What are your family's holiday non-negotiables? Win a £200 voucher

[EllieSmumsnet]

Every family has certain things they look for when booking a holiday, whether that's a brilliant kids' club, a splash pool, an easy walk to the beach, short flight times or simply staying within budget.

We'd love to know what are your family's holiday non-negotiables? What features, facilities or little extras help you choose the right holiday, and what makes a trip feel like a great fit for your family?

• Share your must-haves and tips in the thread below by 01/07 to be entered into a prize draw.
• One lucky contributor will receive a £200 VEX voucher for a store of their choice.
• Don’t forget to vote in our poll below.

Thanks and good luck with the prize draw!

MNHQ

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We look for somewhere with good flight times and the transfer is under an hour, then the pool, reviews and near the beach.

A safe, well-reviewed (verified for those who'd stayed there - I check them all including their Facebook site) a hotel gives me peace of mind that everything will run smoothly, with menus with food I know they would eat, cleanliness and service for both children and grandparents, so everyone can just relax and enjoy the holiday

• Self-catering accommodation with a well equipped games room!
• Not too many people
• Walking distance from a (hopefully remote!) beach
• Comfortable beds to ensure a good kip for everyone!

Independence. We don’t like package and overly organised holidays. We like to do our own thing and be flexible

currently looking to book to take my grandchildren on holiday. Key things I’m looking at is air con, decent pools with water slides, accommodation that offers private space ie apart hotel, a balcony, short flight, good food, activities suitable for ages of children. Would also like a nearby beach and town.

There has to be something there for everyone to enjoy, both adults and the children.

With young kids it always has to be direct flights, however as the kids got older, this wasn't as important and we could go with transit but short transit times, 1 stoppage at most. Otherwise, the whole trip gets ruined and the beginning days are wasted from being too tired.

No noisy music played by the pool, strict no reservation of sunbeds with towels policy 😬
It’s also important how far the hotel is from the airport, don’t fancy sitting on a bus for hours after a flight.

As a SEN mum, the accommodation is the most important to us, as we may need to retreat at any time. Family friendly and clean and safe, is what we like 🙂

Lots of sun beds, so people aren’t fighting over them and getting up at silly o clock just to make sure you get a decent bed

It generally comes down to price! We’re on a tight budget so that has to be our main consideration

This has changed so much since my kids were little, it used to be all about convenience - all inclusive food with ice cream on tap and a good kids club (that they never used!). Now it's more about high adrenaline and trying new things - the biggest, fastest waterslides and a new local area ro explore. I agree with another poster that space is also important especially with teens that do not always see eye to eye!
I just want peace, a good book and a sunbed!

A studio apartment with good beds for the children.

Early dinner time to accommodate bed time if all inclusive

Actual beds for everyone , not sofa beds and not two big teens in one double bed.

Separate bedrooms, comfortable beds, amazing shower or bath. Air con.

Top priority for my daughter is a really fun pool and splash pad, and a kids’ disco every night.

For my husband it’s a quiet room away from the noisy areas.

For me it’s a sea that’s calm, clean and safe enough to swim in. Sea swimming is wonderful and I don’t get to do it much.

Family room with segregated spaces - kids are old enough that they/I want a bit of privacy and space but I’m not comfortable them being completely in their own rooms yet

A heated outdoor pool. Pretty rare but actual game changer.

Accomodation is important for me. Somewhere that's conveniently located where I'm able to access different parts of my itinerary. Yes, budgeting is important, but no point getting a cheap hotel if you have to constantly take an expensive taxi. It all adds up.

Plenty of comfortable sun beds and varied choice of food. Nearby town and beach also preferable.

A holiday where I feel absolutely sure I can keep
My children with severe food allergies safe.
At the moment that always means self catering but I would love to have a truly allergy focused holiday provider that made me feel I was in safe hands

All inclusive, lots of swimming pools and kids entertainment. They get to choose what to do, we get a break. Win win!

When self-catering: a real fire (log burner acceptable if everything else perfect), and a washing machine if staying for longer than 4-5 nights. A stair gate when any dc was <3.

When in a hotel: separate rooms if staying for longer than 2-3 nights. A suite or interconnected rooms when the dc were little so that we could put them to bed in one room and then go chill out in our room. Once the youngest was 13 or 14, the children’s room could be elsewhere in the hotel.

I agree with @tryandbepositivere the music and smoking. Other than that a beach and we are happy. I do like nice markets and DH food, but not essential

Holiday non-negotiables is something that will keep the kids busy as they're always so active and get bored easily. Even if there's not a wide variety of activities, as long as there are activities that can keep them entertained for hours, that's perfect.