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.

We usually don't allow much screen time at home, but on holiday we allow iPads so mummy and daddy can actually speak to each other.

Log out of all work accounts, leave my mobile phone in a drawer in the room and only use if absolutely necessary, so no social media etc! Then read books, paint nails, lounge on beds! For food, if in the UK meal / day plan beforehand and if self catering bring some easy to prep meals. Know your budget so you don’t get worried about spending too much but can appreciate and enjoy the things you do spend money on.

Leave work behind and do not check work emails.

Take turns to choose activities to do.

Lots of ice creams!

Lots of research in advance regarding suitable restaurants and nearby supermarkets. That way you are already aware of where fussy eaters will be catered for and how to get the essentials (wine, chocolate....)

Load up Kindle with a great variety of books

Find suitable games to bring along - favourites include , Top Trumps and just packs of playing cards

Top tip - leave the kids with Grandma 🤣

On holiday we do set our emails to auto-respond that we are away from the office until xxxx. We also agree not to peek at our work emails!

Top tip has to be going lo-fi when possible - mine are teens now, but we all aim for screen free time as much as possible: outdoors is always wonderful, but given the great British weather, we also tend to take or hope to go places that have card or board games, jigsaws or even a good library to find a book to read aloud. It's amazing how the classic games are still some of the favourites - my two beg for interminable games of 'cheat' and happy families. Plus, always go somewhere with a log fire in winter. Bliss!

My top tip is to restrict access to technology and pack lots of board/ card games that everyone likes. We then have family game nights with nibbles and drinks.

Good food and stuff for the kids to do! Entertained kids means happy parents!

My top tip is preparing things at home before leaving. Clean the house, make sure all bills are paid up to date, cleaned out the fridge, laundry, changed the bed as well as things like remembering to set out of office messages on email. It's nice to be on holiday and relax knowing you will come home to a clean, well organised home with no urgent tasks facing you as soon as you get in the door.

Definitely no cooking and minimal washing up! We like to be in places with lots of countryside/coasts for walking and exploring and all the better if there's an indoor pool and tennis courts nearby. We like a temperate climate - not too hot

No phones especially work phones.
Try to research alot about the area before you go so you know lots of fun things to do whether it be walking around the local area or excursions. And pace we've learnt not to try cram everything in as it becomes quite stressful 🤞

Relax your expectations a bit. If the children eat rubbish for a few days they won't die of scurvy. It's their holiday too so they should get to live a little.

Plan a mix of child friendly activities and ones the adults want to do. Yes, they might whine through a visit to the art gallery but once we remind them that they'd hate us to whine and rush through something they want to do, they are quiet sharpish (and sometimes even manage to enjoy it!).

Don't try to do too much, just one or at most two activities a day with plenty of time just by the pool/beach. Food! Everyone gets to eat their favourites so restaurants or buffets where they can just choose what they want rather than self catering. Screens for long journeys, with earbuds, either in the car or on the plane.

plan but dont plan haha.
so go with a broad idea of what you want to do and if there is somethign that will need booking do so.but then just try and go with the flo.things will go round,youll get timings all over the place so do not stress when this happens.
dont put rules on what everyone down time means.to everyone its diffeent.some people think down time is doing nothing,some reading,some it means hiking,some it means going to see historical places,to let everyone do waht they need to do to feel restored and dont judge or moan if it doesnt fit your label o want of downtimes.
try and get a balance of doing what you all want to do.but you cant win them all and ive find kids thankyou later when you psuh them a little to see some great places.but no when to stop!
go with some food so you have some snacks and go to meal espcieall on arrival.we always have the first days meals planned or taken.
everyone pulls their weight.

It might not sound like everyone's idea of relaxing, but we plan active holidays! Our dc like to be really active and are just full of energy. We find that if we keep them busy - cycling, swimming, just generally being out and about, then we all enjoy it, there's no moaning, dh and I switch off from work and we end up having a fun holiday. I think it's just the lack of stress that makes it relaxing.

Plus, if we tire the dc out in the day, we get to enjoy a chilled evening with a glass of wine once the dc are in bed.

Oh God! My family laugh at me because I always take a clipboard with menus, receipts, special offers for days out and even a provisional itinerary attached.
So one year I didn't take it and everyone was moaning that they felt disorganised.

Sad as it is we always clean the house before we go and change the sheets on the beds. It makes coming home so much nicer.

We try to play with the kids (7 and 10) on the beach or park - adults v kids races, frisbee or football. I think they like to see us being a bit silly and it creates happy memories. Plus you can then sit on your arse with a glass of wine later with a clear conscience as you’ve done some exercise and been Fun Mum for the day!

We limit fizzy drinks and ice cream at home but it’s quite liberating to unclench a bit and allow more treats on holiday.

We also tag team so each parent gets some time alone each day.

fingers crossed! my tip is don't plan anything - take each day as it comes - no need to rush out the door early every day.

My top tip ia to take board games. We never get a chance to olay them at home as we're always so busy so it's a really good way of all spending time together in the evenings.

Plan long journeys with plenty of loo/food/burning off energy stops.

Pack a few new toys, activity things etc for when you need them to be engrossed in something.

If self-catering, don't stress over food. Eat out, or do easy things. I'm on holiday, I don't want to be in a kitchen, pizza a few times a week won't do any harm.

Make an inventory of toys taken, so you can check nothing gets left behind.

Just going with the flow, watching lots of videos of where we are going, and allowing ourselves to get excited.
Also, throwing away any guilty Feelings about lounging around all day!

According to the parents in the room next door the one and only time I booked a luxury hotel - give your child a recorder to play all night long so they can entertain themselves and everyone else in the vicinity instead of getting some sleep.

According to me, if the whole family is cooped up together in a hotel room do use books, screens etc to get a bit of breathing space from each other. The days take care of themselves but nights can be tricky with kids. In the evenings we usually end up watching game show channels as they are usually the only age appropriate things on telly after the watershed but we all join in and make it fun.

Mine would be to plan in down time. Booked activities are great but everyone also needs time with a book or by a pool just... being.

Make sure there's something for everyone is the key thing I think. So plenty to keep the kids occupied and for you to enjoy as a family but also provision for grownups to have a taste of luxury too eg an evening listening service and adult only dining. Don't get me wrong, eating with family is lovely but a proper leisurely meal that someone else has cooked, enjoyed with nice lighting and ambience, before you roll all nice and relaxed back to a room that someone else has cleaned and made nice for you knowing that the kids are fine fair sets you up for another family filled busy day.