It’s that time of the year again. The time I start thinking about family holidays. The time when I get slightly depressed at the prospect of going back to work after a gloriously long Christmas break. Where the dark mornings seem like a wrench to get out of bed, and I spend my days missing my girls and wishing I could rewind to last week where we were all snuggled up on the sofa in our pyjamas, or going out in our wellies to explore our surroundings whilst chatting, laughing and enjoying each others company. The Christmas break always passes by too quickly, and it always leaves me logging on to my computer and searching for the next perfect family holiday, something to look forward to, and something to focus on that will keep my spirits up until the next time we can all be together for a substantial block of time.
I dream of European sun holidays where I can ditch my hat, scarf and gloves, enjoy walks along the beach, and hear the sound of the girls laughing and splashing in the sea with their bucket and spade in hand. I long for nice meals overlooking a marina, relaxing by the pool with a nice cool drink and perhaps even a bit of downtime for me and Mike.
For me, there are some absolute essentials when booking a family holiday, and some other nice to haves that make a family holiday far less stressful for the parents. Mark Warner have been providing family holidays for over 35 years in order to understand the needs of parents travelling with children, and have a number of family holiday packages to suit every need (click here for more info). Here are some of my absolute essentials:
Direct flights and transfers – when heading off to your ideal destination, the last thing you want to worry about with children in tow is having to take more than one flight, or arrange your own transfers to and from the airport and hotel. You want to get a direct flight, from the airport of your choice, and have a transfer ready and waiting for you when you arrive. Calm, quick and stress free. It’s also helpful when the flight times don’t involve dragging your kids out of bed in the middle of the night too!
Plenty of child friendly facilities – as much as us parents want a nice calm holiday by the pool, I know for a fact that my two would get bored pretty quickly if the holiday weighed too heavily in the relaxation stakes. For me, the ideal family holiday would include some fantastic facilities – things like children’s fun pools, water sports / slides, daytime entertainment. I also love being within walking distance of the beach – there is nothing quite like the feeling of the sand between your toes, and the sound of the waves lapping on to the shore.
Kids Clubs – As much as I love spending time with the girls, they absolutely love having a bit of daytime entertainment, and the kids clubs are often a great way for them to make friends, meet other guests and break up the day with an activity or two. Knowing that there is a high quality, free childcare service there if we need it, with trained and first aid qualified staff is great for peace of mind, and also allows some much needed down time for me and Mike too.
High quality home from home accommodation – when we go on a family holiday we always look for a high standard of accommodation, ideally with a home from home feel, with the obvious amenities you can need with young children, without having to drag everything away with you. Highchairs, cots and stair gates (depending on the type of accommodation) for me are a huge bonus, and one less thing to worry about when you are squeezing clothes into every last square inch of your suitcase. Depending on whether we are holidaying on our own or with the grandparents, a range of rooms and layout options are also a bonus.
A variety of meal options – As my regular readers will know, I have a food avoider (otherwise known as a very very fussy eater), so for us, a limited range of food options just isn’t going to cut it. For me, flexibility of board basis, such as half board or bed and breakfast, gives us a bit of freedom to be able to explore our surroundings and the self catering options in the wider resort, as well as enjoy the options on site. It also allows us to have more flexibility around the times that we choose to eat, particularly for our evening meals.
Due to a few health issues I have going on at the moment, we aren’t in a position to book our family holiday just yet, but I would love to hear your other must haves for family holidays and what makes your essentials list when looking to book.
We are yet to have our first holiday abroad as a family of four – where would you recommend?
*This is a collaborative post*
