holiday recommendations on a budget - ones your kids loved

[Marshmellow]

Want to go away in Easter hols for a week to 10 days. Money is rather tight at the moe so would like recommendations for brilliant family hols that your children simply loved with plenty to do. Any area suggestions welcome. Thanks

We have used Canvas and been to Brittany before and thoroughly enjoyed it. Took the ferry and stayed in a mobile homeon a camp with lots of facilities. I think Eurocamp is pretty much the same but we've never used them.

Isn't it a bit cold for camping in April? Had thought about this but wasn;t sure how it would be if it rained and then you are all on top of each other in cramped conditions

chilly at easter, though! how tight is a 'tight budget'?

House swaps - we've done lots and enjoyed every one - half of the fun for the kids is being in another house -the 'fiddle factor' is great (as long as they don't break stuff!)

Can you call staying in a mobile home - camping?

Anywhere with a sandpit.

canaries are good at easter, if you can afford it.

Cyprus will be nice and warm but not sure what the prices will be as Christian and Greek Orthodox Easter are on the same day - first time for years apparently! If you do look into Cyprus give me a shout and I can try and find you somewhere nice out here

oh god id got to norhtern france yes
makes oyu feel abroad

i like northern france, but have twice been at easter and it was still bitterly cold/ wintry.brrr

Have a look at the caravans/prices in Duinrell in Holland. THis is a theme park/water park and campsite. If you book with people like Canvas you get free entrance to the Theme park all day, and two hours in the water park.

A week there works out cheaper than a weekend in a UK Centreparc

We have been many times, and my kids absoluty adore it.

You can also hire bikes or go karts. A fair bit to do in the area around, and no-where is that far away in Holland.

A great place.

As below £500 as possible, self catering fine. Wouldnt mind a caravan or a log cabin type thing. Just as long as there is plenty to do if weather bad - pool a must have for kids

Just had a look at the Holland Keycamp thing - love that type of hols plus prices great. How do you work out travel though? Seperate flights or do key camp deal with it? Also, am pregnant so would need to choose something that was not too roller coaster and waterslide orientated

We have booked a log cabin type thing for easter in the Peak district. It's not that cheap, about £500, but it looks nice and has been recommended to us by friends who have been there.
It's with Hoseasons, they have quite a few of these cabin sites.
the one we've booked is called Darwin forest, I think, it's near Bakewell.

The Dutch one sounds interesting, I may look at that myself......

MM, the price includes a channel crossing from Dover to Calais. We fork out a bit more (about 50-60 quid IIRC) to go by Channel tunnel. It is a 4 hour drive from Calais, and a dead easy one at that.

We stop off in Cite Europe to shop before we do the drive.....dutch food isn't that exciting!

If you are PG there is a Lazy river....V relaxing. The theme park is quite low key and better suited to little ones than big teens wanting white knuckle rides....tho there are a few.

It really is first rate and my kids talk more about it than any other holiday that we have ever done....including the trip to EuroDisney!!!

PS I don't work for the company, honest!

SP, we are paying around £650 for the week in Holland

I've just looked MB and it does look good, and much cheaper than the paek district! The £500 is just for 4 nights, whereas it looks like £300 for that in Holland.

We have only just made a provisional reseravrtion and not paid yet so I will get Dh to look when he comes home and we might change!

Is the indoor pool complex big, as it's obviosly goung to be cold at easter? I couldn't tell if most pools were inside or outside?

Have you visited Amsterdam whilst there? DS has just read a book about Ann Frank so would love to go there. Also we will be taking FIL, so need some amusents for him.

Sorry Marshmallow, slight thread hijack!
But hopefully info useful to yiou too?

Thats fine - i'm interested in all that you have asked. Did think April will be cold so would like to know about indoor pool etc. Also how long is the drive from Calais - my geography is dreadful! If you were to pay extra and take the tunnel....how long is the drive at the other end? Getting rather excited at the prospect of a fab cheap holiday

If you travel from Harwich to Hook of Holland it's only a 30 min drive to Duinrell.

We have gone when it has been bitterly cold. We have gone when we needed sun loation! We have had BBQs. Most times it has been fine, and the kids spent all day outside, we just took good coats. Because the Dutch have similar weather to us, most of the stuff is under reasonable cover.

Most of the pools are indoors....there is one outdoo heated pool that you can acces from the inside (IYSWIM). there is a larger out door area which is closed at Eater. This has never been a problem for us.

It is about a 4 hour drive from tyhe French side of the Channel. If you want a shorter drive you can take a ferry to the hook of holland....it is about 30 minutes from there, but that will bump the price up considersably.

It is a great holiday and comparitivly very well priced.

We're going to Duinrell this Easter.

Can't wait, and the boys are really excited too.

Two other great things about Duinrell.

If you cross the road outside the camp it is a pleasant 5/10 min walk into the town centre.

There is a hugh sandy beach with NO seaweed 5 mins away by car.