Travel with infant - how spend the evening near your child?

[Rubysmummy2]

Hi. We want to book a summer holiday abroad but I am really concerned as to how we will manage our evening once our little one (nearly 2) has gone to bed. We have been on a sunsail holiday with her before where we left her in our room with a monitor and had our evening meal/watched entertainment in the resort but I guess since the Maddy McGann story broke I am really nervous about doing that - but particularly so if the restaurant is not in the same building as our room. We also don't want to be sitting in the same, darkened room as her of an evening keeping quiet so as to not wake her! I thought an apartment would be ideal but finding something under £1000 each isn't easy, and also we would really rather not have to cook/wash up etc. so self-catering not ideal either.
Help! Any ideas?

• something relaxing (beachy) but with stuff to do (either watersports or cultural interest).

I take a book a day and do some serious reading.

I have taken ds on holiday myself and shared a room with him. Once he was asleep we could turn all the lights back on and the TV and he wouldn't notice. He was easily wakable as a baby so this came as a nice surprise.

We always go self catering because we have allergies, the extra cost of the apartment is made up for by having more space and saving on meals out. When she's nearly 3 next year it will be different again - so it's only 1 year remember.

I think she means Spain not Sapin{blush],
anyway, there are loads of aparthotels in Spain. Majorca is good for families - short flying time and plenty of safe clean beaches and lots of different type of resorts. Puerto Pollensa is lovely and not garish like Magaluf. Before we had kids we stayed at a hotel that was lovely - a separate bedroom and living area in each room plus a terrace. If I remember the name I'll post it here for you.

We recently did self catering in France and alternated between takeout/going out/cooking in.
DS (aged 2) is not very good in restaurants so it was easier for us to spend some evenings at "home" relaxing.