Italian Lakes with 1 year old and elderly(ish!) parents?

[Nunkie]

Hi Folks,

I'm looking for some recommendations re a villa holiday on or near one of the Italian lakes with the family. There are 7 of us, me, DP, his parents and my parents.. and our little girl, who will be about 14 months if we manage to go in May, as planned.

I must say that Maggiore and Orta look nice and possibly more tranquil, but they all do, so we are open to hints in that score. We love walking, wandering about aimlessly and eating. And we also love historic buildings and epic scenery! Any lake that will fulfill that gets our vote. (Tho they all seem pretty good there from what I have read!).

Predictably, the problem we are butting up against is finding enough double bedrooms, ensuite bathrooms and non-rickety stairs for our parents, who are in pretty good shape, but still averaging 70 years old! :0)

The only solution I am finding so far is hiring a villa that is bigger than we need which isn't financially ideal.

So I'd be interested to hear of any advice/recommendations from anyone who has had similar holiday requirements, along with any wisdom you have on the baby side of things, esp: re taking a pray versus sling or otherwise :0)

Cheers in advance!

We are looking at Italian lakes this year too. Not been before, so no specific advice, but we are going to stay in caravans at Eurocamp. Would getting two caravans next to each other work? They seem nice and modern with air con, and your parents could enjoy their own bathroom.

I think they also do stroller and cot hire in some camps, and seem to be pretty well set up for younger kids.

If you don't fancy a caravan then Airbnb seems to have loads of houses in the lake regions. Depends on your budget.

Thanks Notquitehuman - good suggestions. Air BnB is getting a thorough scouring from us - had a couple of folk say they rented thru Owners Direct too.

I had thought about campsites yes, tho I think we fancy something a bit less buzzing and modern if poss. Tho you're right that it certainly answers the mod cons concern, and maybe we can't expect to have both! :0)

We hadn't really set a budget. I suppose that would help us decide for a start!!

Which lake are you off to? :0)

(Off the subject of accommodation, the other useful piece of advice I do keep getting from folk who have been there is: watch out for mozzies, so we'd better be stocking up on spray and nets!)

We stayed in a eurocamp parc in a tent a few years ago. The first two days were fab and then it rained continually for the rest of the week - we literally had a river flowing through the tent . I guess the lakes are there for a reason. This was mid- August, so maybe less wet at other times of the year?

Oops - sorry meant to say by lake Garda.

We are off to Lake Como. I really like Switzerland, so I wanted to be close to the border. Planning to do lots of hiking and relaxing at the lidos.

I can see why you'd struggle to find somewhere. It does seem to be mostly apartments, which would involve lots of stairs and balconies, or campsites in the area. We did find some smaller, independent camping sites around the lakes which had bungalow/cabin type accommodation. I think it'll be hard to find a more rustic, authentic style house that's also got modern facilities like en-suite bathrooms.

Have you looked at housetrip.com? A bit like AirBnB, but when I tried it out it was more geared towards bigger houses and villas.

If your budget is generous I don't see why you won't find what you find (presumably three doubles with en suite?), but generally speaking most Italian homes don't have that sort of bedroom/bathroom ratio.

What about a hotel? At least you'd all get the accommodation you want and no one will be lumbered with cooking? If you and your DH get a family room or junior suite you should get a bit more space and possibly a basic kitchenette.

I've been to Maggiore, Lugano, Como and Garda - all are lovely. Garda is the biggest and has the most 'stuff' to do and towns to visit. The lake ferries are great and reduce driving and there are lots of charming lakeside towns with lovely restaurants and shops to browse. The south end of the lake is also on the trainline between Milan and Venice, so you could hop on and visit some places further afield too.

Dear Lord the lakes are boring. Got dragged there a lot as a child. The scenery's all right, I suppose.

P.S. re baby I would definitely take your push chair. They're very useful in the airport and if its hot you won't want to have to carry her all the time. Plus, she can nap or play in it while you're walking or eating. Much better than backache and wriggly toddler!

I had one of these www.healthandcare.co.uk/paediatric-pushchairs/100nnt-protect-a-bub.html sun shades for our push chair when travelling to hot countries. They have a huge canopy that really shades the child properly and they attach to any stroller and fold up small in a little carry pouch.

Eurocamp are great. We haven't stayed in one for a good 7 years or so but even then the caravans were incredibly modern with air con, en suite bathroom etc. All the reps are English so you don't have language barriers, most sites have swimming pools/shop/restaurant/take away. Lots of different ages stay on them too- from tiny babies up to teens, and in the past we have seen some younger groups of friends using them as a base. They aren't overly rowdy and plenty to do on site if you having a day at the park.

We went to Lake Garda with a four year old a few years ago (about 4 years ago). One thing I remember noticing is a lack of baby changing facilities when out and about. Not a massive thing but something to be aware of.