Win a two-night bed and breakfast stay at a Luxury Family Hotel

[HannahGMumsnet]

Hello folks - we've got another competition for you!

Luxury Family Hotels are famed for providing families with stress-free and relaxing UK breaks which are fully focused on spending quality time together and taking some time out to relax.

With multiple locations across the south of the UK and prices starting from £329 for two-night stays including breakfast and dinner, it's the ideal time to book your break - and you can find out more here.

This year they're celebrating their 30th birthday, and to celebrate they're giving one lucky Mumsnetter the chance to win a two-night bed and breakfast stay at a Luxury Family Hotel of their choice.

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is let us know your top tips and tricks to ensure you and your family unwind properly on holiday. Whether that's making sure you turn off notifications for work emails, or getting out and exploring nature or simply remembering to pack the tablet charging cable, we want to hear it.

We will be picking a winner at random on Monday 22 July 2019 - good luck!

The prize is valid for redemption until 28 March 2020 (excluding school holidays and Bank Holiday weekends). The prize is valid for two adults and up to three children. The prize is subject to availability at time of booking.

Get to the pool as soon as possible!

Don't take work phone to "just check my emails"

Don't have too many rules

Let everyone have a day when they can choose what to do

We always go self-catering. I like to find a supermarket nearest the accommodation and arrange a click and collect. Saves the stress of shopping at the other end or worrying about lumping it all in the car.

We take lots of books and a mini bbq, make sure there's a decent balance of busy days and relaxed ones.

Snacks, snacks and more snacks here. We all get hangry, so topping up and a child friendly menu/catering are very important!

Check your fire exits and make sure everyone knows to get out and stay out. If you lose mummy's or daddy's hand follow the other adults and go to a member of staff once out. Mummy or daddy will find you.

If you have someone with mobility issues let reception know and mark it for the night manager. The same if you have more small children than adults.

Our favourite tactic is to take lots of art supplies like watercolours, acrylics, glue gun, sturdy paper and raid the natural environment for inspiration. Seaweed printing, painting seaweed ‘necklaces’, making assemblages with little bits of driftwood, shells and sea glass (hence the glue gun). Everyone has a go, including Mum and Dad, and we usually end up with one or two genuinely lovely, unique souvenirs to bring home. It’s great because it’s not something we do at home (well certainly not Mum and Dad!) and it gets you into a zone of creativity and complete relaxation that just says ‘holiday’ to us. We don’t ban tech on holiday (how else would we be able to dance round the fire to our favourite songs on the ‘secret’ deserted beach we visit?!) It’s just a case of balance.

Our lives are busy with work and looking after elderly parents so we manage 1 holiday a year. So myself, husband and son ALWAYS pick one thing we'd like to do and we all partake.

This year we are going to Cornwall and these are our choices:

My choice - to watch Sunset Boulevard at the Minack Theatre (tickets already bought)

Husband's choice - kayak around the many beach coves

Son's choice - to go to Adrenalin Quarry to the aqua inflatable

Great family time and appreciative of each others choices

Have different rules around phone and tablet use than you would at home.
We do no phones at all during the day then everyone can have them for up to an hour after dinner. (Adults and children)

It means everyone can be present in the moment and enjoy time together.

Leave home sparkling so that it’s lovely to return to

Pack my fruit tea that I love

Limit time on phone

As an aside @HannahGMumsnet - baffled that it’s a mumsnet comp and yet school holidays are excluded

We all enjoy different things, so the key is planning: ds has to spend some time in the pool and in return dd will walk round a Lego exhibition. We'll visit an ancient building with dh and everyone watches a film with me WITHOUT having their phones on.

Packing some travel games is a great way to keep children entertained. Top trumps, connect 4, pack of cards. They are compact and easy to use.
It's nice to see them interacting and taking turns etc.
Having said that we have dvd players in our car with headphones so that car journeys are quiet and stress free!

It's too hard for me to totally switch off my work life even when I'm on holiday. I can't just switch my emails off because it gives me anxiety. So, whenever we go away we always factor in an hour or "down time" where the kids do colouring/have a lay down and I log onto my phone, check everything and then switch the phone off and away. It's a good balance between not letting the "real world" creep into a relaxing time but still reassuring myself the whole world isn't burning down in my absence.

Phones off!
Kindles / books out and lie by the pool / on the beach in peace and quiet relaxing for me.
Sit by noisy music and drink beer for the husband.

If we go with the dog, we like to camp and relax with plenty of sunshine, a few beers or ciders and a balance of BBQ food, eggs and fresh bread. Lots of long walks with the dog, preferably somewhere with shade for her like a wood, even better if there's a river for her to wallow in!

We don't get many holidays due to work commitments and tight budgetsso.when we do we plan everything in advance. We pick all the things we want to do and places we want to go so there is no last minuet faffing around. And no gadgets! We dont have alot of time as a full family unit so we like to make the most of it, no tablets or mobiles allowed out during activities.
And make sure the house is clean before we go so no mess amd stress to come back to!

No driving and have a day or two either side to relax before going back to work

Top tip for a relaxing break? Leave the children at home!!

Ditch the digital whilst away. Don't be in contact with work for the grown-ups!

Ensure meticulous planning ahead of holiday!

DH says I like to organise the fun out of everything, I think it's important to plan one or two few things in advance to make the most of the visit. Lots of lazy breakfasts and nice meals are important.

I think the best holidays are where you lead by example! If mum and dad are relaxed, the babies follow! We try to turn off all technology, spend time reading books, riding bikes (if we can’t bring our own we always hire bikes), spending time in and around water and lots of laughter. That, and we always pack teabags and a bottle of good wine!

Before going we pick an activity suited to each family member, e.g water park for the 11yo, crazy golf for dh.. Then aside from that we don't have any plans set in stone and just take each day as it comes. That way no big losses if things need to change last minute!

We have 3 children, aged 1, 9 and 12. Because of the age gaps it's difficult to please them all, all of the time.

To guarantee a smooth and comfortable holiday, we simple let our hair down, be less strict and allow the kids some freedom. (within reason)

We try not to plan too much as things don't always turn out the way you imagined. It only takes one sleepy child and it's game over lol.

So, my tips would be; Don't plan, Don't be strict and Don't take it all too seriously. It's their holiday too!

A lot of the time we'll have a drive around, let each child decide on the next turn (left, right, straight on) and the first bar/restaurant we see, we go in. It's also a great way of trying new places

• pack the car the night before so that you can grab breakfast and go. Take buckets, spades fishing nets, footballs & beach games to save having to buy them for ££ more.
• download a few new episodes of the kids favourites on Netflix or iplayer to combat the lack of WiFi in the car
• if you can bear it, leave at 6.30-7am if travelling on a bank holiday (traffic is often crazy around major holiday spots). You'll reach your destination before most are even up.
• arrange for an online shop to be delivered for when you arrive
• we only tend to cater for breakfast/lunch/snacks and eat out for dinner
• take an empty plastic laundry bag or two so that you can bag up worn/dirty clothes and throw them straight in the washing machine at home
• if travelling to Haven/Butlins or a resort type place then download their app as you can see all of the activities on offer at a glance and set reminders

To stop and remember just to be in the moment with the kids. To stop thinking about what we need to organise and just live in the moment with them.

Relax expectations. Activities may not go to plan, the weather may turn out crap... Shit Might Go Down.
But it's okay- ride it out and go with it, it may turn out better than you planned.