Help a mum out… where to go in the uk (or abroad?!) with a 2.5 year old?!

[Muuuman]

Looking at somewhere to take ds in spring or summer. Don’t know where to start really… is it even worth it at 2.5? Will he get much out of it?! Have a reasonable budget but don’t want to spend for the sake of it! I thought uk better than going abroad but maybe not?

I would agree that a holiday park style break (Butlins, Center Parcs, Haven etc) is the easiest thing at this age. Loads of entertainment, swimming, shows, walks, activities, rides.

We took our toddler abroad this year. Just a short haul flight to Majorca. I was so worried about it but it was a lot easier than we imagined and having the weather, beach and pool meant she was always outside keeping busy. We had a family friendly hotel with loads of clubs for little ones and evening discos for them too. All inclusive so didn't need to worry about meal times, she could have as much or as little as she wanted. It was a lot easier than I'd imagined, even the flight.

We took our then 20 month old to an Atlantica resort in Rhodes in September - it was the best holiday! We played all morning in the shallow pool - loads of other toddlers and pool toys (buckets, spades floaties) to play with and she had a blast "jumping" in to the very shallow bit.

They also had a baby club for under 3s with qualified UK nursery staff so she went there a couple of afternoons for activities which she also loved. Followed by the kids disco every night after dinner! She was completely out of routine but slept better than at home because she was on the go all the time! It was lovely.

Beekse Bergen in The Netherlands for the win! Tag on a visit to Efteling, which is super close. Beekse Bergen has a safari park that you can do walking, car and boat tours to see the animals. We went with an under 1 and a 3 year old last year. They had the best time. To top it off, it's all very reasonably priced. Efteling was beautiful and magical. My DS keeps asking to go back.

I hear good things about bluestone in Wales though I haven't been myself. At this age we sometimes had holidays with my parents, the extra grown ups to help made it more of a break for me plus they hey lots of time with their grandchild