Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want to go holiday in the south west?

107 replies

Littlefluffyclouds81 · 17/07/2016 20:33

Mostly because I live in the south west, so it wouldn't seem much like a holiday.

Me and bf have been talking about going on holiday. To begin with, he suggested going to Devon or Cornwall for a week. I wasn't wild about the idea, but thought if we could find a cheap week somewhere it could be fun. So I had a bit of a Google, and was horrified to see that it was going to cost £1k+, even to stay in a caravan park type place. So I suggested maybe a week in France, as for less money we could get a ferry and a nice place with a pool on airbnb, and maybe the weather would actually be nice (it has pissed down with rain fairly consistently in the SW for the last few years).

So that was the plan, but we didn't book it as we've been waiting to find out when we could definitely go because of other commitments. That's now sorted, but he's decided he doesn't want to go to France because of the risk of terror attacks (he lives in London!). So it was back to the drawing board, and I suggested places in Spain and Croatia that were coming in at about £500 each (me and my dd, him and his dd), including flights, so a total of £1k.

But no, after me wasting fuck knows how many hours looking at places abroad, he's said he wants to go to Devon, or Cornwall. The places he's looking at in Devon are about 45 mins away from where I lived for 12 years. My mum had a holiday house in Cornwall for years until last year, and I'd often go down there with the DC if we had nothing else to do, but it never really felt like a holiday.

He says going to Devon would be 'perfect'. I'm imagining forking out £500 to go up the road, and probably forking out loads of money to do inside stuff because it's too rainy for the beach. There wouldn't be a pool, which is instant free entertainment for two six year olds.

We seem to have diametrically opposed ideas of what constitutes a holiday, but am I being a princess? Fully prepared to be told I am. Not sure what the compromise here would be.

OP posts:
Littlefluffyclouds81 · 17/07/2016 21:03

HAVEN'T been to , I meant there

OP posts:
titchy · 17/07/2016 21:04

I'd reply - 'The only towns I haven't been to are in Croatia.'

Littlefluffyclouds81 · 17/07/2016 21:05

I'm glad I am not being unreasonable. I really wasn't sure. Think I will just go where I want to with dd, or maybe just take her somewhere in the caravan for a few days. I don't mind staying SW if it's not for a whole week and not costing a fortune.

OP posts:
Littlefluffyclouds81 · 17/07/2016 21:05

Grin titchy

OP posts:
Guitargirl · 17/07/2016 21:06

We are going to Croatia next week for a week and to West Wales for a week at the end of the summer. Both trips will cost more or less the same once we've factored everything in.

Sparklesilverglitter · 17/07/2016 21:09

45 minutes down the road when you've lived there all your life isn't a holiday. A day maybe a week no

I know what you mean about prices last year me and dh looked at a rental apartment in Cornwall £870 a week Shock so we went to Rhodes, Greece for £590 including flights, transfers and half board hotel right on the Beach, lovely pool some gorgeous sights.

I love going new places and seeing new sights.

go for a week in the sun with your DD and a day trip with him to Cornwall.

titchy I love your text response

Littlefluffyclouds81 · 17/07/2016 21:09

It seems like a no brainer to me. Maybe he's just one of these people who doesn't like going abroad.

OP posts:
Scarydinosaurs · 17/07/2016 21:10

"No, you don't understand- I want to go somewhere with a different postal code. I no more want to go on holiday in X, Y or X than you do in A, B or C. I'd really like to look at: and then list your desired holidays"

Littlefluffyclouds81 · 17/07/2016 21:13

I think he sees going abroad with 2 children as being way more complicated than it really is.

I travelled alone around Thailand last year for a month with my 2 dc, and it was amazing, so I think maybe we have different outlooks here.

OP posts:
Scarydinosaurs · 17/07/2016 21:16

Abroad with DC is as hard as you make it.

Abroad with this dunce might be hard regardless 😂

Coconutty · 17/07/2016 21:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

rollonthesummer · 17/07/2016 21:18

God no-I agree with you completely!!

BarbaraofSeville · 17/07/2016 21:21

It's not that it's close by that would put me off, although at 45 minutes away, that would be multiple day trips a year territory, but you can have a different type of enjoyment, being away for a week (no travel every day, new house/cottage environment).

But what would put me off would be the weather and the expense. As others have said, you can probably go to Spain etc for similar money to Devon/Cornwall when including the cost of petrol, eating out, accomodation, attractions especially if the weather isn't brilliant etc.

I would be extremely disapointed to spend a fortune on holiday in the UK and get crap weather when you could go abroad with 99% guaranteed sunshine for similar or less money.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 17/07/2016 21:24

YANBU. I'd choose the South West over anywhere else but I don't live there! I can understand you wanting to go somewhere that's not just down the road.

Littlefluffyclouds81 · 17/07/2016 21:26

To be clear, I now live more like 2 hours away from the places he's suggesting, but still in the SW. But that was my local area for many years, I want to explore, not be like 'we should eat in that pub, it's nice' or 'if you drive to the end of the esplanade it's free parking'. I know the area pretty well!

OP posts:
Dolphinsanddinosaurs · 17/07/2016 21:27

I think you need to suggest a trip to London on holiday. You could do all the tourist stuff in London, and I'm sure he wouldn't find it boring at all! Or you could actually go somewhere interesting abroad!

OrangeNoodle · 17/07/2016 21:30

Depends what you want from a holiday I suppose.

We live in Cornwall and often holiday in other bits of Cornwall. Plenty of folk in our village do too, and colleagues in Plymouth.

It doesn't sound so much like it's the proximity that's an issue for you, more the price and potential for mixed weather?

If you want a cheap package sun holiday where you can just lie by a pool and drink cocktails while the children swim every day Devon/Cornwall is not your answer. If you want wild beaches, surfing, fantastic food, moorland walks, streams for the kids to swim in, open air theatre, crabbing and rock pooling... then fill your boots.

LizzieMacQueen · 17/07/2016 21:32

Are you sure he has a passport for himself and his DD.

PNGirl · 17/07/2016 21:33

Is he romanticising windswept walks across clifftops, blue cornish seas and cosy pub lunches, or is he just practical (boring) enough that his main holiday requirement is "simplicity"? The former is probably fairly easy to turn him around on but the latter suggests you may have this problem repeatedly each summer.

squoosh · 17/07/2016 21:34

Open air theatre in Croatia too. In a Roman amphitheatre no less. Plus amazing beaches and seafood and history........

Naicehamshop · 17/07/2016 21:35

He doesn't seem to really be listening to what you are saying OP!
I think I'd tell him to liven up a bit or stay at home on his own!

TheoriginalLEM · 17/07/2016 21:36

i actually thunk yabu for not looking for compromise here. There is no way I'd consider a holiday abroad (ok i have anxiety ) and we holiday in the uk.

I would want somewhere further afield though. What about wales or the lakes? You don't HAVE to stick indoors if it rains you just take appropriate clothing.

We will likely opt for dorset or cirnwall - we are in KentGrin You could do worse than a week on the kent coast.

Wolpertinger · 17/07/2016 21:37

Is he someone who likes going somewhere familiar on holiday? Hence thinking it will be easy to go somewhere you know for a holiday with the kids. Worth having a holiday about both of your expectations of what you think a holiday is - especially as you can do backpacking round Thailand with kids without breaking sweat Grin

PNGirl · 17/07/2016 21:37

Do your DDs get on? Is his ex being funny about him taking her abroad? Just wondering if there is another reason.

Foolscapped · 17/07/2016 21:40

Point out that it's like him having someone pressure him into going to Croydon or Tooting Bec on holiday.

Swipe left for the next trending thread