Summer holidays with teenagers and pre-teens, help!

[youcantakethegirloutthevalleys]

Husband and I just back from a villa holiday in Kefalonia with 14, 11 and 9 years olds.

Had a good time but feel that we are lately having to put more effort into providing "fun" activities to keep them all from killing each other. The first week is usually ok, but second week they seem to be constantly winding each other up. We have realised as they have got older that we can"t just get away with bucket and spade at the beach type days (although we do do that too), and we now end up leaving our idyllic quiet area for the more commercialised resorts with waterspouts, beach bars, etc. This is fine in Kef as it's always relatively easy to park, get into restaurants etc.(and busy in Kefalonia is nowhere near as busy as some other more commercialised islands).

I'm now thinking about next year (dh thinks I'm mad but I like to be organised and have something to look forward to) and although we love the idea of a villa holiday , i.e. no constraints with food, own pool etc., I'm not sure how relaxing next year's will be, and am torn between another villa holiday and something like Neilson which would give us as adults the chance to relax more and ensure the kids are kept amused. My only reservations with this type of holiday is that we would inevitably be more restricted in our meals (and dh would not be able to fire up a bbq as he is wont to do) and we would have to be more (gasp) sociable with other people being around. We have had friends who have been on Neilson hols who would not now go back to any other type of holiday, but they are fairly active and enjoy sailing whereas we (dh and I) are not particularly sporty and i wonder if we may be paying for activities we wouldn't use?

However, I do like the idea of having some meals provided (especially breakfast) but I would like the option of being able to cater myself for some meals. I don"t think AI would be for us as we like to get a car out and explore different places and eating options.

I'm not sure if what I want really exists in reality!

Any thoughts on good apartments/villas with dining options or any thoughts/experiences of Neilsons would be welcome!

Thanks.

No. You don't need one. Some people did but were a but meh about it. Hire a boat for a day or go in a jeep safari.

Plus private transfer. Daily maid service. Washing machine etc

We have the exact same problem - what to do with teens. We did AI in Turkey this year with friends which was great, despite some frustration that the DC were happy to lounge about the whole time and we only left the hotel to go to a waterpark and shopping. They did play some tennis, play on the water slides and stuff themselves silly though!

I want to get back to doing something more interesting and active (both are sporty) But what?!

They always do though. I remember the same. It's a holiday. It's cool

Tilly. Can you link?

Tilly I'd like a mountain lake type thing. Lodges with access to beach lake. Pool. Watersports. Self catering.

Yes, yes, yes Screwfox - perfect! But where?

this is where we went

Two weeks is a long time!

We go places where there are activities (watersports, rafting, surfing etc) nearby, not necessarily provided as part of the holiday, so everyone can pick and choose what they want to do. We have found holidays where we move around a bit works well (so you could combine a week sc with a hotel with some meals provided, and maybe somewhere a bit different too?), and also somewhere where you can walk to somewhere, so the teens don't need driving everywhere and can get away from us. Ours like a mixture of organised activities and not, and I think having other people around for at least some of it really helps (I wonder if being alone with parents enhances teenagers' view that they are the only one with parents and their parents are weird )? We've got older dc.

Tired, where have you been, please?

The French Alps (bit lakey/mountainey???), Northern Spain, Germany, Slovenia, Wales, that sort of thing, but we don't particularly like pool holidays. We've used a mixture of hotels (but never for more than a few nights, I always feel we are too annoying, noisy and argumentative), hostels (ditto), camping, and renting a house (the last seems to involve more cooking by me than any of the others so I am now less keen!), and are not too bothered which of those - and we like cities and beaches and mountains. We've never done a two week holiday. Moving around a bit does mean the food thing is less important - if you are sc in one place, likely to be eating out a lot in another. But it does mean more unpacking and packing.

I think one problem is teenagers change all the time and you mostly have to book holidays months in advance.

Has anyone considered doing family inter-railing type thing with teens? Would that be hell on wheels (or diesel)?

Hell on wheels for our family! We managed two 14hour sleepers in Thailand at Easter, but I reckon that is our limit!

We ski in the French Alps every year, so I don't know if that might be a bit much. Although I love the Annecy area.

You could order the brochures for those upmarket adventure holiday companies like Exodus, and see where they go that you like the look of, and then book independently that sort area and activities for yourselves (I think much cheaper and perfectly easy if in Europe, say)? If they organise caving trips, then there will be local companies providing them etc etc. Might be a good source of ideas/get you through the dark winter evenings?

14 hr Thai sleeper - respect.

That's a good idea, tired. Though I don't think I'll be bothering to look at any caving trips - yikes!

I have twin 14 year old boys who are love sport but now adolescents and the effect is waining etc,

For the last 10 years we have had fantastic family holidays at french campsites specifically in France - La Buge on the Dordogne being the best because they organised a regular daily soccer 3 hour training sessions.

Any suggestions for family holidays in July /August next year where there are organised sport activities for teenagers but also where they can meet other likewise teenagers etc.

When they were younger they played with an international fields of players, however teenage self-consciousness is now a barrier! Any ideas etc?