To think I can make two days by the seaside as good as two weeks abroad?

[Toothiehurtie]

For a variety of reasons we can’t go away this year and we haven’t been away for the last two years mainly because covid but other reasons too. We have a friendship circle where everyone else has been away at least twice and just heading into talking about everyone’s summer holidays. We can do two days by the seaside but I’m thinking if we throw money at it and try and find a nice hotel with a pool and just let the Kids have as much ice cream and fish and chips etc. Wondering if you fantastic people can think of anything inventive to make it seem extra exciting. We are going to get up very early to go and I’m going to make the kids a pack like you get on a plane.m, and make hotel welcome basket etc but trying to think outside of the box.

If you are considering the abroad theme park go to Parc Asterix instead of Disneyland Paris.

We did 3 nights away at a nice seaside hotel at Easter and my kids had an absolute blast. After so long going nowhere, staying in a hotel was hugely exciting for them! They simply loved the hotel bedroom and the hotel buffet breakfast!! As it was only a short holiday we had a bit of a ‘yes to everything attitude’. - yes you can go in the pool again, yes you can stay up late and watch TV, yes you can have another ice cream, yes you can spend your holiday money on plastic tat. We packed loads In while we were there, and visited the local attractions and had a surf lesson and watched the sunset from the beachside restaurant. We’d had a fair bit of build up to the trip, and bought new pjs and swimsuits, so the kids were hugely excited on the journey, and luckily the weather was fab and the hotel was too.

If money isn't a hindrance, how far from Gatwick are you?

How about a easyJet early flight out 07.30 and back the following night to Mallorca 4 flights a day at the moment. hotel near Palma your there by mid morning right by the beach.

for work I have travelled there for the day early flight out early evening back.

mainland Spain is accessible for 2 days.

If uk only, then what about Cornwall way, Newquay for some urging lessons?

How about a air BnB on a boat

plenty of places to go, but ask kids what they might like

absolutely you can, if you are able to wait fairly late to pick great weather plus go to a well-equipped beach! Nothing better than playing at the beach

PPs are right in saying that the experiences are better- extend the holiday at another time of year. Maybe? Who cares about a plane trip?! At some point your kids will travel on a plane and find it just as dull as it really is after no time at all 😁

Could you stretch to 5 days instead for your seaside break?

If you live near London (best choice of flights) you could come to Jersey OP. Excitement of a flight but only 35 minutes so not much wasted time, hopefully a bit warmer weather, 'different' money so a bit like going abroad, beach, castles, museums, a zoo, kids adventure park, boat trips, hotels with indoor/outdoor pools & evening entertainment - I recommend the Merton for kids.

It might feel a bit more 'abroad' than just driving to the coast.

Just to add you can fly here from loads of places but some airports only have one flight a day so you'd cut your time in half if it was evening out and morning back. Both LGW & LHR have 3 or 4 a day in each direction.

I definitely second what a PP said about doing something different. Last year I took the kids glamping for a couple of days. We had never been before and luckily the weather was amazing. It had its own compost toilet which was a highlight! And outdoor shower (enclosed). We had to bbq our meal on every night and have a campfire. It was really amazing and so memorable.

Another fun thing is treasure trails. They are all over the country so you can see if there is one local to where you're going, maybe as a back up if weather not great. I'd definitely look at some options if the forecast is not looking good (hopefully you could book the week before), such as visiting llamas/ other animals, anything they haven't done before.

I imagine this is the kind of thing OP means - things you just wouldn’t get round to doing on an average day out that make it feel special, my kids would love that. Maybe book a ‘nicer than normal’ restaurant for one evening, get dressed up and make sure you get someone to take a photo of you all. I think a little bit of planning really can make all the difference, you’ll have a great time.

You can definitely have a great short seaside break. We did a weekend on the Jurassic Coast recently. Fossil hunting, the Sealife Centre, a fort, picnics, meals out, hotel breakfasts. It was really good, even for the adults and our daughter loved it.

We have just come back from 2 days at the beach on a Gower holiday. Stayed in Swansea at a decent hotel, so we had the city for our one rainy evening. (There is a decent leisure centre pool for bad weather fun to)

Spent a day split between mumbles and 3 cliffs Bay and another at Port Eynon and Rhossili. A-MAY-ZING.

I would do a haven or butlins etc site near a beach. Loads for the kids to do, good swimming pools, activities etc.
We went to one fairly local to us at the beginning of May and they had done a lot of updating and upgrading since our last visit 3 years ago and we all really enjoyed it (with a 14 and 11 year old!)

When the kids were under 10 we stayed at Ickworth - not by the sea but they have other locations that might be. www.ickworthhotel.co.uk/

Lake District gyroplane flights was fantastic for something memorable. There’s also body boarding and lots to do in the area

If you have commitments where you can't always do things together, take any opportunity to take your kids out by yourself for exciting day trips or a single overnight stay in a hotel. Something I have done throughout my DCs life and as grown ups they remember and enjoy doing a variety of trips themselves now.

Eg train journey York/Bath/Edinburgh/London. So exciting for kids and loads to do. Get up early and go on a day trip to a beach/lake on a sunny day. There's literally hundreds of options.

A day spent on the beach will be a memory to treasure. I bet in years to come they will talk about that but will have forgotten that is was only for 1 day. Children don't need theme parks and tat, they need time and space to play.

I would agree with the poster above suggesting day trips. They're a lot of fun.
I wouldn't fly anywhere for such a short break - all you need is some kind of delay, then that idea is scuppered.

My kids love seaside holidays. They love any kind of holiday and I think you can make 2 days memorable. Things mine would love are BBQ on the beach in the evening, or going out for a meal where they can dress up in the evening, maybe go and see a show? Breakfast buffet, they love a Premiere Inn. Sone sort of fun activity like surfing, SUP. Also crazy golf, arcades to collect a million tickets that you can trade in for one lollipop, crabbing off a pier, going on a boat trip, fossil hunting, local museums, fish and chips, coast path walk, ice creams, sliding down sand dunes. Stock up on some new sticker books, colouring, easy craft and board games in case of wet weather. Then you can camp out in cafes and drink hot chocolate with marshmallows, play games, go to the cinema etc instead.

Which part of the UK are you planning on?

I think it sounds great. Personally for the car I’d buy them a new reading book and a puzzle book.

We would create an Amazon playlist to cover the journey and label it seaside 2022. Id get them to add songs between now and then. Then you can listen again in the future.

Id be tempted to set up one of those apps to create a photo book straight after the holiday as a gift for each of them.

Agree with doing something like Disneyland Paris - the hotel within the grounds if you can throw money at it.

Some of our best times away have been short getaways...they've always felt so much longer than they actually were. We stay in a premier inn/travel lodge and then eat out. Our best one was when the kids were smaller and we did a day in London and then a day in LEGOLAND.

A couple of days at the beach could be amazing but I would be choosing a beach near other options in case it chucked it down.

Enjoy...any time away is better than none 😊

I'd make two suggestions.

1. Get yourself a good beach tent. We got one like this last summer and it's been great, up and down in a couple of minutes and easy to carry. We took it on it's first outing of the summer recently. 😊🌞

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313879307082?hash=item4914aa234a:g:htwAAOSwuEVihwGc&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA4CBIpJMiRjucfXD1n%2BFNErC4EfgROQvKgn5iY7p9Z1VNieYOB6axLKu353ZYdeiUlNkkWvQsY7pZDkdTpeaP8izD2Et4T3nWsAoOyzcKfFQeEi3hDQvkEvlsLT7a64gdTJwMMBnpQ2QLSRYqfC4WlT4MCpPkW%2B6leIlibSqZaxYGNsfSsncuvf2rneTifi73xAiB2Vl7Dwl%2FmBcw4oHijHEMxh8REvESOE2mTgcKWMdJmqAOIgvu1NOhQzQnHepOueryJe5H2MgTu4hAHlL5bdh4eFyjhpAaasOfOeSoJ%2BB8%7Ctkp%3ABFBMjtyv-p1g

2. Order yourselves some nice plates of sandwiches, cake etc from a supermarket local to the beach to have a really nice picnic you haven't had to do yourself.. I find Morrisons are very good - I ordered a small cheeseboard for a house party last summer and it was frankly astonishing value - but Sainsburys also do similar if they are nearer.

Hope you have fun!

6am flight to Amsterdam. Stay at Duinrell, either in their own accommodation or the eurocamp type ones. It’s in the middle of a theme park, has what used to be the biggest water park in Europe (probably not now) and is really close to a most beautiful beach and a 5 minute walk into a lovely village. Get a late night flight home after two nights. Almost three full days of magic.

or
7am flight to Lisbon and late night flight back. You could then get almost three full days at a beach that is really close by.

I’d do something completely different and memorable like camping or glamping. Somewhere where you can do easy trips out to a theme park or beach, or even a place with lots of child friendly options, like York.

Don’t forget a lot of hotels don’t do book in until after lunch. No good getting up at the crack of dawn then finding you are stuck in the car waiting for your room to be available!