Stuck for inspiration for once. Looking for somewhere in Europe, chilled out, warm temps, scenic, bit of culture, bit of gentle hiking, good grub, not ruined by tourism, not too pricey. We enjoyed Soller in Majorca (touristy but not ruined) but want somewhere different this time. Going in May/June. Spain, Italy, Portugal all possible. No kids, not bothered about biking. Moon on a stick, I know. Ta for any tips.

SanSebastian (but can be pricy).
Bilbao (less pricy, not as pretty, but great places to go on the metro/bus/train)

As a suggestion howe about a wee Basque country tour…

fly into Bilbao, then Gernika, Zarautz, San Sebastian, Pamplona, Logrono, La Guardia, fly back from Bilbao.

Other places can be added/removed depending on time/interest but there’s loads of places as you describe in the area.

El Chorro and the surrounding villages north of Malaga

Gozo. We went there after going to Soller. It’s better. I wouldn’t go in school holidays though.

Thanks for these. Done the Spanish thing near Malaga a couple of times and enjoyed it – good idea tho.
Mackem – thanks, worth a look into.

Eulach – I’ve been tempted by Gozo for a while. Good snorkelling, supposedly? What else is good about it?

Not just snorkelling but proper diving – even for beginners. I went with St. Andrew’s Divers Cove in 2011 and 2012.
Nice beach with red sand and a quieter smaller, prettier one 2km East of it.
Plenty of restaurants from family burger and chips to Michelin star quality.
Quaint little town in the middle. A few tourist attractions – ancient stones, ruins, castle, hole in the rock thing. Gorgeous blue lagoon on the next island. Malta is a boat journey away – the capital is worth a look and a couple of beaches.
Loads of converted farmhouses to rent.
Car hire is cheap – you only need a small car, it’s not a big island.
I don’t know if the seaplane still runs from the international airport.
Bear in mind I was there five years ago – it might be different now.

eulach – cheers for this, sounds like a possible. Never been and always fancied checking it out, and snorkelling would be a definite bonus. Thanks.

Formentera for me but i live on the mainland so its a short ferry hop. Its beautiful but can get horribly expensive if you dont plan it properly. Best beaches ever, ferry to Ibiza, v quiet if you know where to go.