1 hour 15 minutes by road to Adelianos Kampos; Chania is about 1 hour.
Sandy/shingle resort beach next to a real town (Rethymno) with shops, pharmacies and tavernas. General hospital in Rethymno; GHIC/EHIC in state care. Island hospitals are more limited than mainland Spain, and FCDO notes island ambulance gaps, so insurance still matters. Best food on the list.
UK flight about 3 hours 15 minutes to Corfu.
Then about 15–25 minutes by road to Dassia.
Lively Corfu strip, sand and shingle, bars and shops on the road, Corfu Town hospital not far. Transfer is easier than Crete. Beach is less special and May is greener and damper. Good backup if Crete flights are awkward.
Warmest Mediterranean package value. No GHIC. Insurance is not optional.
UK flight about 4 hours to Antalya.
Then about 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes by road to Side.
Sandy bays, a pleasant old town, plenty of all-inclusive hotels used to UK groups. Shops and pharmacies in the resort. Manavgat / Side hospitals and private clinics; GHIC is not valid. British prescriptions are not accepted in Turkish pharmacies. Strongest “warm beach plus group hotel” option.
UK flight about 4 hours to Antalya.
Then about 2 hours by road to Alanya — a long transfer after a long flight.
Bigger working town: easier to buy food, drinks and medicine than a pure resort. Long sandy/pebble mix beaches. Transfer from Antalya is the longest of the Turkey set and hurts a three-night trip. Same healthcare rules as Side.
UK flight about 4 hours to Antalya.
Then about 40–50 minutes by road to Kemer.
Closer to Antalya airport than Alanya. Beaches are more mixed (pebble, imported sand, hotel platforms). Feels more “compound hotel” than town. Fine if the group wants to stay put.
UK flight about 4 hours to Dalaman.
Then about 1 hour 20 to 1 hour 40 minutes by a winding road to Marmaris.
Proper town amenities and nightlife. Beach in the centre is ordinary; Icmeler nearby is better. Dalaman flight plus a winding transfer. Livelier than Side, slightly weaker as a beach holiday.
UK flight about 4 hours to Dalaman.
Then about 50–70 minutes by road to Ölüdeniz.
Best-looking beach on the whole list. Weak for 20–30 people on a budget: fewer cheap all-inclusive blocks, steep walking, lagoon gets busy, Fethiye hospital is a drive. Beautiful, not practical as the default.
Warm, cheap, and a bigger health-and-safety conversation for a large UK group.
UK flight about 3 hours to Monastir or Enfidha.
Monastir is then about 20–30 minutes by road to Sousse; Enfidha is about 45–60 minutes.
FCDO advises against travel to parts of Tunisia (not the Sousse resort strip itself, but insurance questions will come up). No free care for visitors — pay on the spot, sometimes before treatment. Sahloul hospital and private clinics exist. Food hygiene needs more care than Spain. A large mixed group will spend more time on risk debate than on the beach.
UK flight about 3 hours 15 minutes to Djerba.
Then about 20–40 minutes by road to the hotel zone.
Better beaches than Sousse, more isolated hotel zone. Same healthcare and FCDO-context issues. Houmt Souk hospital is basic; serious cases mean evacuation planning via insurance.
UK flight about 3 hours 45 minutes to Agadir.
Then about 20–30 minutes by road to the beach hotels.
Huge sandy beach and a real city for shops and 24-hour pharmacies. FCDO: public hospitals are limited, private is better, no GHIC, food/water hygiene and allergy labelling are weaker, stray dogs/rabies risk. For 20–30 people this is more admin and more “what if someone is ill” than Spain or Greece.
Cheap, but the weakest match to “beach holiday in early May”.
UK flight about 3 hours to Tirana.
Then about 40–50 minutes by road to Durrës.
Long urban beach of mixed cleanliness. City amenities are actually good. FCDO is blunt: medical facilities are very poor outside Tirana, tap water is not safe, no GHIC. American Hospital has a Durres clinic; serious care still means Tirana or evacuation. Too many health caveats for a first group trip.
UK flight about 3 hours 15 minutes to Burgas.
Then about 25–40 minutes by road to Sunny Beach.
Huge sandy strip and cheap all-inclusive, GHIC/EHIC works in public care, but FCDO says many hospitals are basic and tourist clinics overcharge. Party reputation, variable food, and early May is not swimming weather. Easy to reject for this date.
1 is weak, 5 is strong. Climate is for 30 April to the first week of May, not high summer.
| Place | Health | Transport | Beach | Shops | Hospital | Food | Climate | Committee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calella | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Poll as Costa Brava |
| Malgrat de Mar | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Poll as Costa Brava |
| Santa Susanna | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Poll as Costa Brava |
| Lloret de Mar | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | Only if you want nightlife |
| Tossa de Mar | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | Pretty, awkward for 30 people |
| Salou | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Discuss |
| Oropesa del Mar | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Discuss |
| Fuengirola | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Poll |
| Cala Millor | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Poll as East Mallorca |
| Sa Coma | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Poll as East Mallorca |
| Cala d'Or | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Discuss |
| Cala Ratjada | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Discuss |
| Cales de Mallorca | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | Park |
| Callao Salvaje | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | Park for these dates |
| Nuevo Horizonte | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | Park |
| Adelianos Kampos | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | Poll |
| Dassia | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | Greece backup |
| Side | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Poll |
| Alanya | 3 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Poll, mind the transfer |
| Kemer | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Discuss |
| Marmaris | 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Discuss |
| Ölüdeniz | 3 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Discuss |
| Sousse | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Park |
| Djerba | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | Park |
| Agadir | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Park |
| Durrës | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | Park |
| Sunny Beach | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | Park |
Spain (including Mallorca and the Canaries), Greece and Bulgaria: a UK GHIC or still-valid EHIC gets medically necessary state care on the same basis as a local. It is not private-hospital cover and it never covers flying someone home. Hotels in tourist areas often call a private clinic first — say you want the public hospital if you are relying on the card.
Emergency number in Spain, Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey: 112.
Turkey, Tunisia, Morocco and Albania have no UK reciprocal cover for ordinary holidaymakers. Tunisia expects payment on the spot. Morocco’s public hospitals are limited. Albania’s FCDO note is the starkest: facilities are very poor outside Tirana, and you should insure for air ambulance.
EU nationals in the group should still carry their own EHIC/GHIC equivalent for Spain and Greece. In Turkey and North Africa they are in the same boat as UK travellers: private insurance.
Fuengirola won. The live trip details — Sunday arrival, both board prices, and the payment plan — are on the trip info pack. The notes below are the original committee steps that got us there.