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.

I think to really relax, its about finding the right holiday for the age your kids are. So when ours were little we went away to big French farm house, with pool, jacuzzi, plenty of space and really good self catering facilities. That way if kids needed a nap - they just went upstairs to a bedroom whilst the rest of us chilled out downstairs. Kids had a bad night sleep - no problem we will just stay in and BBQ. I just never fancied trying to get cross and hot toddlers to lie down in a hotel room, whilst I drank wine in the bathroom . Or force them into a buffet when they'd eaten too much icecream on the beach an hour before....

Now ours are older we go to hotels. My top tips for hotels are seperate bedroom / sleeping area for kids! It is NOT relaxing sharing a bedroom with your children.... I also like going to proper AI hotels - so you can eat from 7 am - 11 am in the morning(meaning no rushing in the morning) etc. Our must haves are a beach and a big pool as our kids are like fish on holidays. Our children dont really like Kids Clubs and prefer to hang out with us, so in the evening we always make sure we have a nice meal (in resort - or go for an explore) and get the kids to see some of the local culture / try new food etc. We also take plenty of games to play, paper and cards. Ours love nothing more than a game of cards or a game of consequences after dinner!

My tip is not to fall into the trap of assuming a load of stuff can be packed on the morning of the journey. My husband always say 'oh we just need to throw a few more things in'. Do we ever leave on time? NEVER. There's always a load of stress as I panic about losing too much of the break and then we're all grumpy on the journey.

We don't get to holiday often but my top tips are:

• research ahead of time the local attractions for costs and travel time...you don't know how good internet access will be when you get there
• choose accomodation that doesn't force you to be on top of each other (not palatial but being able to walk around the beds without falling over is a good start)
• stay somewhere with simple food options for my plain food loving children (pasta in tomato based sauce anyone?)
• plan out your journeys taking into account local traffic congestion and make sure there are known places for breaks on the route if more than an hour

My top tip is naps for everyone! Get out early in the morning ahead of the queues, do something exciting and active to wear out the kids and then back home for a nice post-lunchtime nap. It stops anyone (adult or child!) becoming fractious in the afternoons if it's hot or you've been really busy, and means you can stay out a little later in the evening when the atmosphere is chilled. It also makes every day of holiday feel like two days, so your holiday feels twice as long! Bargain.

Mine is to plan, my DS is 7 so to go somewhere and not know what is around, what the food it like and what activities we can do.
I look at the facilities of a kids club and if it's going to have a suitable range of activity. My DH is disabled so we also have to ensure it's disabled friendly. We look at what there is to do in the local area and always book in a couple of trips before hand so then there is less to do
If possible I always book in a massage at the beginning of the break which puts me in a great frame of mind

We always drive so we don't have the panic of the airport. We also complexly van work talk.

Give everyone a say in what we do or to choose an activity for us all. If DS feels he's in charge for a day he enjoys his holiday more and doesn't want to spend all day stuck on his tablet.

Play silly card games with consequences and forfeits (tongue twisters, wearing a daft hat, do an impression etc). So much fun.

We have a child with Sen so we have to ensure the holiday is suitable for a child with asd. We get fast track at the airport etc so we don’t have to queue. We have to prepare months in advance so Ds gets used to the idea of the holiday and we follow a similar format every year. Headphones and iPad a must so he can block out noise.

He loves water so once we are there he spends all his time in the pool. Cant go on beach due to texture of sand

He worries about his guinea pigs so we have to arrange reliable pet care for them, and he will call home everyday to check up on them. Takes an awful lot of planning and reassurance

I would love to give a top tip but I am usually so tired by the time I get to my holiday I don’t have the space in my head to think ahead with ideas for relieving stress. DP has a disability so I suppose, given past experiences is always double check that the hotel is suitable for everybody’s needs. Despite always trying to explain that we need a particular bathroom and routes around the hotel with no steep steps we have been arrived at our destination quite a few times realising that the travel company haven’t quite understood what we were telling them. Starting any holiday in quiet desperation at people’s ignorance is never the best start to any holiday and to be honest it makes me wary of holidays. So, I suppose that my top tip would be to make sure the hotel actually grasps how disabled people’s needs can be different and failure to do so is utterly soul destroying.

Go at the pace of the youngest child would be my advice! No point in dragging children around on too long hikes, or to shows or events that they're too little for. Somewhere that has a something for everyone is ideal - a pool maybe, a playground, a tennis court and a bar/restaurant!

My top tip is to make a good list of everything you need to pack. Check it before leaving! Much more relaxing to know you have everything, sets the holiday off to a good start

Lots of research beforehand and enough entertainment and snacks for the journey!

I’m an obsessive planner, my DH likes to be totally spontaneous, so we’ve reached a good balance between us: I do shed loads of research beforehand on the different activities and interesting places that are available for the area we’re going to be. But I don’t make them into a fixed plan. Instead we take each day at a time and figure out what to do as we go along. I can then contribute lots of suggestions based on my research and my DH can make other suggestions based on what he feels like that day/what the weather is doing/an interesting sign we drove past the day before etc. Works well for us. We also make sure that everyone gets to do something they want to every day, including our DD.

My best tip is to do all the research before the holiday (have learnt my lesson with this one!) so we know where the nice restaurants are, where emergency medical care is located, useful local phone numbers, reputable taxi companies etc.

And no cooking!! The most I will agree to is opening nice meats & cheeses and maybe slicing some bread and veggies.

Stay somewhere with a swimming pool and lots of outdoor space.
With young children have your main meal at lunchtime if eating out- then when they are tired just have a snacky dinner.

Stay in a hotel with a creche/ nursery for a few hours a day. We have stayed at two luxury family hotels before and found the two hours of nursery included result useful. Enough that we get a break, but still most of the day to spend as a family.

Stay in the main building rather than annex as we are frequently popping back to room for forgotten items - worth the small extra cost.

Don't over-plan the days. Little kids are happy in a new environment, we find we don't need to schedule any extra days out.

We choose a break where the kids will be happy and occupied. Happy kids = more chance of a relaxing holiday for parents. So we pick places with e.g. a pool, near an attraction, beach or nature.

We pack games, ipad and activity books for the kids so they (we) can have some quiet time.

And we tend to pick places where there are other kids so they have some new friends to play with.

And I pack a bottle of wine so if all else fails I can sit in the hotel bathroom when they are asleep and drink it!

We always try to stay somewhere that has a kids club. Also eating out is a must! Basically the aim is to have lots of options to entertain the kids whilst being as relaxed as possible.

We have a partial tech ban, no laptops or emails, but so keep phones on..the most important thing is booking nice accommodation. Comfy beds and a pool are my top priorities

A good book helps me unwind on holiday.

Only plan a few things for the holiday, not something for everyday so you're constantly set to a schedule.
Go off and wander/explore the place you're staying, we find loads of hidden gems doing this.
Chat to the locals and get a real feel for the culture. Most people are super friendly and helpful!

For our most relaxing family holidays, we've made sure it's truly a family holiday by spending it with grandparents and cousins etc. The extended family is much more fun 😂

Make sure there's things to do that everyone likes. We are all quite active so love sports, swimming etc on holiday

Separate room for the children.
Don’t be afraid to stay in bed until ten and not leave the apartment until midday (especially with teens).