Which holiday option would be best for family with 1,3 and 5 year old

maynooth_rules

So really stuck between two options for summer holidays this year. We have three boys who are 1,3 and 5.

Option one would be to boat it to France and do a campsite in northern France. Get to have our own car but obviously there is a lot of travel and less chance of very good weather.

Option two is an all inclusive option in Spain, Portugal or Canaries perhaps.

I don't know which option would suit better. They are much of a muchness price wise.

fdevine

Having done both your options over the years, I would lean towards AI over ferry/campsite option

We'd always been put off doing hotel/apartment type holidays due to needing two rooms in most places so opted for fly/drive/campsite or ferry/drive/campsite

Campsites are great but doing the ferry, combined with a chunk of driving, plus the likely self catering it takes some of the good out of it

Granted we only had our 10 year old with us last summer but found AI in Lanzarote was amazing

Liath Luachra

Tried both options on several occasions - France consisted of 2 weeks in a chalet with torrential rain for one of those weeks. Spain and Greece were good but became far too warm for our then toddlers. The one holiday we have returned to many times when they were under 10 yrs was Dunreill in Holland. Yes, weather isn't a guarantee but the facilities there ideal for young children. The indoor water park is amazing, onsite theme park and playgrounds scattered throughout park. We stayed onsite at chalets which are akin to 3 bed houses, flew to Schiphol and hired car. beach nearby and trips into Amsterdam for kids' science museum etc. anyone we have recommended to has returned several times after.

ax530

Have done both. As parent I prefer the AI type hotel been to Lanzarote twice. So easy with younger children can pick what they want to eat ECT.

Parents will get to take it easy, children have pool, playground, mini disco.

Campsite work great when they older especially with 3 children as hotel accommodation so limited.

Parents don't get as much break as often end up some self catering, often more spread out or a distance from other bars, restaurants so more moving about.

Children have pool, playground, mini disco.

rex_turner

I have done the ferry,/campsite for many years and have done it with 3 children at the same age a yours will be. Personally we find the holiday starts once the car is packed - as we view the ferry as part of the holiday - I wouldn't enjoy the stress of an airport with 3 children that age and all of their paraphernalia (you might be better able to cope with that! )

Weather can be variable - we have been quite lucky. The upside of the weather is that you don't have to keep the smallies indoors in the middle of the day as you may have to in a hotter area.

If you do go to France, based on the ages of your children, I would choose a campsite that has a covered indoor pool with a shallow area for splashing and playing in -a lot of them have this and it works very well if it's raining or if it's very hot and you don't want them out in the midday sun.

The downside is that it will be self catering but again having experience of children at the same ages - dining out was never a particularly pleasant experience!