Is a villa holiday a real break or just same shit, different place?

[longnavyskirt]

Idly browsing 2021 holidays (they are so dear, I thought I'd get a bargain).

I love the idea of having our own space, especially in the heat. The kids are also good swimmers so it would be lovely to have a run at a pool of our own.

[BarbaraofSeville]

I've always wondered this. As a family we aren't good at sitting around a pool all day so I wonder what an earth you do all day in a villa

Go to the beach to swim and snorkel, waterpark, read, walk, visit local towns, villages, cities for a wander around, museums, lunch in a nice marina/town square etc, monuments, castles and ruins, vineyards, boat trips or more active things like cycling or diving.

Most days we get out to do something, before a relaxing afternoon reading in the sun with occasional dips in the pool to cool off.

Someone still has to get the stuff out of fridge, cupboard etc, someone still has to lay table, plate up food, make coffee, then soneone has to clear it away, package it back up, load dishwasher, wipe surfaces

But that 'someone' doesn't always have to be the same person. You share the load.

[rhowton]

Same shit different place. Whilst the kids are young, we only go somewhere all inclusive and with kids club/crèche... some people say I'm an awful parents for putting my under3s in kids club, but at least I'm an awful parent drinking a cocktail in the sun by the pool alone with my book....

[GnomeDePlume]

Best holiday accomodation we had was a villa with a private pool in Spain. The pool was bliss. DCs could spend hours in the pool with as many pool toys as they wanted - no rules other than the ones we wanted. Sunlongers galore.

The downside was that the area where the villa was was pretty bleak. It was in the middle of the area where there had been illegal development. The holiday tide had ebbed so there were lots of closed up shops. All shopping had to be done by car.

Our best holidays overall have been in mobile homes on French campsites. These have been the best compromise of onsite shopping and catering, good sized pools, good sized accomodation.

It does help that we always drive on holiday. We take with us everything we know we will want.

[FippertyGibbett]

No, I want my bed made for me, my food cooked and my wine brought to the table !

[Pinkmagic1]

Same shit different place.
Like many, I used to hate the idea of all inclusive, but with children especially it just takes all the stress away and you literally don't have to lift a finger and get a proper break and rest. My meals are cooked for me, drinks made for me, the cleaning fairy comes in daily and my children are kept occupied with entertainment. What's not to like.

[Ginfordinner]

You get that if you eat out.

I like the space and privacy you get with self catering. Having a fridge stocked with cold drinks, being able to make a cuppa when I want one. Not only having the bed to sit on if I want to read indoors etc.

[Twobrews]

I love villa holidays. Being able to get up before anyone else and go for a swim completely alone is blissful or have a late night one for that matter.I was disappointed the first time I stayed in a hotel to find the pool had opening hours.

We eat out two or three times a day. In many places we've been able to arrange for restaurants to bring food over to the villas and there's always places doing takeaway coffee, pastries, ice creams etc so one of us will just walk out and pick up what we need. Older children and teenagers seem to enjoy running little errands in a different country.

We went in an AI with my in laws, the idea was nice. There was all different restaurants and we had swim up rooms but it wasn't the same.
All the pools were basically taken up with those giant inflatables, the included drinks were rola cola style as pp said, there was cringy things like a conga line to the kids club, foam parties etc, plus random kids who were clearly foisted onto unsuspecting families so the parents could get pissed.
It ended up costing us a fortune as we went off the resort to eat and drink out in order to escape our fellow guests and the 'entertainment'.

[TheWelshposter]

@Pinkmagic1

Same shit different place.
Like many, I used to hate the idea of all inclusive, but with children especially it just takes all the stress away and you literally don't have to lift a finger and get a proper break and rest. My meals are cooked for me, drinks made for me, the cleaning fairy comes in daily and my children are kept occupied with entertainment. What's not to like.

This!!! Right now this sounds like bliss!

[UsernameChat]

For me (with kids), I would find it same shit, different place. Actually, more awkward shit, as you don't have all your own stuff around you to make food, cook, clean etc. I'd much rather stay in a hotel where someone else will make the beds, cook the food, clean up etc.

On an adult only holiday, it worked fine, as we actually hired a chef to make us breakfast every day and ate out every night. Tbh, I'd still prefer a posh hotel though.

[MacDuffsMuff]

I've always wondered this. As a family we aren't good at sitting around a pool all day so I wonder what an earth you do all day in a villa??

What do you do if you're in a hotel though @Clockstop? I hate hotels and being around so many people so it's been years since I've even been in one and we've always had a villa for a family holiday. We use it as a base and like the privacy it gives us.

[rookiemere]

Depends on the ages of the DCs tbh. Under 5 and its same routine different location, over and its more relaxing. We did shared villa holidays when DS was young and that worked well as it was nice to have some adult company.

Another option midway between hotel and apartment is an aparthotel. We stayed in a nice one in Tenerife for a number of years. Could rent a two bed apartment so loads of space, but still have breakfast made for you, entertainment for DS and a heated pool with a swim up cocktail bar. It's roughly the same price as a villa though, so not a cheap option.

[MacDuffsMuff]

Like many, I used to hate the idea of all inclusive, but with children especially it just takes all the stress away and you literally don't have to lift a finger and get a proper break and rest. My meals are cooked for me, drinks made for me, the cleaning fairy comes in daily and my children are kept occupied with entertainment. What's not to like.

I'd hate it. 🤣 I hate 'organised' fun. Different strokes isn't it.

[DaphneFanshaw]

The tidying up is never as much as at home because you don’t have to worry about doing the big jobs. It’s just a bit of loading the dishwasher after eating and sweeping sand up off the floor.
It’s not dusting the skirting boards or hoovering under the bed.
I found being able to get up and have breakfast whenever we wanted was much more relaxing than dragging ourselves down to breakfast when we would rather be drinking coffee on the balcony.
I do enjoy hotel holidays and we will probably do that for our next holiday when ever that will be.
I do like a good quality AI hotel where you have unlimited “free” beer, ice cream and pizza At the pool. Villa holidays are just as good in a different way.

[mocktail]

I'd prefer a villa with a shared pool so the kids can make friends. But I always choose self catering. We have a relaxed breakfast in our PJs without going anywhere, often lunch at home too, then out for dinner. I love eating out at different restaurants on holiday so wouldn't want evening meal included in my package.

[LauraBassi]

Same shit different place.

Plus I was always worried about the pool. If dh went to the store I’d literally have to take the kids back in the villa and out of the pool if I needed a wee!

We found a lovely hotel were we can relax all day and we’ve stuck with it for the past few years. Boring I know but it works well for us.

[Pollynextdoor]

We always do self catering. Much more space and privacy. We are light eaters so usually eat out somewhere for lunch but prefer to do the rest of the cooking ourselves. We enjoy cooking and going to local markets to buy food. I don’t enjoy cleaning of course, but it’s mainly just putting on the dishwasher.

[BarbaraofSeville]

I do like a good quality AI hotel where you have unlimited “free” beer, ice cream and pizza At the pool

A villa and all that stuff from the supermarket probably costs less than the kind of AI hotel you have in mind.

[Bobbybobbins]

We did AI once pre kids and I was surprised to find I loved it. But both our DS are autistic so the extra space and privacy of a villa works better for us. Eurocamp has been the best now they are a bit older as a compromise.

[midnightstar66]

You can make it as relaxed or as hard as you like. You won't need to do loads of washing as you won't be wearing loads but it is handy to have the option and it dries in no time. Eat out or simple bbqs. Lots of nice easy to prepare local breads/cheeses etc for brunches and a few snacks. Lots of fruit. Just remember you are on holiday and you don't need to worry about a spotless home or exact nutrition

[ShinyGreenElephant]

I love big family villa holidays, my step dad is a control freak and won't let anyone else near the kitchen or barbecue, its fab! We usually go with cousins so there's anything from 3-8 kids and they keep each other entertained all day - as long as a couple of adults are lounging by the pool thats the extent of the input needed. Means you get genuinely relaxing days so that the big days out to beaches / waterparks/ boat trips youve got the energy to be really present and run round with the kids for hours, jump off the top of the boat, search for turtles for an hour with the toddlers. We still go out for meals at least every other day, but somewhere different and fun each time and we can afford to as most meals and booze are from the supermarket. On the whole the holidays probably cost the same as an all inclusive the way we do them but feel SO much more luxurious!

Thanks, you've made me desperate for a holiday now!!

[MargosKaftan]

I found them great when the kids were littler, wanted to just play together etc. But they like having other children their own age about now, and once I got over the idea we should have engaging conversations at dinner and just downloaded games on my phone/dhs phone, we found all inclusive holidays lovely.

This is mainly because I do love a buffet breakfast. I am horrified they might have gone for good.

[BillyAndTheSillies]

We used villas when DS1 was between 0-2. The first year there were 12 of us and it was great, we all took turns making breakfast, the baby was entertained by aunts and uncles and grandparents.

No worries about babies waking up neighbours in hotel rooms or waking up others, being able to grab a snack whenever you want one was great.

But we did it again last year when I was pregnant with DS2, DS1 was so bored!! He wanted friends his own age to play with and was an absolute pain in the backside! So we would probably do it as a big group but not just the four of us.

[midnightstar66]

Just read the blurb - make sure it has a washing machine and more importantly a dish washer and a tv with English channels is a bonus with dc - a smart tv also good as you can use your Netflix although you can also take your fire stick. Check how close it is to beach, shops restaurants etc and think about what you want eg whether you want to rely on a car. Personally I least enjoyed the villa that needed a drive to everywhere - some people like that seclusion though. I much preferred being walking distance to the nearest shop and to bars and restaurants and just hiring a car for a couple of days to explore.

[Twobrews]

Like many, I used to hate the idea of all inclusive, but with children especially it just takes all the stress away and you literally don't have to lift a finger and get a proper break and rest. My meals are cooked for me, drinks made for me, the cleaning fairy comes in daily and my children are kept occupied with entertainment. What's not to like.

Being constantly 'found' by fellow guests who think your whole reason for going on holiday was to hear about their kitchen extension.

[KnitsAndGiggles]

I used to love my AI hotel holidays, but on our first proper holiday abroad (a week in the sun not a mini break) my fiance and I found a villa on air bnb. We got up when we wanted, had a whole house to relax in so it wasn't cramped. We could get in the pool whenever we wanted (at midnight watching the bats swooping and listening to the cicadas).

We just had a tidy round at the end and swept up the sand each day. We have booked an absolutely gorgeous traditional villa for our next holiday. No it's not on the beachfront and there's no disco, but there is seclusion and peace and quiet. We need a car to get to it, and we will drive to the beach, go for walks, read books, explore the local area. You can always find things to do!