I really fancy a gite or villa in the middle of nowhere.... is the reality bored kids?

[magicalleeks]

I've 3 DC, 8 and 6. They're generally good at playing and entertaining themselves and are quite outdoorsy.

I've got a vision of hiring a villa or gite in some beautiful French village, walking for bread, having long lazy days at a pool instead of somewhere which is all Kids Clubs and minidiscos...

We stay in a gite most years and the kids enjoy it. We always have one with a garden and look for ones that seem to have play equipment. Last year we did a week in a very remote one with its own pool. The kids just swam whenever we weren't out and about. The second week we stayed in one which was next to two other gites. There were lots of toys and garden equipment and the other gites had children who they played with.

We always do this type of holiday though so the children don't know any different. They aren't used to clubs etc so don't know if children who are might find it boring.

Be warned that some gites are too rural to walk for bread though.

We have done this a lot. A pool is essential and preferably on the outskirts of a village so you can walk to a shop or bakery and bar. Some French villages are absolutely sleepy as hell with nothing going on.

Had several holidays like this in France over the years. My two survived. This was prior to wifi

A pool is essential, one year I took their shorty wetsuits as we went in June.

I think they would enjoy that. Where do you look for houses?

It won't be in the middle of nowhere if you can walk for bread... I think it depends on what your kids are like, what they like doing, how much you're planning on engaging with them and how much screen time you're prepared to let them have. If you have visions of sitting with a book whilst they skip hand in hand around the French countryside squealing with excitement on seeing a butterfly then, unless that is what they do in the U.K., that is unlikely to happen just because you are on holiday. Oh, and don't expect their behaviour to wildly improve just because you are on holiday or for them to be grateful that you have uprooted them for a week.
A few things we have learned

• a pool is a must as that keeps occupied for several hours a day
• likewise an area for football/running around
• a restaurant within walking distance is a real bonus as then you can go out for a meal, have a drink & walk home. Taking it in turns to drink whilst on holiday seems dull
• a village within walking distance is even better as then you may be able to vary the restaurant you go to, buy bread, top up groceries & go to a

playground.

Oh sorry, that was to Dippy. They've never done the holiday club thing but have generally made friends with other children, and to their credit, are usually amenable to a walk around a town at night if it involves an ice-cream!

My children are younger than yours, but we commented after our last villa holiday (in a resort near the beach), that we could've been anywhere, so long as the weather was good and they had the pool...
I guess you know your kids... Maybe compromise with a location that is driving distance to some child friendly stuff in case they get bored?

We took our own inflatables (and pump) to occupy them in the pool.

As long as it has a pool you’ll be fine

What @Ohyesiam said. We have done this kind of holiday a lot. If you have a pool and a bakery in walking distance it's so easy. We also go with MiL so we all get a go on the wine . We love it

Heated pool, good weather, garden and mine would be v happy.