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.

A combo of planning and going with the flow. I research where we are going well and make sure to find a few indoor things to do incase if poor weather but don't book anything so that we can see what's happening when we get there - often local events/fair/festivals are a lot of fun. If travelling by car you can take advantage of the slice and be sure to back for British weather - sandals and welly boots, swimmers, jumpers and rainmacs!

For me, Holiday is about giving up control. I take my watch off, barely look at my phone and refuse to carry money if I can avoid it!

Kids bedtime is much more relaxed, as is their diet. If we can find them some little friends to make them everyone is a winner!

Happy holidays!

We take books, lots and lots of books. If every day has at least half an hour of quiet reading time, we're all much calmer and happier.

My top tip would be: Lower your expectations as to what 'relaxed holiday' means!

Because with kids it's never going to be fully relaxed.

There may be tears.

There may be wingeing.

And that's just from the parents

But as a single mum to a young daughter, I find it helps me to carve my time up so that I know there is time on holiday which is entirely about entertaining my daughter, but also ensuring time is set aside for me to read and relax (while she's watching crap on Netflix!).

Not too many planned activities on the schedule! It's tempting to use time away to do and see lots of things, but time to chill out and do things like board games, reading and watching tv is also really worthwhile.

My tip: avoid self-catering places. Otherwise it feels like you’ve taken half the housework with you with cooking, cleaning and shopping.

My top tips are to lower expectations. You dont have to be busy all the time and I think a bit of downtime via tech is fine.

Top tips that work for us is including all the family in planning the days out. That way we all get a turn at doing something that we all want, it's also great for the others to try something they wouldn't normally choose! Same with cooking, share the meal planning and cooking if you are self catering.

As much as possible, agree together that you will put down the iPads and other mobile devices. But also respect that there will undoubtedly be times when the kids might want to zone out for 30 mins, and that's ok! It might give you a chance to read a book in peace 😄

Relax slightly around bedtime routines but also don't underestimate the value of a little adult time, it's a holiday for everyone after all!

Basically saying yes to everything (when I normally wouldn't at home), stopping a threenagers tantrums before they starts makes a much more enjoyable trip for all involved!

For me, the best way to make the holiday relaxing is to not take the children's tablets! We took them once, and all week we had arguments about who was using the wrong tablet and why usage time had run out and begging for me. Never taken them since, instead I encourage them to take a couple of good books to read and colouring books and pens to keep them occupied in quiet moments.

We take one of these with us. We try to be a bit less tech focused while we’re away during the days but during down time while everyone is showering / getting ready for dinner or bed the DC have tablets (and I’m surfing MN).

Hotel rooms never have enough plugs and when you’re in for a short space of time and need to give phones / fitbits / cameras / tablets a blast all at the same time it makes a massive difference (and minimises trailing cables for people to fall over as they all go in one place). Even more useful abroad when it minimises the need for multiple adaptor plugs too.

[NB link isn’t me trying to sell anything, I’m just suspicious whether the picture will attach posting on my phone!]

www.amazon.co.uk/Lencent-Charger-Universal-Adaptor-Worldwide/dp/B07QMVB2WK/ref=mp_s_a_1_7?s=gateway&keywords=plug+with+usb+ports+uk&sprefix=plug+with+usb&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&qid=1562609606&sr=8-7

And of course it posted fine! (Sorry!)

I like to plan one main activity or outing each day plus where we will eat. Then leave the rest of the time to relax/ take shape naturally.

We learned an important lesson on on our most recent get away, that to really unwind on holiday, even with our two year old DD, that it was ok to do nothing. To just stay and enjoy the accommodation. Trying to cram so many activities in just makes everything so much more stressful & made for a miserable toddler when we thought it would be enjoyable. The day we just hung out was by far the best day, who knew.

Everyone gets to choose the activities for a day, so we we all get a day doing what we want but usually end up enjoying what everyone else has chosen for the other days too.

I find the best way to relax on holiday is to do what the children want to do! Spending quality time together is very important as usually life is full of schools and work. Playing with the children in the pool, eating ice cream every day and lots of love and laughter.
Also, booking somewhere with a separate kids sleeping area is a must, so they aren't disturbed by my snoring, or by us relaxing watching tv after their bedtime. Well rested children make happier children!

With one very fussy eater in our family, I find it vital to arrange to pick up an online grocery order soon after we arrive with all the specific brands (he unerringly detects the wrong sort of couscous ) that he'll eat - it means no worries about trying to find something he'll eat and no trying to squash it all in the car on the trip there.

Making sure there are a good range of activities to do to tire the kids out.

Only managed 1 holiday since having kids, with 2 under 5 and not able to access the kids club, my advice would be break the day up into small chunks so you’re moving about a lot and the littles don’t get board, eg pool for 1.5hr, back to room for play and naps (pah yeah right) then park for 45, then kids area for an hour etc, we didn’t always stick to the schedule but by having one we always had something else to do if kids got cranky and/or bored

Bring your own Snacks, snacks, snacks. It saves £.

We follow the mantra if the kids are happy, we'll be happy. So quite active days-not necessarily expensive. Things like going for walks (and Geo-caching as we go), going for walks on the beach, we always try to find a swimming pool and a park. Packing a ball is always a must in our house!
Choosing a hotel with blackout curtains is important to us. And we like buffet style breakfasts-we tend to eat big here and have a smaller snack type lunch.

Leave work behind, choose a location that has something for everyone and if possible, stay for 3 nights so everybody gets used to a new place and feels like they have actually been away. A proper holiday should be longer than the planning, packing and post holiday unpacking and washing takes!!!!

Clean the house before I go, so no chores to come back to. Make sure I've packed enough reading material to chill out with. Choose a location where rest and recuperation is guaranteed.

Learnt the hard way to ensure sat nav is working and have a back up plan. Getting v lost is a sure fire way to kill the relaxation vibe.

Also where poss we get interconnecting rooms/suite/apart hotel so we can stay up past our kids bedtimes and watch dvd and chill without keeping them awake. Our kids won’t sleep in the same room as us if we are awake and chatting! Holiday isn’t a holiday if I have to go to bed early with the kids!

My relaxed holiday includes having my kindle stocked up with new books to read, and a tidy house at home to come back to!