newbie, desperate for suggestions....

[CeciliaL]

Hi folks, I'm new here! :)

I'm really really struggling with organising family holidays that satisfy my family... My husband and I work hard running our own business and he, in particular, really needs to get away for breaks at Easter and in the summer hols. Easter is always a thorny problem! Where to go, what to do... We used to do package hols with Thomson etc when DD was younger, but she'll be 10 in March and we're very happy to get away from Thomson the dog these days! :D

Does anyone have any brilly ideas for where to go & what to do? We went to Morocco last half term, which was good for me and OH, but DD was a bit bored as there wasn't much for her to do (we stayed in beautiful Riads in 3 different locations) and no kids for her to play with, plus she's a bit shy so it would be easier for her to make friends if there was an organised activity of some sort. At the same time, she's now too old to want to do chocolate face painting and colouring in!!

Husband wants to 'chill' (read books, laze around, do nothing), I'm a bit hyperactive but happy to conform, quite capable of doing 'nothing' (although I get a bit frustrated ) BUT I don't enjoy having DD constantly telling me how bored she is... So I'm really struggling to figure out where to go and what to do which combines: decent weather (Easter 2017 hols are 8-23 April), nice food (not all inclusive, we like to eat in different places), something to keep DD entertained (she isn't sporty, so no tennis camp or similar...) and comfortable accommodation, and seeing that it'll need to be a 10 day holiday, it needs to be short-ish haul...

Am I asking the impossible? I'm mostly finding 'family holidays' that involve the whole family going off on bike rides or similar - my tiny little family just isn't like that!! Ideal scenario would be something brilliant fun for DD to do with other English (or Swedish, as she's bilingual) speaking kids while OH does nothing (I'm flexible - if there are fitness classes or a gym or suitable surroundings for running, I'm happy to do that, or just slob), and then we all go out together in evening...

Hope someone has some ideas, as I'm tearing my hair out trying to organise something, what with the Moroccan trip not being amazingly successful and the previous Cyprus holiday being good but without any activities at all for DD, so she kept whingeing (just hanging out by a pool gets a bit dull in the long run?! spoilt child?! And I myself really don't want to spend an entire holiday in a pool, I'm not that keen on swimming...) :O)...

so what you are saying is that ideally you need to be somewhere like Mark Warner holidays where your OH can do nothing (but pays the premium price for the activities) and you have something to do and your DD has a kids club to meet with others. it does seem a waste to pay for an activity type holiday with kids club and then to be inactive but that really is your only option I am afraid.

there are loads out there - ocean elements do a sailing and windsurfing one . you could also look at booking your DD into a PGL activity holiday in the UK or the ones in France whilst the two of you go away together.

Lanzarote? Weather would probably be decent in mid April.

Small island, you can drive from one end to the other in an hour. Lots of choice of accommodation and nice beaches - Playa Blanca is probably the nicest resort of the three main ones, or else there will be villas off the beaten track, but that wouldn't fit with entertainment for DD.

Stuff to do other than kids clubs and laying next to the pool:

Volcano national park
Caves
boat trips to neigbouring islands or just other areas of the island, glassbottom boats etc
visit small inland traditional towns
walking, cycling on coastal pathway
Cesar Manrique house
Cactus garden
water park
vineyards
Camel rides
Massive Sunday Market in Teguise, if that's your thing
Eating/drinking/tapas etc
beach and watersports like diving, snorkelling, jetskis
Visit main town Arricife
Kids stuff like playparks etc
Airport museum

Thanks both! Yes, mummymeister, I kind of reached the same conclusion... Looked at eg. La Manga, but it just sounds so booooring... resort hotel... and nearly all the activities are things like tennis lessons or football or golf.... zzz... I'll have a look at Mark Warner. I think the things she'd enjoy the most would be rock climbing (in- or outdoor), sailing and perhaps scuba diving, but any team or ball sports are a complete no-no for her!

BarbaraofSeville, thanks - we went to Lanzarote last year! :D She had a great time playing with kids at the hotel, I went running along the beach front each morning and did yoga classes, OH did F-A!

I did think of her doing some sort of camp while we stay nearby and do something else (she's only 9, well, 10 next year, not sure she wants a week without us?!) and indeed, I do something similiar in the summer - she goes to pony camp in Sweden for 5 days, while I stay in a nearby lovely youth hostel and do whatever I want, visit friends & relatives, go walking etc, and check in on her occasionally, which is fun for her and great for me. OH doesn't come along on this though, not really his thing.

I may just have to accept that I won't be able to organise an Easter holiday that is all things to all of us! :(

Can you bring a friend or relative of dd so she has someone to play with?

I did think of that HammersWidow, but don't know if anyone would allow their child to go abroad with us, feels like they are maybe a bit young to go away without their parents for a week or 10 days... Haven't got any young relatives, she is an only child and has no cousins. :( :( Bah. Bad planning on our part, clearly! :D

Just realised Mark Warner don't do anything other than skiing holidays at Easter. Might have to consider that, although I do feel mid/end April is risky for snow conditions, so I'm not super keen...

The caribbean (including Cuba) at Easter or Kenya beach (and book safari when there - its cheaper for the same)

Have you considered a cruise? DH could chill, lots of activities to suit everyone including kids clubs for dd?

Thanks for the tips!

I was considering Zanzibar, which is kinda Kenya/beach thingy, innit (ehr, I haven't researched it much!!) and we're planning to go to Jamaica at some point, but not at Easter.

Cruise - yes, in fact, I did think of that!! And the fact that it'll have oodles of entertainment (and no doubt fitness classes for me!), but not sure... I'd better research that too!

Also considering a walking holidayin southern Spain, which is aimed at families and you can have a donkey for the kid that 'hates walking' (fine by me, we have horses so one donkey more or less won't make much difference, haha) and then maybe a few days at a really nice hotel on the coast, with heated pool/gym, that sort of thing...

Thanks again for your suggestions! :)

We did Dubai a few years Ago. 7 hour flight so fine for 10 days (we did 8 nights). The Jumeirah Beach has free wild wadi water park next door, lots of restaurants to choose from as can also go to next door hotels. More kids than you need and a fitness building with classes and lap pool and gym. There is a kids club but children were younger so not sure what they do
For 10 year olds so check! Also lots of sun beds for dh! Sani in Greece also good but not sure if open in Easter and weather situation.