October beach holiday with a toddler?

[Bek85]

I know similar questions have been asked but I can't quite find the info I'm looking for, and I've done hours and hours of research now! Please help!

Looking for a nice hotel with a splash park/pool for the toddler and close to a sandy beach somewhere where it will be warm enough to play in the splash park and the sea in October.

I was looking at Menorca but think it might be a bit chilly (and windy) but October. Started looking at Crete but whenever I think I'm getting somewhere I see 'shingle beach'.

I haven't really looked at the Canaries because I'm just not feeling it. I've been to Fuerteventura before. It was ok. Bit windy.

Also, looking for a place with good food. In pre-parent days eating out was a major part of a holiday, but with the littlie in tow, I don't think we can be trawling around looking for somewhere to eat all the time while he's getting tired and hungry. So maybe All Inclusive, for that convenience factor.

Doesn't necessarily have to be in Europe.

Many thanks indeed if you can help me out of this time consuming, googling, tripadvisoring hole.

P.S. If there were big waterslides for the slightly older kids (i.e. me) that would be amazing.

I would go for costa adeje in southern tenerife.
Weather is not windy like fuerteventura, but is nice and warm, adeje is a lovely resort with some very nice hotels and excellent food, if you do your research first. All of the good hotels have nice childrens pools and some have a nice beach in front, see playa del duque and the nearby hotels.
Waterpark, is Siam park, and is excellent and five mins drive from resort

I'd second Costa Adeje in Tenerife. 5 years in a row for the October break and I'm already looking at 2016 .

We usually stay at a place up the hill, but one year we stayed at the Iberostar Anthelia www.iberostar.com/en/hotels/tenerife/iberostar-anthelia/v2 - nice dupex rooms available so DS slept downstairs and we were upstairs. There is a heated childrens pool and it's about 10 mins walk to the Del Duque beach which is our favourite as its golden (imported) sand.

We did B&B only as we like our food as well ( breakfast is amazing) , but it is possible to do AI and I think it's also possible to do it for part of your break not all of it, which is what I'd recommend as you're within walking distance of some very upmarket, but child friendly restaurants - La Torre Del Mirador looks very grand, but has a nice childrens menu and when younger DS was quite entranced by counting the lobsters at the start and end of the evening.

There's a free bus you can get to Siam Park, which has expanded it's younger DCs section but is fairly squarely aimed at adults so lots of big rides.

Not a cheap option though. Happy to provide further info if you like.

Thank you, I'll check it out if the aforementioned toddler ever goes to bed!

Playa del Duque on Tenerife is indeed lovely, all sand imported because people make big girly fusses about black sand but still very pleasant.

Fuerteventura would be windy, wouldn't it? AI and good food do not necessarily go together, captive market.

For a good chance of warm enough for sitting on the beach in October in Europe, it is the Canaries, Egypt or a place you can't now go. No guarantees though.

Reunion? Much cheaper (less upmarket) than Mauritius, same weather/ocean!

I'm not getting very far in the toddler splash pool department! Loads of places seemed to have them when I was looking at Menorca, but nowhere else. I was thinking this was a 'thing' that a lot of hotels had, but maybe not. That Iberostar one does have a nice kids pool rookie but, and this is going to sound ridiculously picky, the slides will be too big for my DS by the looks of it. He's only 18 months and in my mind's eye I was picturing one of those places that has the sort of sprinklers that they can run in and out of.

Yes, special I suppose Fuerteventura does rather give itself away. What is it "strong winds" or something? . I'm starting to get the picture with AI and the food. Bugger.

There's loads of hotels at Costa Adeje so I'd keep looking. I think I read on a thread here that the food at the RIU AI is nice - so check if they have the right size toddlers pool. TBH when DS was that age I could create that effect with one of those toy watering buckets

I've gone through 26 hotels in Costa Adeje now and am losing the will to live. Might give up on the splash park idea. Shame, because he loved the one at Centre Parcs, his little squeals of delight were so cute. Tried an outdoor one recently and he was shivering within 5 minutes. Not so good. Maybe I'll just go with your bucket idea!

LOL - there are a lot of hotels in Costa Adeje!
We went for the Iberostar Anthelia on the recommendation of someone here who does childminding in Tenerife. I'm just about to go out now, but if I can find her details it may be worth pm ing her to see if she knows any hotels that fit the bill. Also another option is posting on Tripadvisor as there's a lot more traffic there for travellers queries.

It looked as if the Hotel Isabel might have what you wanted re the splash pool, but it's set a bit further back from the beach and as it's 3/4 star I wouldn't recommend AI there.

Hilton in dalaman/sarigerme

All inclusive, but the food is good and a choice of restaurants

Kids pool with toddler water slides

Private sandy beach

Lovely bedrooms

20 mins from thr airport

Sheraton in fuerteventura was good for us a couple of years ago. Heated kids pool with a slide and sprinklers. Also had an indoor pool which was great. Food good and there was a supervised kids club and a mini disco in evening. I'd recommend it.

If your budget is big, then Sensatori in Costa Adeje on an all inclusive basis. The food is magnificent in all of the AI restaurants, and they are brilliant with the kids without going typically 'kids menu and bright colours'. The kids pool is a shallow pool rather than a splash pool, but I would think an 18 month old would manage just fine with a bit of help from you. The biggest pool is also great for small tots as there is a beach-type area as well as surface level walkways out on to the water.

There is also a beautiful spa, and an adults only pool if you decide you need a break ;)

We went twice before our twins were 2 years old. The memories of the 5 star indulgence their happy faces will last me until we can afford to go again (when they're too old to want to come).