Now worried about holiday, as intending to leave Dc's in room while we eat...

[OutragedfromTunbridgeWells]

we're going to villa Pia (as recommende on MN) where children eat early and then go to bed and parents eat later all together.

This seemed a great idea to me before.

but now obviously with tragic and frightening abduction of Madeleine, it's playing on my mind and feel we cannot do this.

Are any others having such dilemmas? what should we think/do??

My villa fears are pool related but that's off topic.

LOL ALhoa- mine are only OK in the evenings because they never sleep anyway! I cold just sip the melatonin.

Very at the siesta though.

yes we are term time tied from august

in Angus here we have 2 weeks in October, is that not the case in Edinburgh/Fife ?

Dh and I do the siesta, kids are really just out of the sun!

Aloha have you been to Villa Pia then? What did you think of the evening set up?

Incidently VP appealed becauase it is a hotel but you have access to the kitchen and stocked fridge at all times (for those of you with hotel/fridge issues).

This will be our first family holiday in a hotel, we usually SC apart from a weekend or two, but I am looking forward to being catered for AND having fridge drinks/snacks to hand. We've only booked a week to try it as we're not sure what it'll be like. We love Italy and SC last year so trying something new.

No No No! - I can't believe you could even consider leaving your dcs

I haven't been but friends have. It is very much a house party - you know everyone staying, the house is quite on its own and you are just outside, like having dinner in your garden if you had a big house. It sounds gorgeous btw!

NP, yes we have two weeks in October too (probably the same two weeks), we are tied also to the School hols although the School has been pretty good in the past when we have had to ask for an extra day or two.

Just one week in Edinburgh though I'm afraid naily, give or take a day

Ah, now you see somethings are better this side of the bridge!

When I was a student I worked at one of the British child-friendly hotels that offer a children's dining room and a baby-listening service in the evenings for when the parents eat dinner/go to the bar.

The baby listening service was quite safe. A few girls would be stationed along each corridor and section of the hotel. We used to sit and read during the baby listening duty and do the odd walk up and down the corridor to listen at specific doors, but we didn't have so many rooms to look after that we couldn't hear a child crying or notice if someone suspicious had come into the hotel.

Anyway, I just wanted to let people know that baby-listening doesn't always mean a half-hourly patrol by one nanny in a large complex.

I would never leave my dd's alone in an appartment in a strange country or alone at home to move my car full stop.

Why risk it. (even if this had not happened I would still never leave them) It only takes a matter of seconds for something terrible to happen.

I have 4 children. The first time I ever left any of them on holiday was when I was pregnant with no. 4 and we waited till room service arrived in our suite then went down for dinner. They were 10, 8 and 7 and just upstairs with mobile phones. The time to have meals without you children is when you pay to take in laws (as we did in Feb) or leave children at home with family you trust. Children can choke, vomit, cry, panic, fall out of bed and bang their heads, feel ill, be sad you buggered off to dinner and left them..... kidnap never really occurred before because I have enough other reasons to look after my children myself. And being in an apartment is nothing like being in a friend's large country house. Apartments are public and anyone can be loitering and watching. I would imagine a few unsavoury people choose MW holidays or similar for the wrong reasons. None of these give an excuse to anyone for taking a lovely little girl of course, but they are the reasons I choose to make myself responsible for looking after my own children.

I don't get this - why don't you just eat earlier, or later for that matter, with your DCs. It's a family holiday isn't it?

I would never, NEVER leave my dd in a hotel/apartment on her own whilst we ate out or had a drink or whatever. If I want a holiday that doesn't include sharing my undivided time with her then me and dh have a weekend away and she stays with her grandparents at home. When you're a parent that's the choice you make imo and I'm very sorry for the Mccann's and hope they get their lovely girl back but by God, if they don't they will rue the day they decided to put child-free socialising over the security of those precious kids. I mean, on holiday, you guard your passport, your money whatever in a safe so I dont understand how anyone could contemplate leaving their kids (especially very young ones) unattended.

i do think these kiods were far too young to be left tbh

The OP isn't discussing a Mark Warner set up at all.
Last summer we stayed at petit chateau in France run by a lovely English woman who is a superb cook. We had a suite of rooms on the top floor, and we could eat in the garden early with the kids running around, but twice we ate dinner later in the dining room downstairs without children and it was lovely. Far more relaxing and I could actually have a proper conversation with my husband. The house was set back from the village, and there was only one other couple staying. the dining room was right by the front door so we would have seen anyone coming in. It really was no different to staying in someone's house. The children slept upstairs and we had the monitor with us so we would have heard if they stirred - probably a lot quicker than we would have done at home where we never use a monitor.
The villa Pia set up is very similar, I think.
I am amazed that you can't eat with your children on a Mark Warner holiday though - particularly as teh childcare seems really inadequate at this particular resort.

By Minky Biscuit

'they will rue the day they decided to put child-free socialising over the security of those precious kids. I mean, on holiday, you guard your passport, your money whatever in a safe so I dont understand how anyone could contemplate leaving their kids (especially very young ones) unattended.'

I personally can contenplate enjoying a meal alone with my husband on holiday occasionally.

What I cannot contemplate is why anyone would write such judgematnal sanctimonious totally unessesary comments about loving parents who's lives are an actual living nightmare.

Why would you feel the need to say that? why?why????

I do believe in the freedom of speech but am amazed and astounded at how people will use it to unessesaarily cause harm, DEEP HARM to others.

I pray no unfortunate tragic accident ever happens to you so that you will not have to suffer the judgemnt you heap on others.

Because be sure, if this wouldn't ever be you as you piously tell us, something else even under your nearly perfect 99% viligance could.

OUTRaged i completely agree with you
how dare people judge

That sux. Here we were, having a nice thread about options for holidays that people could feel comfortable with, and it had to go ugly.

I do dare judge ok? My child is more precious than gold to me and I wouldnt knowingly put her at risk and I never suggested the Mccanns did either. I stated the (reasonable I think) assumption that they may live to deeply regret their decision, as I would had I made it.

You can wish whatever badness you like on me, by the way, that's your perogative - but I never stated I was virtually perfect at all.

no one is wishing any badness on you

My point is..I feel horrible for the Mccanns and want a good outcome for them - as any mother would. I dont understand how people feel comfortable leaving their children. If a couple left three under three children in their home AT HOME - unattended to go up the road to the pub for a couple of hours, I suspect social services would be involved. I can't see how it is ok to do it on holiday, to get back to the original post. Any responsible parent would never dream of leaving their children alone in the house for all sorts of reasons - so why on holiday in an unfamiliar environment? It's seems a crazy risk and I dont wish to sound unkind but I just cant comprehend the mentality of it

i cant answer these questions minky biscuit and i agree with some points but please bear in mind there is a good chance Mrs McCann is an mumsnetter