If you have just one DC, where do you go on holiday?

[BuffyTy]

I have a lovely DD who we adore spending time with on holiday. However, as well as spending time with M&D, she enjoys making friends on holiday. We've always liked villa holidays (for the space and peace) but as she's 7, we now need the high probability that she'll meet other kids and make friends, so is a hotel or villa complex our best option? So far, villa holidays in Pollensa have worked as she's met kids on the beach. Our first hotel stay was the Abama in Tenerife and that worked too, plus a villa complex there called Hotel Suite Villa Maria. However, she didn't meet one other British kid the whole week at Playa Blanca, Lanzarote.
Any tips? What's worked for you?

We have x2 but often dh or I travel alone for work with one of them or just for some one-to-one time.

Tbh we tend to stay in places without many kids, but then book them in a class if they want. Ie skiing, they will have ski lessons every morning.
Dh took ds1 (4) to Oman with him for work mid December for 10 days. They stayed in a nice spa hotel type place, but dh dropped DS at another hotel for water sports lessons every morning which worked well as he had meetings then.

Most the time your only away 1-2 weeks only though, so I think it's fine them being childfree that long

But maybe a small villa complex could work. The type with only say 5 villas max.

Other people's children usually annoy me to much tbh to want too close on a relaxing holiday!

Our holidays tend to centre around sport or outdoor activity. So ds will be kept busy cycling/skiing/ body boarding with us.

We always go to hotel complexes, AI and book through large British travel companies like Thomson or First Choice.

We've taken DD to Fuetraventura, Morocco, Tunisia, Majorca, Menorca, Cyprus and Egypt. She's always made friends within a couple of days and is still in contact with the kids she met in Egypt, Morocco and Cyprus.

We tend to do city breaks or activity breaks with DS. He likes being kept busy and isn't too bothered about making friends on holiday.

Our best holidays by far have been to cottage complexes (called gite complexes in France). Best one has been www.bestfrenchgites.co.uk but also been to a few in UK.
Usually 5-6 cottages sharing a pool, games room etc. Kids make friends and and I read and relax. Perfect.

We have one DS. We have struck lucky at Regency Country Club in Tenerife - they have apartments and a small kids club that he can dot in and out of, also gite complexes with shared pools in France have been good.

She would probably love the first choice holiday villages. We have been to 4 of them and dd who is now 7 has always made friends, and because the sites are so safe they can go off together for drinks, or ice cream. Great activities for kids too as some have water slides, and all have high rope activity courses.

Neilson - first took our dd when she was 7 and she loved every minute of it.

Periyali villas in Zakynthos?

Another vote for first choice holiday villages, book early if interested though - got a great deal last year by booking a year in advance but left it too late this year and the prices have shot up.

Thanks everyone.
Which of the holiday villages would you particularly recommend?
And has anyone tried the Domes of Elounda at Crete?

How active is she? Is she sporty?

In which case i'd book a family holiday with one of the adventure holiday companies such as Exodus, Explore or the Family Adventure Company. That was she'd get to meet other British kids.

We've been on a few with our DD and DS and they've both made new friends.

There's a few centre based ones if you don't fancy travelling around.

Another vote for Neilson Beachplus holidays ..... although you may find your DD is too busy to see you during the day :D

friends of ours (also with 1 dd) went to Domes of Elounda. Not sure their daughter wanted to stray far from them so not sure on kids club etc. She did say it was very beautiful there but that it was also very posh! Think some families were arriving on the heli pad?!

We went to the first choice holiday village in Cyprus. It was fantastic and both our dc made great friends through the childrens clubs and also just hanging around the pool. would highly recommend it.

Helipad?! Blimey! Just looked at the cost for Domes and first week of July it'll cost us around 3.3k incl. Flights. Friends have suggested Vidamar villas in the Algarve.will have a look at those Thomson villages this weekend - thanks all. Keep those tips coming in. Just wisk I could find somewhere suitable in Italy!

We have two DC, but we always try to book something where they will meet other English-speaking DC to play with as they love to make friends and as they're different ages they prefer to hang out with DC their own age. We usually book a cottage/gite/apartment in a complex owned by Brits. This has never failed as a strategy and our two always end up palling around with several other DC within a day or two of arriving.

Hi juneau, hope you get my PM to you?

Any particular ones you'd recommend Juneau?

Hi Buffy

We have only one DS. Teenager now. Recommend Oceania club, now renamed Ikos Oceania. Deluxe junior suites great. Also cruising has been brilliant with P and O. The facilities for children are best we have encountered on any holiday .

BuffyTY, we've been to the Holiday Village Manar in Tunisia and thought it was excellent. Very much a 'complex' holiday, but it's such a big complex with private access to a fab beach that it didn't really matter. The entertainers were brilliant and there was something going on all day every day (oh and the food was the best we've had on AI for a long time - I put on weight on holiday for the first time ever )

Our friends went to the new one in Minorca last year; it was their first time going AI/package holiday (always been SC/Villa people) and they booked their return this year the day they got back. The kids (8 and 5) had a brilliant time and kicked off madly when it was time to leave. They were sold.

For DD our best holiday has been the Jungle Aqua Park in Hurghada, Egypt but that's because she's a water baby and daredevil, so 20 odd free waterslides all day every day was never going to be beaten , she's reluctantly chosen the Manar as her second favourite because she was able to do the high ropes, ratamatazz, water walking and pool games. She also cites 'Orange Ice-Cream' as a reason to go there. I'd also add the Louis Phaethon Beach Club in Paphos, Cyprus as a brilliant hotel for children and activities - it's a Thomson hotel but the free hotel run kids club and animation team was better than the Thomson run stuff. The rooms are smaller and the beach isn't as good, but Cyprus is easier to get around.

The places we've stayed I've reviewed in the MN travel reviews - just SC places in France or Italy. Baby Friendly Boltholes is a great site for finding family-friendly accommodation owned by Brits (and mainly frequented by Brits). I've used the MN reviews for finding places too as have not been disappointed. If you know where you want to go you can use guides like Footprint's Britain with Kids for finding accommodation recommendations - that's also been a good resource for us.