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.

Haven't done this in the UK but when we're abroad we have a family suite with 2 rooms when we travel so just wanted to give you a tip. Our Baby slept with us last time we were away and then toddler in her own room. We took the baby's video monitor with us and installed it in her room so we could watch and hear any movement. This was our solution to one of our previous holidays when dc1 was a baby, where lights went off at 8pm and anything above a soft whisper meant crying tetchy baby.

Did a bit of searching and found this site

www.room-b.co.uk/serviced-apartments/cambridge/manor-house

serviced apartments - all have own bedrooms and works out cheaper than adjoining rooms in a hotel

or a small B&B? We have had a fantastic weekend in a B&B in Yorkshire that only had 3 bedrooms. One was downstairs, so we could put DD to bed in our shared room, then come to the lounge area for the evening.

Room 12 northfield hotel Minehead is an excellent room, separate room within a room with bunk beds NorthfieldHotel You can even go to Butlins if you like for the day

Hilton sometimes do a second kids room at a big discount. You could also try phoning the local tourist office and getting their recommendations, we have stayed in B and Bs which had two rooms next to each other, and private from other guests. Or phone Holiday Inn tupe places, they once gave us a second room as they couldn't accommodate us all in one room.

bowyert - it is, isn't it? We've had that very room 3 or 4 times! .

Never been to Butlins - DD was happy with the hotel pool when she was small, and walking exmoor when bigger.

The hotel has other decent family rooms too, and was very accommodating when DD was an idiosyncratic eater. She would typically dine with us on baked beans on toast followed by loads of stilton, brie etc off the cheese trolley.

And they do afternoon tea with crispie cakes etc....

We used to stay in a hotel with a 'suite', which was 2 rooms with an adjoining door. The second room was a lovely sitting room, and the DCs bedded down in there, on the floor and in travel cots, etc (3 of them).

It was lovely, but very expensive. It was the only way we could visit DH's relatives, though, as they were so far away.

We stayed in a family room in nice b&b in Cambridge. worth house I think. Had a little lounge and breakfast room downstairs and a double room and gallery bedroom upstairs. Was v good and less than 100.

We've stayed six of us in a Premier Inn family room on more than one occasion. That's me and DH in a double bed, big twins in single bed and zed-bed and little twins top and tail in travel cot.

We never sit in the dark whispering while they go to sleep. They fall asleep with the lights on and us talking and watching telly. It's only for a night.

Last summer in Brittany we turned up at a hotel without a reservation (seven of us cos we took a friend to help with the children) and got two massive adjoining rooms in the attic - one with a double bed and bunks, the other with a double. Just lock the door to the corridor on one of the rooms so you can only access it through the other room.