Villa split between childfree couples and families

[Adrianne1234]

Trying to organise a long weekend away (2 nights) with a group of friends for autumn and this is the group split:

Family 1: 2 adults & 2 kids
Family 2: 2 adults & 2 kids
Family 3: 2 adults & 1 kid
Family 4: 2 adults
Family 5: 2 adults

We don't seem to agree on how the total price would be split. The house has 6 bedrooms. 3 family rooms (king beds + single beds) with ensuite bathrooms, 2 standard double rooms and 1 room with 2 single beds for "extra space" (6th room is not claimed by anyone but deemed necessary by the parents to have additional space).

2/3 families seem to think the total bill should be split by couple, without considering the kids.
1/3 families and the 2 adults families think that the families should pay more because despite everyone technically occupying 1 room, some rooms are family rooms.

To state the significance of this, if we wanted to find accommodation for 10 adults, the price per couple would be around half the one we are paying to have a place that can accomodate all the kids/has the right sort of family rooms.

If it was to be split by couple, price would be £550 per couple, which seems pretty steep for families without kids (that also end up getting the crappier rooms).

Food bills will be split amongst adults so kids won't pay for that which has been agreed by everyone.

Thoughts?

Two families insisting the bill be split by couple rather than by family are entitled and grabby. Childfree couples shouldn’t have to pick up either the excess food or accommodation costs. If they can’t afford to take their kids on holiday and pay for them they shouldn’t be going at all

What is their justification for thinking it ins fair to split it evenly?

It's so obviously not fair that I'm interested to know how they explain it?

Run away . Deny all knowledge . This will end in tears. Change your phone number too.

It's all moot, once you get there the kids will all be scheming how they can all share one room together, then one of them will want to move in the middle of the night, another 2 will argue, one will snore.

I am very careful about who I go on holiday with!

The families are CF'S who want their holidays subsidised.

I'd pull out now or a precedent will be set for future trips...

Would not expect childless friends to pay for my kids!

would not want to pay for friends kids.

real problem is the shitty ness of the rooms. I’d pay by room. Big good rooms cost more, shared bathrooms much less.

And depending on kids ages around food costs! That’s super generous.

but yeah. Kids take up so much space! I’d count them as full humans. Again age dependent.

And if the parents are the ones demanding the nicer rooms they can pay the difference.

Overall I do find it better to sort out our own accommodations. Or split up a couple couples.

Of course they should pay more for their kids. They sound very selfish and entitled, as if the holiday should cost the same for 2 extra humans? Lucky you don’t have any single friends to worry about!

As an aside, why is everyone assuming the parents will be fucking while on holiday? It's only 2 nights and presumably they don't share a bed with their kids at home, why would having sex be so important that they need an extra room... most likely they don't want to be woken up at 6am.

But anyway, yeah, the families with children should pay more. With my friends we've always paid it by bedroom, with children in a different bedroom to parents. So if someone has a baby in with them, they pay the same as a couple. If someone has two children they get own room and parent pays double than a couple. If two families have a kid each and the kids share a room, then each family pays for 1.5 room. Of course this only works if all the rooms are roughly the same.

we did something similar but it was simpler as we had one couple with no kids and two couples with 3 kids each so we paid per room. 2 rooms each for the couples with kids so they paid double. I’d say those with a family room pay more but not double.

I’m not sure the food thing is a great deal! Are you all paying for a food shop split evenly between the adults? 5 kids will eat loads!

I also wouldn’t ve paying for the kids food. What if you eat out? Is that split the same? Kids aren’t free

Those with kids are taking the pee … basically getting free holiday for kids if paying same for accommodation and not paying for kids food! It should be one or other …. We have split house equally but paid more for kids food OR paid more for accommodation and not counted kids in the food shops (unless kids need something ‘special’ as fussy and won’t eat same as everyone else then their parents bring it/sort it).

I was initially going to say kids are half each, so

£660 for the two child families
£550 for the one child family
£440 for the couples

But another way to do it would be per room, so if you're only using five of the rooms then, something like

£650 for an en-suite room
£400 for a double room

Or if someone wants to use the sixth room, then maybe more like

£575 for an en-suite
£325 for a double
£375 for the twin

I'd personally rather have a double room with my husband than share a family room with my children. sure, they get a bigger bed, but it comes with a complete and utter lack of privacy due to the children sharing the room.

That said, I'd split the rental costs between couples, as rooms with extra beds kind of obviously have to go to those with children sharing with them. But families should be paying more towards the food purchases, (and drinks to make up for their childrens' interesting moments, heh), treating each child as half an adult for splitting purposes.

@theholesinmyapologies Sure most of us would prefer a room without our children in it. But when we get a bigger ensuite room that should cost more no matter how many people stay in it.
A family room in a hotel costs more than a small double room.

@theholesinmyapologies Thank you for giving an insight into this mindset. You think the childfree couples are getting a better deal as they have a room to themselves without children.
You are ignoring that when you rent a house, the price set takes into account the number of beds. A house that can sleep 15 people, even if some of those rooms have 3 or 4 people sharing a room, nearly always costs quite a bit more than a house that sleeps 10 people. It is literally one third more beds.
So OP is being asked to subsidise the larger rooms with extra beds in them. A double room with a shared bathroom is normally a fairly cheap room. Much cheaper than a large family room with an ensuite bathroom.

I think this is the best solution. As it is the childless couples are subsidising their friends kids. Counting each DC as half a person is fair especially because they seem to need a playroom too!

Two options:

1/ split into two villas (kids/no kids) (sounds like a much nicer arrangement tbh!)

2/ ask the villa for a cost breakdown per room - then all pay by room plus 1/5 of the 6th room each. That way it’s out of everyone’s hands and no one can be blamed.

In this instance the additional cost seems to be that family rooms are larger and have ensuite whereas couple rooms don't.

Rooms in hotels that do not charge extra for children are the same size whether you have children there or not. They either have a trundle bed, or a sofa that can be converted into a bed.
If all the rooms were the same size and ensuite, I agree charge by room, although parents would have to pay for the 6th room. But they are not.

Yes, they are being asked to subsidize a bigger house because they want to holiday in the same house.

TBH, they'd possibly be better off looking for 2 adjacent/close houses if the childfree couples want to cut their costs down significantly and if they're really that wound up about it.

They could have also put their collective down at the extra room if they wanted costs to go down.

I'm coming a bit late to the thread on this one but in relation to the "spare room", I'd be pushing for an actual, concrete reason why accommodation with a spare room would be required.
I have a suspicion that the spare room wouldn't be spare for too long and an au pair or babysitter would be located in the spare room (that the childless adults would be contributing towards).
I do hope I'm wrong on that one but I'll go back and read from the point that this comment was written.

If I’m the couple without kids I already don’t want to go. I’m paying part of the children’s food bill (all with their own special requirements probably) and now you want me to subsidise their rooms? This is clearly going to be the tone of the holiday and on that basis I’m out!

We wouldn’t consider staying in unequal accommodation. Everyone has an en-suite or no one does.

Split by room type - an ensuite attracts a 50% uplift in cost.

It doesn’t surprise me that it’s the parents expecting a free ride but for balance years ago DH and I went on a group holiday where there was a significant difference in the room types. We “drew” (in reality it as foisted upon us) the short straw and had a co-sleeping 4 wk old in a double bed with a travel cot for our 14mth old wedged between bed and door in a room barely bigger than the bed itself.

meanwhile “friends” without DC nabbed the king bed with ensuite bath. When I asked to bath the DC in their bath (the bathroom I was sharing with 3 other adults only had a shower) I was told to buy a washing up bowl.

the couple insisted on everything being split equally - including my 14mth old being included in the food bill and then whinging when I gave her an extra piece of cheese.

it was fucking awful and I can never think of them without remembering what tight miseries they were. Years later, when they had their own DC the DH apologised for their behaviour on that trip but I can’t think of them with anything other than horror.

This seems a smidge extreme for what is supposed to be a holiday (or did you mean to post on a different thread?)