Activities on holiday!

[INeedAnEspresso]

We are off to the Alps next week for our summer holiday, we will be staying in the mountains but a short drive away from Geneva/lake Geneva.

However we only have a single car but we have different people that like different activities as well as people of different ages.

So I have a large blended family and it goes as follows.

Ds aged 16 (likes actives like kayaking, mountain biking, hiking and anything sporty).

Mr eldest stepson also 16 who likes museums and city stuff.

My other stepson 14 who dislikes sports likes city stuff like his brother.

My daughter aged 9 who won't do sport and probably.

My son aged 7 who will do the less intense sports for adults/teens but won't be able to do some of the activities.

My wife who hates sports likes simply to chill and likes cities.

I absolutely love sport.

So I am not sure what to do when it comes to the days.

So far it is
Sunday chill by the pool
Monday kayaking (me and ds)
Tuesday visit to Geneva (all of us)
Wednesday mountain biking (me ds, stepson (16) and ds (7)
Thursday rock climbing (me and ds)
Friday zip wiring (me and ds)
Saturday day at lake (all of us)
Sunday water sports (me and ds)
Monday is to be decided
Tuesday we fly back.

I know it leaves a few family members out a lot. My wife says it not right that i do so many activities with just ds. I think we should get another hire car but my wife doesn't want to drive abroad. She also doesn't want to go out without me. I think they could do some more of the activities.

So what do you suggest less me and ds should do less activities or second car. I think the second car is the best option.

[honeylulu]

Have you consulted the other children about the itinerary? What do they actually want to do except visit Geneva (which as PP have said is only worth a day at most) and the Lake?
If they just want to mooch around ie seem uninterested in anything on offer then fair enough you and your son are free to do activities. I like to be active on holiday and would happily do my own thing if others would prefer to relax.
If you haven't consulted everyone you need to do so and you should widen the options - maybe you didn't realise all the stuff you could do but there have been loads of good ideas on this thread. Maybe have some days where you all do the same and other days where there are two options plus the option of mooching by the pool.
Your wife sounds a bit of a pain tbh. Doesn't want you to go off, doesn't want to do most things you suggest but doesn't want to go out without you either. This sulky teenager attitude would piss me off. Unless of course she's had no say at all in your rather sport-focused programme in which case you are a bit U.
I wish my husband showed half as much interest in arranging holidays. Harumph!

[LifeGotInTheWay]

Let's say your wife is really into Swiss architecture and so is her eldest DS. Here is the itinerary for your blended family holiday....

Sunday chill by the pool
Monday Architecture Trip Wife and her DS
Tuesday visit to Geneva
Wednesday Architecture Trip 2 Wife and some DC
Thursday Architecture Trip 3 Wife and her DS
Friday Architecture Trip 4 Wife and her DS
Saturday day at lake (all of us)
Sunday Architecture Trip 5 Wife and her DS
Monday is to be decided
Tuesday we fly back.

How is that feeling for you and the other DC? Or we could rewrite it another way...

Sunday chill by the pool
Monday kayaking Wife looks after DC 16, 14, 9, 7
Tuesday visit to Geneva (all of us)
Wednesday mountain biking Wife looks after DC 14 and 9
Thursday rock climbing Wife looks after DC 16, 14, 9, 7
Friday zip wiring Wife looks after DC 16, 14, 9, 7
Saturday day at lake (all of us)
Sunday water sports Wife looks after DC 16, 14, 9, 7
Monday is to be decided
Tuesday we fly back.

Yes YABU and I'm not surprised your wife is digging her heels in. The driving is a side issue if you think the above itinerary is OK.

I don't buy the whole "only takes half a day" thing. By the time you've prepped, got kit, travelled, done activity, eaten, returned, showered, changed it eats the whole day

FWIW I love the Alps in summer and would want to do all the activities you list so not biased in that way!

[PlayNice]

YABU - sounds like a recipe for your other children feeling totally left out. I think you need to split the time a bit more equally. Seems like you and DS have wayyyy more time together at the moment.

[AndNowItsSeven]

You are very selfish this holidays is all about you with the lucky excuse that your ds also likes sport. When you have children your holidays are about your dc all of them.

[BodsAuntieFlo]

Your holiday doesn't sound like a holiday to me. I'm exhausted even reading your plans. Does your wife have any say in the itinerary you have planned? She doesn't appear to be included in much of it.

[Tuiles]

Difficult when both parties interests are so different. That area is really geared up for sports and outdoor pursuits! Thinking back we did a nice day trip to Evian, not really a city, but enough going on. I seem to recall at the public pool there was access to big inflatables on Lake Geneva that might be a fun diversion for the kids. You can do boat trips on the lake too.

On our way back to Geneva we stopped in a pretty but touristy village on the lake, Yvoire I think. Good for souvenirs and food.

The botanic gardens in Geneva were pretty nice for a couple of hours, not sure for teens though (mine are younger)

The scenery is pretty spectacular around there, are you sure you can't talk them into a day of hiking the easy way - using the chair lifts for the up bits. You can get across to Avoriaz/Morzine pretty easily. Listen out for the cow bells in the valleys, they sound great, like a scene from Heidi! There is a pretty cheap tourist pass that you can buy that covers lots of access to lifts etc, also includes the Lido in Morzine and other activities.

Highly recommend a trip to the Gorges Pont du Diable for a spectacular gorge walk.

Hope you all manage to find some fun!

[usuallydormant]

Les Gets / Morzine is right beside you - there are swimming options in a pool or lake, , great mountain biking, accrobranche for all levels, a lovely day spa in les gets, shopping. There will be something for everyone and at least you are all in same place.

I'd ditch Geneva for Annecy. Again you can combine lots of sports activities with shopping and chilling and meet up for lunch/dinner. Geneva is not worth a day in my opinion.

Chateau Chillion outside Montreaux is also worth a look for history buffs if you are getting the train. The night in a yurt beside marmot paradise is also fun...

[Enidblyton1]

The other thing we've done that the whole family enjoyed was the Mer de Glace in Chamonix. May be too far from Chatel, but worth checking. May be something similar nearer to you?

[mazarineblue]

Head on over to Chamonix? Loads of activities such as luge,VTT biking from top of cable car runs (Col De Charmillon would be good for everyone), ski-lifts, glaciers and plenty of shops/pottering type stuff for non sporty types. We have a similar spread of family interests to you and it's worked for us-about an hour's drive from you...

[Enidblyton1]

We spend lots of time in the Alps (nearer to Annecy) - such a great place to go on holiday :-)
I'm afraid it isn't the kind of place to go to if you like cities/museums!! There are so many fun things to do that don't involve being 'sporty' so I think if you look around (tourist office/resort website) you'll be able to find outdoors/mountain activities that everyone will enjoy. Swimming pools, lakes, walking, go karting, local market.
Geneva is fine for a day trip, but you're really not that close to the city centre (approx 1hr 20 by car) and it would be a shame to spend a couple of hours a day in the car going there and back too often when there will be so much to do around Chatel. A pp mentioned about not driving to Geneva. The road system can be a bit confusing, but we've never had a problem driving there. Just head to the lake and park in the underground car park near the Jet D'eau.
Not easy to balance activities on a trip with varying ages, but it does sound a bit extreme do you to do so much with your DS without the others. Can they not be persuaded to join in with any of it?
In your situation I would probably aim to spend at least 2/3 days at the lake - must be something for everyone there.

[INeedAnEspresso]

I will get the train

[MaryMargaret]

Ah, well that doesn't sound so bad. But try to balance it a bit more still?

And you've gotta go on that train. You have to

[LIZS]

There is a factory outlet centre at Villeneuve on the end on lake Geneva, near Montreux, if they fancy designer shopping.

[INeedAnEspresso]

The activities are not all day so we were always going to do stuff together.

[Smurfit]

Rock climbing could be an early morning and back by mid day ready to do something as a family in the afternoon, same with the mountain biking and kayaking.

In saying this. it would be a good compromise to cut down on at least one of the activities to replace it with another full day family outing.

[MaryMargaret]

"I think my wife could and should do one of the activities". Well, do you now Maybe she thinks you could and should drop one of yours. God, you sound exhausting. I'm the 'lets go and do something' one in my family but I don#'t tell my OH he 'could and should' do something he dislikes the sound of unless it was for the benefit of the whole of the rest of the party and he was being very selfish.

Anyhow I wanted to remember that train - it was
Rochers-de-Naye Train
The cogwheel railway climbs up through meadows to the Marmot paradise and a botanical alpine garden. The rocky viewpoint at 2,042m/6699ft offers unforgettable panoramic views year-round.
Where: Montreux to Rochers-de-Naye

So you could add that to the list! Not too far to Montreux I don't think. Oh, and yes, you could - err . chill a bit? Maybe "some" people int he family found the last holiday a bit boring but "some" of the party actually quite liked it??

[Ameliablue]

And what will the other children do? Presumably if she thought she was going to be able to just relax at the poolside she wouldn't be saying you are being unfair spending so much time with do.

[INeedAnEspresso]

That's why I started the thread, I want to please everyone as much as possible.

[CakeNinja]

We've had a similar conversation in our family.
Dp wanted to book 5 day/half day trips with the dds over the course of our holiday which to be entirely fair, I have no interest in and they will love, but I'm a bit sulky as it means I'm doing the brunt work with Ds - I'm a SAHM, my last 4 years have been spent doing the brunt work with Ds!!
I'm actually just being a bit stubborn, Ds is great fun and good company, not remotely hard work, but we will be quite limited as to what we can do when they are off on their jollies!

Your trip does sound quite micromanaged and very leaning in favour of you and your priorities! When you say your wife should do one of the activities, what does she respond with?

[MaryMargaret]

Yes you definitely have to share yourself out a bit more fairly - this looks like a very selfish division of your attention to the one child who likes doing what you like doing, leaving the only other adult with the other 4 a lot of the time. I'd definitely be pissed off - this would not be happening and neither would my DH think to suggest it!. The holiday is for everyone, so everyone has to do something they like more and something they like less - including you! Scolding over

I think you should ditch the rock climbing - you can easily do that in the UK so if you & DS1 like doing these sporty things so much you could maybe go for a weekend together another time (with due compensation for the others of course!). ditto windsurfing or whatever.

One thing I did from Geneva (or possibly Lausanne or Vevey its 30 yrs ago) was to catch an AMAZING rack and pinion train right up to the top of a mountain. Somewhere on the north shore. Can't remember any names but boy do I remember the views!

Annecy is very pretty, don't know what the poublic transport is like between Geneva & Annecy but I did cycle between to two over the mont Saleve so maybe you could take the bikers in the party and meet up at the other end? (road might be a bit busier now though, this was in March, and in about 1985!)

Also if the weather's nice, the lakes have beaches and maybe you could do a sedater sort of water sport that the other kids could join in on, not a full on day windsurfing, maybe paddle boards or little kayaks or something that people can have a quick go on and then you can all have a picnic together.

[VagueButlmportant]

Is your wife going to manage to read by the pool with four bored children bugging her while you are off with just one child for four days of your holiday?

[INeedAnEspresso]

My wife is quite happy to read by the pool. I was joking about the zip lining but she could do the water sports or kayaking.

Thanks for that LIZ

[LIZS]

info.chatel.com/the-buses-and-shuttles.html

Looks like there is local transport and plenty to do locally. Can't you just take it day by day? Visit the tourist office and see what takes everyone's fancy.

[Ameliablue]

What is everyone else doing while you and do are doing activities?

[Notso]

I think you are being selfish. It doesn't seem like much fun for your wife.