HOLIDAY WANTED.....WARM, APR/MAY '06, 2 BOYS AGE 1 & 2

[CarlyP]

Please help me find a fab family friendly hotel somewhere warm for apr/may next yr.

we have 2 boys aged 1 and 2 and want somewhere with a 'club/creche' with toys so they have something to play with other than sand and the pool! also want baby listening so we can eat out one or 2 nights on our own and a microwave to warm milk up!!!! somewhere realxing yet with loads to do for 2 little monsters!!! LOL

any one got any ideas?

Budget?

If May is an option then I would look at Mark Warner. They're great for this age. They have a new place opening in Portugal in April, but I've seen that thye won't be doing a room listening service, but will have an evening creche instead (with cots etc). Their Greek resorts start in May though - we've been to Lakitira several times now.

Not sure on budget. about £2k??.....

will take a look at mark warner. thanks

cx

If you avoid school holidays (and you should!) then MW would be just right. They usually have free child place deals, though you may have to book early to get the right sort of room. They're excellent for little ones (we've been taking ours since they were 4 months)

just had a nose on their site. is there anywhere in particular that you would recommend?

thnaks

cx

We've been to Lakitira and San luciano. The former is in better shape than the latter, though they're both good. The rooms are basic (in the Med anyway), but there is a large selection of food, there is usually a good atmosphere in the bars, the nannies are great.

What about the Italian apartments on offer at Parents need pampering? (see home page of mumsnet for a competition)

Oh, I'm looking for much the same, only in April, for sure (Easter break). Do MW not do anything warm in April?

Mark warner look ok. but think it may be better when boys are 3 and upwards. not sure though. oh god. think ill just stay in uk!!!!

CarlyP - why? Nannies - 1-2 ratio for under 1s - 24hour kitchens with constant supply of milk? Fresh purees? highchairs/booster seast/cots?

NQC - their Portugal resort is open in April.

Sorry to hijack but I am hoping to book mark warner for next year (2 ds's will be 2 and 6 months) and was wondering which one you would recommend ladymuck? Lakitira?

Lakitira has got everything except that the water-skiing isn't always reliable. If you are not confined to school holidays it is great (full during school holidays though). It is also a relatively short trasnfer from airport to hotel.

The downside is that it is very easy to stay in resort all the time, so if you are keen for adventure it is harder. And of course you end up going somewhere that attracts people with small children (but at least you have something in common with everyone else)

Thanks ladymuck, hijack over!

I think I could be tempted by the villa style thing, maybe, instead, and then live on local food. But with a nanny or club or something. Does that exist? South of France? Greece? Cyprus? Something like that?

Carly check out Club Med . Some of their Villages have childrens clubs from age 4 months. Also Pierre & Vacances - some of their Villages in the South of France and Italy I think have creches. We stayed at three different P & V Villages when our two DSs were little and used the Kids Club a couple of times during each stay (you pay per hour, it's not included). I'm certain at Cap Esterel (near St Tropez, Cannes, St Raphael) the Club was open during the evenings too. Accomodation is usually a one/two/three bedroomed villa. I haven't stayed in any Club Med villages but you can probably pick up a heap of reviews on Tripadvisor if you find a Village on their website that you like.

copycat, P&V looks very good. They have creches, too. Any idea of the weather in the south of France in April?

i just didnt like the look of the accom very much. and also you pay for the weeks childcare, where as i just want a cpl of hours here and there. not a full week.

p&v looks good. jsut taking a look on that site.

x

p&v a possibility and club med. taknig another look at mark warner aswell......

Carly and NQC, the P&V brochure is much more informative than the website IMHO so if you are interested I would click and request one. We also stayed at Belle Dune in Normandy which is a lovely village but not likely to have such warm weather as the Cote d'Azure in April although May might be nice. On the subject of weather go to wunderground.com and use the trp planner facility to type in your proposed dates of travel and you should get details of the temperature over those dates during the apst 5 years. You may have to pick the nearest big town or City for this purpose but it will give you some idea.