AIBU to be cheesed off with shrieking kids on holiday?

[AnnoyedOnHoliday]

Recently my DP took me on an amazing surprise holiday for my birthday a few weeks ago, 4 nights in a beautiful 5 star hotel - definitely a big treat and really outside of our normal budget so obviously wanted to enjoy it to the absolutely maximum. Hotel was absolutely beautiful and facilities/staff were pretty faultless.

I don't want to say it was ruined but definitely marred by the amount of unruly children. The main pool of the hotel had two pool - a smaller shallow one for kids and another larger one bit more suitable for being able to get a proper swim in. Everyday the main pool as well as the kids one was taken over by kids shrieking in rubber rings, splashing and jumping as well as just being smack bang in the centre of the pool so hard to swim. The area was basically taken over by the constant noise of shouting, screaming, crying and small children sprinting into your sun lounger every two seconds. I found it really hard to concentrate on unwinding and couldn't concentrate on reading my book as so noisy and chaotic and obviously found using the pool for swimming quite annoying also.

The hotel was very much in the countryside so we ate the really great hotel restaurant quite a few breakfasts, lunches and 2 dinners. Every single time, early in the morning, late at night children were sprinting up and down the dining room, running into waiters, more of that shrieking again. More examples but you get the idea.

It seemed to be happening in many different families and every single time I'd look over and they'd be just ignoring their kids or encouraging them to run around so they could have drinks/eat their meal without having to deal with them and 9 times out of 10, I'd never see them being reprimanded for being disruptive.

I get that looking after small children is full on and stressful (I'm really not talking about kids crying/distressed as I know that cannot be helped - referencing the running around shrieking behaviour) but AIBU to think to think it's a bit out of order to just zone out and let everyone have their meals and relaxing time ruined because you're in 'holiday mode' and want some time off parenting?

It just felt a bit jarring that we'd paid to be on holiday too and were basically having to endure everyone else kids.

I think maybe you have an old fashioned attitude about the kind of places that families book. Families book naice hotels too. As others have said, if you don't want kids around book adults only.

However, maybe you should book next time rather than your husband because, if your description is accurate, his choice sounds quite horrible - much worse than any family hotels we have ever stayed at including the AIs with waterparks etc which often result in - shall we say - "exuberant" clientele. So maybe his taste is a bit off too.

YADNBU. Shitty parenting is rife. So many parents have abdicated responsiblity for teaching their children how to be capable and considerate members of society. Selfishness and entitlement rule the day. It's narcissism run amok. It doesn't help that the wee brats are off their faces on drugs ie. sugar and UPF's every waking moment, and their supposed parents don't take responsibility for that either.

Where are people going with all these shrieking kids in restaurants? I never see it.

Kids are supposed to shriek, shout and be daft in the pool in the holidays though.

You chose the wrong hotel.

There's a difference between children playing and having fun, and screaming and shrieking constantly disturbing others.

I totally feel your pain, so you are NBU to find it totally annoying. But that is why when I am going on holiday without children, I always book an adult only resort, or one which has an adult only pool. If you go on holiday to a family friendly hotel (especially during the summer hols) then you are def being unreasonable to be shocked that the pool area will be full of noisy children.

I'll take kids shrieking over them using noisy electronic gadgets any day

WE'RE ALL DOOMED!

Me too.

It’s only British kids I find that are so horribly behaved. Anyone have any ideas why?

Not in my experience. You get badly behaved kids everywhere. I had a French brat who was old enough to know better, behave like a horror at a show, then sneeze directly in my face and neither he or his Mother, apologised. And I had the misfortune to be in Jersey at the same time as a troop of French school children and they were feral to put it mildly.

The kids in my street use the road as a playground. Kids as young as 5/6 riding around the road and playing football on garage roofs until after 9pm. Their parents don't give shit. We have the house up for sale but I fear it will be the same wherever we move to, I definitely think behaviour has gotten worse since the lockdowns. Even my local shopping centre seems to have become a playground, kids literally rolling around the floor and their parents ignoring it.

Drunken groups of adults can be equally annoying - and don't get me started on the sea gulls

I'll take kids shrieking over them using noisy electronic gadgets any day

It doesn't have to be one extreme to the other.

*I think maybe you have an old fashioned attitude about the kind of places that families book. Families book naice hotels too. As others have said, if you don't want kids around book adults only.

However, maybe you should book next time rather than your husband because, if your description is accurate, his choice sounds quite horrible - much worse than any family hotels we have ever stayed at including the AIs with waterparks etc which often result in - shall we say - "exuberant" clientele. So maybe his*

Yes I got a whiff of this.

Especially after the snarky replies.

Kids go to 5 Star Places too. Especially in the school holidays.

There are tonne of adult only hotels, and if you don't have kids, why not go during term time? Seems madness to me to pay peak school summer holiday prices and expect there to be no kids in the pool.

Marblesthecat, isn't it nice that your street is safe enough for kids to play out

Drunken groups of adults can be equally annoying

Well obviously but this thread is specifically about annoying kids and the existence of other possible annoyances doesn't make it any better.

WE'RE ALL DOOMED!

This!!!!! Kids these days😂😂😂😂

Allplayedout, this thread is about annoying noises on holiday - it's a public forum

No, it's not nice. I shouldn't have to wear earplugs to read a book and they shouldn't be letting their kids play on the road and on roofs. And whilst the road isn't busy, we do get cars. They are shitty parents.

There's a difference between children playing and having fun, and screaming and shrieking constantly disturbing others.

I know that . 😁

And I wouldn't be sat around a pool, in high summer, at a family friendly hotel to find that out.

Why didn’t you book an adults only hotel ? Tired of these post about entitled adults ! The world has children , they are actually part of society and need to behave as children , while they are in fact children !

It's about shrieking unruly children in a hotel. Which isn't (or shouldn't be 🙄) acceptable.
'Family friendly' or not.

Kids are supposed to shriek

Seriously?

It's about shrieking unruly children in a hotel. Which isn't (or shouldn't be 🙄) acceptable.
'Family friendly' or not.

Don't agree.

It's about expectations.

This is why I dislike hotels. Next time get a s/c villa with your own pool and a chef/eat out.