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Holidays

Use our Travel forum for recommendations on everything from day trips to the best family-friendly holiday destinations.

Are Villa Holidays Boring

24 replies

user1482959570 · 28/12/2016 21:20

Hi. I just read some post that villa holidays can be boring for older kids? Any thoughts

OP posts:
SwedishEdith · 28/12/2016 21:22

Depends where you go, surely and the villa? And the kids?

JassyRadlett · 28/12/2016 21:27

Surely it depends on where you go and how you spend your time? I've been on a villa holiday with friends with teens where we were all out doing stuff most days - beach, museums, other local attractions, then back for a movie / swim in the late afternoon, dinner at home or at a local restaurant, then board games etc at night.

If it was a villa in the middle of nowhere and the plan was to sit by the pool all day it might get dull for them.

MollyHuaCha · 28/12/2016 21:31

My teens love villa hols. My criteria are: lots of indoor and outdoor space, great pool, sea view, dishwasher, washing machine and walking distance to convenience store.

BackforGood · 28/12/2016 22:03

My teens would love it, but they love to lie in, to swim, to read.
It will depend on your teens.

mummymeister · 30/12/2016 10:09

i cant think of anything worse than an AI where you have to stay on site for the whole time eating what someone else has cooked and chosen for you and neither can my kids. we have always had a villa but have chosen carefully so that they each get a bedroom, the villa has a good size/heated pool and the location is somewhere central so they can go off and explore on their own if they want to. we just don't enjoy the kind of "organised fun" you get with AI and also like to have our own car to explore. It does depend though very much on your kids. mine do love a good read, board/card games etc and we make sure that we leave the villa every day and do something.

Lovelybangers · 30/12/2016 10:43

Depends.

Our teens weren't very sociable anyway - so would happily just lounge around and read mess about on the internet for hours.

birdybirdywoofwoof · 30/12/2016 10:45

For sociable teens- boring, maybe.

For quiet teens- bliss, no?

celeste84 · 30/12/2016 10:47

I'm guessing we are talking about Villa's in Spain or Portugal? Yes they can be boring, essential you have use of a hire car so you can go off elsewhere.

JudithTaverner · 30/12/2016 10:59

I think they'd be essentially transporting their (constantly online) lives to a sunny place with a pool. If that's what they like, it would be fine!

I'd be very bored though!

NotCitrus · 30/12/2016 11:05

Depends what is on site and who you go with. If you go with another family or two who have kids they like, and there's lots of space, games, pool, and more than car so people can do different things, it's great. Or if they can walk to a town.

If it's their extended boring family or people they don't like, and no-one will enable them to do any activities they want, then it would be boring.

Most have TV, consoles and Wi-Fi nowadays.

NotCitrus · 30/12/2016 11:05

more than one car...

Jaimx86 · 30/12/2016 11:11

i cant think of anything worse than an AI where you have to stay on site for the whole time
Do they lock you in? Grin

BuffyTheSpikeLayer · 30/12/2016 11:15

We love villa holidays! So much more freedom than being constrained to the AI times and schedules and no jostling around the pool for a space.
We usually go with extended family so DD never bored she is generally never out of he pool anyway. Most villas have wi fi TV dvd etc and we hire a car visit surrounding areas.My friend refuses to stay in a villa as she doesn't want to cook and clean on holiday but we mainly eat out, and everyone generally chips in on keeping on top of things and a cleaner comes in if requested I love it roll on summer!.

Scabetty · 30/12/2016 11:17

Depends on your teen. Villa in Nice last year had wifi and a big pool plus lots of shops a short drive away. Dd read by the pool for most of it. We want to go back again to the same region this year.

Hulababy · 30/12/2016 11:26

We do a few villa holidays - stayed in them across Europe and int he US, plus cottages in the UK. Have done so since DD was a baby and she is now 14y, only child. Sometimes we go alone, sometimes with family, sometimes with friends - our friends have DDs the same age as my DD who are good friends of hers too.

DD prefers villas to hotels - she never did the whole joining in with kids clubs or anything anyway, and likes to spend time with us rather than children she didn't know.

She just spends loads of time in the pool - sometimes alone, or with her dad or with family/friends if with them. She enjoys laying back and reading, and sunbathing, and also will use her tablet and the WIFI (she is a teen after all!) and then we enjoy some of each day exploring.

The villas we rent are usually fairly central and walking distance to the resort and/or beach, have a private pool, plenty of room, BBQ, WIFI, music systems, etc and we have car hire for exploring. Often they have a games room, and pool 'toys' and love not having to fight for a decent sun bed.

We eat out for all big meals. We do grab things like breakfast cereals and tea/coffee, plus alcohol and soft drinks, snacks, etc. So we will eat breakfast in, and some snacks. Depending on where we are we might get stuff for a BBQ or a big fresh salad and have that - but nothing that requires much prep, cooking intervention or time. Mostly we eat out.

We always ensure the villas have a cleaning option at the end, or that don't ask it to be left spotless. Never chosen one without a dishwasher either for that reason. I would always leave a hotel room tidy, so a villa is no different to me.

We would almost always choose a villa over a hotel.

twostepsister · 30/12/2016 11:27

I used to Eurocamp when my children were young and then was treated to a luxury villa holiday in Cyprus and haven't looked back. Love villa holidays no pool restrictions, can get up when we want and read in peace. A hire car is essential and we hit the beach very late afternoon and stay until the sun sets. Usually do a big shop on arrival and ensure we buy the essentials and eat breakfast at the villa and eat out late afternoon by the beach. I have never been bored as I always plan days out.

Ohtobeskiing · 30/12/2016 11:32

We took our 18 and 21 year olds to a villa last summer for the first time. It was great. We went out most mornings, did a few day trips, back to the villa in the afternoon to swim (we took lots of stuff to play with in the pool too), read, nap. Either out again in the evening to eat, wander etc or eat by the pool and play cards.

Kymble · 01/01/2017 20:25

I am interested in a villa holiday this year. Any recommendations of good websites?

Scabetty · 01/01/2017 20:46

We have rebooked a villa in the cote d'azur area for mid august. We have used Palmer and Palmer again as they were brilliant last year.

Scabetty · 01/01/2017 20:46

Sorry Palmer and Parker Blush

mummymeister · 02/01/2017 01:18

I use websites like owners direct to find villas. bit cautious of airbandb personally but a good place to start. also use tripadvisor and the forums on there for info and help.

Hulababy · 02/01/2017 10:04

Kymble - we use sites like HomeAway and Owners Direct

NotCitrus · 02/01/2017 21:58

Found ones in Italy with James Villas. Self-catering elsewhere via Expedia.

Kymble · 02/01/2017 23:55

Thank you - I am having a good look around the villas on Home Away/Owners Direct. Some amazing places- wow!

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