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??

We'll be looking for a gite in France next year. I know I can't go wrong asking on MN!

peachy i agree with you there

my 2 dds wake up during the night fairly frequently (usually for the loo) and they always look for us when they do

it hasnt been hijacked

the OP wasnt even going to Mark warner, she was off to villa pia

we may go to MW one day (although I seriuosly doubt it, it sounds vile and overpriced, like a big jolly middle class holiday camp)

Fio thats news to me too

It is quite tricky and you have to change what you do according to the ages of the children. Last year we had two nights in a travel inn in edinburgh. We ate earlyish then put the children to bed at about 8 or 8.30 and read while they went to sleep (was May so quite light even with curtains drawn), then lay on the bed playing scrabble and drinking wine. Was OK for two nights, but longer would have been a bit much.

when i was19 me and dp went to dominican republic on hol, as we got there, we fell asleep(late flight), when i woke up dp was gone and door was locked.
i almost had a panic attack.
he had gone for a look around and locked door so i was safe...we were on third floor, with no big wondows and a three floor drop of balcony, but he locked door so i would be 'safe' so no one could get in..
i ws 19 and scared.
if you have any doubts previously or right now, take them with you, i would always.

more rah-di-rah

Also - ha ha ha to sleeping in. We had a two week holiday recently where ds did not sleep in once. He was getting to bed between 8-9pm (quite late for him). He had to have a nap to make this without being really manic and cranky so we did need to be back to our room most days for him to have this.

On the days where he had no nap and still stayed up later he was still up, bright and bush tailed by 6am at the latest.

we haven't done many holidays with our two but when we have done long weekends etc, we have tried to tire them out in the day, go for a drive at about 4ish so they nap, then keep them up till whatever time they start to annoy us , usually 9ish or 10

they LOVE staying up late and eating crisps (usually rationed) etc

Ditzy your post implies that you think only people who have left or are thinking about leaving their children in a hotel while going out for dinner should reply to this thread, and that the thread should be a general reassurance of ?I?ve done it, it?ll be perfectly fine? posts. But the reality is that the situation in Portugal has, rightly or wrongly, raised the question for some as to whether they would still feel comfortable leaving their children, even if they have previously done so. And there are people, myself included, who would never leave children alone in a hotel room, and who can offer the best solutions as to how to incorporate the children into your evening if you?ve never had to do so in the past.

But if the views of us mere underlings who can either not afford to, or choose not to go an a holiday where our children are treated as second class citizens after the hour of 7:30, then feel free to ignore them.

god yes crisps make a holiday for the dds [pathetic]

Interesting viewpoints as always.

Have never been to a Mark Warner type resort but was thinking about it as our DS is an only child and I thought it might be good for him to have lots of other children to play with. A bit concerned that he wouldn't be allowed to eat with us though so may give that a miss.

Have always been lucky in that he always managed to sleep in his buggy till he got too big for it. And now he just eats with us and stays up - although we tend to eat around 7 and are usually back in hotel room by 9/9.30 - we are boring sods and go to bed early. DS can sleep with the light on so we read.

It does all seem to depend on your children really.

ooh this kicked off while I was on the phone !

It was an Esprit summer holiday - their hotel in Chamonix to be precise. Yes it did pee me off to be dictated to and for that reason as well as several others, I 'd probably not use them again. But for us, on that occasion, it worked out ok overall as a holiday and was a bargain (£139 full board for week per adult, ds was £30 and dd free). Although for dd the early bedtime was a pita and once she escaped from her travel cot (she was 22 months) and I found her behind the door calling out despite the "babylistening service". Many other young children had problems settling too so dinner was often an interrupted affair (which seems to rather defeat the purpose).

btw for us it was the second week of our holiday, the first having been self catering in an apartment near Genoa where our kids had got used to being up until 10ish and we ate out as a family. tbh Esprit was the one and only time we have allowed ourselves to be dictated to and we have avoided Bedruthan Steps, for example, as they did the same, at least at the time we were thinking of it. We've also stayed at family hotels where you have the choice to feed the children earlier and then can dine alone or have them at the table with colouring and entertainment going on or you eat together.

please dont turn this one into an argument, there is so much tension lately
some would/some wont
some did/some didnt
its a risk you may want to take..or not? your decision

the dds had a starter and adrink with us in a hotel over easter

then we put them to bed with a dvd and came back to restaurant to finish our meal

we had a baby monitor

even so I am pretty sure I wouldn't do it again quite yet

agree totally with fio fios last post

well ok her second from last

I wouldn't leave mine but that was before this weekends events

I don't know why, I just wouldn't

I don't look down on anyone that does however, each to their own

To the OP, I would try to get them to nap, then keep them up

children love staying up later than normal

net washing thread?????