Are there any holiday destinations for families where the parents come back less tired than they went?

[PassOnThat]

I have a 3yo and a 7yo. Both off the wall crazy. Looking to book a holiday for this summer, but I'm wondering if there are any holidays that will "compensate" me, as the parent, for the stress of planning, organising, packing and travelling with the wee beasties? Either because there's childcare available or plenty of safe spaces where I can just turn them loose and sit.

@PassOnThat we went to carvoheiro in Algarve for a week when son was 4 and took one of his nursery nurses that he liked with us- she looked after him for 4 hours every day in the afternoon plus babysat 5 evenings and 2 evenings we all went out together - she did it for a free break plus couple of hundred pounds( this was2003) - now this worked really well !!

My ideal would be kids expending energy while I lie/sit still. Certainly not kids staying still (pushchair/bike seat etc) while I expend energy.

Even better if they have an older cousin that will do it for free / very little.

We love eurocamp and always do it with others although it doesn’t sound like that works for you.
friends swear by neilsons because the childcare and sport options are great.

We've holidayed a few times with us in one lodge/caravan/cottage and GPs in another. Hand DC over for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Maybe a night of babysitting.

Le Garengeoire campsite is epic for those ages. 3 is too young for kids club anywhere I think, but LG has a huge toddler splash pool with lots of beds around it and also a massive fenced beer garden with bouncy castles where you sit and relax whilst they bounce.

www.camping-la-garangeoire.com

Book a nice rental or Eurocamp. Overnight ferry to St Malo then 4-5 driver with a couple of picnic stops.

We had 2 absolutely epic holidays there when ours were that age.

Le Grand Defi is a great day out too. High and low rope courses for all ages in the forest if it's hot so lovely and shaded.

@PassOnThat I'm with you on that

Apart from when your 3 year old has a meltdown at the idea of getting a cable car or refuses to stand in snow and you're stuck in a place in the middle of nowhere in the freezing cold with no other activity or entertainment options.

Have also done the older cousin day care. But I paid her the same as holiday club would have been.

We have also invited an extra adult (sometimes with her teenager) and only asked her to pay her own travel. Works well in the kind of self catering where you have an extra room. That was because we have holidayed on narrowboats and cruisers where we didn't feel it was safe with a very hyper child and both adults needed to operate the boat. So basically friend gets a cheap holiday and adult to child ratio is better.

I think once they are old enough to play on swings etc. without mum, mum, MUUMM every 5 minutes, it gets a whole lot easier. We did a motor home trip around NZ with a 9 & 11 year old, which doesn't sound relaxing, but because they could safely burn off some energy and make friends in the play areas it was brilliant. It meant DH and I could set up camp uninterrupted. Campsites, where they can go for short bike rides without supervision are also wonderful.

Oh, I completely agree - we stuck to toddler pool, woods and playgrounds for wearing them out at that age!

My other top tip with pre-schoolers is to take a granny along. It means an extra pair of hands and eyes. We initially took MIL because she was on her own and didn't get the opportunity to travel, but we very quickly realised how much help she was.

We did Field studies council family holidays for a bit. There's activities to keep the kids entertained (& other children), & while you also join in as adults, largely the leaders have the kids doing nature-y stuff & the adults hang out & chat. Food is plentiful & child friendly, there's tea & cake available ad lib through the day, & plenty of fresh air wears the kids out. They're mostly 3-4 days & not expensive so not too much lost if you don't like it. I definitely came back very relaxed even when the weather wasn't great.

A holiday park with mobile home accommodation - either in the UK or abroad . If there's soft play, bouncy castle or climbing frames, swings etc then you can sit down and watch while your DC play. Often there will be other organised activities for the children as well. Simple cold food at home or pizza and chips at a cafe.

Agree with this. Cruising is very relaxing if they're prepared to go into the kids clubs.

I found the most relaxing holiday with a child is when it fits everyone.

I hate places like Butlins, Center Parcs as I prefer having space for everyone and be as comfortable as I am at home. Sharing close quarters with DD meant nobody had a good night sleep, so two bedrooms are a must.
I don't mind cooking so self-catering isn't a chore if we book something where I have a decent kitchen.

But I know that these holidays mean we are more hands-on than a place with entertainment and kids clubs. So we choose locations we can do a lot but again, something we all enjoy. A villa utterly remote doesn't work but an appartment or house in a town does.

We did AI hotels but only when DD was able to stay up a bit later. They are not my kind of place, especially food wise as I don't like buffet and repeating menus, but again, they were good for DD as she liked having other children to play in the clubs and we could enjoy an hour or two on our own. So the food issue was solved by going out for dinner every 2-3 days.

my view is kids that age need to be tired out on holiday- so there are two ways that can happen, you can do the tiring out or someone else can. If you do the tiring out, you are also in the swimming pool /on the bike ride / at the mini golf /on the walk through the woods etc, so unlikely to be coming back less tired. (If you go self catering you also have to add in cooking and cleaning in a strange location and I’ve yet to stay anywhere self catering where you literally walked out leaving a mess, they all give a list of cleaning and tidying to be done before you leave.)

so someone else - I’ve suggested Mark Warner and Neilson, I think Neilson works better for the younger ones, they have staff who do the tiring out for you. You do your own thing for a few hours then collect your child and have a nice dinner that someone else has cooked and they clean up. Other posters have suggested cruises and I haven’t been on one, but I do know people who’ve done them and enjoyed that their dcs are similarly entertained by staff.

Other option involves someone else going with you (like grandparents) who might do the tiring out for you. (And possibly some of the cooking /cleaning if you go self catering)

There is no holiday option that will turn a 3yo and 7yo into adults who don’t need to be entertained/tired out. Sorry!

I'd just try to find a good all inclusive with a kids club

When little I think often things like a haven site near the beach are best. Plenty to do and easy to get familiar foods etc. We went for the smaller sites as they worked for us but bigger ones will obviously have more.

we also love cruises for the ease. They have kids clubs which are meant to be great but ds was never interested and that worked for me

A really nice all inclusive hotel abroad with a kids club, water park, splash park etc. no brainer - no cooking. A few hours break from the kids if they use the kids club. Knacker themselves out in the pool or on the beach - perfection!

Disney

Crieff Hydro?

The DC have 2 slots per day in childcare. We popped them in for the morning and evening. Spent the afternoon together as a family and the DC had 'tea' at 5pm before their evening slot of childcare. DH and I had dinner at 7pm whilst they were there.

Disney

I think Disney is the only holiday I come home from in need of another holiday!

Anything that involves repeatedly standing in queues for more than around 10 minutes is a non-starter. 7yo starts swinging on the barriers and toddler wanders off or lies on the ground if you try to pick her up.