holiday ideas for 14 month old

pennyloves

My husband and I are thinking about bringing our little girl away this summer as we haven't been away in a very long time (we had to pay for ivf etc). We were never really ones for sun holidays but we don't really fancy driving around Ireland as neither of us will feel like we got a proper break. However the last thing we want is to be stuck in some resort in the blistering heat with a baby that is out of sorts with the weather/food etc. We want to book something soon so we can start to look forward to the summer but we haven't got a clue where to start. Any ideas for a holiday with a 14 month old ANYWHERE..in Ireland /abroad. All advice really welcome and appreciated ��

fuerte1976

I replied to something like this before. Dom Joao in Alvor just before or after peak summer heat was perfect for us with our first. Right on beach too.

Short flight too..

bp

There are lovely hotels in Ireland if you don't want to fly e.g. Fota island (cottages onsite or hotel rooms). I didn't enjoy the self catering as it was same sh*t different county!

You can do all inclusive family holidays so you have nothing to do but the food may not be to your liking.

Or holiday at home - take time off and do fun family things e.g. the zoo, playgrounds in town, brunch out. Maybe a night or two in a hotel to relax properly

tickingclock

We did numerous holidays in Ireland last summer. All were very enjoyable. We hated the idea of heat with an 18 month old. We stayed in hotels that have swimming pools and booked bigger bedrooms than normal as the travel cot took up more space and relaxed. All of our days were baby centred so animal farms, playgrounds or the beach. We brought her to the pool every day. We ate in no restaurants but had researched decent pub grub locations. We loved when our daughter was asleep every night, we'd have a drink in our hotel room and watch a Dvd. It was totally relaxing and I'd highly recommend it. There are some great deals especially mid week. Enjoy whatever you choose to do!

LegacyUser

Portugal is very child friendly.We were there last year with our 14 mth old.Too hot in July though, I'd go early or later in the year if i were to go again.But I'd recommend it as a destination with small kids, the portuguese are delighted with kids, generally.

Ryan Mac Sweeney

Hi there
I have read your post. Yes I would recommend that it would be best to stay in Ireland with a young child. As that way there is no problems with things such as airport queues, delayed fights, long transfers to and from your resort etc. For a baby I would highly recommend the Fota Island Golf Resort Hotel. It is located in Fota Island so it is within walking distance of Fota Wildlife Park which I believe your little will love. From there you can also drive to Cobh and visit the Cobh Hertiage Centre and the Titanic Experience. There is also a lovely park facing the harbour which has a playground and Midleton is also close by which you can visit the Jameson Experience. Fota House and Gardens is also within walking distance of the hotel and there is a lovely cafe in Fota House which does all home baking and there is plenty of space for your daughter to run around outside. Also the Blarney Golf Resort Self Catering Cottages I would suggest as I was there for my aunts wedding three years ago and they were lovely and you can also use the facilities of the hotel. And Blarney is a lovely town as there is Blarney Castle and Gardens and you can also drive from there to Rumleys Open Farm Doneriale Park.

_Brian

Hard to Beat French campsite holidays. Huge range of locations giving a range of temperatures from Brittany to south coast.
We brought our girls from 9 months and eldest is 13 and still looking forward to going again.

Fly if you must but ferry with the car is the way to travel.

Claire de Lune

Hi there,

We are not into sun holidays/resort holidays, so last summer we went to Iceland! Our youngest was 14 months. Temperature in June was 13-15 degres but we had bright sunshine. It's not for everyone but we absolutely loved it! The country is extremly child friendly. There are swimming pools everywhere and we spent every late afternoon relaxing and playing in hot pools (35 degres) of natural water (no chemicals). If you are interested, look into my posts, I had a thread in the travel forum about our trip.

olaola

_Brian wrote: »

Hard to Beat French campsite holidays. Huge range of locations giving a range of temperatures from Brittany to south coast.
We brought our girls from 9 months and eldest is 13 and still looking forward to going again.

Fly if you must but ferry with the car is the way to travel.

Second this - and with your car, you just chuck all your gear in the back & you're away. The place we went to this year had amazing facilities for the nippers and he was delighted with himself. Don't be fazed by the drive. We drove from Cherbourg to Nice last year with a 16 month old (one overnight stop in Paris & one in Lyon) and no problems. Time your driving with their naps, and you can get a long way in 2 hours on a French motorway!

I would recommend booking your campsite & travel separately. You have unbelievable choice (it's a bit bamboozling) but once you settle on a location, you can whittle it down.

Jbubs

I went to Alvor with my then 9 month old son. he was grand at that age. When he was 13 months we went to Orlando which was great. I'm expecting number 2 now so not heading away this year but if we were we'd probs go to Alvor again. We stayed in the Newpark hotel in Kilkenny for 2 nights over the August bank holiday weekend and it was lovely, very family orientated. They have a playground, petting farm, kids entertainment, a games room, pool. We got a larger room with a small fridge for some food for him and they have a family/baby room also with a large fridge, microwaves, a kitchen and highchairs. Think there were cartoons on too in that room. Our room also had a very large balcony with a table and some chairs. Hotel is within walking distance to the city for a nice stroll around the castle.

DSN

With the weather the past few years in Ireland being SO depressing in the summer I have to get abroad. We not sun worshippers at all but like to get out swim, walk & cycle & eat outside etc. For 3-4 years when kids were smaller we did the mobiles on campsites in the Vandee - flew to la Rochelle or nante & theres loads of options. Love the cycling (your little one could go in a carrier), beaches, eating outside, sipping wine on the deck outside after kids asleep - bliss!

Aimeee

Skellig hotel in Dingle, Kerry was a great favourite with us when they were small. Nice pool, beautiful spa upstairs for a treat or three. Aquarium in Dingle, boat trip if nice weather. Lovely places to eat etc. Actually Killarney has all the above too (except aquarium). Pick a nice hotel for comfort. Only thing not guaranteed is the weather. Can be gorgeous or dismal!

olaola

DSN wrote: »

With the weather the past few years in Ireland being SO depressing in the summer I have to get abroad. We not sun worshippers at all but like to get out swim, walk & cycle & eat outside etc. For 3-4 years when kids were smaller we did the mobiles on campsites in the Vandee - flew to la Rochelle or nante & theres loads of options. Love the cycling (your little one could go in a carrier), beaches, eating outside, sipping wine on the deck outside after kids asleep - bliss!

Or if you're flying to La Rochelle, Ile de Re is fabulous! We're going back for the 5th time this August (with a month old baby!)

Dolbert

We got a cheap deal on a holiday cottage in Co. Clare last year. We could only get there in the last week of September and got stunning weather! Lots of walks, day trips and pub lunches, very relaxing. We don't plan on flying with the little guy for a good while if we can avoid it, packing everything into the car just seems so much easier.

Penny Dreadful

olaola wrote: »

Or if you're flying to La Rochelle, Ile de Re is fabulous! We're going back for the 5th time this August (with a month old baby!)

We did this last September with our little girl just before she was a year old. We rented a house through Air B&B and had a lovely time. The weather wasn't too hot either so she wasn't bothered by the heat.

We also went to Stockholm and out to the islands in August and it was lovely. Again it was warm but not too hot for her at all.

We went to Lanzarote in January of last year and will be heading again in a couple of weeks time. The weather was warm but not hot and actually cool enough at night so she wasn't disturbed by it being too warm at night.
Each of the times we rented a house through Air B&B so we were in charge of the cooking, asked for a cot to be supplied and she had her own room too.

For the airport just bring enough food to allow for delays in the event that they happen and be delighted if they don't. Opt for flight times that suit as best they can around naps and meal times.

olaola

Penny Dreadful wrote: »

We did this last September with our little girl just before she was a year old. We rented a house through Air B&B and had a lovely time. The weather wasn't too hot either so she wasn't bothered by the heat.

We usually go in Sept, and it's just perfect. Warm enough for the pool & loads of cycling around. But not too hot that you're stressing out about keeping the nippers out of the blazing heat.