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Holidays

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

Original poster

Villa on a resort? Or anything similar that worked for your family of 5?!

36 replies

Rainraingoaway21 · 09/08/2021 09:33

We haven't been abroad in 12 years and are looking to book for next year (hopefully!).

The DC will be 17, 14 and 12 by the return date. We would like to all be together rather than 2 apartments or rooms which is what is mostly coming up.

DH had the idea of a villa but on a resort but they seem ££'s! Getting the best of both worlds I guess. Do these exist realistically? We would like our own nice base to chill at but also be able to get up and go for breakfast in a restaurant on site or use the pools/amenities.

We could fly from London Gatwick, Heathrow, Bournemouth or Southampton. Would also need school summer holidays 2022 (although DH suggesting June where cheaper but I worry about them missing more college/school)

Can anyone recommend anywhere? We would like to book soon so we have something to look forward to and budget for. TIA!

OP posts:
LIZS · 09/08/2021 09:39

Have a look at Pierre et Vacances but their properties tend to be close together within a site and very similarly furnished rather than villas. Go for a size larger than you need and the laundry/cleaning package. If you can go outside European school holidays it is cheaper and less crowded.

Original poster
Rainraingoaway21 · 09/08/2021 10:15

Great thankyou! I will have a look...

OP posts:
EnglishGirlApproximately · 09/08/2021 11:27

Aphrodite Hills near Paphos would fit the bill but it is pricey. Other than that Pierre et Vacances as a pp suggested, or Eden Resort Albufeira.

emmathedilemma · 09/08/2021 12:34

Centre parcs in Europe? Might be too far north though if you were looking for reliably hot and sunny.
www.centerparcs.eu/#

SnarkyBag · 09/08/2021 12:36

Hotel Villa Maria in Tenerife is wonderful

Watermelon221 · 09/08/2021 12:37

Insotel punta prima (menorca) was good and not too expensive. I think they have other locations too.

Original poster
Rainraingoaway21 · 09/08/2021 13:21

Great thankyou so much, I am taking notes and looking them all up!

OP posts:
poshme · 09/08/2021 16:49

We go to a villa, and usually have a simple
Self catered breakfast, (with posh pastries from local Bakeries) but chose somewhere that we can walk to go out for lunch or dinner.

We always have air con, and a private pool.
We don't mind driving to the beach, and try and stay near places you can hire stuff like paddle boards.

But we quite like our privacy, and my kids are happy to entertain each other/read a lot and chill by the pool.
We book through vrbo or Airbnb, and organise our own flights and car hire as it works out cheaper.

GU24Mum · 09/08/2021 16:52

What's your budget for accommodation (and whether that's for 7/10/14 nights) and do you have any thing you must have (pool? beach?)?

Ducksurprise · 09/08/2021 16:58

How many beds/bedrooms do you need? Ie can all the kids share, or can adults share with children?

TimetohittheroadJack · 09/08/2021 17:04

We are a family of six and find that 3 hotel rooms is probably about the same price as a villa.

Both have pros and cons, in a villa, I end up tidying up and preparing lunch (bread, meat olives etc)
In a hotel housekeeping tidied up and someone else cooks the food, but there's no communal living area so sit together.

Price wise we have paid between 2-4 k for a week, depending on the poshness of the hotel/villa in mid summer.

Original poster
Rainraingoaway21 · 09/08/2021 23:39

We would like a pool to laze around at and also walking distance to a beach would be fab! We don't mind all beds being in the same room or separate bedrooms as long as we are all in the same accommodation. I wouldn't want 2 hotel rooms as it would split DH and I and just not feel right.

Not sure what to say for budget, if it ticks lots of boxes then maybe up to £7/8000?

We would want 14 nights.

Thankyou!

OP posts:
StarStarTeachMe · 09/08/2021 23:41

Eden Resort, in Albufeira might tick your boxes

KnottyKnitting · 09/08/2021 23:48

Martinhal in the Algarve near Sargres. Just stunning!

www.martinhal.com/sagres/

NLondondiva · 10/08/2021 00:01

Westin Costa Navarino in Greece - we’ve stayed in a suite (sleeps 4) plus an interconnecting room (sleeps another 2). Or in fact any hotel with interconnecting rooms - you could put an extra bed in one for the 12 yr old.

I don’t understand the comment about 2 hotel rooms splitting you and DH up - could your kids not have one room and you and DH have the other, as your kids are teens?

emmathedilemma · 10/08/2021 09:18

Check Mark Warner too, some of their resorts are very much geared to families and they refer to family suites and interconnecting rooms.

JudgeRindersMinder · 10/08/2021 09:21

Check out Balaia Golf Village on the Algarve, it would tick all your boxes

TheBitterBoy · 10/08/2021 09:30

We stayed in an apartment at Cascade in Lagos, Portugal. A 2 bedroom apartment would suit you, they also have villas. There is a nice mix of pools and activities there, you can use the hotel restaurants, but the apartments have a full kitchen including dishwasher and washing machine, but also daily maid service so no cleaning as you would have in a self contained villa. It's pricey but probably within your budget.

thefemaleJoshLyman · 10/08/2021 09:35

We are having the same dilemma at the moment. Holidays have become miserable with DD and DS sharing a room - they argue the whole time. We are looking for a villa or hotel room where we can all sleep separately. Next summer DD will be 12 and DS 10 - so probably not old enough for them to have their own hotel room. Probably we would prefer apartments or bungalows on a complex rather than a villa just for us four (they could then have some social life). Happy to spend up to £6000 for 14 nights with flights included. Would prefer to go somewhere Spanish speaking - I have been learning Spanish during lockdown and am desperate to use it!

dameofdilemma · 10/08/2021 09:56

We're also looking for something similar but struggling.

Martinhal for example doesn't seem to have opened bookings yet for July/Aug 2022 school hols.
Cascade has no villas available for Aug 2022 (already!).

Greece we've ruled out (current temps are 39 degrees with wildfire risk).

SprayedWithDettol · 10/08/2021 10:02

If you are sporty people, La Manga is good but it isn’t cheap for a villa.

CloudPop · 10/08/2021 10:43

@TheBitterBoy

We stayed in an apartment at Cascade in Lagos, Portugal. A 2 bedroom apartment would suit you, they also have villas. There is a nice mix of pools and activities there, you can use the hotel restaurants, but the apartments have a full kitchen including dishwasher and washing machine, but also daily maid service so no cleaning as you would have in a self contained villa. It's pricey but probably within your budget.
I was going to suggest Cascade
CloudPop · 10/08/2021 10:45

Take a look at golf resorts. Even if you don't play golf, they have a wide range of accommodation, a clubhouse where you can eat every now and then, and often have pools.

Keepgoing88 · 10/08/2021 13:36

Would you consider interconnecting rooms? The last 2 hotels we went to we had interconnecting rooms for our family of 5. Each of these rooms was potentially built to sleep up to 4 with sofa bed in each lounge area, we managed to sleep in the same room and had one kid in our ‘living area’ and two kids next door. No one can access the interconnecting part only you and you can shut the door or keep it open as you like

Keepgoing88 · 10/08/2021 13:37

Also… some hotels do 2 bed apartments where you have 2 separate bedrooms and a sofa bed in living area so can sleep up to 6