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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Suddenly we need to book two rooms as DS is 13?

234 replies

deltapips · 19/03/2023 12:15

I was browsing booking.com earlier for May half term breaks. My eldest is now 13 so the options that came up defaulted to two rooms rather than one which obviously doubles the price, argh!
There's a hotel in Dorset that we've been to twice. The first time our room had a double bed and bunk bed. The second time we were allocated a two bedroom apartment with a double bed and two singles. Both perfectly adequate for my family now. But I can't book that now.
I know I call them directly but I'm not sure I'd get the "free cancellation" option that I really like.
AIBU to be annoyed or should I just suck it up?

OP posts:
Doesthepopeshitinthewoods · 19/03/2023 14:50

FairIce · 19/03/2023 14:26

Could it be that the family size rooms are full on your dates?
I can't believe the dishonesty of lying about children's ages.
I've booked a family room for 4 adults when DC were late teens for one night before flight near airport.

You’re outraged about the ‘dishonesty’? 😆😆😆

Mirabai · 19/03/2023 14:51

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/03/2023 14:39

My parents would never have let me behave like that 😬

It was their money and their annual leave, and their choice where we went on holiday. I didn't get a say and I certainly didn't get to refuse on the basis that there was no room to bring a friend, lol.

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What you mean is you couldn’t stand up to them.

Their money, their holiday, they can do whatever they like, but they can’t force other people to like the same things.

At 15, I was mature and independent. I wasn’t some doormat who just did what their parents told them to because they didn’t have the capacity to express their views. What’s the point of going on a holiday you won’t enjoy just because you don’t have the strength to say “this isn’t my kind of fun?“

There are way too many women who cannot stand up to their parents (even as adults) or their husbands.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 19/03/2023 14:53

Mirabai · 19/03/2023 13:06

No way would I have shared a room with my parents at 13. I’d rather not go if I couldn’t have my own space. My and my siblings used to share.

So you stropped and ensured that your parents paid double for your free holiday or they didn’t get to go away themselves? Selfish spoilt attitude.

lowkeywhy12 · 19/03/2023 14:55

Say he’s 12!

Floppyelf · 19/03/2023 15:00

Plenty of cultures share a room. Its not weird. But make sure the kid is okay with it. If its somewhere like premier inn, you can probably get away with it.

Mirabai · 19/03/2023 15:02

CurlyhairedAssassin · 19/03/2023 14:53

So you stropped and ensured that your parents paid double for your free holiday or they didn’t get to go away themselves? Selfish spoilt attitude.

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Complete invention to be goady.

Amazingly enough my parents wanted their own space and were aware their kids like their own space too. Even when we camped the kids had their own tent.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/03/2023 15:04

Mirabai · 19/03/2023 14:51

What you mean is you couldn’t stand up to them.

Their money, their holiday, they can do whatever they like, but they can’t force other people to like the same things.

At 15, I was mature and independent. I wasn’t some doormat who just did what their parents told them to because they didn’t have the capacity to express their views. What’s the point of going on a holiday you won’t enjoy just because you don’t have the strength to say “this isn’t my kind of fun?“

There are way too many women who cannot stand up to their parents (even as adults) or their husbands.

Show quote history

No, I just wasn't a complete brat Wink

CurlyhairedAssassin · 19/03/2023 15:09

Mirabai · 19/03/2023 14:29

What sensible parent would book and pay for a holiday without discussing it with their teens?

I refused to go on the canal du midi with my parents when I was 15. They originally discussed it with me and I said I would only go if I could take a friend. So they said fine but they booked a boat with no room for friend so I said I wouldn’t go. My sister a took a friend instead. And she and her friend had to do all the locks from Toulouse and Béziers. I dodged a bullet.

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Sounds like you missed out on a fun trip to me, those locks can be a bit of a laugh. “Dodged a bullet” makes it sound like you would have been a miserable grumpy teen to spend time with anyway, so maybe it was best all round that you didn’t go.

Mirabai · 19/03/2023 15:11

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/03/2023 15:04

No, I just wasn't a complete brat Wink

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Of course you were - a brat and a doormat.

FlounderingFruitcake · 19/03/2023 15:14

This thread is weird, I wouldn’t stay somewhere that means sharing a bedroom with the kids, except in an absolute emergency like the flight has been cancelled and it’s that or the airport floor. And mine are only 2 and 5!! Surely I can’t be the only one??

Alwayswonderedwhy · 19/03/2023 15:14

Laughing at people who think it's wrong for siblings to share a room. Three teens here so they share or we don't go away. Non issue.

Mirabai · 19/03/2023 15:16

CurlyhairedAssassin · 19/03/2023 15:09

Sounds like you missed out on a fun trip to me, those locks can be a bit of a laugh. “Dodged a bullet” makes it sound like you would have been a miserable grumpy teen to spend time with anyway, so maybe it was best all round that you didn’t go.

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Canal boats were not my idea of fun when I was 15 or now for that matter. My sister and her friend enjoyed it as they were much younger, as did our parents. I went on holiday to Crete with friends. Everyone was happy.

lieselotte · 19/03/2023 15:19

Kitcaterpillar · 19/03/2023 12:37

I shared in with my parents until I left for uni - especially in the US where most rooms have two double beds. It's never actually occurred to me that this isn't what everyone does!

Yes until my son was about 17 he used to share with us too. It depended on length of stay and where we were, sometimes he had his own room, sometimes we managed to get a suite with a Iiving area, so he had his own space and sometimes he just had to lump it and share with us! Yes he preferred his own space but he was also sensible enough to realise that we weren't going to waste money on a second room if we were only somewhere for one or two nights.

As for the age 13 thing I'd just lie. I had the advantage that my ds was quite small for his age so nobody ever challenged us. I guess if you have a 14 year old who's 6 foot tall it's less easy!

lieselotte · 19/03/2023 15:20

FlounderingFruitcake · 19/03/2023 15:14

This thread is weird, I wouldn’t stay somewhere that means sharing a bedroom with the kids, except in an absolute emergency like the flight has been cancelled and it’s that or the airport floor. And mine are only 2 and 5!! Surely I can’t be the only one??

I don't know if I've misunderstood your post, but I can't see how a 2 and 5 year old can be in a room on their own.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/03/2023 15:20

@Mirabai how on earth is it bratty to accept the lovely holidays your parents pay for without having a strop and refusing to go? 😂

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 19/03/2023 15:21

FlounderingFruitcake · 19/03/2023 15:14

This thread is weird, I wouldn’t stay somewhere that means sharing a bedroom with the kids, except in an absolute emergency like the flight has been cancelled and it’s that or the airport floor. And mine are only 2 and 5!! Surely I can’t be the only one??

So you'd put a 5 and a 2yo in a room by themselves? Confused

DuckbilledSplatterPuff · 19/03/2023 15:21

Poppins2016 · 19/03/2023 12:21

You can usually book direct and still use the free cancellation option - it's much more common for hotels to offer a free cancellation option these days.

It's also a good idea to check the hotel pricing after you've searched/established availability by going direct to their website, it's often a little less that quoted on partner websites.

This and if you speak to them, they will probably try to accommodate you, rather than keep getting "computer says no". Good luck and hope you have a nice holiday

FUPAgirl · 19/03/2023 15:22

To those saying it is dishonest etc.... why should booking.com get to decide that the op isn't allowed to use all the beds in a room that she is paying for, based on the age of the DC? As an adult, I have shared a room with friends before to save money - how is that different? The person paying for a room should get to decide who gets to sleep in the beds that they are paying for. Its not like OP is trying to sneak the teen into a double bed with her and her DH ffs.

FUPAgirl · 19/03/2023 15:23

FlounderingFruitcake · 19/03/2023 15:14

This thread is weird, I wouldn’t stay somewhere that means sharing a bedroom with the kids, except in an absolute emergency like the flight has been cancelled and it’s that or the airport floor. And mine are only 2 and 5!! Surely I can’t be the only one??

That is actually really sad!

GiraffeLaSophie · 19/03/2023 15:25

Mirabai · 19/03/2023 14:19

There are always cheaper options available. Cheaper hotel, bnb, glamping etc.

At 18 you and your sister could have earned your own money for your own holiday.

It wouldn’t even cross my mind to share a room with a parent at 18. Not really a holiday, lovely though my parents are.

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Well there’s potentially a cheaper (and likely nowhere near as nice, if it’s half the price) hotel, if you’re not already staying in a cheap hotel because that’s all you can afford, yes. Camping is worse for space/privacy unless you’re in separate tents which I’m not sure is very sensible and probably wouldn’t be very popular with lots of people. I don’t think my early teenage step daughter would be very happy sleeping in a tent by herself in a public campsite.

Well I could have done, although I was at university at that point so it would have taken a very long time for me to save enough from my part time job to go on an equivalent holiday. My sister was 13 at this point, so she couldn’t have done.

If I was working full time and earning my own money then I’d probably still have suggested sharing a room and spent the extra money on something else. We only use hotel rooms for sleeping in on holiday so it really doesn’t bother me, and if someone else is paying for me then I’m just grateful for what I’m offered!

Doesthepopeshitinthewoods · 19/03/2023 15:26

FUPAgirl · 19/03/2023 15:23

That is actually really sad!

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Why is it?! Everyone sleeps better. I put my baby in another room at three months because he was such a snuggly little pig sleeper that he woke me and I wound up waking him. I had to share a room with him recently and it was awful! He’s so noisy.

Doesthepopeshitinthewoods · 19/03/2023 15:26

Snuffly

FUPAgirl · 19/03/2023 15:28

Doesthepopeshitinthewoods · 19/03/2023 15:26

Why is it?! Everyone sleeps better. I put my baby in another room at three months because he was such a snuggly little pig sleeper that he woke me and I wound up waking him. I had to share a room with him recently and it was awful! He’s so noisy.

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In a hotel?

Original poster
deltapips · 19/03/2023 15:28

FlounderingFruitcake · 19/03/2023 15:14

This thread is weird, I wouldn’t stay somewhere that means sharing a bedroom with the kids, except in an absolute emergency like the flight has been cancelled and it’s that or the airport floor. And mine are only 2 and 5!! Surely I can’t be the only one??

How does that that work when you go to a hotel? Or are you well off enough to be able to stay in a suite?!

OP posts:
Rowgtfc72 · 19/03/2023 15:30

Premier Inns, when booking, treat 15 yr olds as children. 16 yr olds are classed as adults. Dd has just turned 16 and we're unsure whether to keep her in with us or not, she doesn't mind, but at 6ft tall she's difficult to smuggle in as a younger child.