Can I ask you about staying in hotels with young children please?

[naturelover]

We have never stayed in a hotel with our DCs, preferring self-catering or camping (or, when skint, staying at home!) But we like the idea of staying one night in a hotel soon in order to spend a weekend in a town where our friends live (they don't have space for us all to sleep, however).

So I'd like to know if you typically have the DCs in your room or if you get adjoining rooms - if this is even commonplace. And is it very expensive usually (ie is it double the cost of a double room)? Our DCs are 4 and 2 years old. We'd prefer them in an adjoining room so that they can go to bed early and let us have an evening in our own space.

I'd appreciate any tips from more seasoned travellers than ourselves! Many thanks.

What about a hotel that has a family room such as a premier inn? Then you will be all be in the same (larger) room.

Sorry just read your post again and you mentioned separate so you can put them to bed early so family room won't help. Not sure I'd feel comfortable at that age with them in separate room with bathroom etc

Yes, it will probably double your costs. We get a Premier Inn type room for us all and take it in turns to go down to the bar.

We stay in Premier Inns with DS (6) and have done for the past couple of years. Rooms are always big enough, clean and sound-proof and generally quite affordable. But I don't mind getting into bed when he does.

You pays your money and you makes your choice. We only have one DD and so often she'd be in the same room on a z-bed but some places do have adjoining rooms - sometimes offered as 'family rooms'. DH does all the booking but I'm pretty sure its not double the price.

Nah, get a travelodge, wear them out so they fall asleep, put them to bed in the same room as you and you and DH get to watch silent TV in the hope you wont wake them.

Generally you get two double beds in one room, or twin beds and a double, so end up sitting in the dark whispering to eachother whilst the dcs go to sleep!! We Have found the odd hotel with adjoining rooms ( or a room in a room IYSWIM) and these are much better for the adults ( you actually get to talk out loud!) but are harder to find. However, for one night all being in together isnt too bad .

Adjoining rooms are not common in my experience, and with kids the age of yours I'm not sure it would be the best idea anyway. Our model of turn-taking allows the prson in the room to watch something on laptop+ headphones while the other has a drink. Probably the best option for the moment.

I've never stayed in a hotel with adjoining rooms, as we've never found one within our price range. When we go away now we usually stay at premier inn type places. We have dp in one room
With the twins and me in the other with older three.
Last time we did it dp took the laptop and headphones and watched s film when little ones slept. It's not ideal but usually only away for night or two.

I have stayed in several hotels where we had 2 bedrooms and one bathroom. There was only one door into the area so the dcs couldn't sneak out without my knowing it but I could sit up and watch tv while they slept in the other room.

If you are all in the same room then you invariably go to bed when they do and wake up when they do (in my ds's case that is 4am).

Thanks for the replies.
I'm not sure I want to go away if it involves whispering in the dark for the evening. Sigh.

Some cities do apartment hotel rooms. The prices vary a lot but so would the quality I imagine.

People do also rent out flats by the night in some cities (I have a friend who does this).

Which city are you hoping to visit?

Some Holiday Inns have adjoining rooms - but you have you pay for both. After squashing the five of us (DP and I and 3 DCs) into a double with a double sofa bed and a cot in-between, we now find this a better option. You could lock the door that the children are in and keep the adjoining door ajar, so it would be safe and semi private.

Cambridge. An apartment hotel room might work, thanks for the suggestion.

HAve done just about every combination of family room (in ensuite wih bottle of wine or go to bed v early), to interconnecting rooms (paranoid they'll get up and run a bath in the middle of the night), to suite with sofa beds in living area to paying a babysitter to sit in the bathroom to massive three bedroom suite which was twice the square footage of our house. You might find a little hotel or b&b which has a suite at +50% of their usual room rate which I think when you have young children such as yours is best. Also nice to have a little extra room. Otherwise two rooms but one child one adult in each?

Some places we have had suites with room for DC budding off main room. But those sorts of rooms at a reasonable price only seem to existboutside the UK. Within the UK, we did onve do adjoining rooms but mostly it's been Premier Inn family rooms.

For me 2 & 4 is way too young for adjoining rooms, there will be a door going to a corridor from their door and just for safety I feel like that would scare the hell out of me.

We always have dd in our room, I always see it as a treat when we all go away together to have my family so close by. Can you see it as an opportunity for you all to experience everything together rather than have to split your time?

On the two occasions we have shared with the children, none of us got any sleep - that is the main reason I don't want to share with the DCs! I value my sleep more than the experience of travel. I wonder if that is why we have largely stayed at home since the DCs arrived?

Friend is just back from the Holiday Inn apparently quite a few of them have adjoining rooms, you do have to pay for two rooms, but it was a lot cheaper than they thought.

We have stayed with DS in an interconnecting room, kept the key in his lock so no one can get in.

Some hotels we have stayed in have a childrens annex off from the main bedroom, this was in Peebles Hydro, but I'm sure there are other hotels with the same sort of thing.

However for one night you could just be ok in a big family room.

The Room For 5 site that is often mentioned on here is worth a look for interconnecting rooms, suites and the like.

We had a recent stay at a hotel, we had 2 interconnecting rooms, 2nd one was at half price so not too extensive. Our DC's are 8 and 6, we've always been self catering til now though.

Some great tips here - many thanks.

Premier inn in the UK. Travel lodges tend to be slightly scruffier.
Holiday inn in Bracknell as a treat (legoland). Despite two kids beds the DDs declared the beds less comfortable than a premier inn, where the sofa turns into one bed and one mattress on the floor.
Had apatahotel rooms in Mallorca where the DDs have beds in the living room and you get a separate double room, those are great. Even had two totally separate rooms with very young 3 and 6. They had walki talkies and were unbelievably sensible.

Warning in both Mallorcan set ups the DDs could open the balcony doors, you need to be able to trust them totally.

This hotel in Cambridge seems to do children in your room for free, or in an adjoining room for 50% of the adult price. Not sure if that's any use?

If you go during the holidays it might be possible to book a college room through the university? I know at Oxford they have to clear out their rooms for the holidays. I'm pretty sure they have some accommodation for students with families so if you got lucky you could possibly get one of those?