Can I ask what you'd expect to pay for this holiday?

[HolidayLovers]

What sort of price do people expect to pay for a two week holiday in France, somewhere self catering but with access to childcare / babysitters? I've looked at a few of these places with villas and a communal pool, around the south of France, and they seem really expensive but I don't know if I'm just out of touch as it's the first ever family holiday I will have booked (due to covid). It seems to be around £7000 a week for 2 adults and a toddler.

Christ!!! For £4700 You could fly to Reunion island in the Indian ocean (French territory), Have a beach front Villa in St Gilles and with the left over money £2300 use that for childcare. You are being massively ripped off.

France is really expensive, I bet you could half that amount if you chose somewhere like Portugal or Spain.

£125 ppn / pn with babysitting, in a villa? I think it's cheap.

Thats INSANE MONEY. My husband and I are flying BA first class to Singapore and spending 2 weeks in 5 star hotels there and in Malaysia and thats only costing £6000 for both of us.

@itwasntaparty

£125 ppn / pn with babysitting, in a villa? I think it's cheap.

I think you need to check your sums! That doesn't come to 7k

We're paying about 4.5k for a swish villa about 2 hrs south of Paris in May half term, and that's for 6 adults and 8 children!!

Looking around locally (south west France) there’s a 6 bedroom gite, with pool whose owners are charging 2k ish per week high summer… I agree with a few others who are thinking more along the lines of 4k plus for somewhere more fashionable…

I just wonder if childcare is ramping things up…..France is expensive, yes, but not that expensive….until you start to employ people.

It varies so much depending on location and amenities and the fact you’re looking for childcare is undoubtedly hoping to push you to the higher end of the spectrum.

I’ve never utilised a Villa with childcare (I’ve used Mark Warner for holidays in the past and their 5* in Greece is fantastic) but I’ve hired a number of villas without. If you take something with a pool and close to local amenities/attractions then you’re looking at about £7k. If you don’t mind having to get in the car to shop/eat/beach then the price drops significantly.

Can’t imagine that you’d get anywhere for less than £2k.

We looked up a sc villa (ex vineyard, set of 6 properties with shared pool) and that was over £3k for a week. A huge step up from 15 years ago when we got if for 1/2 price.

Southern France is notoriously expensive. There is one villa complex I once looked at with nanny/nursery and children entertainment and thAt was around that price. It also included all equipment for a baby or toddler without any extra costs. Insane but some people do pay this.

It all depends what you want. I want comfort and space, so often Eurocamp or similar are nit for me and I know I pay a premium but we always found a different area or out of season and managed on our own.

Thanks everyone! My instincts are right it seems. Definitely not going to book it!

However there are a handful (like Country Kids or Longeveau) which are set up as a sort of self catering/hotel hybrid - so you have your own property but there’s also a kids club or kids activities, restaurant on site or meal delivery service, maybe farm animals or playground etc. Are these the sort of thing you are looking at?

Yes that's the sort of thing we were thinking. Does anyone know of this sort of place that's not liable to cost £7000?? Not camping.

@HolidayLovers.

Unless you are only looking at France, have you thought about Kinderhotels in Austria? They have good set up with regards to children entertainment but it's a hotel, not self-catering.

I never went (DH didn't like the Algarve) but it was recommended to me - Martinhal in Portugal. A villa within a resort.
www.martinhal.com/

The “independent s/c house but with restaurant and kids club” is pretty rare tbh. But it does exist.

Here are my recommendations for you:

Mousses and Periyali in Greece, via Simpson Travel. Cluster of small villas. Nanny run kids club.

Eleonas in Crete. Cluster of stone cottages. No kids club but play areas and restaurant, and very family friendly.

Caserio del Mirador in Spain. No kids club but baby listening and food provided, lots of other families with small DC.

In France, as well as Country Kids and Longeveau, I am aware of:

la Ferme du Cayla
Les Gites Noyers
St Pierre de Serjac
Chateau Les Carasses

No idea of prices of these though. I know Country Kids is eye wateringly expensive in school holidays.