Madeira is a Portuguese island in the Atlantic, west of the Mediterranean. Madeira has many visitors each year, and has some great landscapes, gardens, flowers, and sublime tropical climate.

Madeira has a number of beaches scattered around its coastline. Among the more notable of these is Calheta which is one of the top resorts in Madeira. This beach has golden sands, crystal clear waters, and a marina. The beach is also good for a variety of water sports such as canoeing and windsurfing. Alternatively, at Lido there is a large and small outdoor seawater swimming pool, which also has direct sea access. Ponta Gorda also has similar outdoor seawater pools. For golf fans Madeira Island also has a few golf courses. At Funchal there is the Palheiro Golf Course, while the Santo da Serra overlooks the bay of Machico.

Crete is the largest of the Greek islands and is a paradise for tourists seeking sunshine, beaches, and culture. Chania lies on the northern coast of Crete. It’s the second largest city on the island and is served by an airport. Upon arrival, hire a car and drive the 30 kilometres up to the White Mountains. This beautiful setting is perfect for relaxing or doing a spot of walking and is also a good base to explore the region’s attractions.

Chania is an old harbour town with a medieval heart and is worth checking out. The seafront quarter includes a little mosque which is a remnant from the 17th century when the Turks controlled the area. These days the mosque’s been converted into a very nice art gallery. Make sure you also check out the Archeological Museum which is full of Minoan artifacts, including a glass display packed with pottery bulls. These were found in a grave site and it’s believed the pottery bulls were included in the graves where sacrificing a live bull would have been too expensive!

Elafonisi features a beach that stretches for miles. The water is very shallow with white sand that gives it its wonderful green/turquoise colour; making it look like a Caribbean lagoon! There’s even an island that you can safely wade out to. Elafonisi is also very popular with the locals and can get very busy at weekends, so it’s best to go during weekdays if possible.

Crete has changed hands several times over the centuries and the Romans occupied it from the 1st century BC to 4 AD. As well as the ruins of the Roman buildings, there is an abandoned monastery which dates back centuries but was only abandoned in 1964.

Driving up the mountain road above Maheri, you’ll see signs for the ancient church called Agios Nikolaos. Along the way the chances are that you will encounter herds of goats, some with bells around their necks. They will determinedly clank their way past you and add a real wild charm to the holiday experience! Agios Nikolaos is nestled in a valley with huge trees in front of it and it is an enchanting place. The church is Byzantine and is famous for having very old frescoes, as well as a graveyard surrounded by rows of orange trees.

Costa Blanca is the name given to Alicante's coastline in Spain, which stretches over 200 kilometres. It is an incredibly popular holiday destination for tourists from the UK, because of the marvellous weather and beaches, and low-price flights have been operating to the region since the late 1950s! Costa Blanca is both UK friendly and family friendly, thanks to the huge range of activities available there from beaches and golf to museums and parks.

You can do just about anything you can think of in Costa Blanca, which is why it's so great for kids. Obviosuly there are the beaches, such as Los Náufragos in Torrevieja with its volleyball nets, golden sands and Blue Flag status, or smaller beaches like Serragrosa with its crystal waters, ideal for swimmers. But there are also golf courses (particularly the Villaitana club de golf near Benidorm) and watersports facilities and cultural sites like museums and galleries, such as the La Asegurada Municipal Museum in Alicante which has extensive collections of Spanish art. You will need a couple of weeks on the Costa Blanca just to scratch the surface of its entertainment potential.

New York is the ultimate city break destination as far as millions of tourists are concerned. There's fantastic shopping, wonderful restaurants, bars, theatres, museums and world famous landmarks. In the winter you can go skating in Central Park, in the summer you can hire a boat and go rowing on the lake. And all year round there's a great zoo.

Regardless of your family's interests, you will have no trouble filling a week's holiday in New York. The Empire State Building, the United Nations, Central Park with its wonderful zoo, Time Square and its various shops, the bright lights of Broadway and dozens of museums and art galleries. If you get even slightly bored, you can wander around Central Park looking for locations for famous scenes from films, and if you wander a little further you'll usually bump into a film crew. If you're interested in money saving, take care with sights such as the Statue of Liberty. You can spend a lot of money on a boat trip past the statue, but given that boats no longer land on Liberty Island, you might as well just take the Staten Island Ferry. It's free and you still get a great view. While looking at Liberty Island, many tourists will now also take in a trip to Ground Zero to pay their respects at the former World Trade Centre.

While most visitors choose Benalmadena for its glorious beaches, there are plenty of other attractions to keep your family amused. Take a trip out to sea on a boat or a ferry; you can even go whale and dolphin watching. A cable car ride would make a welcome change, or perhaps a visit to Bil Bil Castle. The castle is distinctive with its Arabian architecture, and it hosts concerts as well as art exhibitions. Visit the Sea Life Centre, where you can walk through the transparent tunnels in the underwater park or watch feeding demonstrations; the centre even has a mini golf course. At the end of a relaxing day, Benalmadena becomes a great place for nightlife. Whatever kind of cuisine you are looking for, you are sure to find a restaurant that will suit your family's tastes.