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Original poster

4 of us sleeping in family room in hotel...tell me the truth..is it awful!?

29 replies

futurity · 16/03/2007 09:55

I have always strongly resisted the idea of us all (me, DH, DS age 5 and DS age 2) sharing one room..mainly because DH snores ;) but also because of the whole "how on earth do i get the kids to go to sleep!?" routine!

Anyway..have started considering firstly as I want to go to Legoland over Easter and even though it is only 1 1/4 hour drive away it would be nice to stay over, someone else do breakfast (!) and then have a wander round Windsor or something.

Also DH is always going on about Disney Land Paris but again everyone i know has shared a room with the kids with various comments about it!

So was just wondering what experiences people had on Mumsnet..and any tips to cope!

OP posts:
wurlywurly · 16/03/2007 09:57

we all shared a room when we went to disney. It was fine. dh snores and ds2 was only a baby but we coped for the few days we was there.

sniff · 16/03/2007 10:01

we do it when we go home all together 5 of us its fun in a I am knackered when I get home kind of way the children love it, and its good for us to be together as DH works away so much

you will have a great time but wil probably need to sleep for a week when you get back

Hassled · 16/03/2007 10:02

I've done the 4 in a family room thing many times and it is unrelenting misery - kids never go to sleep, when they do we're stuck in semi-darkness and near silence, DP snores which wakes kids up. However, I keep doing it because it is the only way for us to get to places like Legoland (which is SO worth it - but you do need to get there at gates opening time, hence nearby hotels are essential. I also force kids to eat until they're nearly sick at the hotel buffet breakfast because that reduces over-priced snacks at Legoland!) and if it's only a couple of nights I can cope.

Original poster
futurity · 16/03/2007 10:04

lol! I figure one night won't kill us but it is just DS2 who I am worried about...DS1 is old enough to be told to go to bed etc where as DS2 would probably ping around the room and then scream his head of with tiredness?! Or maybe I am just underestimating him! Alot of people say they put the kids to bed and then hide in the bathroom until they go to sleep!

Wish I was rich enough to have a suite with joining rooms!

OP posts:
Original poster
futurity · 16/03/2007 10:04

ok "unrelenting misery"...now i am scared!

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 16/03/2007 10:05

Yes.

We did this for two nights and it SUCKED. NEVER again.

Original poster
futurity · 16/03/2007 10:09

i'm just so fed up of never going anywhere! my friends are always going to stay with familes for the weekend or something..our familes would rather chop limbs off than offer us that! can't afford to hire cottages over holiday time and to be honest don't want to be tied in all the time to going away for a week ...just one night would be nice but not if it is going to be a nightmare. grrr...rant rant!

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 16/03/2007 10:11

hire a caravan WAY in advance. that's what we did and it's much cheaper.

Original poster
futurity · 16/03/2007 10:24

just looking online...would a b&b be better i wonder? still a family room though...couldn't afford two rooms!

OP posts:
prufrock · 16/03/2007 10:28

B&B might be better if they have a lounge downstairs that you could sit in in the evening. Personally I would never not have seperate rooms because I don't want to have to sit in the bathroom being quiet. But when we go to stay with family we all quite happily actually sleep in the same room.

Beetrootccio · 16/03/2007 10:36

it will be fine for one night - but not for a whole holiday.

You can put the kids to bed and then go down to the bar!!!

Or all get into bed and watch tele - and tell stories and all go to sleep.

katzg · 16/03/2007 10:40

we've done it a few times its ok.

The DD's go to sleep and we have the telly on quietly or take a board game to play, sneak in bottles of wine and generally have a nice quiet evening.

If its nice the we have sat out on the balcony (if present!)

Marina · 16/03/2007 10:45

We've done it often in France with 7 and 3 year old.

Ideally it goes like this.

Dd naps for a short amount of time on the drive there, so she is still perky at early dinner around 7pm French time.

We all eat, we all turn in together around 9.30pm.

Tbh dh and I always relish the guilt-free, chore-free aspect of having nothing else we ought to be doing.

There is a limited amount of scuffling around in the gloom for your toothbrush but the dcs adore it and it works surprisingly well.

Waswondering · 16/03/2007 10:46

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Marina · 16/03/2007 10:46

Oh and it even worked all right on a three-night mini-break, although there the room had a terrace we sat out on and enjoyed a few brews.

Hassled · 16/03/2007 10:55

One useful thing if you're worried about them not getting to sleep - quite a few of the hotels which do packages with Legoland have swimming pools. A swim before bed does help slightly in exhausting them. Still unrelenting misery, though

scotlou · 16/03/2007 11:02

We've done it loads in the UK and US.
Tips - don't fuss about routines. Eat together around 7 - ideally you can then sit and have a drink for a bit while the kids play - or you just go back to your room (taking another drink with you!) We all cuddle up to watch TV for a bit before dd (now 4) has a story and then drops off to sleep. DS usually falls asleep watching TV. We all are asleep by about 1030 - 11 p.m. latest! (then if there's a pool I get up early with the kids and take them swimming).
My kids love staying in hotels (and ds loves ordering room service if the hotel does it!)

Original poster
futurity · 16/03/2007 12:14

thanks for all the replies. seems to be a equal split between "it's fine" and "unrelenting misery!"

totally agree about suite hotel rooms...would be so much better being able to shut the door on the kids! but they are quite expensive I would imagine although I will look into it.

place i am looking at has a swimming pool so the knackering the kids out idea is a good one!

OP posts:
Original poster
futurity · 16/03/2007 16:55

ok...gone and done it...booked a hotel room...eeeek! Just the one night over Easter so we can go to Legoland and surrounding area. DH equally as scared as I am but keeps waving Disney leaflets at me so knows we need to give it a go if we ever want to go to Disney. The room can be cancelled free of charge right up until the day if we chicken out!

OP posts:
Blandmum · 16/03/2007 16:58

No, it is fine. We kept them up later than usual, because there was so much to do and we all slept in a little.

Gobbledigook · 16/03/2007 17:01

Yes, IME, it's bloody awful. Hate family rooms but mine are little-ish - 5, 4 and 2. It's hellish I'm afraid.

oxocube · 16/03/2007 17:11

Done this lots of times and it doesn't bother me. In fact when DH is away, me and the kids often sleep in same room anyway!

gothicmama · 16/03/2007 17:12

we had afab time if you stay relaxed it is fine take some new books etc and use bribery if needed

LadyTophamHatt · 16/03/2007 17:13

oh god...it's awful.

I felt like killing them all by morning!

ChippyMinton · 16/03/2007 17:14

ticket deal here

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