Read about Mumsnetters favourite things to do while on a family break away with Luxury Family Hotels

[LucyBMumsnet]

This sponsored discussion is now closed. Thank you to all who took the time to post below.

We all need some rest and relaxation every now and again. A short stay away might just be the break that you and your family need to recover from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and can provide the perfect opportunity for the whole family to do activities that you wouldn’t normally get the chance to. Whether you’d like to spend your time playing board games, hiring bicycles, exploring the local towns or enjoying the facilities at the Hotel Spa, Luxury Family Holidays would like to hear from you.

Here’s what Luxury Family Hotels have to say: “Here at Luxury Family Hotels we know how important family time is and so our aim is to create places for families to make life-long memories. Whether it’s a family swim or bike ride, adventures in the gardens or exploring many of the wonderful days out near any of our hotels, every family will find something to enjoy together.”

Where in the UK would you like to go on a break away? What would your typical day look like on your family holiday? Do you have a perfectly planned schedule of the activities you plan to do? Would you rather go on a coastal stroll or a walk through the open fields of the countryside? Are there any activities that you would like to do together as a family on a UK break away which are not currently offered by hotels you’ve stayed at in the past?

Everyone who shares their favourite activities on this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky MNer will win a two-night bed & breakfast stay at the Luxury Family Hotel of their choice*.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!
MNHQ

Insight T&Cs apply

*The prize is valid for redemption until 11 December 2020 (excluding school holidays and bank holiday weekends). The prize is valid for two adults and up to three children and is subject to availability at the time of booking. It is non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for cash.

Whenever we go away, we try to spend the daytime out & about & make the most of the countryside &/or coastline! The plan is that we enjoy all the local area has to offer during the day, wear ourselves out so that when we get back to the wherever we're staying - our son will sleep soundly & we can put our feet up & peaceful cuppa/glass of wine!
Our son is older now which is great as we can all go out on our bikes together which we all enjoy. We try to take it in turns to pick an activity so the holidays caters to all of us, &, as a previous poster has said - we always try to get some use out of our National Trust membership & visit any NT sites nearby!

We just love spending time together as a family without the pressures or stresses of home. We like to go for walk (hunting for faeries it collecting shells stones ect. We love cycling and swimming it any kind of sport or activity we can all get involved in such as obstacle courses or mini golf, carting ect.
We enjoy going out for nice food or maybe go see a show.
The kids like a theme park or to go and visit local attractions ect. which we would usually research before we booked.

We are equally happy in a tent playing board games and cooking marchmallows over the fire as long as we get some relaxed time away from it all together!

My DC are now old enough to be interested in ‘seeing the sights’ , including places of historical or geographical interest. That said. they love a good beach, whatever the weather. You can’t beat a bit of fresh air!

One of our best activities was having a BBQ on a riverbank in glorious sunshine. We definitely like getting outdoors.

Well-marked walks around the estate are useful- so many country hotels either don't provide this or provide a vague scrap of paper (despite having umbrellas or even wellies available to borrow).

Also provision for children to use spa area at managed times- some hotels ban children altogether which I find too draconian but when I'm on holiday without children, I hate it when the hotel doesn't enforce the child free times.

Some quality chill time whether it's going for a walk in the woods, playing board games, watching a much loved film, reading, enjoying a leisurely meal.

We take short breaks in the winter when it is cheaper and enjoy blustery walks and afternoons of board and card games. Family time at its best.

Sandwiches by the sea under blankets with traditional rain accompaniment paddling into freezing sea and then warming up by a nice fire x

We like having lots of activities to do. My children like climbing and swimming, so a pool is a must really. We also like going on bike rides so being near some nice countryside with bike trails is ideal! One where we could have a picnic if the weather is good sounds like a great trip.

We would love to go to York, as we have friends & relatives up that way who we rarely see. Also, DS1 is keen to visit the railway museum & it sounds like a beautiful city to me!

We usually like to wander round our holiday destinations to get a feel for the place, stopping for an occasional drink or ice cream. If there is a park or playground too, that's even better! Then we like to round it all off with dinner at an authentic, local, independent restaurant.

As a family of 5, with our children now starting to get older (youngest is 6 next week!), we would love for more hotels to offer family rooms that accommodate 5 people. We have found it to be rare & often expensive when it is an option.

Coastal for me, I get a strong urge to see the sea! There’s something so magical and restorative about it. We have three kids so hotels can prove problematic as I don’t find it very relaxing being crammed into one tiny room. Finding a luxury hotel which is family friendly and has spa facilities with decent room sizes is hard to come by. I’ve not heard of this hotel group so I’ll check it out for room sizes!

We live in the coast so like to go to the mountains on holiday. Either that or on a city break with lots of culture. Generally we like to self cater because of the flexibility but with the option of eating out.

We love Norfolk, there’s so much to do. Any walks that end with a cafe and a piece of cake are a hit with the kids. We like the steam train that goes from Sherringham.

If there's a pool then it's an instant winner because the kids (11 and 8) love it and I might actually get to read a book for a few minutes.

We like outdoor activities, weather permitting. For a hotel, a room full of board games or crafts would be amazing if the weather's bad. I like to get way from screens on holiday.

My kids also both love cooking. A holiday with optional taught classes in bushcraft, baking, cooking, sewing etc would be amazing for us.

I'm separated form my children's dad, so can't divide and conquer with activities any more. We have to be able to do things all together.

We like a swim in the morning if we can.. then some family fun like a trip to the zoo or science museum or a long outside ramble if we're in the country - then a family dinner followed by a family movie and popcorn!

We like to be near a town/ city for an interesting day out... Museums/interesting independent shops/ theatre that kind of thing. Now the children are older/teenagers a cold wet and windy beach doesn't do it for them anymore. That said an adventurous hike always goes down well as does a walk TO somewhere instead of just a bimble.
I'd love to be able to go to a nice spa which is older children/ teens friendly. My 12 year old DS would quite enjoy sitting by a pool with this headphones in or a book a leisurely hot tub and maybe a facial.
We stayed at a lovely spa hotel last year which was billed as "child friendly".... It was really "small children friendly" and not teen friendly at all. For example the games and DVDs for hire were all aimed at the under 10's. When we asked for a map of walks ( one of the selling points of the hotel) they were all short ones within the grounds rather than something a bit longer and more interesting for older children , so a map of a longer walk to a nice pub or a landmark would be great

Another vote for the coast. We love walking, collecting shells and pebbles and finding the best fish and chip shop. We're also massive fans of mini-golf and foot golf. Love, love, love spending time away as a family

100% free flowing relaxation! Living a pretty busy life means when we get away we really enjoy relaxing! Nice walks to get a bit of fresh air, pool time and maybe a few massages and facials if they’re available! We don’t like going anywhere that’s too far from home just yet so somewhere closer right now just as our baby is still quite young and it’s where we feel comfortable

We like to be in the mountains or hills. A bit of walking goes down well with 3/4 of us. The remaining quarter has to be bribed with sweets.

Love a castle. The old falling down type with interesting tunnels to explore. We also like to be somewhere where we can have some days in if we're away for a while. Can't cope with too much rushing around, it's important to relax.

Love being by water !
Swimming pool is key
Grown up evenings
Exploring for children
Genuine and positive service
Great food
Clean and safe !

For us, it can be either coast or countryside, we love the Lake District and North Wales in particular. The important thing is that we are together as a family, without the disruption of screen time, it's a chance to reconnect with each other.

Where possible we pick a hotel which is dog friendly, as they are part of the family too. And our days are taken up with good long walks, picnics or a pub lunch. If there is an activity at the hotel or nearby we'll take it on whether my teenagers are interested, and whether we can bring the dogs to watch.

I love a hotel where the children have an interconnecting room or a separate bedroom within a suite so that we have separate sleeping space.

We’d love a family break anywhere tbh! We always holiday in the uk and love the coast, especially Devon and Cornwall.

We try to find somewhere more rural to stay so no city breaks because it feels more relaxing although it’s nice to visit cities. We usually plan our holidays around knowing there are a few tourist attractions nearby to visit that will be a hit with dd. It’s nice to stay somewhere with ‘extras’ eg a pool or playground. One of dds favourite holidays was on a farm with a pool and we got to feed the chickens every day. Another holiday she loved had free entry to a local farm park where they had play equipment and animals to feed. We like to have outdoor space on holidays to play games eg French cricket, football etc. It’s also great if we can walk to the beach if it’s costal.

We don’t always do a huge amount on holidays and it’s nice just to chill and spend time as a family eg playimg board games/watching a movie/not feeling the pressure of chores we do at home.

We always look to stay somewhere with easy washing facilities because we seem to create a huge amount of washing 😁 and would avoid anywhere on a busy road.

A short break doesn’t seem like long but can make a huge difference. As a child we regularly went to Suffolk for long week ends which was lovely as it felt like a change of scene but was only a couple of hours away so the journey time wasn’t huge. I think for a short break you don’t want anywhere that involves a huge journey so you can maximise your time on holiday.

By the coast is best for the fresh air, but anywhere nice will do! Love a hot tub o r pool, love a cooke d breakfast buffet☺

My dc are totally different to each other and catering for both is incredibly challenging.

Dc1 is 12 and likes:

Museums/history/local interest
Exploring/walking
Bookshops and quirky cafes
Views she can photograph/draw
Learning new skills

Dc2 is 8 and prefers:

Cinemas
Shopping
Interactive history
Theme parks
Eating out

Both love:

Hotel breakfasts
Theatre
Climbing/hiking
Swimming
Relaxing/reading

We would never choose coast over countryside but sometimes opt for cities if it's a short break.

I like tea and coffee making facilities and decent hangers in the room and extra pillows. DH likes a good shower. We are simple creatures.

Actually, I would really like to go to a hotel where the children's beds are as comfortable as the adults'. Grown ups get luxury superkings with lovely bedding and the DC get a pull out, rickety thing which creaks and groans and gives my hypermobile dc all sorts of aches and pains. Probably because we stay in budget hotels!

No no no to hot tubs.

Nasty little human sex ponds.