Single parent holiday with toddler

[sfagan2022]

Hi MN,

Desperate for a summer holiday (aren't we all) and very keen to go abroad.
I'm a single mum to a 2.5 year old and would like to take her away myself for the first time abroad this summer. I've done on UK trip (long weekend) and it was surprisingly okay just the two of us. None of my family would come with me before anyone suggests taking parents etc.

Can anyone suggest a good destination that is toddler friendly and would be busy enough for me not to feel too isolated as a single mum? My LO is very active and would love slides at the pool. I guess she is too young for kids clubs but if there was one that would be a bonus.

Should I go self catering? I'd much prefer separate accommodation i.e. living room, balcony, kitchen so that we're not holed up in a hotel room but equally the thought of cooking meals every day and washing up is NOT a holiday, plus a lot of SC only offer tiny hobs and a microwave, no oven!!

I looked at mobile homes in Lake Garda and Croatia so we would have our own little unit and ideally separate bedrooms but again the kitchen facilities are so limited so I'm now wondering if all inclusive is a better option?

Thank you!

Any of the Balearics, AI if you can.

Lovely weather, not too hot, kids clubs, pools, beaches, ice cream on demand, short flight.

Or Martinhal in Portugal.

I would do Spain and do AI with a child I would want to be able to eat and drink whenever they wanted and it be unlimited, was going to take my 3 kids away alone and I would have done a Spanish island and AI

Personally I suggest at least half board if not AI because yes it needs to be a holiday for you as well.

What do you want? I travel alone with the children and when they were small I wanted bustle. So for example I needed a balcony for when they had naps but I wanted it overlooking the pool or the beach as I didn't want to feel alone. I also wanted kids clubs and pools because then there was entertainment for them as well. Also being central with a short airport transfer.

Look at the sensatori resorts. Great for kids that age. She can make friends and hopefully you can use the kids clubs so you also get some time on your own.

I'd recommend talyot apartments in Menorca. Short flight, there are 1 and 2 bed apartments for space. Kids splash pool with slides, playground, mini go karts. 10 mins on the bus to the lovely old town of citadella, if you fancy somewhere a bit more picturesque. The restaurants near the hotel have play areas for little ones too.

Tui blue Flamingo (Lanzarote) and Tres Vidas (Gran Canaria) resorts have SC rooms but you can choose to upgrade to all inclusive. Kids club is payable for under 3's but iirc it was only something like €14 for a 2h session, great for getting a bit of a break yourself! The Spanish hotels are owned by Nordotel, it can be much cheaper to book hotel & flights yourself rather than through Tui.

2nd vote for Sensatori (TUI)

We did sensatori when dd was little and the crèche was lovely. I looked recently though and prices are high.

I took my slightly smaller toddler AI to Tenerife on my own.

I don't mind a hotel room, it was big with a big balcony and the weather was good so we never felt cooped up and I could still sit out after she was asleep.

There was lots of kids for her to stare/smile at, an evening disco and stuff. She liked that. Plenty of mum chat by the pool and in the hotel playground if you enjoy mum chat. Loads in Tenerife do have kids clubs that would take a 2.5 year old. Also, being a family-oriented AI hotel the restaurants were packed full of kids being noisy which before kids would obviously be awful but not having to worry about your toddler being chaotic does make a more relaxing time.

We had a really perfect time. Only issue is Tenerife is at the top end of tolerable for a short haul flight but 🤷🏼‍♀️ I was willing to take the hit for more or less guaranteed nice weather, later in the year, you could get away with the much shorter flight to Spain.

I would nip into a travel agent and see where they can suggest. Some resorts do have single parent discounts so they are more likely to have single parents staying. An ai would be easier for you, the one we stayed at had 4 different restaurants and the room was spacious with a table and chairs and balcony.

Something a bit different but I found Disneyland Paris ideal at that age. The Eurostar goes right next to the park. You don't need a car if you book one of the hotels either end of Disney village. And so much to see and do.

Alternatively how about more of a city break? If little one will sit in the buggy you could sightsee by day and find nice bars in the evening - Spain is very child friendly eg Madrid would work. I stayed at the holiday inn which had 2 rooms in the suite

We're going to Ibiza with Jet2 in a couple of weeks, with DD who is 32 months. We've chosen half board in a 2 bedroom apartment.
I can report when we get back :)

Menorca looks ideal, I just want to make sure I pick a good resort that has enough going on to keep us both entertained and is very close walking distance to beach and restaurants for something to do at night. I'm undecided about all inclusive as feel my LO would just live off chips and ice cream (fine with me!).

TUI have a £200 single parent code on at the moment. Agree with Spain or Portugal if its your first time going away.

Sensatori are over priced. Depending what your child likes there's plenty of hotels with kids clubs and a splash park.

Tenerife is a great part of Spain.

As a single mum who has been holidaying alone with dc for many years I have to say AI was the worst option, followed by HB and that SC was the best.
With SC you can deal with drinks, snacks etc during the night, very early in the morning etc without kea ing your accommodation. You also gave as you say, extra space and can sit up when dc go to bed. I always bought cereal etc and just did breakfast in which was really cheap and easy and didn't involve juggling dc in a busy buffet. Also meant I could enjoy snacks, wine, coffee etc in evening if dc went to bed earlier. Always ate out for dinner and depending on resort/activities either took snacks in a cool bag or grabbed a toastie. Meals where we went (Spain, France, Greece, Italy) were never expensive and it always worked out cheaper than AI.
Best holidays when they were wee were the eurocamp style holidays as they played outside all the time, in the pool, by the caravan/lodge and were exhausted by bed time! I could then sit outside in the garden area and chat to other parents which was much more friendly than sitting in a balcony myself!

I am in the same predicament.
I have nobody to go on holiday with and my daughter is 9
I am so nervous that I will be targeted by unsavoury people as you hear so much negativity within the media.
It kills me watching my daughter watch all her friends go on holidays and we don't.
I wish I had the courage some of you ladies have x

@Bonnieboo12 I totally understand your feelings and this will be my first trip alone with an almost three year old so feeling a little nervous. But if your daughter is nine she will be pretty self sufficient i.e. you won't need to watch her like a hawk at a pool, she can tell you when she wants to eat, drink etc and she would perhaps want to go to a kids club for some of the time to make friends to give you some free time. I would say go for it given she's older - you would have a great time.