The main resorts are Bansko, a quickly growing town with modern ski infrastructure, and Borovets, which is popular for its nightlife.
The once-sleepy fishing village now has nightlife, restaurants and charming streets of 19th-century timber houses, plus a dark-sand beach for satisfying sunset-over-the-Pacific views.
The flourishing nightlife later drew people from all over the city to this "Quartier Latin" of Amsterdam.
Add into the mix fun and varied restaurants and nightlife, plus a decent arts scene, and this unfairly maligned city ticks all the boxes for an indulgent quick break, as well as being widely accessible for a large proportion of the population.
There is a luxury resort with hotels, restaurants, nightlife and a golf course.
Campo San Stefano 2847, San Marco, +39 041 240 7711, palazzofranchetti.it, lunch only, closed Saturday and Sunday The corner of Cannaregio that runs along the quayside of the Misericordia and Ormesini canals has become Venice's nightlife hub, teeming with partygoers from sunset onwards.
Further around the coast, Cane Garden Bay rivals the shack for nightlife and is billed as the island's finest beach, although with Cane Garden's jet skis, tourists and karaoke, Long Bay far outdid it for me.
Today it's home to some of the city's best shopping and nightlife and an ever-expanding choice of cool places to stay.
"These bars will maybe let us throw an event here or there," Palmer says of nightlife in the city, "but we always have to be gone by 10 so the white patrons can have the bar back".
Besides museums, Málaga has plenty for the foodie traveller, plus cheap flights, great shopping and nightlife, and access to some of the Costa's best beaches – a winning weekend break combo.
There is no nightlife here but locals flock to the restaurant for the good food, which comes fresh from the sea and is cooked using vegetables and herbs from the hotel's own garden.
