Enough with Brussels, where do you recommend for a beautiful white sand beach, warm ocean waves, and within about 3 hrs. flight. I'm desperate for a vacation. I need specifics - I'm tearing my hair out. Enough with the chocolate and the waffles and frites.

santorini??

Within 3 hours' flight from Brussels, you have the whole Mediterranean and even Atlantic islands like Madeira, the Azores and the Canaries. If you want to party, go to Spain (esp. Ibiza). If you want beautiful landscapes go to Corsica, southern Italy or some Greek islands. If you want antiques ruins + beach, Greece or Turkey. If you want more exotism, try Morocco. Just a not-too-expensive 5-star hotel with a pool and be sure to have hot weather, then probably Tunisia or the Canaries.

Thanks so much for the suggestions. I had thought about the Canaries. Have you been to Tenerife? On a limited budget, it's hard to spend 300-1200 euros a night like some of these hotels cost. And the cheaper good little places seem to always get booked up. I'm ready to pitch a tent.(Who can afford those expensive places, anyway?) I had also thought about Greece or Turkey. What I'm looking for is a place that is relatively easy to fly into and the beach is not a train, bus, donkey ride away. It's not that I'm lazy about research - I've just been too busy, too tired, too stressed. I want to go to Thailand in October and maybe I won't even come back. But - I would love to just go on a short hop (3 or 4 nights) and soak up the sun closer by.

Have you been to the Dead Sea? I'm not kidding - I think it would be great, lying on that water just sort've floating away...