Sunny holiday with a toddler - suggestions please

[Stevo985]

I'm at the stage of my life where I'm looking at planning my first holiday abroad with my lad (and IDKWTCH!)

I know quite a few people on here have done holidays with their young kids ( @Genie I'm looking at you)  . It's a completely new experience for me so looking for some advice!

 

Basically I'm after a fairly short flight, sun, pool, good value hotel/Villa, and plenty of stuff to keep a toddler entertained.

 

Any stories or suggestions welcome

Edited February 7 by Stevo985

[Genie]

Just now, Stevo985 said:

I'm at the stage of my life where I'm looking at planning my first holiday abroad with my lad (and IDKWTCH!)

I know quite a few people on here have done holidays with their young kids ( @Genie I'm looking at you)  . It's a completely new experience for me so looking for some advice!

 

Basically I'm after a fairly short flight, sun, pool, good value hotel/Villa, and plenty of stuff to keep a toddler entertained.

 

Any stories or suggestions welcome

I hope you mean sunshine, and not one of those Sun collect a voucher misery weekends away!

[Stevo985]

5 minutes ago, Genie said:

I hope you mean sunshine, and not one of those Sun collect a voucher misery weekends away!

I absolutely mean sunshine  

[Genie]

My first thought was Holiday Villa Costa Del Sol, these are Tui’s very much family oriented resorts. There’s a few of them scattered around but we’ve been to the Costa Del Sol one twice and it’s been great both times.

The first time was when my lad was a similar age to yours.

It’s All Inclusive so you don’t have to worry about him tipping €5 drinks over or not eating his dinner. As well as the main buffet restaurant they have a couple of other a la carte restaurants you can book for free.

As well as the usual on site pools there’s a water park next door which is includes. It’s not a mad one with massive slides, just a small selection of pools, a pirate ship. They have their own bars and a restaurant you can use as part of the AI too.

10 mins on a bus or taxi is Benalmedina with a lovely beach, harbour where you can take boat trip to look at dolphins or pilot whales.

Loads of kids clubs and nighttime entertainment too.

Holiday Villa Costa Del Sol

Hotel pool area

 

This is the water park over the road

Somewhere to kick a ball

[Genie]

When are you thinking of going? July/August in Costa Del Sol when we went a couple of years ago was ridiculously hot (and busy).

[villa4europe]

With my two I've done turkey in October and would say it was a little on the cold side cos they don't heat the pools, Malta which I'd say the all inclusiveness of the hotel wasn't as good as Turkey but the country is more interesting and leaving the hotel to go exploring is a lot easier and better and then dubai* which we just about survived the flight the water park at the hotel was incredible maybe the best hotel I've ever stayed at, it was surprisingly good for the kids but you'd have to nail the hotel choice and package 

Ended up doing turkey again end of may with then something more adventurous towards the end of the year, I'm 90 mins closer to Turkey though 

My kids love the pool, love a playground but aren't interested in a kids club and an indoor soft play area is a must for me 

Personally for 5* AI I don't think you can touch turkey, they throw stuff at you, ice cream, cakes, juices etc etc I've got no shame in putting 3 plates worth of food in front of the kids and hoping they pick out stuff they like on half of one binning the rest - and I can guarantee the next day they won't like what they loved the day before 

Would say because I live abroad my kids do a fair bit of flying, my daughter is 4 in April and she's probably up to around 30 flights, she's also got an addiction to bluey on the tablet so doesn't give a shit about it anymore 

* went to dubai as the prices jump when they're 2 as you have to pay for the seat, I wanted one big cheaper holiday before that happened, duabi also has a weird thing in that it's so expensive that you can obviously drink and eat but I found myself not wanting to because it's so expensive! Compared to an AI holiday there's no distractions, I was spending 4 hours straight in the water park with the kids not looking round for an ice cream or a beer or more food, just focused on the kids and it made a huge difference, fly Emirates also had the smarts to put me on the front row giving me the extra leg room and a baby bed

 

 

[Stevo985]

Thanks that's helpful! I'll check out Turkey. Longer flight but for the right holiday it might work out

[GeorgeVilla82]

17 hours ago, villa4europe said:

With my two I've done turkey in October and would say it was a little on the cold side cos they don't heat the pools, Malta which I'd say the all inclusiveness of the hotel wasn't as good as Turkey but the country is more interesting and leaving the hotel to go exploring is a lot easier and better and then dubai* which we just about survived the flight the water park at the hotel was incredible maybe the best hotel I've ever stayed at, it was surprisingly good for the kids but you'd have to nail the hotel choice and package 

Ended up doing turkey again end of may with then something more adventurous towards the end of the year, I'm 90 mins closer to Turkey though 

My kids love the pool, love a playground but aren't interested in a kids club and an indoor soft play area is a must for me 

Personally for 5* AI I don't think you can touch turkey, they throw stuff at you, ice cream, cakes, juices etc etc I've got no shame in putting 3 plates worth of food in front of the kids and hoping they pick out stuff they like on half of one binning the rest - and I can guarantee the next day they won't like what they loved the day before 

Would say because I live abroad my kids do a fair bit of flying, my daughter is 4 in April and she's probably up to around 30 flights, she's also got an addiction to bluey on the tablet so doesn't give a shit about it anymore 

* went to dubai as the prices jump when they're 2 as you have to pay for the seat, I wanted one big cheaper holiday before that happened, duabi also has a weird thing in that it's so expensive that you can obviously drink and eat but I found myself not wanting to because it's so expensive! Compared to an AI holiday there's no distractions, I was spending 4 hours straight in the water park with the kids not looking round for an ice cream or a beer or more food, just focused on the kids and it made a huge difference, fly Emirates also had the smarts to put me on the front row giving me the extra leg room and a baby bed

 

 

I'd agree with all of this. I've got 2 aged 4 and under, and to be honest, a 2.5 hour flight vs a 4 hour flight isn't going to make that much of a difference - iPad, stickers, snacks are key to getting through the flight. Mine have now done 15-20 flights, and the worst bit is getting through security. All pretty straightforward once that's done, and if you're taking a buggy, try to get hold of one that you can put in the overhead locker (BabyZen Yoyo for example), which makes life a lot easier at the other end. 

Kids splash pool is pretty essential so that they can occupy themselves whilst you watch, without the fear they're going to drown. Also agree re: indoor soft play for when it gets a bit too hot, or just a change of scenery. And absolutely on the money for all inclusive - we're doing that in May (albeit long haul, so my flight advice is going to be tested to the extreme!), but it takes out all the stress of demands for ice cream, snacks, water etc. If your son is anything like mine, he won't go into a kids club by himself so there's no real benefit in that until they're older. 

Greece also a good shout, as well as Menorca - both very family friendly. Sounds old fashioned, but might be good to use a travel agent who is experienced in kid friendly holidays. We do it with ours now for holidays where we're not decided on exactly where we want to go. It doesn't tend to be more expensive, and they sort out all the admin, requesting a cot/ potty/ highchair etc for the room. We use someone at Travel Counsellors https://www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/rebecca.berzins/

[StefanAVFC]

A lot of people here with young families go to Croatia/Bulgaria.

[villa4europe]

4 minutes ago, GeorgeVilla82 said:

I'd agree with all of this. I've got 2 aged 4 and under, and to be honest, a 2.5 hour flight vs a 4 hour flight isn't going to make that much of a difference - iPad, stickers, snacks are key to getting through the flight. Mine have now done 15-20 flights, and the worst bit is getting through security. All pretty straightforward once that's done, and if you're taking a buggy, try to get hold of one that you can put in the overhead locker (BabyZen Yoyo for example), which makes life a lot easier at the other end. 

Kids splash pool is pretty essential so that they can occupy themselves whilst you watch, without the fear they're going to drown. Also agree re: indoor soft play for when it gets a bit too hot, or just a change of scenery. And absolutely on the money for all inclusive - we're doing that in May (albeit long haul, so my flight advice is going to be tested to the extreme!), but it takes out all the stress of demands for ice cream, snacks, water etc. If your son is anything like mine, he won't go into a kids club by himself so there's no real benefit in that until they're older. 

Greece also a good shout, as well as Menorca - both very family friendly. Sounds old fashioned, but might be good to use a travel agent who is experienced in kid friendly holidays. We do it with ours now for holidays where we're not decided on exactly where we want to go. It doesn't tend to be more expensive, and they sort out all the admin, requesting a cot/ potty/ highchair etc for the room. We use someone at Travel Counsellors https://www.travelcounsellors.co.uk/rebecca.berzins/

Yes and yes! 

Lufthansa give you stickers which my daughter loves but she proper **** hates security, from them scanning her teddy to her having 12 seconds away from us she really panics 

[Wainy316]

Going the Algarve in August and will have my son and nephew (both will be two at the time)

[tonyh29]

Cyprus could tick some boxes for you but only if you or more importantly your lad likes cats as they are everywhere on the island 

plenty of nice beaches , good hotels and if you hire a car you can explore the island a bit quite safely 

Edited February 8 by tonyh29

[Genie]

The thing to watch at Turkey is the transfer times from airport to hotel, we’ve found a few perfect hotels only to find the transfer is several hours.

[Panto_Villan]

We've had some good experiences with TUI all-inclusives - the sort of holiday I'd never have dreamed I'd be doing ten years ago but with two small children they've been a godsend. We went to Greece most recently; it didn't break the bank and it was a nice resort with good rooms, nice pools and decent food. The kids seemed to enjoy the kids clubs for an hour or two each day as well.

Anyway, there's obviously plenty of possible destinations but I'd absolutely recommend you go for an all-inclusive whatever you do choose. Maybe you end up paying slightly more overall but it makes things so much easier with small children.

As Genie says, make sure you check what the transfer time is once you land. 

[Stevo985]

I've been looking at Turkey and I noticed the transfer stuff. One amazing looking hotel (but decent price) was a 3 hour transfer. Think that would be too much!

 

Thank you for all of the ideas, I'm exploring all of them! I've used TUI before pretty successfully so I'm probably going to stick with them and go for one of the destinations suggested here

[Stevo985]

The one thing tempting me away from Turkey is actually how hot it will be. Looks like between June and October it's regularly over 30.

[StefanAVFC]

We're looking at Montenegro around June/July.

Looks amazing, and cheap as ****.

For example, looking at Herceg Novi.

Palmon Bay - Riwiera Czarnogórska Czarnogóra - opis hotelu | TUI Biuro Podróży

400 quid pp per night (this one is withoiut flights)

Looks like a high level of quality for a cheaper price and it's a niche destination.

[tonyh29]

2 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

We're looking at Montenegro around June/July.

Looks amazing, and cheap as ****.

For example, looking at Herceg Novi.

Palmon Bay - Riwiera Czarnogórska Czarnogóra - opis hotelu | TUI Biuro Podróży

400 quid pp per night (this one is withoiut flights)

Looks like a high level of quality for a cheaper price and it's a niche destination.

I've looked at that region a few times for a lads trip , that Budva or Kotor area is supposed to be quite lively 

( Montenegro is the only country in Europe I've not been to , but its just a coincidence that I'm trying to steer the lads weekend to that destination  ) 

its ok for those living in Poland with yer 2 direct flights a day   , but from the UK flights to Tivat in the summer are north of £350 unless you book mega mega early , ditto if you opt for Dubrovnik and hop over the border 

Podgorica is cheaper but only direct flights from the UK twice a week I think and at stupid stupid times , the Wizz air one takes off at 5am which is downright rude 

 

[StefanAVFC]

1 minute ago, tonyh29 said:

I've looked at that region a few times for a lads trip , that Budva or Kotor area is supposed to be quite lively 

( Montenegro is the only country in Europe I've not been to , but its just a coincidence that I'm trying to steer the lads weekend to that destination  ) 

its ok for those living in Poland with yer 2 direct flights a day   , but from the UK flights to Tivat in the summer are north of £350 unless you book mega mega early , ditto if you opt for Dubrovnik and hop over the border 

Podgorica is cheaper but only direct flights from the UK twice a week I think and at stupid stupid times , the Wizz air one takes off at 5am which is downright rude 

 

Yeah that's fair, and I did consider it maybe as a sticking point

We would probably drive there, stopping in Croatia on the way. With my wife on maternity and me pretty much working remotely, we could stay really as long as we wanted  

Maybe back on topic and more accessible for the majority of the audience, another one my wife suggested for us is Balaton lake in Hungary. We are looking to drive there for a long weekend in the summer.

If you stayed on the east side of the lake, the transfer from Budapest wouldn't be too bad.

And I've heard again, amazing things about the weather/quality of service for the price.

@tonyh29 I'm sure you're much more of an expert than me here.

 

[tonyh29]

2 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

The one thing tempting me away from Turkey is actually how hot it will be. Looks like between June and October it's regularly over 30.

I've never been to beach resorts in Turkey  , but Turkey itself is fantastic  , but yeah its hot that time of year and might be a problem  , i think it cools down towards middle / end of Sept 

maybe google the Manavgat region , its not just beaches there , it has a big river and a few things to see  , so might give you an outlet as well if you get bored with beach life 

 

I have some friends who regularly go to Turkey for a couples holiday and drink the resort dry , so make sure you do your homework on one that isn't full of late night revellers