A successful holiday with small children?

Sorry to hear about your previous holidays.

Have you thought about camping in France with someone like Eurocamp? The tent is set up and all the equipment you could need it there.

Loads of things like kids camp activities for your son.

Good luck

I've never holidayed in the UK with my daughter. It's expensive and we already live here.

We have done Barcelona, Majorca twice, and Estonia.

. No problems in Barcelona or Majorca the first time. The second time in Majorca though was pure hell. There's no other way to describe it. Not because the place wasn't nice but DD decided to be Satan's child for a week and ended up sick so all in all a bad time.

We just got back from Estonia and it went pretty well. The airport had a soft play area which helped.. There were things for kids to do and everyone was very friendly.

Aww sorry your holiday wasnt that good its always a shame when u get bad weather etc. Personally i have been fortunate enough to go abroad with my lo and find it so much easier. Obv reasearch research and more research before u book anything check tripadvisor for reviews of the hotels etc....marjorca ,benidorm france, salou,are close by and you can get some good deals u can stay in an aparthotel that way u get some food if u want it or make your own or just rent an appartment? ...must admit it can be daunting but once your thre its ok. Food can be an issue for little ones while abroad but u can take cereal for them and go to the carrefours for ur other shopping they sell bby food same as here though if bbys still on milk take ur own as milk is soooo expensive 30euro!!!!
The plus side to going abroad is ur eldest should be able to go in the kids club they have all sorts of games etc usually the sol hotels are the best for this! Though they do get busy with families so be prepared for it to b noisy! The best place we took our little girl was dubai going back in 5wks and cannot wait! Hope ive been able to give u some helpful advise xxx

We have recently been to Center Parcs and it was brilliant for a baby and toddler. Everything within walking distance, but you still feel quite secluded in your lodge. Not too expensive in term time, you can spend hours in swimming pool area which is free and at that age they're not yet into all the other expensive activities. We ate out some days and had meals/bbqs at our lodge some days. Going back in 4 weeks!

Have you ever considered a carvan holiday. My son loves it just cause it is different. Most of the big company have great facilities for kids too. Kids club with activities and swimming pool and playpark all on site.

We take our little ones to haven. Theres loads for little ones to do and there's places to eat out or you have the facilities to cook for yourself. The prices are fairly reasonable too. We take our 3 year old and soon to be 2 year old to haven next month and we cant wait.

I don't want to come across as being rude, but when young children are involved in a 'holiday', it's never a relaxing experience for the adults, as such. It does get better as they get older, but i think you have to realise that you're not going to get that relaxed holiday feeling you've had prior to taking your children on holiday. I've found that holidays are great, but i think you can get an unrealistic image in your head about what it's going to be like, and when it isn't like that you feel let down. It is disappointing when you go on days out, you've looked forward to it, spent a fair bit of money & it was busy/not as good as expected/etc. Don't feel that you have to go overboard doing things. Sometimes the best holidays are where you've taken the time to do day to day things - walks with a picnic, the park, swimming, a dvd. I guess what i'm trying to say is that you don't have to go overboard arranging days out or feeling like you've got to fit loads of things in.

We take adult only breaks once in a while (generally for a couple of nights at a time), where we go & relax, take time out, etc. I find the easiest holidays with children have involved staying in child friendly settings (either in a hotel or at a hoilday park, that offers pools, clubs, childrens facilities) & whilst we do days out, we spend time just chilling out. Realistically, i find young children can be at their best when they're still in a routine, so try to keep to it as near as possible. Take dvd's, games (scrabble, monopoly and the likes), books, magazines, etc, with you on holiday to spend time in the evenings relaxing.

We have done all sorts of holidays with our kids - UK, Europe and once to Florida. It sounds to me like your problem is a self-fulfilling prophecy, you decide before you even leave that your holiday is going to be rubbish, so it is. Plus a lack of planning - driving miles to find things to do is completely unnecessary if you do your research and choose a cottage somewhere there are lots of things to do in a short distance. Tripadvisor is really good for finding out what there is to do. There is LOTS to do in the UK if it rains but you need to get organised and know what there is nearby if the weather isn't great.

We never plan our holiday like a military operation but before leaving home we have a rough idea of where we want to go and plan the days according to the weather. We also usually go somewhere with Wi-Fi so we can check on opening hours etc. Center Parcs is great with kids, no driving at all and lots to do for kids of all ages.

We go to haven as cant go abroad cus of our youngest medical problems.
We always have a lovely time. We have to self cater, everything's made from scratch by myself.
It's never been that expensive.
We pay around £380 for a prestige caravan in Great Yarmouth. However my 5 nearly 6 yr old finishes school a week earlier than everywhere else so that's a blessing. X

The best holiday we've had was in la Pineda, Spain. We flew into Reus airport which is only 20 min transfer to the resort and found this fab waterpark which is in the middle of the resort, it has loads of slides for all ages and a fab dolphin show twice a day!

I've added a link below if anyone's interested if you take a passport photo and your passport you can get an annual pass for €59 for adults (children under 0.90 metres get in free) which gets you unlimited access while your there (works out it pays for itself after 2 days)

Bono Costa Dorada | Aquópolis Costa Dorada

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear you had a rubbish time. Since having my dd (now 5) we have always gone to haven sites. The caravans if u upgrade a little are always lovely. We always go for the one with heating throughout. Thes a indoor/outdoor pool, activities through the day, play areas, kids entertainment in evenings with little disco that my 2 love. (Other dd just turned 2). We went to rivière sands in Cornwall this year. Walking distance to the beach, there was paradise park 5mins drive from the site where the kids fed & stroked the penguins. It's 15 mins drive from st Ives. We are planning To go to Devon next year. We've also been to Poole twice & Wales. I've never had a bad caravan/holiday. Ok so it's not quite as relaxing as the hols pre children sat round a sun soaked pool sipping cocktails but the kids loved it!!

Hope this helps a little x

I think the first thing to say is a holiday when you have children will never be the same as when you are a couple, however as someone else as said it does gt better and once you accept that it will never be the same you start to enjoy the time you have with your kids.
I never holiday in this country because of cost, weather etc,
I would recommend a thomson or similar self catering holiday, with a kids club.
You get good weather, a small apartment with fridge etc, kids entertainment, park and pool, we love menorca so kid friendly.
I also hate flying but love holidays so I do it hope that all helps x

We don't tend to holiday in the UK for all the reasons you have listed. I actually find it less stressful to go abroad! But you don't have to self cater in this Country there are baby friendly Hotels here is one I recommend

Cornwall Hotel | Bedruthan Steps Hotel in Cornwall | 4 Star Luxury

At least that way you won't have all the usual shopping cleaning etc... plus they offer childcare.

Ah what a shame, I'm so sorry you had a bad time, sounds very stressful and I can well imagine it is easy for day to day stuff to surface and bog you down.  Not wishing to be rude or anything but I reckon where you have kids and you self cater its going to be stressful and not a break for mum.  Ive always done luxury holidays abroad and Im with you on the weather as I need a bit of warmth and sunlight to recharge my batteries.  We've tried to replicate the abroad and the kids mess it up (joking), we have used Sensatori and First Choice Holiday Village all inclusive, with a family room. The first is very relaxing and there is luxury for the adults as well as kids pools, playgrounds and clubs.  The later we went to Kos, it had been refurbed so accommodation was lovely (smaller than sensatori) and it was very geared up for kids so the clubs, facilities and entertainment were superb.  The food was a lower point but very good as far as holiday buffet style all inclusive go iykwim, it wasnt quite the same adult wise as senatori but at the end of the day happy kids, happy parents it hit the mark.  They have lots of resorts and there are different accommodation options like split level accommodation with separate sleeping rooms etc.  Its always all inclusive but you don't really pay that much more so it still gives you the option of eating out and exploring if you want but in all honesty if just to ensure you're  not worrying about the cost of drink, ice creams and snacks its well worth it, feeding kids abroad can be difficult and stressful as well - there are some great self catering options but theres still a lot of work for the parents then - depends what you want really.

After being an avid go abroad explore the world type - really travelling, site seeing experiencing the culture etc., we decided after our first choice holiday this year (lots of hassle at airports etc. and the high point was the sun and pool which is a lot to pay for) to do the reverse of what you are doing and try and discover whats in our country for a few years and restart holidays abroad when the kids are old enough to appreciate site seeing, local cuisine etc.  We have been to lots of nature reserves, reservoirs, nature trails etc this year and done some of the national trust days and they have thoroughly enjoyed it, learnt loads about wildlife, yes Ive been damp and muddy buts its not bothered me at all.

Obviously weather is a factor so we are going to do shorter, exploration breaks that will hopefully be loads of fun and memorable, we plan to hire a vw camper and different campsites and beaches in cornwall (just for a week) - a bit surfer dude lol.  We will also do a forest lodge (not centre parcs there are lots of others that are in reserves etc. and a bit cheaper and the accommodation better - our 'luxury' lodge at CP Sherwood Forest was awful and very expensive!), we have found a few places where there are luxury tree houses, with hot tubs, we will stay on a windmill, a house on a lake an old railway carriage etc. and hopefully just use the local surroundings and facilities to entertain them.

I think maybe in 4-5 yrs when they are both old enough we'll go abroad and do the big Disney US thing!

Of course it may go pear shaped due to the weather and we change our minds again, I just want them to be able to say they did a bit more than went abroad and stayed round a pool or playground - which they would enjoy but is less of a life experience!

Anyway for your first trips abroad, until you get a feel for it, I would go with a package deal, let a travel agent sort out flights and accommodation for you, perhaps do an all inclusive just so you have some options.  I love Greece and greek islands only bad thing so far was Kos airport but the weather is lovely and theyre not too far on a plane.  Turkey similar good family hols and good weather.

Let us know what you decide!