A cousin of mine holidays in Spain around six to seven times a year with his Missus. The kids are grown and can take care of themselves so the pair of them share the family home and rather than wait until retirement to have some fun, they're doing it now. And a gang of their friends are part of the troop. They all love singing, so these karaoke bars and those with troubadours and small bands are their favourite destinations. Beach time is usually in the morning and afternoon, but the nights are all about dressing up (often in themed costumes) and going for dinner, then hitting the music bars.
They all seem to really enjoy it and they've never had any problems, but then again they move in a group of around eight or ten couples. They appear to really love it and it's usually a regular long weekend or full week of holidays. RyanAir flights, always using the same hotels (depending on their destination) and they appear to have a favourable account with their hoteliers in that they can reserve a large number of apartments/flats rather quickly. They spend a lot of money, they never cook, not even coffee. They order and pay for everything they consume and always travel light: so they rarely get stung by anyone they're dealing with as they have a reputation of being decent people simply looking for fun and music in the sunshine.
Nice way to go, if that tickles your fancy but it's not for me: I've tried package holidays before and ended up regretting it pretty much as soon as I landed there. We booked a week on Sunny Beach in Bulgaria, a totally fenced in gated community where few Bulgarians actually live, instead they bus in for work. They have to carry their passport. The place is as it says: a big huge sunny beach with golden sand and light breezes in off the Black Sea. The music? It never stops. The nearby clubs stay open until four or five in the morning, so the techno and house is banging. Im possible to sleep. Then the morning shift starts and they blare it too, so you have a window of maximum one to one and a half hours to sleep. By day three I wanted to leave. Took a pair of mountain bikes and cycled up to Nessebar, the oldest wooden village in Europe, at the end of the bay overlooking the sea. Stunning place, great sea food, weather guaranteed.
Bulgaria seems to attract more Germans and Scandinavians than Spain. But it hardly matters, once the drinks are poured, they're all the same. Loud, drunk, horny, and annoying. Never again. Fuck that.
The Spanish need to check their heads: they built the coastal areas of their country on tourism.
Now they don't like it?
Fair enough.
Not my scene anyway.