Is there such a thing as a restful holiday somewhere warm and interesting with young children?

[DruidKnight]

Never taken the kids (5 and 8) abroad before because it sounds unbelievably stressful. We'd want to stay somewhere quiet and secluded. DH and I would want to visit some local sites for some culture, the kids would want a beach and a pool to play, and we'd need options for eateries within walking distance. Has anyone successfully managed a trip like this?? Tips for where we could we go/stay and how to make it work would be much appreciated! Am feeling massively overwhelmed by all the options 🙈

I mean I'm not saying there's no mosquitoes but nothing I've found particularly bad that it would put me off. Usual precautions with bug spray and citronella candles etc, same as when I'm on holiday in UK.

@suburberphobe

We've done this trip too and stayed at a really lovely independent glamping site, and in a treehouse! Really good holiday, very chilled!

Sorry, wrong tag and I can't delete it.

Thanks @BeanAround , good to know. They were problematic as fuck when I was in Finland but it was way over East near the Russian border.

I think my main guidance would be there's hundreds of options but having a car is the key, it gives you so much more choice.

Take a look at this website OP. We found several really good places to stay when our DC were young. Your DC aren't babies, but it's child-friendly, as well as baby-friendly: https://www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk/

Restful and warm yes can be done.

Culture… depends what you mean. Most kids (indeed most adults) are not going to enjoy sightseeing in the heat, so you either go somewhere cooler and go to sights, or go hotter for more relaxed days at the beach/pool and accept that culture means eating out and a wander round an old town after dusk.

I’d recommend Eurocamp - a static caravan type home on a park with water slides, a shop, activities and evening entertainment.

I think you have to be realistic in terms of how much cultural stuff you will be able to do with kids of that age. Their daily lives are based around satisfying a minimal and predictable set of desires, and when you take them away, that doesn't change. Of course, they can satisfy their need for fun with ice creams and jumping in the pool, but you are probably not going to be lingering on cafe terraces discussing Manet versus Monet with them, and you might feel guilty about doing that with DH even if you have successfully distracted them with a new tablet and some cool games.

As defensive pessimists™, DP and I ended up planning our holidays around keeping the DC happy, and allowing whatever more adult things might come along to happen. Part of that is choosing somewhere that is just lovely whatever you are doing. For example, you could go to Santa Ponsa in Majorca, and stay in the Pirates Village hotel (because if you stay anywhere else in the town, DC will want to know why they're not in that hotel — look it up on Street View), and get the bus to the waterpark over in Magaluf, and look out of the window, and see that it's absolutely gorgeous. And the next day you could go into Palma and take the amazing 100+ year old wooden train to Sóller, where the kids can stand on the platform between carriages, and when it stops on the way for people to take a photo you can see just how amazing the nature is around there.

I mention all of that because I know Majorca well, but there are lots of other places in the Mediterranean where you can combine fun and guaranteed sunshine for the DC with relaxation and a general feeling that life is good. But as PP have pointed out, you can't really be secluded with a beach and lots of eateries within walking distance, because a beach and lots of eateries means lots of people. To some extent you have to embrace at least part of the modern tourism setup, because that's what makes it possible for you to get in a £100 million aeroplane for £100 in the first place. We would all love to do that and also have our own exclusive little bit of the world when we get there, but 150 million people from the northern half of Europe want to do the same thing too, and none of us is more special than any of them. 🙏

We took our young DDs to France several times. We went to the southern Atlantic, around Royan. We stayed in Bretignolles-sur-Mer and in Vaux-sur-Mer at French holiday/retirement complexes with a pool and easy walking distance to a beach. These places are family-friendly for the French too. Mosquitos were not a problem in either place.

We mostly did Eurocamp and French gite complexes when dd was small. Separate bedrooms, facilities to cook simple meals, fridge. Days out round pool, beach, sight seeing, kids clubs and onsite activities. Evenings, back to accommodation, shower, wine on a terrace, dinner, dd to bed, chill. I never cooked every night - salad, bread, BBQ, takeaway or we'd go out. Easier on a campsite to pop out for food than the french countryside to be fair. But the gite complexes were a bit more restful, kids all running round, treehouse, trampoline sort of thing. We went away every summer from when dd was 6 months old and had a lovely time til she hit her teens and went moody. After that the french countryside didn't work anymore :)

Mallorca. Cala D'or or Cala San Vicente. We hire a villa with pool, within walking distance of restaurants and beach. Hire a car at airport. Supermarket shop. Lazy breakfast, possibly a trip out in the day, lots of swimming in pool or at beach. Walk to dinner every night. DCs to bed and chilled evening just the two of us. Perfect holiday with our two DCs. Started that when they were 4 and 6.

Her favourite ever was Le Banquet in Les Eyzies in the Dordogne - lovely pool, games barn, space to run around and LOADS to do nearby - dinosaurs, cave dwellings, castles, canoeing etc. But the pool complexes at some of the campsites came a close second.

@samarrange culture depends a lot what you do with your children in general. Obviously it depends on a child but I still think these things can be taught and then can incorporated in a holiday.

We took DD to museums and galleries since she was born. Going sightseeing was always possible on holiday. Obviously you can't stay for a full day at the British Museum or the Louvre but a holiday doesn't have to be only waterparks and ice cream.

Obviously we also mixed up with pool or beach, the train to Soller is brilliant btw.

Yep agree @reluctantbrit we love a city break with our toddler and baby! The toddler even had an amazing trip to Tokyo last year pre baby brother ! We did everything we wanted to do and she tagged along - she enjoyed the museums and sight seeing once she could run around a bit ! We always found a playground or soft play or similar somewhere to break things up!!

we find package holidays a bit boring tbh and even the kids are fed up of the resort after a few days - pool and apartment and holiday entertainment night after night gets a bit samesy

we were in Paris recently too and my daughter enjoyed the food and the sightseeing and eating pastries etc ! We did find some nice playgrounds for her - but she’s always happy with any open space that she can just run around and be free in! Also we did a boat trip which she enjoyed

We’ve never had an “unbelievably stressful” holiday with our kids and we’ve been taken them away since they were babies. We tend to vary between Greece, Italy, Portugal and the Balearics as they’re geared up for young families. Yours are getting older now and you’ll want stuff to do on an evening as well as during the day time. Lovely to be able to mooch at night, have a nice meal, find an ice cream shop etc.

Bit confused about you wanting it quiet and secluded, but with a few restaurant options as you don’t get as many eateries in secluded places. At the very least you need to be in walking distance of a food shop if youre self catering,

I’d think about Majorca, Menorca, Corfu, Kos, Crete for your first holiday, it’s all pretty straightforward.

I agree with @samarrange in terms of choosing holidays that keep the kids happy at this stage. This doesn't have to mean an AI where you lie by the pool for a week without leaving though.

One of our most successful holidays in terms of keeping everyone happy was actually Jersey. Loads of things to see and do plus the most stunning beaches. You can be lucky or unlucky with the weather though!

We also loved Corfu, the town is beautiful and we had a car one day and drove up the coast to a beach. We went in October though so the heat wasn't an issue.

Beach house in The Netherlands. Bergen an Zee or Texel.

Or, busier, Ile De Re in France.