Where to go on holiday in march with 7 month old?

[LexieH]

Any reccomendations? We were going to hire a cottage in the uk somewhere but I am stalling because I fancy somewhere hot and somewhere all inclusive as the thought of having to plan all our meals for while we are away and then cook everyday while we are away doesn't sound too relaxing to me! Our DS doesn't sleep well so we are shattered and would like something as relaxing as possible! But is self catering the best way with littlies or will an all inclusive hotel be ok? Any reccomendations for good all inclusive places with babies? X

My experience is that hotel rooms and babies are a bit of a nightmare because you're stuck in there with them when they're napping and sleeping. Much better to have a little self-catering apartment or a house which gives you adult space in which to eat, watch TV, chat, etc while baby is sleeping. But I don't see why you can't self-cater somewhere warm. Personally, I wouldn't go anywhere too hot with a small baby - they don't cope well with heat. And forget how wonderfully relaxing holidays were when it was just your DP and you ... holidays with babies/kids are sadly rather different.

Agree with Juneau. if you child is a poor sleeper then there is no chance for even one of you to sleep whilst the other copes if you are in one room so i would go for self catering. sorry but juneau is also right - children do not equal relaxing holidays for some time yet so just go with it and remember they are worse when they are teenagers!!

AI won't make that much of a difference since your DS won't be wanting the endless drinks, ice cream entertainment that an older child demands.
If you want to be shot of DS (in the nicest sense) then do a cruise. They start from £500 (or less) per person and you can leave DS in a sleep nursery for most evenings or during the day if you book an excursion.
Otherwise you can get apartment hotels where rooms have a kitchen but offer full hotel services. We went to a nice one just on the outskirt of Palma.
I stayed in an apartment with DS when he was 11 months and it was horrible as he would crawl and pull up on wobbly tables with expensive vases, dribble on the plush and spill things which I then had to clean up.I just thought about the deposit the whole time!

Apartment hotels are a good compromise, as nothingold says. We did one when our DS1 was about 14 months. We had a bedroom and bathroom and a separate sitting room with basic kitchen facilities attached. Downstairs it was a proper hotel with a dining room for breakfast, restaurant for dinner, swimming pool, etc.

Florida has a lot of those kind of hotels and it should be warm in March. We stayed at the Clarion Suites in Clearwater Beach, but you could find something similar in any town or city in Florida - America is really geared up for families.

Marriott Suites, not Clarion.

www.marriott.co.uk/hotels/travel/tpams-clearwater-beach-marriott-suites-on-sand-key/

I'm not necessarily recommending this particular hotel, but it just gives you some idea of what can work with a small child.

Another vote for apartment hotels. You get the best of both worlds - more space and less catering. Plus you get your own fridge and can make yourself a hot drink whenever you want.

We're going to Lanzarote end of March, staying in an aparthotel, babe will be 10 months by then, our first holiday. We've gone for an especially child friendly place, Bahia Blanca Rock, in Playa Blanca. Hopefully it will be fun. Just need to find out about a load of other stuff now, car seats etc etc. Hope your holiday turns out well.

Canary Islands all the way...no time difference, no jetlag, winter sun, and some absolutely gorgeous little spots to discover out of the main resorts! Flight time is short too...3 hours or so. Check out www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk for some great places to stay.
I would recommend a heated pool in march, however, so you and little one can play in the water! My
Also Aphrodite Hills in Cyprus is great, you can rent villas with heated pools but it also has a hotel so you get all the facilities of the hotel - restaurants, room cleaning, kid's club/babysitting, golf course, spa, shop. Perfect! There is a time difference to Cyprus tho, and I think flight time is longer. It is also not quite as far south as the Canaries.My husband and I always rent a 2 bed self catering place in Lanzarote, somewhere with a pool. We have a little routine where we all have long breakfast together and play with our little one, then he naps for an hour (or he did when he was younger) and I chill in the sun and read my book whilst my husband goes cycling, then he comes back and we have lunch outside together and then I go for a short cycle whilst little one has post-lunch nap, then we all go somewhere in the mid-afternoon together, like the beach, or for a hike, and then we stop somewhere for an early dinner all together (restaurants are super kiddy friendly) and once little one goes to bed my husband and I share a bottle of wine outside  Happy Days!

When DS was 9 months (long time ago!!!) we took a Neilsons Beach Plus holiday. It was the best thing ever for us at the time. No meals to cook, a couple of hours of childcare per day (or more if you wanted) and enough activities for us to do but without any pressure. If I remember properly, they even gave us a 3 wheeler push chair and we used to go out in the evening for a stroll and take DS with us. He was not a great sleeper at home, but the beach air did the trick for him every day.