Top tips for a relaxing first family holiday

Today I’m hosting a guest post from mum Lucy Cooper, a well-travelled writer working for Classic Cottages.

Choosing the best accommodation for a first family holiday

This year we’re planning our first family holiday with a one-year-old. We’ve opted for a holiday cottage as the best baby-friendly option that also allows the most scope for freedom and fun.

Comfort factor

I enjoy adventure, but even I have to admit that camping with a one-year-old is not top of my agenda. No hot running water, apart from the shower, which is usually located a distance away from your tent! No microwave to warm bottles/food quickly or to sterilise baby equipment.  For the purposes of the all-important first holiday together, I’m inclined to stick to the comfort of four walls.

Room to sprawl – and crawl

Space is top priority when you have got a little one in tow. A holiday cottage allows you a whole house to spread out. You are the mistress or master of your own domain. And you don’t need to worry about the disgruntled couple in the room next door when baby decides that 3am is wake up time.

"Bucket and spade"

Freedom and flexibility

You’re not dictated to when meal times are, as in a hotel, leaving you the freedom to eat what you want, when you want. There was a time when ‘self catering’ conjured up images of 1950s-style kitchenettes with a clapped out cooker and a dodgy toaster. Thankfully, those days are long gone. Now you can expect the kitchen in a holiday cottage to be just as well equipped as your kitchen back home, if not more so.

Convenience

Staying in a cottage enables you to make up picnics and food suitable for your baby to take out on day trips. Arranging a supermarket delivery on the first day will save you the chore of hunting around for the shops when you arrive. And it can save packing bulky packs of nappies, freeing up precious space in the car.

Choice of locations

Holiday cottages are dotted all over the place, in unusual settings and quirky little places to explore, so you needn’t feel like one of the herd. You can get out and explore new places knowing that you’ve got a comfy house waiting for you at the end of the day.

Finding a baby-friendly holiday cottage

Choosing a baby friendly property that provides some of the essentials for little ones, such as a cot, high chair, stair-gate and baby bath, makes life easier and cuts down on the baby paraphernalia on the list of things to pack. If you find a property you would like to holiday in but are unsure about its suitability for your party, contact the team at Classic, many of us in the Booking Office are mothers ourselves and appreciate how important it is to get the right family holiday location and accommodation.

Planning your first family holiday? Or are you a seasoned mum or dad traveller? What are your experiences of first family holidays and tips on where to stay with the little ones?

Follow:

7 Comments

  1. Vicky
    18 November, 2012 / 3:45 pm

    I booked a holiday with this company and the holiday home was gorgeous, totally equipped for baby and all our family.

  2. 18 November, 2012 / 4:34 pm

    I love Classic Cottages (and have used them a couple of times) but wasn’t this more of an advertorial than a post? Dear Classic Cottages, next time please could we have a review (maybe by Jo? Hint, hint…), more of a POV piece than what reads like a magazine piece. This is not a criticism of the company, by the way – just a suggestion…

  3. 19 November, 2012 / 12:08 pm

    I am amazed at how few hotels really cater for parents with children and babies, specifically in the lack of adjoined bedrooms so that you don’t all have to share together, creeping around the room of an evening so that you don’t wake the kids. It’s what keeps me going to self catering places with my children. Supermarket delivery is a great suggestion. We’ve done this a few times, mostly with great success (other than ordering a single carrot for the family and 10 large bags of tortilla crisps – but it could have been worse!)

  4. 19 November, 2012 / 7:18 pm

    A really interesting read and has got me thinking beyond the next few dark, cold months!

    Thank you!

    Zuza

    • 20 November, 2012 / 10:55 am

      Thanks Zuza, glad you enjoyed it!

  5. 22 November, 2012 / 10:00 am

    Thanks for all your comments.
    Potty Mummy – Reviews are a great idea and this is one area we are looking to expand, please feel free to send us yours.

  6. Bella cruse
    19 February, 2013 / 5:08 am

    I really liked all the traveling tips and suggestions. Family holidays are the most cherishing part of everyone’s life but the most challenging task is to plan it in a right way. All the entire planning should be done carefully and especially when it comes to conveyance then hiring a car can be the best option for traveling through long distances. Always choose best car hiring deals which suits you and it should be in budget also.
    Reference: – http://www.dan-dooley.ie/

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.