The best Family holiday you have been on & where you stayed?

[MorningCoffee]

Looking for our summer 2013 holiday, What is the best Family friendly holiday you have been on & the nicest hotel/apartment you have stayed in?

triplets dh works for a charity that supports people with long term medical conditions -happy to inbox you details of companies that they recommend for travel insurance if helpful? Cant guarantee that they will cover your dh but worth a go? Might be worth trying Age concern as well as they do their own cover and usually cover pre existing medical conditions.

Corsica!!!

2 hr flight time in season, truly stupendous beaches, beautiful mountains and lakes, great food (French / Italian). We have been 3 times, first time when my twins were 3, last time when they were 8 and dd was 3. We rented villas near Porto Vecchio through VFB (cheaper) and Coastline (more expensive). Only proviso - don't go in August, the whole of France seems to turn up then. Go in June if you have preschoolers, perfect weather and not too busy. I can't wait to go back and even super fussy DH loves it.

We love Ile de Re and have been several times staying on campsites in mobile homes and also renting villas with larger groups of friends. Have been going since DD was tiny. Great fun, safe cycling on cycle tracks, lovely beaches, great food and the most beautiful little villages I have ever seen. Cheap flights to La Rochelle, taxi to accommodation and then bikes the rest of the time. Amazing!

Other best holidays have been to Disney in Florida - stayed at the Beach Club and had brilliant time. Loved being at the back door to Epcot, boat to Hollywood Studios etc. Lovely facilities and rooms.

Taffetta did you fly to La Rochelle for your holiday to Ile D'Oleron? Do you then take a ferry? Interested as an alternative to Ile de Re although for Ile de Re we always fly to La Rochelle and just take a taxi over the bridge!!

Dotty342 - we used to go to Camping du Lac in Landevielle every year - just down the road from St Julien des Landes. Judging by their website they don't seem to be going for the UK market, but it's a truly idyllic spot.

For a walking holiday, with kids ages 6+ I loved Penbrokenshire, we have used special places to stay. Also combine the walking with kiddiwalks book.

For beach holiday with a watermark I loved Makadi Bay, Egypt. Probably best to go in October half term as it is too hot in August.

I have also enjoyed Club Magic Life resorts.

LaFlotte - no we live in Kent so got Eurotunnel over, stayed a night in an Ibis on way down and then drove on the next day. The thing to watch is the bridge that links Oleron to the mainland. It is rammed on Saturdays from 7am. Took us an hour to get over.

On the way back we left at 6am and had no traffic on bridge and were home that evening.

triplets you can get advice about cancer and travel insurance from Macmillan cancer support charity. I think they do a special information leaflet about it. Or give them a ring.

I would totally recommend Degnish Farmhouse - a wonderful farmhouse in Argyll (Scotland) -sleeps about 10, totally kitted out for babies and children (e.g. cots, steriliser, stairgates, plastic cutlery and crockery, washing machine, tumble dryer etc), on it's own farm surrounded by sheep, lots of beaches, lochs, cycling, kayaking, hiking and fishing in the area. Stunning landscapes, amazing views...just come back and had the most relaxed Christmas and NY ever!
search for Degnish Farmhouse on google.

I just looked mythreeknights, I looked but it's massive so no good for my small family (me and the two dc).

That's a shame. Looked lovely

We've stayed in a gite in the Loire Valley in France a few times here. Nice place to relax and lots of places to visit between 10 minutes and an hour away. Very relaxing, the owners are nice and although it's self-catered you can organise meals to be served in your gite or barbecues. I found it on baby friendly boltholes a few years back. They're really well set up for visitors with young children.

Thank you Taffeta that's really interesting. We moved last year and actually would be close enough now to use the tunnel. I thought it would be too much of a drive but now I am wondering if it would be ok! Off to investigate!

Best family holidays we have had have been in Puerto Pellensa, Majorca. We stayed in the Aparthotel Playa Mar both times and even broke our rule of not going on the same holiday twice! The kids want to go again but DH and I fancying a change this year.

We are trying to work this out at present too.

Holidays that sometimes suited our whole family - Sunsail Holidays - children loved the club and we loved not having the children 9 - 4 when they were little and very demanding - we still had them from 5am to 9am and 4 to whenever they slept but was a good solution.

We have done Panama, Antigua, Jamaica for good family holidays. For it has varied over the years depending on what suited most members of the family - I try to consult all and negotiate. It can be hard. One has an ideal of not going anywhere. Another does not want to have a plane journey longer than 3 hours this year and wants some heat. My idea last year - trip up Amazon and then Gallapagos which I think sounded lover for mid teens and older children sand was my choice was rejected in favour of Europe.

I think the best family holidays though are not determined by place but on how people get on with each other - the relationships on that particular holiday whether it's a tent, the Amazon or a luxury resort.

There are some absolutely brilliant recommendations here.

It would be great, if you haven't already done so, if you'd all add them to our Travel reviews section too.

Thanks!

rockinhippy that sounds like what we're looking for. Can you reach any of the famous sites from there - Pyraminds/ Sphinx etc? What time of year did you go? How was the weather. DH absolutely won't go anywhere too hot.

OK - after lots of research, I'm after an air con villa for 5 in Andalucia - ideally on the costa tropical and there's already nothing left on the regular sites except at £££. I reckon you lot have grabbed all the best deals .

racing it is hot, but it's dry hot, so much more comfortable & from my point of view, with health problems its brilliant for any aches & pains, we've been at different times & first time we went was November, which has a cooler breeze, but still very hot, but the water in pools can be cold, though the sea is still warm - DD was only 3 at the time & she coped fine with the heat & that was even doing the Valley of The Kings, which is dessert & very hot, well over 100 degree if I remember it correctly.

From the South Sinai area you can get to lots of places, St Catherine's Monastery, Petra (Jordan) Jerusalem, Dead Sea etc & all of the Egyptian sights, though some are long days travelling & early starts but comfortable & well worth it - we did TaBa last April, which is further up the coast, but Dahab is still our favourite beach, something about the place it's like having a giant massage, you just instantly relax there - Pyramids & Sphinx are on the other side of Egypt, so a long trip, but there are lots of trips that do go there, Valley of Kings, Abu Simbal temples, Luxor etc are all nearer, so early start day trips, as is Petra etc.

If you go to Dahab, go into town & book trips with local tour companies, lots of them about & MUCH cheaper & you get exactly the same, but without the very hefty commission charged by your tour operator - TaBa sadly as this sewn up, so you have to go with your tour operator - if you go to Petra - beyond amazing, i want to go back - then go the by ferry to aquaba route - you can go via Israel, looks cheaper but we were warned by friends who were there before us that you can waste half a day getting through Israeli customs - borne out by people in our hotel who went that route too - Jordan on the other hand was a breeze & the people were so lovely & welcoming.

HTH

Thinking on it, we went April last year, temperature was hot, but lovely & very pleasant, with a breeze in the evenings, so probably the best time of year for your DH

Thanks WYFEE we have been on the Mac site for 5 years now, tried all their reco companies. Today we got a call from Insurewith, they are a specialist comp set up by a lady who had cancer. My dh phoned them last week and was turned down, it upset him so much as they web page really gives you hope. Anyway I was so upset for him I emailed them and really told them how we felt etc. Well today they came back to us, taken alot more info and are going to phone tomorrow with a decision .

triplets did you see my post at 23:15 yesterday?

ladyemem how about the costa del azahar (basically in between valencia and alicante). We stayed in this 3 bed villa through owners direct in oliva, with private pool and a hot tub. BBQ, terrace. Older children's wooden play area (sort of fort type thing). Very comfortable, clean. An hour away from Valenca (or same from Alicante). Just checked flights in July/August for 2 adults 4 DC would be about £1000 with easyjet. The villa is £900 in July/August.

But there are other villas in Oliva/Gandia etc. which might suit too. Its a good area. Its more where Spanish people go on hols. Beaches are nice. Aquarium at Valenicia is truly outstanding. Benidorm not far for the water park. Lovely restaurants at Javea and Calpe. not bad restaurants in Oliva and Gandia - lovely food, but just not necessarily tourist plush.

Cant fly on medical grounds. So had a look at already mentioned bedruthan, looks great but a little over budget at £2,225 for a week in August. Had a look at Glynn Barton booked up for August, only available date in beginning sept and thats £1,702. Also checked out Torridge House Cottages thats much more reasonable at £753 for a week in August but selling out fast.

I've not read the last few pages so apologises if this has been done. but what I'd like in particular is Scotland, Fort William, Loch Ness or higher.
Anyone know of any good family oriented places?

Without doubt, the best family holiday we've had was last summer in Tigny Noyelle, about an hours drive from Calais. We stayed in a gite which was in the middle of farmland but was ten minutes drive from the beach at Fort Mahon Plage - lovely long sandy beach with lots to see and do in the area. Le Touqet nearby also very interesting.

We love being able to do the self-catering thing, as it's just so much easier with children, and we had lots of lovely BBQs and ate out a few times which was special.

Cost was surprisingly cheap - Gite with two bedrooms and it's own gardens was 250 Euros for 8 nights and ferry was £90 return. Did about £120 in Diesel all in which was okay too.

The children loved it so much we are going back for two weeks this summer holiday.

We've been to some very good hotels in Egypt too - five star all the way but this beats them all IMO!