Ideas for family friendly hotel for summer half term? Post Reply

[northcote dad]

Hi

We are planning our first overseas family holiday for the summer half term (first week in June) with our 3yrs old and 1yr old. We hope to find a european hotel, by the coast, that offers kids clubs/babysitting for these ages so we have half a chance to relax ourselves - and of course with some sort of spa element for my wife!

Doesn't need to be particularly luxurious as we are hoping to spend no more than £2,000 on the package, and would prefer a hotel rather than a 'resort'.

Does anyone have experience of somewhere suitable?? And can it be done on this budget?

Many thanks.

[Squinkle]

Not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but several generations of my family have been going here every year for over 50 years: www.crieffhydro.co.uk. It is in the highlands of Scotland a short drive away from several really stunning lochs. It has an adult's only spa, a children's pool and a hair/beauty salon, as well as a children's activity centre which you can leave them at for a few hours if you fancy a break. The hotel itself is set in massive grounds with lots of outdoor activities.

I realise I am starting to sound like an advert, but we have so many happy memories there and it would be lovely for another family to find this hidden gem!

[northcote dad]

thanks for the idea, however as we spend alot of holidays in Cornwall at our own holiday home heading to Scotland would feel a bit similar, no matter how great the destination.

Really we're hoping for something in the Med, but just don't know if it exists for our budget..??

[emsken]

Almyra hotel in Cyprus - if you book through bookcyprus.com its way cheaper. Make sure you get a sea facing room as the rear facing is not attractive and pretty annoying..

[Gillak]

We went to the Sunsail club in Greece last September with our one year old and friends who have a two year old and a 3 and a half year old. We had a great holiday in terms of relaxation as the children's club was amazing and there was also a night creche every evening or you could book a babysitter to come to your room. It has lots of watersports facilities although the wind was pretty poor so if you are a keen sailor/windsurfer it wouldn't be great.

Pros:
- Kids club was brilliant and all inclusive in the kids price - from memory you could leave them from 9 until 6 and they would feed them lunch and dinner but were totally flexible about you just dropping in and out as we did.
- our room was huge with a seperate living area where our baby could sleep and proper black-out curtains so we had great sleep!
- good pool and a seperate adults only pool and baby pool
- only 45 mins transfer from the airport

Cons:
- a lot of the meals are all-inclusive and the food can get a bit monotonous as it wasn't great. The nearest town is about 15 min walk away though with lots of lovely little restaurants. Saying that, the breakfasts were brilliant - huge selection and the children loved it!
- it's quite a big resort so there is quite a bit of walking around and can feel a little impersonal although the staff were all great

I can't remember exactly how much we paid but think it was well under £2000 for the 3 of us. Website is http://www.sunsail.com. Hope that helps!

[ultimatealgarve]

If you fancy luxury self-catering, well equipped and with child-minding services you might be interested in clicking on to my site, ultimatealgarve.com. (flights excluded), you'll easily give yourself a break in the Algarve including car hire, within your budget- and maybe get a few extra days in.

Drop me a line or phone me (00353 868363264) if you'd like some advice. I'm not a hard-seller, I'll give you my honest opinion.

Ray

[secondtimer]

You can get lots of ideas from the tots too and baby goes too sites.
That week is going to be super premium though due to the double bank holiday and half term.

If possible, go a week earlier/ later and you will spend far less on flights and have more places to choose from.

We found playa blanca in lanzarote to be cheap without being too chavvy, not too hot for a baby and very scooter/ pushchair friendly.

Hope this helps!

[cocopops]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/j ... iday-ideas

[Travel Designers]

Hi, check out my recent blog concerning an undiscovered area of Portugal, which is ideal for a relaxing family holiday http://wp.me/pQTLF-el . If I can help at all, please do give me a call 0207 720 8484

[cocopops]

you kids are the right age for caseriodelmirador.com in spain but do you really want to travel half term week?

[valleymama]

You could really spoil yourselves at Mazagan in Morocco, and I think you could probably get it with your budget too. Have a look at http://www.totstoo.com/hotel_mazagan
It has free baby care, which is very unusual, for your 1 year old and a free creche and kids club too. Not that you want to get rid of the kids, but sometimes it is worth it even for a quiet half hour with a book by the pool!
They have an amazing spa, so your wife should be happy too.
June is perfect, not too hot, though if you're not bound by term times, dodge the half term week if you can.