To hate family holidays?

As you have established, it is the choice of accommodation that is the problem. If we were going somewhere that we would be spending the majority of time in the accommodation, it needs to be nicer than our house and big enough for everyone the have the space they need. If it’s just a bed for the night, a cheap AirBnB will do.

Lesson learned.

Could you leave them to it in the evening and do games and wine in the garden or at the kitchen table?

It sounds like the wrong choice of holiday this year. Maybe if there's a next time you could have separate accommodation on a complex with a pool, or walking distance to a town with a choice of restaurants. It sounds to me that the problem is it is all designed round your ILs this time. (Do you think they are enjoying it? Is it what they normally choose to do?)

We have done hols with parents and sacked it off. They hated it, we hated it. But as they grow older and less independent I can see we might find ourselves in a similar situation.

Yeah it’s the in-laws and not in a nasty way it’s just they holiday different so it ruins your holiday as it’s not yours just like they presumably wouldn’t enjoy yours.

I’ve started making sure our U.K. stays are too far for them to join us. Between poor time keeping and everything being their way which never any umph behind it. So even a walk would be a well maybe we should walk to such and such later… then your left waiting to see if said walk is going to happen.

This is why we usually go AI abroad. I realise it's not for everyone but you can totally switch off there if you have older kids

I now refuse to stay in Airbnb accommodation unless its for convenience reasons (attending a concert in another city etc) for all the reasons already mentioned on this thread. I once had to cook dinner by torchlight in an airbnb as the lighting was so bad in the kitchen and I vowed never again.

Holidays are ideally in a hotel or if self catering we go for holiday parks where there is loads to do and we can have a good mix of doing stuff with relaxing.

Holidays with family are usually shorter breaks and generally we all do what we want during the day and come together in the evening for dinner / games etc - no tv watching allowed. I also have to accept that some parts of the holiday won't be ideal but as it isn't my main holiday of the year I can deal with this better.

I absolutely love holidays with my kids - they are one of the times I feel like we can just spend time together as a family without all the other distractions. I agree that your holiday doesn't sound like much fun unfortunately.

Your husband isn't good at planning holidays. If he were, you would all be enjoying yourselves.

What he has done is plan a holiday for his parents, because he loves them and they're old and he's worried he doesn't have much time left with them.

But you and your DS are bored to tears. You're in a boring village with nothing to do and the only things on the agenda are going for walks (with shitty sandwiches, not even a pub lunch) and watching the soaps in the evening.

You need to be brutally honest with your DH and tell him you can't bear another holiday like this.

Actually, I would tell him now, in the hope that you can salvage something from this holiday. Tell him it's time you made a plan to drive somewhere there is actually something to fucking do, and have a nice lunch in a pub or restaurant. If your in laws want to come, they are welcome. If they don't, they can go on another walk with their soggy ham sandwiches and you'll see them tonight after Corrie. Because yes, it's nice for them to be included and spend time with their son and grandson. But it's not nice for them to basically force you to dance to their incredibly boring tune every day.

Maybe they don't realise you're so bored and think you're having as lovely a time as they are. But your husband must realise. And you and your son deserve a nice holiday as much as they do.

Perhaps in future you could do the odd weekend away with them and have separate family holidays that you actually want to go on. We're going away for two weeks and my parents are joining us for a long weekend in the middle. Maybe that could also be an acceptable compromise for the future, if your PIL are capable of travelling on their own. If not, stick to weekends.

The problem is not family holidays. The problem is YOUR family holidays.

I have the exact same issue OP 😂We live in the countryside in a lovely (if slightly small!) home with gorgeous walks and pubs on our doorstep.

We recently stayed in a very average apartment on a small Greek island as part of an island hopping trip but I can cope with that as my logic is that it's by the sea, the sun is shining and most importantly I'm not in the UK!

In the UK however I need to be somewhere that feels luxurious and actually like a holiday. Not staying in some soulless Airbnb to accomodate 20 people where I still have to do the washing up and cooking - just in a house that isn't as nice as my own 😂

I'm so glad this isn't just me 😂

Haha I've just posted the exact same thing! Am I your friend??? 😂🤔

We’re currently on a week-long UK break with my in laws and I’ve abandoned my husband and kids to come back to our (average, not as clean as my house) air b&b

I have a rule that I won't go away anywhere (that I'm paying for!) unless the accommodation is significantly nicer than our house 😂(with the exception of work trips or other trips out of necessity!)

It sounds snobby but genuinely I would rather not go away than pay good money to spend a week or two in a hotel / villa / cottage / apartment that is just meh... We've done it before and I end up just resenting the money we've paid!

It made me laugh your comment about the Airbnb. We just stayed in one for about £100 a night that was smaller and less comfy and not as clean as my own house. I'd rather stay in a hotel to at least get my bed made every day!

I think at this point I’d feign illness (lots of covid going around) and head home. Crap food and accommodation is not a holiday. Just think of your lovely bed waiting for you 😂

Can’t you take DS out somewhere just the two of you?

You're doing it wrong.. I love holidays, but an Airbnb in the UK with my inlaws?? I'd rather be at work 😱

I love my family holidays and always have done.

I think your issue relates to PILS ☹️

I really find that this is a problem as you get older, it's so difficult (expensive) to find accommodation that's nicer than your own home, so everything can feel a bit rubbish!

Ditch the inlaws. Or do your own thing for evening meals and let them do their thing. It sounds like hell.

I used to find with older ones that a week in London, even, was more fun for everyone than a traditional country or beach holiday.

Your comment about the average air b&b struck a chord . A friend of mine once said ‘ never go on holiday to a place that isn’t as nice as your own home.’ That’s true isn’t it, you want it to be over and above so you feel happy to be there. I’m with you OP, add in the In Laws as well and it’s a definite no!

I'd never holiday with ILs, it's my idea of hell and life is just too short for forcing a happy cohabitation when you have different ideas of enjoyment of an evening. Meanwhile, how about saying to FIL 'you've had your soaps, my turn now!' As you take the remote and switch over. Do it with a big smile and laugh and settle down to something more interesting. He probably doesn't want to be there either and just doing it to keep your MIL happy.

Let your in-laws go for walks if that's what they like while you take the kids for a day out somewhere else. Are there any parks, beaches, attractions nearby?