Holiday/Hotel - with some decent, safe childcare/kids clubs
Discussion
Would love a holiday this year, me and the wife been working far too much and burnt out a little!
However, a holiday with our 2 and 7 year old would only make the stress levels worse.
Love the idea of the 4 of us going away, spending some quality time together as a family etc, but also love the idea of sitting on a lounger for more than 20 seconds and not chasing a toddler around all day.
Is there a happy medium?
Any hotels that offer decent, trustworthy, fun childcare?
Me and the Mrs wouldn't really be happy dumping them in a Thomas cook kids club all day, but also dont want a single nanny/childminder to sit with them all day instead of us.
Anyone seen anything that fits the bill?
However, a holiday with our 2 and 7 year old would only make the stress levels worse.
Love the idea of the 4 of us going away, spending some quality time together as a family etc, but also love the idea of sitting on a lounger for more than 20 seconds and not chasing a toddler around all day.
Is there a happy medium?
Any hotels that offer decent, trustworthy, fun childcare?
Me and the Mrs wouldn't really be happy dumping them in a Thomas cook kids club all day, but also dont want a single nanny/childminder to sit with them all day instead of us.
Anyone seen anything that fits the bill?
Depends on your budget. We've been to a few Ikos resorts https://ikosresorts.com/experiences/kids/ and their childcare is excellent. For 4 and over the kids clubs are free for the under 4's they have creche's but they are chargeable 42 euros for 3 hours from memory. The staff are fully qualified and they run the childcare to Uk Ofsted standards.
As a family we've had some great holidays, the food and service at all the resorts has been excellent plus they are all inclusive so you can eat/sleep/drink as you please which is a bonus with young kids in tow, and we've used the kids club/creche's as and when we have needed a few hours relaxation.
Summer prices are crazy £££ though so we tend to go at the start and end of the seasons (They open April -October).
As a family we've had some great holidays, the food and service at all the resorts has been excellent plus they are all inclusive so you can eat/sleep/drink as you please which is a bonus with young kids in tow, and we've used the kids club/creche's as and when we have needed a few hours relaxation.
Summer prices are crazy £££ though so we tend to go at the start and end of the seasons (They open April -October).
We’ve been to the Martinhal resorts in Sagres and Quinta a couple of times. Worth considering; benefits of a self catering type holiday and then just cough up for any of the conveniences you want- kids club, babysitting, room service etc.
An ever moving set of goalposts I’m finding as the kids get older. Bring on the bring old enough to do proper activities like surfing, sailing etc when by the beach!
An ever moving set of goalposts I’m finding as the kids get older. Bring on the bring old enough to do proper activities like surfing, sailing etc when by the beach!
Not sure how close the 2 year old is to becoming 3 and toilet trained, but Disney Cruises are strong on the kids clubs and activities. Inclusive Disney shows, Disney themed dinners with singing etc.
Many of the major cruise lines offer kids club and childcare as well. Saves on potential flight and airport drama, the holiday starts as soon as you step onboard.
Not sure about the potential sea sickness though.
TBH, I haven’t been on one. The Mrs vetoed it because she hates boats and the water. Trying to convince her to do a 3 day taster cruise to Guernsey right now. The kids loved the idea though, especially the Disney Cruise.
Many of the major cruise lines offer kids club and childcare as well. Saves on potential flight and airport drama, the holiday starts as soon as you step onboard.
Not sure about the potential sea sickness though.
TBH, I haven’t been on one. The Mrs vetoed it because she hates boats and the water. Trying to convince her to do a 3 day taster cruise to Guernsey right now. The kids loved the idea though, especially the Disney Cruise.
Edited by wyson on Wednesday 21st May 23:06
It really comes down to budget.
We went to Country Kids in SW France last summer and it was excellent, but it’s ten grand a week. This year my son has 8 weeks off so we’ve scaled back somewhat and taken 3 weeks holiday, £30k wasn’t appealing - trying a couple of different Club Med options (France and Spain) as mates have said they’re decent and you can get inter-joining rooms for reasonable money.
We also did Sani in 2023, it’s the more upmarket version of Ikos (same owners), but it isn’t all inclusive. It was very pleasant but again, it’s ten grand a week for a serviceable room. Club med is half that, which I think isn’t bad going. Ikos I’ve heard good things and if you want one of those ‘preened’ experiences I think it makes most sense vs Sani due to it being all inclusive. Every eatery in Sani is priced like it’s in West London.
Country Kids was amazing though for children, I’ll certainly go back at some point.
We went to Country Kids in SW France last summer and it was excellent, but it’s ten grand a week. This year my son has 8 weeks off so we’ve scaled back somewhat and taken 3 weeks holiday, £30k wasn’t appealing - trying a couple of different Club Med options (France and Spain) as mates have said they’re decent and you can get inter-joining rooms for reasonable money.
We also did Sani in 2023, it’s the more upmarket version of Ikos (same owners), but it isn’t all inclusive. It was very pleasant but again, it’s ten grand a week for a serviceable room. Club med is half that, which I think isn’t bad going. Ikos I’ve heard good things and if you want one of those ‘preened’ experiences I think it makes most sense vs Sani due to it being all inclusive. Every eatery in Sani is priced like it’s in West London.
Country Kids was amazing though for children, I’ll certainly go back at some point.
sidekickdmr said:
Thanks all, some great suggestions there that seem to tick the box, appreciate it 
You could try a totally different type of holidays, we've been doing European road trips since my daughter was 2.At 6 she decided to charge off into the cloud with a visibility of sub 10 meters when we were at the top of Trollsetegen, and 8 when she decided to try and climb her down Stelvio......this is Pistonheads after all so I feel we all have some responsibility on passing on the love for car, roads, motoring
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okgo said:
It really comes down to budget.
We went to Country Kids in SW France last summer and it was excellent, but it s ten grand a week. This year my son has 8 weeks off so we ve scaled back somewhat and taken 3 weeks holiday, £30k wasn t appealing - trying a couple of different Club Med options (France and Spain) as mates have said they re decent and you can get inter-joining rooms for reasonable money.
We also did Sani in 2023, it s the more upmarket version of Ikos (same owners), but it isn t all inclusive. It was very pleasant but again, it s ten grand a week for a serviceable room. Club med is half that, which I think isn t bad going. Ikos I ve heard good things and if you want one of those preened experiences I think it makes most sense vs Sani due to it being all inclusive. Every eatery in Sani is priced like it s in West London.
Country Kids was amazing though for children, I ll certainly go back at some point.
Would I consider spending that kind of money on a unbelievable exciting weeks holiday somewhere exotic - probably notWe went to Country Kids in SW France last summer and it was excellent, but it s ten grand a week. This year my son has 8 weeks off so we ve scaled back somewhat and taken 3 weeks holiday, £30k wasn t appealing - trying a couple of different Club Med options (France and Spain) as mates have said they re decent and you can get inter-joining rooms for reasonable money.
We also did Sani in 2023, it s the more upmarket version of Ikos (same owners), but it isn t all inclusive. It was very pleasant but again, it s ten grand a week for a serviceable room. Club med is half that, which I think isn t bad going. Ikos I ve heard good things and if you want one of those preened experiences I think it makes most sense vs Sani due to it being all inclusive. Every eatery in Sani is priced like it s in West London.
Country Kids was amazing though for children, I ll certainly go back at some point.
Would I spend that kind of money on an farmhouse apartment in France - No
Ikos tends to be the go-to answer on most of these types of threads.
Turkey (Belek) is another option. We have stayed in quite a few of the hotels in either Belek / Lara and they all have pretty decent kids clubs / facilities.
Last year, we went to the Cornelia Diamond. The kids club alone was bigger and better staffed than some hotels that we have been to elsewhere!
https://www.corneliaresort.com/EN/Cornelia-Diamond...
They had a dedicated reception and all kids were checked-in / out with different stuff / rooms for children of any age. It was the best setup for a kids club I have ever seen.
Turkey (Belek) is another option. We have stayed in quite a few of the hotels in either Belek / Lara and they all have pretty decent kids clubs / facilities.
Last year, we went to the Cornelia Diamond. The kids club alone was bigger and better staffed than some hotels that we have been to elsewhere!
https://www.corneliaresort.com/EN/Cornelia-Diamond...
They had a dedicated reception and all kids were checked-in / out with different stuff / rooms for children of any age. It was the best setup for a kids club I have ever seen.
sidekickdmr said:
Would I consider spending that kind of money on a unbelievable exciting weeks holiday somewhere exotic - probably not
Would I spend that kind of money on an farmhouse apartment in France - No
It’s much more than that tbh, but still pricey, as I said, we’ve done most of the typical things and it was easily the best for children and adults alike I expect. But then I don’t really care for 5 star hotels and all that sort of thing. Would I spend that kind of money on an farmhouse apartment in France - No
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