To still want luxury holidays with a young child

[Hadenough1234567]

DH and I have become used to holidaying in 5 star hotels. Usually Jet2 indulgent escape type places as an indication. We now have a 16 month old. We’ve been to Greece and long haul holidays with DD.

We still want to have high end holidays but need to tailor them a bit.

We like hotel facilities and our own outdoor space with sun beds. We like to be at the beachfront and avoid high rise hotels. (This is why we like the Greek islands) We like a good sized room, a junior suite at least but ideally a separate living area and bedroom.

We’d like places that tick these boxes but possibly aren’t aimed at families, so the place isn’t necessarily over run with kids.

All inclusive is preferred because we like breakfast and lunch buffets - ideal for DD. We still like high standard food and drinks, some all inclusive can be a bit questionable quality.

We like a bit of room service too.

Any tips?

We have a decent budget - about £10K for 10 nights but a bit of flexibility here.

All sounds fine to me - it's a lovely age to travel. The only thing I'd say if you are probably limiting yourself unnecessarily by insisting on AI. All over the med, and definitely anywhere Greek, kids are so welcome in restaurants. They will have high chairs, they will be able to do small portions of the regular menu, or give you an extra plate to share your meal, or make fish fingers and chips and will be absolutely delighted to see you and DD. Most hotels have a buffet for breakfast (I agree that's easiest) but for lunch a local restaurant will easily meet your needs and that opens up a whole load of (non-AI) hotels for you to consider.

Sensatori resorts would tick your boxes well. Several in the Canaries and Mediterranean.

Thanks - something to think about. Re the buffet, we tend to go on holiday to chill and make life as easy as possible so we wander down to the hotel restaurant. At the buffet we can grab a main easily for DD, with veg or salad bits, no ordering or waiting. Then yoghurt/fruit. She eats dinner at 5pm so we ask staff to make up a takeaway box with bits from the buffet that’ll keep for her, for dinner. So the lunch buffet covers lunch and dinner. We then do bedtime routine and have her asleep about 7, put her in her pram and go to dinner. She usually sleeps through until we put her down when we head back to the room.

I give to charity but won’t be doing that, thank you. None of your business how I spend my money.

Absolutely not to someone taking my child. She is with us at all times. Who said otherwise?

We relax at naptimes, or when she’s asleep in the evenings, in her pram, with us.

I think it depends. Some are adults only while others have child centred things.

We don't do alot of European holidays but if you're interested in Asia you can check out chains like Aman, shangri-la, and anantara. They're not exclusively marketed at families but generally their hotels are well thought out and will have facilities for children. Their service is also very good and staff will be willing to go the extra mile to make you comfortable (e.g. they'll leave stepping stools in the bathroom for your children, they'll give your kids some toys to play with while you're dealing with the check-in). Not AI but they have several restaurants on site.

Usually Jet2 indulgent escape type places....
Well, there's an oxymoron to begin...

This is just a boast post; @Hadenough1234567 has managed to let us know that droppinh ,£10k for 10 nights is ok, and they have a perfect daughter who isn't yet tantrumming, travels sooooo well, and sleeps perfectly. Oh, and you both can have the perfect meal in your perfect villa garden while she does so. And everyone comments on what a perfect traveller she is
Yes, OP, well shared. Place your family in a jar of pickling liquid, you are worth preserving

I LOVE how you don't want a place with kids...except yours, obviously 🙄

Why do you think the other guests have chosen that destination? Because they DON'T want children ruining their adult time!

Don't be that person OP...your kids are only special to you.

Then they should go to adult only places. If you go to a place that allows kids you have no right to be annoyed at kids being there.

Of course it's ok to drop £10k on 10 nights if they can afford it. People can spend their money on whatever they want. You just sound jealous.

Correct. If kids are allowed there, then expect kids.

That said, same goes for OP too. It's a reasonable possibility that there'll be children in any place they're permitted. We've had threads on here before from people who went to places they assumed weren't DC friendly and got a nasty surprise when they arrived.

So in your shoes OP I'd go for the shoulder season, well away from any school holidays too as places often fill up a few days before. I'd go for somewhere with some child facilities, but time it so it'll only be preschoolers.

I don't think OP expects there to be no other children, she just said she wants somewhere that's not overrun.

You haven't bothered reading the thread, have you? OP (and others) have answered this kind of post (and ther've been loads of them) multiple times.

OP isn't taking her child to a hotel that is adults only. Not does she want to take her to a hotel that is specifically marketed at kids and families.
There is a huge range between the two, where children are allowed, but which aren't loud and almost entirely populated by families.

Loads of places OP. Scott Dunn have some great places, used them a lot when DD was young as they have good kids clubs/childcare.

St Regis Majorca was great when she was really little but there are a lot out there.

Perhaps repost in the travel section.

I didn't say it wasn't OK, just pointing out that this is a boast post
I have no reason to envy OP thank you. Very happy with my life, but I refrain from bragging on SM

That's simply OPs budget and she is looking for a luxury hotel. I didn't notice in MN user terms that IKOS resorts shall not be discussed, 3 star Benidorm hotels only.

It's not bragging at all. This is an anonymous forum, OP is asking for recommendations.

Yep I got that from her posts too. Hence I think her idea of shoulder season is a good one.

I honestly don't get why everyone is getting their knickers in a twist over this. I will never book a hotel advertised as "family friendly".

I still remember being on holidays when I was a teen, walking past a family friendly hotel where families were sat around having dinner whilst the chicken dance blared loudly and a DJ forced encouraged people to get up and dance I thought to myself then "never ever ever!!!".

We were staying in a perfectly normal hotel next door, with a large swimming pool and access to a beach, but it wasn't advertised as family friendly. There were young couples, families, elderly couples, groups of friends, all holidaying together in the same hotel, and nobody felt more entitled than anyone else to be there.

It's not family friendly v adult only!!! There are other options!!

Good shout.
We did it when dd was 18 months in school holidays. She did go in the creche but optional. Nice heated pool for kids but very quiet. Low key evening entertainment. Good restaurants awell as the buffet.
We were at the tenerife one. It was much cheaper when we went.

A few observations:

There is a lot of nastiness and foolishness on this thread

There are the posters who say that I shouldn't be taking my child to these luxury places because other people want to enjoy it in peace.

Then there are those who sneer and say that I'm not actually going to luxurious places.

Re the digs about boasting. No - you are wrong. If you want holiday ideas you need to specify a budget. I realise DD is special only to her family and not to others. She's by no means perfect. She IS however a happy, settled child. She DOES travel well. That's not a boast - just a fact. Lots of children are like that and it's not unusual. People do comment that she does well when travelling. I'm not suggesting people queue up to tell us she's wonderful but other guests and people on flights have commented that she's such a happy little thing.

To be clear:

We don't expect child-free. We used to stay in adults only hotels because we wanted to avoid children.

We're now looking for places that attract a varied demographic. Where we've stayed with DD on the three holidays we've had, we've found maybe a handful of families at mealtimes. That's perfectly fine - ideal actually. Other guests have to live with that when staying in a resort that doesn't exclude children. If they can't they should book adults only hotels to ensure that their hotel meets their needs.

What I don't want is a hotel that's entirely populated by families such that mealtimes are like a softplay cafe. I have no obligation to book those sort of places. I don't want a "children's buffet" as DD doesn't need that. She eats what we eat at home. I don't want a hotel with water slides etc as that will attract predominately families which we wouldn't enjoy.

To those saying we shouldn't book certain places so as not to disturb guests - we book the holiday that suits our family. We don't book our holiday, which my husband and I work hard to pay for, based on what it would suit others for us to do for our holidays. Others need to book the holiday that meets their needs - it's their responsibility do that. It's not my responsibility to ensure that I don't take my child to a hotel that would welcome her just in case another guest is displeased. If they can't possibly cope with a handful of children in the hotel then they should book adults only hotels just as we did in the past. There's nothing selfish about that - just the practical reality.

To those saying we won't enjoy places that aren't family resorts - you're definitely wrong and sound quite sheltered. Children at DD's age don't need anything special to entertain them. A pool and a beach and gardens to run around in is perfect. I bet these are the sort of poster who think children eat chicken nuggets and chips.

We do tend to book the shoulder season and tend to go in early June or mid/late September with the exception of the Maldvies which we visited in March. DD was one of a handful of children there and was welcomed with open arms. It was a honeymoon type resort and didn't have child specific facilities but they provided cribs and high chairs and a steriliser. That's all we needed.

To those suggesting we want to fob DD off to anyone who'll take her - definitely not. DD will be with us at all times on holiday. We don't want babysitters or kids clubs. Days are about her - mealtimes, beach, pool, playing etc. Yes it's hard work but we enjoy it. We chill on our outdoor terrace attached to our room while DD naps inside a few feet a way, with eyes on her at all times. (The poster asking about intruders or fires has clearly never seen this sort of set up and I think had in mind that we were several stories down at the main pool rather than a few feet away watching through a glass door) DD goes to bed at 7pm after bathtime at home. We do the same routine and then put her down to sleep at that time and she adapts really well. We then have dinner and maybe a cocktail. If she wakes, she joins us briefly until we finish dinner and we go back to our room. We then settle her and sit out on our terrace with a drink and get to bed at a decent time ready to be up early with DD. Mostly she sleeps through in her pram with some white noise.

Check out the Domes Resorts. They will be the perfect vibe for you. 5 star but kids around and catered for. Private rooms with private pools if you want. I have been to Domes of Elounda in Crete but I think they are all the same vibe. We had a 2.5 year old and 3 month old and it was great. I don't think they are AI but we did half board and then upgraded so we could eat at the different restaurants. And sorry you got a hard time op. I feel exactly the same about holidays.

Call Tots Too for the fancy expensive vibes you're after 🤷‍♀️

I found them when I became a parent and foolishly misunderstood what they meant by "affordable luxury" but sounds like you've got the deep pockets for that!

We used Tots Too when the (now young adult DC) were little (I think 5,7 and 9) for a holiday in the Maldives. They were brilliant at the time and came up with a short list for us. We had too much on our plate to research ourselves then, and were grateful that they recommended a hotel we hadn't heard of. I had a quick check and they are still around, so worth a look for ideas if not the whole package.

I think you maybe need to explore some flexibility if you want a different holiday. We have two children under 3 and love to travel and have done island hopping in Greece one year (long haul with them a different year) and we had a great time.

All inclusive family friendly hotels are our idea of a nightmare though so we tend to book smaller boutique type hotels or apartments as we love having the extra living space once babies are in bed - some have a hot tub on the balcony etc!

We either go out for the day and eat out early enough to get the children back to bed in time or I get them to sleep while my partner gets us a takeaway from a nearby restaurant and we enjoy that on the balcony/terrace with a wine once they’re in bed! We move around a fair bit but being self catering gives you that freedom and our kids have had the most amazing time!