Best family holiday ever with little ones?

[Happyspud]

Anyone want to share with me your best family holiday location ever with small kids? Trying to find something that surprises us by actually feeling like a holiday!

When dc were 6 and 3 they loved Het Heijderbos, one of the Dutch Centre Parcs.

It was fab - lovely little cottage in the woods, lots of little playgrounds nearby, lovely swimming dome with plenty of pool space aimed at toddlers and younger kids as well as bigger stuff, enough different restaurants that we ate out each night, picnicked for lunch, got fresh bread from the CP shop for breakfast but also took easy supplies of the things the dc liked (think cereal, mini buns in individual packets etc) that they didn’t usually get so a treat for them, easy for me. Took a pack of paper plates and cups with me and a good supply of bin bags so no real lunch time clearing up.

Best bit was the second dome - like a giant Inca themed playground complete with caves and streams, rope bridges, loads of climbing, even a cafe in it - we spent hours in it, eldest was old enough to roam and get back to the cafe while one parent sat at cafe with book - albeit did do water bit with a parent. Other parent clambered with youngest. Then all did some together. Then parents switched over. Fab.

It wasn’t exciting in the same way that eurodisney was but it is the one that they talked about for much longer.

Just remembered Elfteling You have a 2-3 year window because the eldest won't love it as much after about 10.
Best family break ever: eldest was 13 but willing to dumb down for 4 year old at the bottom of the five.
Bread and cheese and meat for lunch every day. Hot chocolate every afternoon. I did not work like a Trojan for the whole trip. Really simple but magical.

We have just come back from bluestones in Wales, it has been amazing and we’ve said we’ll definitely go again. Our dd5 said it was the best time ever! Coast and beaches 15-20 mins away, lots of castles to explore, the site has been fantastic, beautiful clean lodge, we’ve been to the aqua dome most days, there’s an adventure centre indoors and loads outside and the serendome that opened last week is superb but not fully up and running- a beautiful sandpit with climbing castle, water play area. We are out a couple of times but mostly got easy food from the supermarket. Can’t recommend it enough!

We have been to a lot of Tui splash world resorts (and family life when the dc were younger). Amazing water parks and lots of activities for the children. Some great locations too so you can escape the resorts and see the world a bit too! Not always the cheapest but the 4/5 star ones are worth every penny imo.

Neilson if you have the budget, loads of activities & kids clubs (for all ages), very good food, AI except for 3 evenings, but very high standard, plenty of time for you to relax as well.

If you insist on camping (why ... with 4 children ??) maybe Eurocamp in a mobile home or lodge? We’ve had some great Eurocamp trips .... but we have an only child which makes life a lot simpler .

Martinhal Sagres in Portugal. Nowhere else compares.

new re efteling, I agree for pure magic under 10 is prime but many older dc still love it! My older dc do, hell I do, even dh fell in love with it and he's least magical type person you could meet!

My youngest is full, full on. I went to some other places and it wasn't as smooth or relaxing as efteling because she was so entertained there there's so much to see and do.

Just asked dd's aged 4 and 6 what has been their favourite holiday and they both said the static caravan in Cornwall.

They loved the beaches, making friends in the clubhouse and staying up late to watch the sunsets at the beach.

Re euro camp, it's a brand name like hoover and euro camp itself has gone down hill, always check reviews before committing to euro camp. I've stayed in some recently, awful ec reviews, mouldy caravans, poor customer service... But we stayed direct with campsite owners and had no issues.

Good point knitted it’s many years sine I did a Eurocamp holiday.

When I was single parenting , all I could afford was a week in Benidorm ..... the kids state was best holiday ever alongside Disney !!! I
Otherwise a week in a rented house in Brixham last year !

Eurocamp--dunreill was our favourite there's a theme park and awesome swimming pool on site it's brilliant

Italy euro camping.

Fab.

Depends on your budget.

We always went SC when ours were little. We did breakfast and lunch in the apartment and went out for dinner. We liked the kids to experience the local foods and area that we were holidaying in. Our favourites were Cala D'Or in Majorca and Cala'n Bosch in Menorca.

Menorca is perfect for little children. TUI do loads of AI holidays aimed at families all over the island. You won't go far wrong there.

Been on several Eurocamp trips with dc at all ages and stages in static caravans - faves were in northern Italy and Brittany - beautiful! But do check reviews first. Always get the biggest caravan you can afford and eat out.

We go self-catering but often eat out. We also like an activity on site - animal feeding, or kids activities. Successes have been Cwmiar Farm Holidays, Torridge House Cottages and White Cross Bay in the Lake District.

I would say pur best holidays when the kids were young were a tie between camping at the Just So Festival and a trip to Cairo and Luxor in Egypt where we did an activity each morning (went I to a pyramid, rode a camel etc) and went to the pool each afternoon.

When the kids were little our holidays were in a private villa abroad within a resort with loads of facilities/activities (we'd usually have breakfast in the villa but ate at restaurants in the evening so I didn't have to cook - maybe the odd BBQ).

One of the best we stayed at was Aphrodite Hills in Cypress (but we did this at plenty of other similar places, that one I just remember being especially good). Lots of private villas on a gated resort that was set around a "village centre" with shops/restaurants/spa/children's club/water sports club/golf course/sports centre.

We'd often split the childcare by doing activities to give each other some R&R, but tbh it was great hanging around our own pool all together and then popping to the "village" for something to eat or to do some activities.

The other one, yes surprise, surprise was Centre Parcs. Super child friendly and easy to keep them entertained. The lux villas have a cleaner as standard and there's plenty of places to eat out (and the Dining in service is excellent).

Neither are cheap options unfortunately.

A week in a Eurocamp tent in France.

First night we got there we had our first meal out without DC in years - they were at a late kids club. They loved it and went to loads, often walking down by themselves (they were 10, 6 & 4). They loved the freedom and independence, we had actual time alone together.

It was cheap as chips too - just over £400 for 5 including the ferry in May half term.

Es Grau in Menorca - just saving up till we can go back there...

We just got back from Aqua Fantasy waterpark hotel and spa in Kusadasi, Turkey.
It's a 5 star AI complex in the middle of nowhere with a private beach and is catered for families, kids clubs twice a day and 3 nights a week the kids club can eat out together in one of the restaurants. The hotel is spotlessly clean, has loads of pools and playgrounds etc and has access ( on site ) to one of the biggest waterparks in Turkey.

We've been 3 times now and are booking again after being back for 6 days. It's a Tui splash hotel.

A Eurocamp site in France, Camping Bel. Close to beach and town. A kids club for the mornings, and in the evenings the kids all watch a movie together while you keep an eye on them from the bar. Very relaxed.

Duinrell in Holland. The center Parcs in het hiejebos that a previous pp mentioned was also great. In both places you can eat out on site or nearby.

@tobebythesea what are the luxury hotels you've done? We are up north and have exhausted everything within a few hours drive...

@whereswaldo that's interesting, we have just decided against Martinhal Sagres. Partly the flight time with wild 1 year old (just cannot face it and only Ryanair available at rubbish times) partly the long-ish drive from Faro, partly how remote it is and partly how windy it's likely to be! It gets quite mixed reviews...

OP if you do self catering again make sure you have clear division of labour with your DH! It's not fair for you to work like a Trojan while he relaxes.

Where in the country are you? Crieff Hydro has lovely self catering villas but also a large hotel with a few restaurants, a free kids club, swimming pool, and a bunch of outdoor activities like quad biking. There's also lots of bonny Scotland to see nearby.

For me personally, self catering was the key. No wrestling over tired kids in restaurants. We could stick to their normal routines. We spent a few good holidays in France in the Vendée region which has a nice microclimate- hotter than home but not too hot, and a manageable 4 hour drive from Cherbourg. We stayed in a mobile home in Sol a Gogo with pool with slides, playground and beach. Lovely memories. The age profile would be just right for your lot. There is a snack bar that serves bread, pizza, burgers and chips, and a few restaurants a short walk away as well as a fairly decently stocked albeit expensive shop.

A holiday I hated, but might appeal was a cruise of the Mediterranean. Meals were included, you just turn up for them and the cabin was magically cleaned while we were out and transformed from day (sofa) to night (bed). There were pools, shows, bowling alleys and day trips. Pick a family cruise (like Disney) rather than one that has more elderly people. We literally unpacked at the start, repacked at the end and that was it. Everything else was done.