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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Luxury hotel for one night or caravan for a week?

38 replies

SeasonsOfLife · 20/08/2022 23:41

I was just having a little debate on this one.
With my family (dh and 2 dc under 4) I prefer having one or two nights away in a luxury family friendly hotel in the UK rather than a whole week in a caravan. Whereas some of my friends would go for the latter and think I'm weird for only opting for 1 or 2 nights. But I think it's quality not quantity. I'd prefer to pay the same price as a week in a caravan, on a nice hotel with a big bedroom, activities for the children, swimming pool, good food, gardens, etc... to be looked after basically.
Opinions please?

OP posts:
XelaM · 20/08/2022 23:46

Definitely hotel over caravan for me, but 1-2 nights is barely any time to enjoy it. 1 night would just be - you arrive and then have to leave the next morning and two nights would give you one full day to enjoy the resort before packing up again. Doesn't seem worth the journey

PrincessScarlett · 20/08/2022 23:51

I get where you're coming from OP but a night or two in a luxury hotel is wasted on kids. I was surprised to learn that kids absolutely love caravan holidays. And if you stay on a Haven site or similar you have loads of activities on offer to keep everyone busy.

Original poster
SeasonsOfLife · 20/08/2022 23:52

XelaM · 20/08/2022 23:46

Definitely hotel over caravan for me, but 1-2 nights is barely any time to enjoy it. 1 night would just be - you arrive and then have to leave the next morning and two nights would give you one full day to enjoy the resort before packing up again. Doesn't seem worth the journey

True, although in our case we'd only go about 1.5/2 hours max from home anyway as 1 year old dc is awful in the car!
I was looking at a lovely hotel in Bury St Edmunds (1.5 hours away). It's a luxury family hotel but per night, we'd be looking at around £400. However, I'd still prefer to choose one night there thsn a week in a caravan.

OP posts:
Butterflyfluff · 20/08/2022 23:53

Surely there’s a compromise - I wouldn’t enjoy a week in a caravan but 1 night in any hotel is barely worth it these days.

My experience has been that late check in times and early check out times means you pretty much only get a bed to sleep in now if you just stay for 1 night.

Original poster
SeasonsOfLife · 20/08/2022 23:53

This sort of thing... www.ickworthhotel.co.uk/family-friendly-hotel

OP posts:
Fevertree · 20/08/2022 23:55

Definitely a week in a caravan at a site like haven, kids love the entertainment, you can eat in the accommodation so no worrying about manners in restaurants or waiting a long time for food, space to run and play and rest, and a proper break. We like to use it as a screen time detox too

CuriousMama · 20/08/2022 23:55

What about a lodge break? Might get a couple of nights?
Youth hostels are pretty good too and you can get private rooms.

bumbledeedum · 20/08/2022 23:56

I'm 50/50 as I like both but that hotel is just ridiculous. For £400 you could get 2-3 nights in plenty of other nice hotels with a pool etc.

TheChosenTwo · 20/08/2022 23:58

Well our opinions are kind of pointless as we aren’t you!
I’d be more included to do the caravan for a week if the only 2 choices on the table were luxury hotel for a night or maybe 2 or a caravan for a week Purely because your kids would probably have more fun and it’s a ball ache packing anyway so if I’m doing it I’d want it to be worthwhile. Hotels with young kids isn’t really that much fun imo, once they go to bed you’re sort of trapped into silence unless you pay for a suite and have separate bedrooms/front room.

swg1 · 20/08/2022 23:59

It's not about number of nights for me. Sharing a hotel room with my kids means they'll wind each other (and me) up. I'll need to sit in complete darkness and quiet to get them to sleep and I'll still end up snapping at them to SLEEP. Not at all restful.

Caravan (or cottage) means everyone gets their own room, I can adult in the lounge whilst they go to sleep. Perfect.

blibblibs · 21/08/2022 00:02

If it was just me and DH then definitely the luxury hotel for a few nights. But our DC love a caravan holiday, we've done at least one a year since they were tiny and even as teenagers they requested one this year.
Just pay for a nicer van, I make sure they have their own room, a balcony for us and you tend to find the more expensive ones are further from the club house and have better views.

swg1 · 21/08/2022 00:06

Wait wait.

Baby monitoring and babysitting Enjoy a grown-up dinner date by taking advantage of our complimentary baby monitoring. This system allows you to personally monitor your child from anywhere in the main hotel on a handheld device. Simply request the service from Reception and they will provide you with the equipment you need along with details on how to use the system. Please note that a deposit of £150 will be added to your room until the device is returned to Reception. This service is not available in The Lodge, however, we can organise a babysitter – often our own Den team. Please contact our Reception team to book.

This super-expensive hotel is offering me.. a fancy baby monitor so I can pretend I'm not leaving my under 8s alone in my room whilst I'm elsewhere in the hotel? Ahahaha. Hell no. I consider myself a pretty relaxed parent but the "And if there was a fire alarm then what?" here is not even worth thinking about.

Original poster
SeasonsOfLife · 21/08/2022 00:06

TheChosenTwo · 20/08/2022 23:58

Well our opinions are kind of pointless as we aren’t you!
I’d be more included to do the caravan for a week if the only 2 choices on the table were luxury hotel for a night or maybe 2 or a caravan for a week Purely because your kids would probably have more fun and it’s a ball ache packing anyway so if I’m doing it I’d want it to be worthwhile. Hotels with young kids isn’t really that much fun imo, once they go to bed you’re sort of trapped into silence unless you pay for a suite and have separate bedrooms/front room.

I'd definitely opt for a suite if I could for that very reason.

OP posts:
GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 21/08/2022 00:08

With 2 under 4s caravan will be much for fun. Go to one with entertainment and a pool and it will be great. A posh hotel with tiny kids you will be on edge the whole time and won't enjoy it.

Original poster
SeasonsOfLife · 21/08/2022 00:08

swg1 · 21/08/2022 00:06

Wait wait.

Baby monitoring and babysitting Enjoy a grown-up dinner date by taking advantage of our complimentary baby monitoring. This system allows you to personally monitor your child from anywhere in the main hotel on a handheld device. Simply request the service from Reception and they will provide you with the equipment you need along with details on how to use the system. Please note that a deposit of £150 will be added to your room until the device is returned to Reception. This service is not available in The Lodge, however, we can organise a babysitter – often our own Den team. Please contact our Reception team to book.

This super-expensive hotel is offering me.. a fancy baby monitor so I can pretend I'm not leaving my under 8s alone in my room whilst I'm elsewhere in the hotel? Ahahaha. Hell no. I consider myself a pretty relaxed parent but the "And if there was a fire alarm then what?" here is not even worth thinking about.

@swg1 yes, that bit didn't convince me either I have to say. Not keen on that idea and wouldn't do it. Buy the rest of it I like the sound of.

OP posts:
TypeMite · 21/08/2022 00:09

I'd rather die than stay in a caravan so definitely the hotel!

Quality over quantity

CuriousMama · 21/08/2022 00:11

TypeMite · 21/08/2022 00:09

I'd rather die than stay in a caravan so definitely the hotel!

Quality over quantity

Bit extreme

swg1 · 21/08/2022 00:12

I would be really hesitant about taking other services from a hotel that thought that was okay tbh. Like that is a big enough difference in "what is safe" from my opinion that I wouldn't want to leave my kids with them unsupervised by me because I'd struggle to trust them.

You will find other child-friendly holidays - it doesn't have to be a caravan or nothing. I'm typing this from an amazing cottage right now and I have zero regrets on my holiday choice. But honestly I'd give this one a swerve for safety reasons.

Original poster
SeasonsOfLife · 21/08/2022 00:15

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 21/08/2022 00:08

With 2 under 4s caravan will be much for fun. Go to one with entertainment and a pool and it will be great. A posh hotel with tiny kids you will be on edge the whole time and won't enjoy it.

@GhoulWithADragonTattoo maybe one day we'll try it. We have done 2 short breaks in hotels as a family of 4 which were good. But I purposely chose big family friendly places with a swimming pool, games room and acres of gardens. I suppose I just imagine caravans being restrictive.

OP posts:
HeddaGarbled · 21/08/2022 00:15

It would be selfish to spaff the family holiday budget on one night in a posh hotel. That’s not what the children would get much out of and you know it. Fine before you have children, fine when they’re off your hands, not fine when planning a family holiday.

Antarcticant · 21/08/2022 00:17

Caravan, but I'd choose that even if they cost the same.

Creepymanonagoatfarm · 21/08/2022 00:18

I am sure the guests in a hotel would prefer you went to a caravan..

Original poster
SeasonsOfLife · 21/08/2022 00:21

swg1 · 21/08/2022 00:12

I would be really hesitant about taking other services from a hotel that thought that was okay tbh. Like that is a big enough difference in "what is safe" from my opinion that I wouldn't want to leave my kids with them unsupervised by me because I'd struggle to trust them.

You will find other child-friendly holidays - it doesn't have to be a caravan or nothing. I'm typing this from an amazing cottage right now and I have zero regrets on my holiday choice. But honestly I'd give this one a swerve for safety reasons.

@swswg1 totally agree with you regarding safety and I'd feel the same.

Love the idea of a holiday cottage. However my 3yo ds has potentially got adhd (awaiting assessment) and can be impulsively destructive or like a bull in a china shop and dd is only 1 and is into grabbing everything! I would be on edge the whole time that they'd destroy the place. So again, maybe when they're a bit older.

OP posts:
Original poster
SeasonsOfLife · 21/08/2022 00:22

Creepymanonagoatfarm · 21/08/2022 00:18

I am sure the guests in a hotel would prefer you went to a caravan..

Thanks for that 😬

OP posts:
swg1 · 21/08/2022 00:23

SeasonsOfLife · 21/08/2022 00:15

@GhoulWithADragonTattoo maybe one day we'll try it. We have done 2 short breaks in hotels as a family of 4 which were good. But I purposely chose big family friendly places with a swimming pool, games room and acres of gardens. I suppose I just imagine caravans being restrictive.

Show quote history

So for around the same price as a night you can get something like this for a week:

www.countrycottagesonline.com/england/devon/combe-martin/the-linhay-at-wheel-farm-cottages-cc-3737.html

(I have not stayed here, it's just the top option on a quick search for places with pools)

I would hands down prefer that tbh. Not because of price. There would be more space for us to spread out in, less people to share the pool with. We could eat out - just because you're not in a hotel doesn't mean there aren't nice places to eat nearby. And I've stayed in a lot of hotels with work - even the nice ones don't have particularly thick walls. A family friendly one sounds like paying to listen to someone else's baby scream all night.