Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Other subjects
Original poster

Would you do this?

308 replies

CountessDracula · 06/06/2005 20:36

Am going away to stay in a hotel. Have a 300m range listening device (dd aged 2.8 is coming with us). There is a beach bar 50 yds away from the hotel. If we checked that the monitor worked and left a radio on in the room on low vol. to ensure that we hadn't lost connection, could we go down to beach bar in the evening or is that really bad? She almost never wakes up in the evening.

OP posts:
beatie · 09/06/2005 09:47

Sorry - I did seem to imply that all those who can't sleep in the same room as their children must be wealthy. It's just the way I took your comments

Of course self-catering is the better alternative when you have young children and you want some time away from them but it's not always available - that's all I wanted to say.

elliott · 09/06/2005 09:47

aloha the place we're goign in July is working out no more expensive than a self catering cottage I am very excited at the prospect of a holiday without cooking but prepared to be slightly disappointed....

aloha · 09/06/2005 09:50

Aha! Bet it's not cheaper than borrowing a friend's flat in Norfolk, eh?
I have to say, I personally would not consider a hotel break of longer than a weekend with my kids in the same room. No scratch that, I just wouldn't go with the kids. And that's not just because my ds absolutely refuses to sleep a wink unless he is alone, in the dark, with the door shut. When he was a baby i would have done, but not now he's coming up for four and we had dd as well.

Flossiemum · 09/06/2005 10:04

I really don't understand why everyone is saying it is a bad idea because of choking, illness etc. Do you stay in the same room as your children all night at home? If I did as CD proposed and also checked every hour or so, I would be looking in far more often than I do when at home. It is probably safer to be in a hotel (whether a child or not) than at home as they have sprinkler systems, smoke detectors etc etc.

I have no probs about doing this - in fact we have done in the past a number of times and will do again (not least because hotel babysitters cost a fortune and can disturb sleeping child).

beatie · 09/06/2005 10:08

Aloha - I tend to agree. We did a citybreak last week because I'll be too pregnant for a summer holiday. We couldn't afford a whole week as May half term seems to be more expensive than the summer so that's why we did the hotel citybreak. We really were fearful of sleeping in the same room as DD as we usually do self catering. We've vowed the next citybreak we have will be sans children the next holiday we have will probably be UK self catering.

motherinferior · 09/06/2005 10:29

I have to say that whenever anyone says 'they're not little for long' I think 'well, a five years is quite long, actually'. And when you are going through it, it seems like longer. We need the breaks to appreciate it. Otherwise it's just an exhausted blur.

elliott · 09/06/2005 10:39

ok aloha, you've trumped me....I don't have many friends with spare holiday flats though
I have to say I NEVER sleep in the same room as ds1, whether in a hotel, at friends houses or wherever - I go to extreme lengths to avoid it (I'd rather sleep on the floor in the living room). We just wake each other up all the time.
So I'd never go to a hotel unless I could afford the full monty. Which will probably mean waiting until they are old enough to have their own (separate) room. When does that happen then?

aloha · 09/06/2005 10:40

Oooh, a citybreak with no kids sounds like BLISS to me.
And fervently agree with MI about 'not little for long'. When you have two or more with a gap of more than three years then they are little for AGES! Years, and years and years. Our kids are 13, nearly 4, and 4 months. Dh gloomily works out how old he will be when they are all grown up and looks glum for ages afterwards . And sharing a hotel room has to get worse as they get older, not better, surely? No sex for a start, and I always thought that was the sole purpose of hotels.
But as I say, I have the ds who so hates sleeping with company that when we stayed with friends he ended up in the room with a double bed and mattress on the floor, and dh and I ended up sleeping on the sofas. This was not good.
But, bless him, he asked to sleep with his baby sis last night. Aah!

aloha · 09/06/2005 10:44

Elliott, you must cultivate some immediately!
When dd was seven we had a freebie holiday in Sardinia (back when I was women's magazine staff journalist) and she had an adjoining room and loved it. She had her own marble-lined bathroom!
As she was seven she stayed up late with us and had dinner, and after she went to bed we sat on our vast private terrace, overlooking the sea, and drank chilled rose and ate canapes (complimentary!) and listened to the music floating up.
Now that was a treat!

bossykate · 09/06/2005 10:45

beatie, we're skint this year, following house move and funding maternity leave for me. so we won't be doing hotel this year - it's self catering in devon with other families. i'm with aloha on this - could maybe share room with the kids one or two nights (and then only if babysitting available) - but after that, i'd really, prefer not to bother if that were the only option.

Blackduck · 09/06/2005 10:50

Said my bit before - go for it. We have done sunsail twice and abandoned ds to baby listening (every 20 mins) and strange baby sitters - he survived....
we did a city break to Barcelona (sans ds) in Jan.....oh bliss...

gallileo · 09/06/2005 11:12

Recently had a fantastic weekend away in a hotel, with baby listening facility. DS1 (3yrs) and DS2 (5mths) snoozed happily whilst we munched our way through two wonderful three course meals. Hotel receptionist picked up phone every 5 mins and listened, we went back to room between courses. It was a good two minute walk to room. I did have a brief worry about fire but smoke alarms were everywhere.
Were we wrong to do this? Some will say yes but boy did we feel great after that weekend!!!!!!!

elliott · 09/06/2005 11:17

name, please, gallileo?

I have to say if we had any way of getting a completely childfree break then all my fantasies and research about getting some adult time on holiday would be irrelevant.

I really don't want to wish my ds's childhood away, but when I reflect that dh and I have had in total three 24 hour periods together, childfree, in the last 3.5 years then yes, I do wish we could have a bit more of a break a bit more often. A city break would be wonderful!

gallileo · 09/06/2005 11:26

The hotel was this one
\link{http://www.marksteyhotel.co.uk}

Hope that works. Looks rubbish from outside (very crossroads motel) but fantastic food and near to Zoo plus lots of other attractions.

northerner · 09/06/2005 13:04

Having worked for many years in the hotel industry, personally I would never leave my child unattended in a bedroom, baby listening service or not. It is not the same as being at home, as in a hotel there are many people who hvae access to your bedroom and of course there are lots of strangers also in the building.

I know of too many instances where room break ins have occurred, and this would be my main concern over and above a fire.

Would you leave your purse/handbag in your room?

Easy · 09/06/2005 13:20

Wow, what a response. I've only read the 1st third of this, so don't know what was said later, but CD I would definately do it.

We are going on a cruise in September, and I am really hoping that ds will settle to sleep in the cabin on some of the nights (with a listening service), so dh and I can go for a posh dinner, see the show, have a drink in the bar .... Be the people we were before we became parents.

Oh blimey, what if the ship sinks, or terrorists make a pirate raid or .......?

Easy · 09/06/2005 13:24

Mind you, I'm dreading him sharing our cabin.

2 weeks holiday and NO SEX?

Heathcliffscathy · 09/06/2005 13:25

but northerner, they would be able to hear someone entering the room, and would be able to be there within a couple of minutes (literally)....if i had a monitor attached to the room and was that nearby then yest i would leave my bag in there.

Toothache · 09/06/2005 13:27

Northerner - Wow... what a different perspective! Thats bound to make some people think differently.... does it?

Very true that I would never leave my credit cards unsecured in a hotel room. So why is it it's less worrying to leave your most treasured, precious belongings?

ponder

ninah · 09/06/2005 13:29

cos anyone could use a credit card but you'd have to be MAD to lift a baby?

Toothache · 09/06/2005 13:32

lol Ninah!

Its true though eh.... I had never thought about it like that. I would be less paranoid about someone breaking in and stealing my children.... or the room going up in flames with them in there, than I would be about my credit/bank cards walking or burning!!

Easy · 09/06/2005 13:33

Are you now saying that the biggest danger is of child-stealing ?

Look, whilst such phenomena do happen, it is soooooo rare. Do you think that potential kidnappers wander round hotel corridors on the off-chance that a baby is left unattended. Or does a handbag thief break into a room, see a baby and think "oh, I'll take that instead".

Can we get some perspective back please.

Toothache · 09/06/2005 13:39

Easy - I was just pondering a different perspective!!

i think it was good for Nutty to illustrate how many people actually would have access to the room.... regardless of what they were in there for I wouldn't want any strangers near my sleeping babies!

beetroot · 09/06/2005 13:44

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

oliveoil · 09/06/2005 13:50

Can't believe this is still going, bet CD is lurking at it going "ffs shut up already, I've decided to hide her in the wheelie bin instead".

Swipe left for the next trending thread