Best Holiday Ever with Small Children...

[SparkleandShine]

What was your best holiday ever with small kids?

I have an ulterior motive!!! we have a 2 and a 5 year old and want a good beach holiday..

We went toBedruthan Steps in Cornwall last Easter - the weather was fab and we had just the best time. I realise that you probably want to go abroad though...

Do you want UK or foreign? If foreign - how long a flight?

We are just back from a mind blowing 3 weekinf in South Africa with DD's 2.4 and 7mo. We did a bit of Ca pe Town then down the Garden Route where we spent ALOT of time on amazing beaches with sand and sea one side and quiet lagoons on the other. Aaaaaaahhhh I am suffering from withdrawl already!

erm... don't actually mind.

Would go up to 3 hours in a plane, but happy in the UK too.

I love south africa, how was the flight with the two littlies? My 2 year old is just 2 and a bit of a PITA to entertain on a flight. Mind you if we left it until later in the year.... I remember DS1 being a breeze on a plane when he was 2.10.

... that hotel in Cornwall looks fab!

Isles of Scilly. Safe, beautiful beaches, usually good weather.

Bedruthan Steps hotel is lovely for families. We took ds when he was a baby.

Menorca is great for families.

I think that the thing that we loved about Bedruthan was the balance between family time and couple time. I never thought that I would put my children into a kids club but they went every day from 9:30-12. In that time, DH and I totally recharged, went to the spa, went for walks, went to bed.... The children loved it and when we picked them up we were all refreshed and ready to hit the beach or the pool. The food for the children was fantastic and as they eat at tea time, there was no stress involved. DH and I then ate alone in the restaurant (fantastic) every evening. (you can of course choose to eat with your children)

I know that we won't need a place like that when they are older and all happy to sit nicely and enjoy the ambience of a restaurant, but for now, this was perfect for us all. (My DC were 5, 3 & 1 when we went). I'm dying to go back...

Taking like-minded friends (or siblings you get on with ...) with similar aged children to share self-catering. Nothing's been better than that.

You have to pick the share carefully, of course - but days when the children all entertain each other + evenings when you've got more than just your spouse to carouse with, and mates to share all the chores with - perfect.

Oh, and not having to cut short an evening of lively gossip because of The Babysitter, but staying up till whenever you want - or on the contrary going to bed early because you feel like it and you can still your friends tomorrow so you're not wasting precious grown-up socialising time. Really - we tried lots of child-friendly packagey stuff & nothing is better than the group (when it works).

If you are looking for a non-uk holiday can I recommend the First Choice Villages - they are fantastic for little ones of all ages - we have been to 3 different now and are off again in the summer and next easter.

Menorca was great for us last year.

My absolute favourite beach holidays have been on the Greek islands.

enorma where and what you stay in in menorca?

Bedruthan Steps was great

Algarve.
Easy flight, villa with pool, beach a few minutes away.

Alley-bloody-luyah.

Inexpensive and been doing it since DD2 and DS3....

Anonymousbird - will you share your villa?? I've looked at so many Algarve villas it's making my head hurt!!

Bink - same to you - can you recommend any large places for sharing??

Protur bonaire hotel in mallorca was brilliant last year with dd 6 and ds 1. Not high culture but sooo relaxing with all inclusive.

any holiday without H!!!

We stayed at the viva menorca in cala n Bosch. Lovely accomodation, we were all inc and the food was fab. Quite a walk to the beach but that wasn't an issue for us.

I have to go with everyone who is saying Menorca. Fantastic island :)

We always stay in Cala n Bosch and love it, and everyone is so child friendly. We stayed at the Tamariscos last year which I wouldn't recommend (although lovely location) but some of the other hotels are fantastic, I would certainly stay at Viva Menorca (although that is a bit of a walk from the rest)

This place was great. It's in the Algarve so easy to get to. They do 3 course meals once or twice a week where all the guests (about 3 families) can eat together, which is great if you have little kids and eating out in the evening is difficult. We ate on a roof terrace, our 3 and 5 year olds ate with all the other kids then ran around having a riot, and our baby slept peacefully in our apartment directly below. The beaches are fabulous - think South African beaches, but within 4 hours of the UK. Amazing. Best holiday we've had in years - we had 3 kids under 6 and we felt like we'd had a real rest.

We had a wonderful holiday in Suffolk, stayed near Southwold. Rented a barn conversion with grandparents. Lovely beaches, towns fab; real old fashioned seaside feel. Roads quiet. Red hot whilst we were there so it does have that hazy nostalgic memory quality!

neolara - that look great!

Mallorca looks lovey!

Menorca looks lovely but can't unfortunately get there as restricted to BA flights....

orangekitkat - where did you stay?

Where do ba fly to that you fancy? Give us a list and let us vote

i cant beleive it costs over 2k to go to bloody spain for a week!

I'm torn between staying in the UK and going somewhere with a bit more guaranteed warmth.

Can't go too far as 2yo is a PITA on flights which really restricts us to a max 2-3 hours flight until he's a bit older. He was just about bearable on a flight to Zurich recently.

I've got a sort of plan to do:

5 days Mediterranean... So spain / portugal / italy type of thing - I really like Sicily, very child friendly but beaches were shingle. think Spain will be a better bet but only ever been to a really dire hotel in Majorca.

maybe a week in the uk (will probably resort to the sameold sameold of centre parcs or really like the hotel in Cornwall higher up the thread)