Family holiday suggestions

sillysocks

Looking for any recommendations for a holiday resort or specific apartments/hotels that I’m not sure exists! But any help would be appreciated.

We’re a family of 2 adults, 3 kids who will be 3, 7, 9. We’re looking for ideally self catering (but open to all inclusive if hotel rooms are big enough). Need at least two bedrooms in the accommodation, air con and a decent pool. Where we struggle is we’d love a complex with some kids clubs or kids entertainment but don’t really want full on entertainment all day long at the pool. A lot of the family marketed places seem to have great kids clubs but then there’s also loads of activity at the pools all day long so there’s no time out.

If there wasn’t a kids club it wouldnt be the end of the world though if there was a good pool and there were other kids around.

In the past few years we’ve enjoyed Vilamoura but found it expensive. Had a lovely modern apartment there with great pool but the price of restaurants at night was high.

Really love Nerja but there aren’t great apartments with big pools there.

We like being central to a resort and not need to hire a car, strolling around an old town or harbour for dinner at night is high on the wish list too.
A few people have said about campsites but going to hold off on those for a year or two, looking for either self catering apartments or all inc hotel for next summer.

Lex Luthor

All inclusive with TUI on the Greek islands
We stayed in Kos a few years ago
Atlantic village I think
It was a “2” bed apt

To be honest, campsites are the best for kids your age

sillysocks

Thanks! Maybe we need to reconsider campsites too. Would really want one in walking distance (for kids legs!) to a town/village for restaurants and shops (doesn’t need to be big chain stores or shopping centres). So maybe if anyone has suggestions for those either!

SusanC10

I know you said that you would rather hold off on Campsites but reading your Post (until I got to the end) , I was thinking Campsites are ideal !

Personally, I would rather be in an Airbnb but our Kids love Campsites. And as my Husband says, it will only be for a few years.

Lex Luthor

sillysocks wrote: »

Thanks! Maybe we need to reconsider campsites too. Would really want one in walking distance (for kids legs!) to a town/village for restaurants and shops (doesn’t need to be big chain stores or shopping centres). So maybe if anyone has suggestions for those either!

Bella Italia would tick a lot of boxes for what you are looking for, there are a few threads on here about campsites so loads of info

frash

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Bella Italia would tick a lot of boxes for what you are looking for, there are a few threads on here about campsites so loads of info

Just back from there & was about to say the same thing.
10 - 15 minute walk into town
loads on the lake to do / towns to visit

km79

frash wrote: »

Just back from there & was about to say the same thing.
10 - 15 minute walk into town
loads on the lake to do / towns to visit

I was just about to start a very similar thread to this !
Been to parque Santiago in Tenerife last few years and loved it . Eldest lad is nearly 19 now though so it will just be the 9 year old with us next year
Going to try something different so this sounds like it could be ideal

It has always sounded like my idea of holiday hell to be quite honest about it but ye are selling it to me

It would be absolutely essential for me to have a town nearby with a few local pubs and you have said there are ?

I don’t really understand how these sites work tbh
Do you have to eat on site and is the food/drink therefore very expensive ?
I’ve never been to Italy before either !

TripAdvisor reviews would not have me rushing to book it....

olestoepoke

Just back from Peurto del carmen Lanzarote. We are a family with 2 children 7 and 9. Really enjoyed it, no kids club in the complex and the pool was a little too busy for us so wouldn't go back to the same residence but the town itself was lovely. Eating out was nice and affordable. Theres plenty of shops to check out and the beaches are amazing. Clean resort and safe. Theres also a large shopping centre near the old town that has ice skating, crazy golf, outdoor cinema etc. Waterpark was in Playa Blanca about 40 min drive away, we rented a car fully comp for 32 euro for the day. It was our first time in Lanzarote and I'd like to go again. No crazy night clubs or lager louts but still plenty of sports bars and bands playing in the evenings.

km79

olestoepoke wrote: »

Just back from Peurto del carmen Lanzarote. We are a family with 2 children 7 and 9. Really enjoyed it, no kids club in the complex and the pool was a little too busy for us so wouldn't go back to the same residence but the town itself was lovely. Eating out was nice and affordable. Theres plenty of shops to check out and the beaches are amazing. Clean resort and safe. Theres also a large shopping centre near the old town that has ice skating, crazy golf, outdoor cinema etc. Waterpark was in Playa Blanca about 40 min drive away, we rented a car fully comp for 32 euro for the day. It was our first time in Lanzarote and I'd like to go again. No crazy night clubs or lager louts but still plenty of sports bars and bands playing in the evenings.

This was actually where we had in mind !!!!!! A couple of years ago I asked for recommendations for somewhere to go with a bit to do and nice on site facilities and Parque Santiago in Tenerife was recommended along with somewhere in Lanzarote. We loved P Santiago but i cant for the life of me remember the place that was recommended in Lanzarote

Lex Luthor

km79 wrote: »

I don’t really understand how these sites work tbh
Do you have to eat on site and is the food/drink therefore very expensive ?
I’ve never been to Italy before either !

TripAdvisor reviews would not have me rushing to book it....

Bella Italia has I think 2 restaurants on site, maybe 3
A few take aways aswell

Basically they allow you to have a self catering mobile home, buy food in, cook at your leisure, they usually supply a BBQ
You can get a takeout, eat at one of the restaurants on site aor head into the town and eat out
Whatever you want and whatever your budget

There is a really good cycle path that now runs the river in Pescheria that goes miles out
No cars, just bikes and walkers and the views are fantastic and safe especially if with small kids
Bike rental in the town or on site

I wouldn't book any of their chalets, they are in poor condition, we went with Eurocamp and got a nice 3 bed Avant unit
There are lots of other companies aswell on site with mobile units

olestoepoke

km79 wrote: »

This was actually where we had in mind !!!!!! A couple of years ago I asked for recommendations for somewhere to go with a bit to do and nice on site facilities and Parque Santiago in Tenerife was recommended along with somewhere in Lanzarote. We loved P Santiago but i cant for the life of me remember the place that was recommended in Lanzarote

I think if you get the right place to stay in PDC you'll enjoy it. The apt we stayed in were grand, clean and nice people but the pool was medium sized and got really busy at times which we didn't like. Theres a zoo, karting and a day trip on camels to a volcano( more like a hot hole in the ground). Plenty to do and see and what we liked was it's family and couple orientated. We ate almost every night in a place called Black Buffalo in the middle of the strip, 50 euro for a family of 4 for drinks, steaks and deserts and nice every time we went. Theres a line of people waiting together in but it moves fast.

sillysocks

Think Bella Italia will have to wait another year, even though I’d love an Italian holiday. The kids club there only starts from 4, and our youngest will be 3, so think we might as well wait the year so all the kids could use the kids club. Don’t think she’d be impressed with the other two heading off and her having to stay with us!

munchkin_utd

theres another place near Bella Italia called Altomincio which caters better for younger kids and has a "baby club" for under 3s- but not sure if you can just dump them there. At that age they are a lttle young to be abandoned anyhow
They have a massive 30cm deep "lagoon" pool so really good for the younger ones, and theres a few slides which arent too mental, and also a new splash area which again is perfect for real small kids.

To get there you are no distance from Verona airport and a manageable distance from Bergamo (same goes for Bella Italia btw)
The one drawback, its about 8pm from Peschiera (where bella italia is) beside a sleepy village so if you want to do day trips or go somewhere lively then you more or less need a car. Still, we just finished our 3rd visit there with 2 kids now 8 and 9 and we barely left the place on any of the trips. When the weather is brutal hot in the summer (was only 32 or 33 degrees this time, more like 40 last august) day trips are far from a pleasant experience anyhow. With the weather and the pool facilities our kids just spent the days there and had a ball. For food we lived on bbqs or pasta and sauce (simple, and quick) with the odd pizza from the on site restaurant / take away. Didnt miss going out at all. With the kids at the pool till 7, and the mini-disco starting at 8.30, you'd be tight enough to get the food cooked and eaten anyway let alone go off site for it (if that was an option in the first place)

We were chatting to one irish family in late June who managed to get flights to Bergamo plus accomodation plus pay for the train to peschiera and back for 8 or 9 days for about 1000 euro - the one catch being that they took the kids from school missing 5 or 6 days - but theres no punishment in Ireland for that so its up to you to figure if you want to do it. When the dutch/ British holidays kick-in in July (they cant take their kids out early!) the price of accomodation sky rockets, not to mention the price of flights from Ireland .

Lex Luthor

what about the Luz Ocean club in the Algarve
They have a kids club there
Small village, loads of restaurants and a really nice beach within walking distance

edeldonlon

Have a look at the Pueblo Indalo Complex in Mojacar

They have 2 bedroom apartments, a couple of different pools and a kids splash park. One of the pools has entertainment during the day and the other one is chill out. Direct flights from Dublin and there is great transfer company. Plenty of restaurants in walking distance and the bus stops outside the complex