Can EVERYONE going on holiday this year please do me a favour

[Jimjams2]

and

1)Check whether the doors to your holiday accomodation can be locked with removable keys

2)whether windows (especially bedroom windows) can be locked- again preferably with removable keys

3)(not so important) but does it have an enclosed outdoor space- if it has a lockable outdoor space with fencing too high to climb over it gets 5 stars

4. If it has a pool, then what sorts of things are in place to prevent access to the pool (lockable doors with removeable keys in the accomodation would be enough)

Thank you. Lots of families can't go on holiday because they don't know whether the accomodation will be safe for them when they arrive. I was thinking of putting together a bit of a database as a starting point.

oh and if you go anywhere that meets these criteria please can you name them on here.

Cheers.

We went to the Lake District last week - self catering through lakelovers.co.uk

1. No - both front and back door on a latch
2. Yes - but not with removable keys
3. Yes - back yard with a safe back gate
4. had a complementary pass to a pool at a leisure club. Dh took ds every morning whilst I woke up so not sure.

Hope this is off some help xxx

Thanks Lucy. I should have said that if the front door doesn't shut with some sort of removable key then its no use Shame because the pool situation sounds ideal (and UK is extra ideal from my p.o.v.).

Thanks for answering though.

bump

Just realised this doesn't make much sense. I'm after holiday accomodation that can be locked from the inside with removeable keys (so the child can't just open the door and leg it). Deadlock tye thing will do.

Please please pretty please. My mother has said she will babysit ds2 and ds3 for us next spring so we can take ds1 away for a weekend, but we can't if we don't know anywhere that will be safe......

Also talking to 2 friends with the same problem on Thurs night.

JJ
This ticks all your boxes except the front gate is only about 4 feet high, as is the front fence. and the garden has low fences.

But the doors and windows lock w/removable keys from the inside.

No pool.

My ILs have been hiring out the ones in Bridge of Earn, about 4 miles from Perth for years now and we went out to see them week before last.

About £350/week incl. VAT.

suvencoselfcatering

btw, the front gate is tricky to open.

Thanks expat- that's excellent, the doors and windows are more important than the garden (we can supervise outside). We should do Scotland sometime to visit SIL and her family, maybe next summer.....

i'm intrigued to know, jj do you have children with specific needs or are you just anxious about safety? What age are the children?
i'm quite edgy about travel myself, and am off to lefkas on sunday, so do understand your anxiety, but have never thought about them escaping! can always find some way to barricade them in! pool and balcony safety is a must tho.
can't imagine letting this stop me going away...we went to a 'tricky' place in spain when dd1 was 16 mo, we just had to improvise stair gates etc to improve safety.

These windows definitely all locked from the inside, as FIL wanted to open one of them in the kitchen and we had to hunt down the key.

They are VERY clean, fully stocked w/loads of towels and linens and everything you could want, and in excellent order. Dishwasher, washer/dryer, microwave, 6 burner hob, etc. Hence, they've been back again and again.

You do need to drive everywhere, they are two cottages on the very edge of town in a semi-rural location, but close to the motorway for easy access to all Perthshire. But they have a driveway and a carport.

And the price is good - 4 pretty spacious bedrooms, a showerroom upstairs and a full bath downstairs.

what a fab idea jimjams

there are websites detailing disabled access but no-one seems to have thought of that

(btw maybe we could have a special needs holiday thread.... we're going to an accessible cottage so i could report back if it goes well )

Hope you find somewhere suitable jimjams.

Our place this year probably ticks 3 of your 4 (not number 3) but it's owned by the Fire Service so unless you dh is a fireman you can't go

Will keep this in mind though and ask friends holidaying this year.

My eldest son (aged 7) is severely autistic noonar - our house is like the proverbial fort knox. When he's home I walk around with jailor keys hanging from my neck.

Had a nightmare today as the lock to the patio doors to our balcony has broken (3 stories up) which of course he has discovered so we've had to shadow him indoors all day which is a bloody nightmare. My dad is coming to fix tomorrow (or fix a lock to our bedroom door).

A lot of friend's have the same problem. My friend's dd escaped from their holiday accomondation at 5am - they didn't realise until about 6.30am. She was eventually found (after a search term was organised) wandering down a country lane.

Good idea cap!

Thanks saggars- I do know an ex fireman's family who might be interested (although locks aren't such an issue for them).

search term??/ team!

trouble with disabled facilitys would be that the locks and light swithes are low and i think that would be a problem for jimjams. can't think of anywhere in the uk that would be any good, we tend to go aroad and get a villa, they always have lockable doors and windows often have metal shutters too. we prefer the villas as they are usually detached so we don't have to worry too much about the noise our three make, plus nice and private so our three can do there own thing without an audience

that makes complete sense jj. as i re read your post, i figured that might be the case. i can see that security issues are a real must. mine are 2 and 4, so a little easier to confine. what a good idea to set up a database!

have you thought about booking a privately owned cottage? we've done this in france and spain, (through chez- nous , in france). you can then chat to the owner 1:1 about your needs.

there must be places, though, only, but they'll be like the best campsites: hear about them thru the grapevine.

i know this cottage has keys to ALL the windows, you can even see the windows up close on their etour.

We couldn't fly..... Too much waiting, I think it would be meltdown. He's getting better, but can only really cope with waiting for 30 seconds, there's no way he could queue to get on, or sit for take-off.

Low locks are fine if the key can be removed (like a deadlock). And for lights we'll just remove the lightbulbs in his room (which we do at home at the moment ) Or I'll take my lightswitch cover

Oh other people can fly though so please include any suitable places abroad

our three have got used to the flying thing they have been on a plane 18 times now ! is it mencap that have a holiday bit, or it might be the NAS i know i have seen it somewhere.

we went to north devon at easter with a company called 'farm and cottage holidays.' they have a fab website with loads of photos and the staff have really in depth knowledge of the properties in their immediate area( around appledore). we loved it there. might be worth a look.

don't know where i saw it but there is a place in portugal which is run by a family who have a child with autism and it looked fab.

I also worry that ds1 would get on the plane, but that it would be too noisy and he would therefore refuse to get on it on the way home. We would be stuffed! Because if he refuses he refuses. Took me 8 months to get him back into ("d"s - OJ- you know her) house, when something upset him one time (no idea what!). He's refused to enter the CDC for about 2 years now, just cannot get him past the threshold.

We're not doing boats at the moment either- not after last time, so its mainland UK only

Thanks noonar- we're in Devon (but south) so something like that might be ideal for our weekend away next spring. (although must stop him wetting the bed first grrrr).

they also do somerset, cornwall and dorset.

dont worry about the bedwetting! if he was 3 you'd just accept it wouldn't you? i wet till 9 or 10, on and off, but am pleased to say am now totally dry

this looks interesting...
CAMP MOHAWK is a day centre for children with autistic spectrum disorders and other special needs, situated in the woods near Wargrave, three miles from Henley-on-Thames. The camp has a heated special needs swimming pool, picnic area, multi-sensory rooms, adventure playground and a quiet room for videos. It is open from May to September. For more information contact the Warden, Ian Cotton, Camp Mohawk, Wargrave, Berkshire RG10 8PU. Telephone: 01189 404045. Fax: 01189 402986.
Website: www.campmohawk.org.uk