10-£15k budget - Single Mum summer holiday ideas

[adamsappleinthetree]

I know I’m lucky to have this budget but it’s for a good reason, so please be kind.

I am single mum to a 10 yr old girl. She doesn’t like kids clubs but loves all the activities and mixes well.

Must haves, great temp, beach, big pool options, slides and water park type options, lots of kids but not too roudy, a hotel so I don’t have to load a dishwasher or cook. Near a small town to venture out.

Id love - a good gym and to read a book.

Looking for 5 star ideas please?

We loved Sani and Ikos but looking for more activities this year.

Thank you

What 10 year old wouldn't want to do Disneyworld and Universal in Florida with that budget? 10 is the perfect age!

I was going to say Disney or universal at one of their posh hotels!

I never thought I'd say it, but disney and universal. It's not a rest, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't fab. If you stay at a nice resort you can get first dibs on fast pass and also have days off for RnR. Go in early, come out and rest, go back later. Honestly, you'd have a great time. I thought I'd hate it, but they do it really well

The water parks are out of this world too!

Thank you but that’s not a rest for me. I’m after more of a holiday where we are in swimwear all day.

I’d do a couple of holidays for that price, the mark warner and club med ones are fantastic!

I was going to suggest Mark Warner or Neilson. They both do Med holidays, and Neilson also have a place in Mauritius.

Don’t do Disney, total pain on your own and not worth it

I’d do a family group tour to the far east. G adventures and intrepid both do them for children age 10 and over and I would add a nice luxury hotel on the end for a few days to relax.

How about the Maldives? We really like the six senses which has a great marine biology course and scuba diving for 10 year olds. Lots of activities outside of the kids club which is more aimed at younger kids anyway. Maldives is good for solo parenting as shallow water, no currents and nowhere for the kids to get lost so you can genuinely relax - if you take eyes off them, they won't have gone far.

Or how about the Six Senses in Vietnam Ninh Van Bay? It's recently been upgraded so has a lot of kids stuff like slides (apparently, I haven't been for years).

I also heard good things about Canaves Epitome in Greece if you wanted to stay in Europe.

Edit just seen you wanted small town.

Plot twist but how about the South Tyrol in Northern Italy? It gets hot in the summer. They have these amazing spa hotels with loads of pools and slides and stuff. Friendly family vibe. Food is great. You can go out and about and the mountains are beautiful.

Somewhere like this: https://www.preidlhof.com/en/gallery/

or this

https://www.quellenhof-seelodge.it/en?utm_source=google-ads&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=bn_202504_search_ukusca-en_brand_qhsl&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22399940299&gbraid=0AAAAAoJnuTgJlvI98ioJKZzsUTGd_ZcUz&gclid=CjwKCAjwnZfPBhAGEiwAzg-VzAX43vRFtck0VoLX2MyeqahYudLk8EGOB_JbR0CZzw0rOi7LqQgQsBoCeYcQAvD_BwE

I haven't been there but land of the legends in Turkey looks like it could fit your criteria

California!

@adamsappleinthetree With that money, don’t you want to see more of the world? We took DDs on a safari holiday. They still talk about these holidays now! We went to Peru and they loved South Africa. We also hired a yacht in the BVIs. The hotels there are worth a look too. Thank God dc didn’t want Disney! Once you have seen lions and tigers in India, Disney isn’t that great! My dc also liked Ecuador and the Galápagos Islands. We see money as a huge opportunity to see beyond a beach. Dc liked beaches until around 7. After that, we explored the world. You can always add in a beach at the end!

It might be lower end of the budget, but I would recommend the Valamar hotels in Croatia. The Marea and new Pical hotels are 5*. Great facilities for kids. They also have excursion packages you can go on. I find Croatia really safe in general and most people speak English there.

@adamsappleinthetree is this a one off budget?

I hear you as a lone parent of many years you also need a break and a rest. You say she doesn’t like kids clubs but have a look at Scott Dunn as they have great activities for that age group and in really lovely hotels. Swim up rooms at this age are great too, Atlantico mare, Cyprus or Liberty Signa Turkey maybe better as it has a bigger water park.