Mumsnetters share what makes a family holiday special with Isles of Scilly Travel

[LucyBMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share.

From picking the perfect place for your family getaway to planning what to do and how to keep everyone entertained, family holidays are full of emotions and stories to tell. Whether you travel abroad to a sunny destination or stay locally and explore what the UK has to offer, Isle of Scilly Travel would like to hear the ways you make your family holiday special.

Here’s what Isles of Scilly Travel has to say:
“Discover why the Isles of Scilly, a group of sand-fringed islands found just 28 miles off the Cornish coast, is the perfect family holiday destination and enjoy a return to a gentler way of life. One visit to Scilly and you’ll understand why the islands are famous for enticing people to return year after year; families often holiday on Scilly for generations and visit the same camp sites, holiday homes or hotels every summer.

Isles of Scilly Travel makes the journey as memorable as the destination. Short Skybus flights from Land’s End, Newquay and Exeter airports reach Scilly in under an hour, or you can sail on the Scillonian III passenger ferry, which departs daily from Penzance Harbour between March and November.”

So we are asking you what part of the holiday does your family love the most? What is your preferred family holiday - active one with lots to do, or lazy one relaxing on the beach? How do you choose between staycation in the UK or overseas travel and why? What transport do you and your family use to get to the holiday? What would you change about you travelling together, if you could?

Share how you make you r family holiday special on the thread below to be entered into a prize draw where 1 x MNer will win a £300 voucher for a store of their choice AND family day trip on our passenger ferry the Scillonian (2 adults 2 children) – value depending on the day chosen is between £144.00 - £171.00.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

I’m a single mummy with an 11yr old son with ants in his pants. We both have a different favourite holiday. His is going to Northern Ireland he loved the little theme parks, being so close to the sea & of course the arcades! We went by plane & then rented a car. I like to keep it as active as possible so my son doesn’t get bored. If I could change anything I think I may have preferred the ferry given the chance as my son was so annoying on the plane and it wasn’t even a long plane journey!

My favourite holiday was camping in Cornwall, I love camping everything that could have gone wrong went wrong but I loved every minute of it. It also rained the majority of the time & we found out our tent leaked 😅 we visited so many awesome places, castles and museums there was just so much to do. We drove down & then used the car to get us around. My favourite place was lands end as it was a jam packed full day of fun the whole time! We even won a dancing competition & to top it off I had the best Cornish pasty and there was fireworks! I found the Cornwall holiday a lot more interactive for both of us. I wouldn’t change a thing about that holiday!

I would love to go abroad but I’m worried about how my son would act on the plane & I also get travel sick so I don’t know how great the travel would be. I also think it’s just such a lot of money & I worry about being so far away from home when my son can be quite naughty.

I would love to have a really long summer break with my son & we would drive from one end of the uk to the other and stop to visit mainly castles, waterfalls & trampoline parks as we have both agreed 😆 our holidays will always be active and adventurous! There’s still so much to explore in the uk so I don’t see the point in leaving it just yet.

Not having the ferry break down, like this summer on the Isles of Scilly....

Spending loads of time outdoors in a safe and reasonably confined area - our 5 year old, who is by nature more an indoors child, loves the freedom to explore campsites and spend days in the playground, swimming pool and on the beach. So far we've taken the kids to big campsites in Europe but I would love to take them to the Scillies, after a magical trip to Tresco I made as a teenager. We have a new baby this year so are staying in the UK and going to Cornwall, a side trip to the Scillies would be amazing!

Our family loves going out and doing things and not having school for DS. Prefer active and not sunbathing, though can use beach for watersports / swimming. Normally go abroad by plant, when in UK drive. Kids love wildlife so chose on that. If I could change anything would be kids moaning about WIFI.

Spending time together where we all have no other demands on our time and no distractions so we can just be with each other.

We love our family holidays! My DS (7) always says his favourite thing is to spend time with his family and that's exactly what holidays are for! Quality time together just the 4 of us. We like beach holidays so we can all play in the sand & sea, with nice food & drink to hand. The DC like to go on a plane as they see that as a real adventure but I'm equally happy driving somewhere in the UK. We've had amazing holidays in Wales and England - just a shame the weather is unpredictable!

I'm probably not even eligible here since I've already got my annual trip to Scilly booked .

In any case I'm not going to tell you all how smashing it is because I don't want everyone to discover it

Our family holidays are always cheap and cheerful. Usually a sun holiday is about as much as we can do, but we all love it. Lots of wine, take all our own food, lots of long walks and chilling out. We take our own board games and just spend time together. Travel to near by national trusts with our passes, it's good enough for, we don't really expect luxury, just good food and good company. No man gets left behind, everyone is invited and just cracks on with their own thing. Need a holiday now

Our best thing about holiday is just being together without all the usual routine/chores/clubs etc. Worst holiday for me would be a beach holiday so kids have never had one so don't know if they'd like it. We stay in UK, we travel by car and don't go too far, just a few hours drive is enough.

We love foreign holidays, but go in October. We have a big age gap so need holidays to be affordable, not too hot for the toddler, and to fit around the older one's school holidays. Our foreign, all inclusive, holidays in October have ticked these boxes, plus the fussy eater gets to eat what they fancy. Self catering in the UK is good as the kids both love beaches, but you're still stuck with the washing up and weather dependent in a way you're not overseas.

It's nice to just get up and meander, be in the pool, wander into town, stop in a cafe and not have to watch the time. We can change plans because we fancy it and be spontaneous as to what we do e.g. if we see a boat trip and fancy going on it.

@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland it's just the best isn't it?

We've been lucky enough to travel both abroad and in the UK with DC and, at the risk of sounding corny, it's the quality time that we spend together that is priceless whether it's camping or a 5* hotel.

We like getting out, walking and visiting new places but also good food, relaxing, reading, playing cards. Over the years there have been a number of 'family jokes' that still make us laugh and lots and lots of "remember when..." moments.

I love staying in a holiday cottage with a pool, we can make our own food and go back to the cottage for the baby to nap whilst the big kid has a swim

* what part of the holiday does your family love the most? What is your preferred family holiday - active one with lots to do, or lazy one relaxing on the beach? How do you choose between staycation in the UK or overseas travel and why? What transport do you and your family use to get to the holiday? What would you change about you travelling together, if you could?*

Pool time, exploring, new food
One foreign by plane and one UL by car (but desperate to try ferry with the children too!)
Single working parent here - and that time to pause and just be with my children is truly invaluable to me and highly of year

Our favourite family holidays are made by having enough activities to suit all members of the family....a local play area/pool for the kids, chance for us adults to relax and activites which we can enjoy together...places to visit, family restaurants. Being away from the usual distractions of tv, too much screen time, school, homework and housework changes the entire dynamic of the family and encourages better conversations and more fun together

A different family member gets to pick our holiday destination each year. We prefer mostly adventure holidays with a little time to relax. We get a taxi to the airport as it's easier and more relaxing. I wouldn't change a thing about our holidays

We work in very busy public service jobs (NHS and teaching) so on holiday we like to get as far away from people as possible.
We love Scotland and the Hebridean islands. The kids are never bored as they take bikes/canoes/fishing kit and are never in the accommodation. The food and whisky are great and actually we have had some great weather even when the rest of the UK is flooding.
The ferry is part of the holiday for us, we have seen sea eagles off Mull and many dolphins.

we love having more space than in our cramped flat at home and clean sheets and good air and different kinds of sounds. It is a real break. Even better if we can see huge expanses of water and swim. Getting up when we want s a massive plus too.

So we are asking you what part of the holiday does your family love the most? i think it can be every part of it even the bad bits.putting aside atrocious condtions and holidays not fit for purpoe i think being together and going thoguh the adventure is what its all about. the bits that go wrong are stories for the future aswell as the great bits.
our best ones have been because they are us all together as a family.
a big ski lodge in norway.14 of us.wonderful.
france camping and then traveling through europe to switzerland and germany.togther.so even dragging up the mountains in switerand with grumpy faces was brilliant.and its the stroy they tell now and are so grateful we did it.
centre parcs.again with family.
What is your preferred family holiday - active one with lots to do, or lazy one relaxing on the beach? i think it has to be mixed.we are no ay an adventure family.but its nice to be where you can travl to palce.so france for the chateux and a few beaches.there must be a pool on site for the lay days.just sitting playing cards and reading all day.playing games together. nice places to eat.ski slopes etc.a good mix but more a relaxed family plae with options to go to places nearish by.
How do you choose between staycation in the UK or overseas travel and why?alot deoends on when and the cost.you have to plan the overseas ones,so will often do that year in adance.staycation can be a bit more on a wim.id say for a big holiday we would always choose europe.but we have family in dorset so it makes it easier to get there wihtout all the planning.
What transport do you and your family use to get to the holiday? plane,car,ferry.

A family holiday is made by creating memories with each other. Spending time together without the usual distractions and chores. We love the activities and fun of Disney. Adrenaline rushing rides, fabulous shows, good food and lots of fun.

What makes it special is a lack of other people! Not trying to appease or impress or placate family and instead just enjoy and relax being us! We find that works best in the UK at the sort of places where there is a good amount to do nearby without much effort and nature to explore!

We first went to the scilly isles five years ago as a couple and we have chosen to return this year for our first summer holiday as a family. Holidays as a child were always so important to us growing up and were always spent in the uk. It is something that we are continuing now and can’t wait to bring our little boy here!

If you asked my 6 year old, his favourite holiday was in Greece with a pool with water slides - however, he only enjoyed himself so much because the whole family was there to entertain him (Aunty, uncle, granny and both parents!).

Our favourite bit is spending time together without the interruptions of day to day life and chores at home. The DC stay up later, and all our meals are together.
Mostly we like to do lots - we might take or hire bikes, walk, go to local attractions or swim. We love a good beach.
Until last year our holidays were quite nearby - within 90 mins of home - as my parents were very unwell and I was too worried to be far away. They are no longer with us so we're starting to go further afield. We do a main holiday and short breaks.
We prioritise holidays for spending our money as we value the time together so much, especially with DC approaching teenage years soon and it feels like the time they'll want to be with us so much might run out in the not too distant future.

My daughter and her boyfriend went with a group of Uni friends to the Isles of Scilly and she rang us to say "You MUST go on holiday there, mum!" So we did and we had a wonderful four days. They camped but my husband refused to do this and found a small hotel, Bell Rock, on St. Marys. It was like stepping back in time and the service we received was fantastic. We went to the pub where the locals go and had a lovely meals and it was lively with lots of banter between the locals and a bit of dancing. Several locals chatted to us and gave us some tips for places to see.
We had a great nights sleep in the hotel and lovely breakfast which set us up for a walk around most of the island and a rest on the beautiful sands.
While we were there we visited Tresco Island and the gardens which were amazing. I took lots of photographs and it is a gardener's paradise
but my husband enjoyed it too and lots of families were there too.
It was warm enough to swim in the sea before we had a lovely lunch and later a drink before we boarded the boat back to St.Marys.
I would love to visit again and explore the rest of the islands as well next time.