Holiday suggestions for 3yr old and 9mth old..

vidapura · 19-02-2020 04:20PM #1

Hello,
Just wondering if anyone out there might be able to suggest some good places to go on holiday with a 3 yr old.

We had been all gung-ho to go and book the centreparc thing in longford there.. but people we know suggested that it might not really be the break we are looking for. Most of the activities are for slightly older kids and the wee fella wouldn't be catered for at all..

We have two great boys, 3 yrs old and 9 months old. They are brilliant, we love them to bits, but they are a handful. And I'm almost embarrassed to admit that we do really enjoy it when our families take em off our hands for a few hours the odd time. Those breaks are rare tho..

So for a holiday to be a holiday we would kinda like to have a bit of US time too.

My sister laughed at the idea of us going to a self catering spot like centreparcs. Cooking and cleaning is not her idea of a holiday, she wants her breakfast handed up to her. And shur isn't it doing the same thing you do every day just in a different house?.. is her take on it..
She may have a point, and other friends were of similar mind.

We seem to be kinda too early (young) for a lot of the family breaks we hear about. Like there are hotels that have kids clubs and take the kids off your hands for a few hours so you can chill for a bit.. but the clubs seem to start at 5 or 6 yrs old. Our guys are too young for all of the ones we have heard about, Kellys, Castlecourt in Westport.. etc etc.

At this stage we're thinkin we might do a staycation and spend the money on babysitters...
Maybe use some of the days of the two weeks to take the lads on day trips and then for a coupla days send the 3yr old to creche as normal (seeing as we're paying hard for it..) and just lol around at home..

Then maybe get a babysitter for a couple of the nights and get out to a restaurant.
We'd get a lot of babysitting for the 500 - 600 we'd spend on centreparcs like...
( ok, well, at 10 euro an hour.. humm)

Anyway.. just throwing it out there.. anyone think of a better approach ?
Or a vacation spot that might have facilities for minding both of the boys including the youngest lad?

whiskeyman · 19-02-2020 04:23PM

I wouldn't recommend Centreparcs on those ages.
You mention Kelly's, but your guys are *perfect* for it.
Not sure why you heard or assumed otherwise.
It's very dear, but you get so much in return.
Plenty of 'us' time as there's a fantastic minded play centre where you can drop the kids and reliable local babysitters available.
Food is great and very family friendly - has a baby room with milk on tap, steralisers, microwave.
All found during the day handed to you. Lots and lots of variety.
You can just ask the staff for anything.

vidapura · 19-02-2020 04:37PM

whiskeyman wrote: »

I wouldn't recommend Centreparcs on those ages.
You mention Kelly's, but your guys are *perfect* for it.
Not sure why you heard or assumed otherwise.
It's very dear, but you get so much in return.
Plenty of 'us' time as there's a fantastic minded play centre where you can drop the kids and reliable local babysitters available.
Food is great and very family friendly - has a baby room with milk on tap, steralisers, microwave.
All found during the day handed to you. Lots and lots of variety.
You can just ask the staff for anything.

Thanks very much @whiskeyman.
I got the age thing from this on Kellys website...

"The "Pirates Club" at Kelly’s Hotel Rosslare runs an extensive daily programme for children aged 4 and over from 9.30am to 9.00pm "

and after that I stopped reading....
But thanks to you I had another look and they DO have ways to help us get a rest...

"Alternatively, for younger children, we have a small playroom "Starfish Club" which is supervised daily from 9.00am to 5.15pm for a nominal fee of €3.00 per hour."

and this...

"Dine in Peace - Complimentary child-minding for children in the children’s playroom each evening from 7.00pm to 9.00pm, this gives mum and dad the opportunity to enjoy their meal! Or alternatively, babysitting can be arranged through Reception in advance, there is an hourly fee of €10.00 for a minimum of 2 hours."

So, again, thanks for that cos I just hadn't done my homework properly...

jlm29 · 19-02-2020 05:08PM

To be honest, I’ve put holidays on the back burner for a Couple of years while my kids are small, in favour of day trips, going away Is a bit too much hassle at the min.
The quality in clonakilty (it’s not called that any more, but I can’t think of the new name) has a lovely little crèche as well as an indoor play centre.
But, I’d recommend booking an apartment if you can get it. Four people in one hotel room Is a bit nightmarish imo. Lots of hotels also have family suites where there’s two bedrooms, but it makes things very expensive!

vidapura · 19-02-2020 05:12PM

jlm29 wrote: »

To be honest, I’ve put holidays on the back burner for a Couple of years while my kids are small, in favour of day trips, going away Is a bit too much hassle at the min.
The quality in clonakilty (it’s not called that any more, but I can’t think of the new name) has a lovely little crèche as well as an indoor play centre.
But, I’d recommend booking an apartment if you can get it. Four people in one hotel room Is a bit nightmarish imo. Lots of hotels also have family suites where there’s two bedrooms, but it makes things very expensive!

Thanks Jim, yah I'm with you on the one room thing..
Don't ever see why I should pay money to be in less comfort than we have at home

.. which sounds like we have loads of money.. :rolleyes: but we don't..

jlm29 · 19-02-2020 07:02PM

vidapura wrote: »

Thanks Jim, yah I'm with you on the one room thing..
Don't ever see why I should pay money to be in less comfort than we have at home

.. which sounds like we have loads of money.. :rolleyes: but we don't..

I know exactly where you’re coming from, I don’t like shelling out for misery either! We stayed in the on-site apartments in clon a few years ago and they were great. Had the hotel breakfast, swimming pool, play area and other facilities, but didn’t have to sit in the bathroom if we wanted to talk after 8 o clock!
The crèche was great too, but it booked up way in advance, just something to be aware of, it’s probably an issue in other places too

CheerLouth · 20-02-2020 12:57PM

We've done hotel breaks before with small kids and IMO, unless you are getting a family room/suite with two bedrooms, it's not worth it. The kids are asleep early & the aduits are left sitting in the dark trying to be quiet, watching TV through headphones.

Ours are a little older than yours, but last year we went to the apartments at the Gleneagle in Killarney and it was the best of both worlds! You can use all the facilities of the hotel plus you've the self catering element. We brought dinner with us for two nights, ate in the restaurant one night & did the same for breakfast. You've the pool, they've a play centre which was never busy when we were there and lots of kids entertainment in the evening for them. Plus the National Park is on your doorstep.

Millem · 20-02-2020 04:56PM

If it’s for 2-3 nights we stay in a hotel anything longer we rent a house.

We never use kids clubs etc. Kelly’s is great and there is a lovely playground nearby and crazy/mini golf. In the evening we bring the kids to Curracloe to the amusements.
We go a few times a year, the kids love it.

We are going to the Newpark hotel at Easter. But this is does not have a crèche. It is meant to be fab....really looking forward to it.

Look up the Dingle Skellig Hotel. This has a crèche etc. Never stayed there.

jlm29 · 20-02-2020 06:38PM

Millem wrote: »

If it’s for 2-3 nights we stay in a hotel anything longer we rent a house.

We never use kids clubs etc. Kelly’s is great and there is a lovely playground nearby and crazy/mini golf. In the evening we bring the kids to Curracloe to the amusements.
We go a few times a year, the kids love it.

We are going to the Newpark hotel at Easter. But this is does not have a crèche. It is meant to be fab....really looking forward to it.

Look up the Dingle Skellig Hotel. This has a crèche etc. Never stayed there.

New park is great! We’ve never stayed there, but were at a family function there last year and the kids facilities were fab

Millem · 20-02-2020 08:37PM

jlm29 wrote: »

New park is great! We’ve never stayed there, but were at a family function there last year and the kids facilities were fab

I have heard great things about it.....can’t wait....we booked 3 nights. Plus it’s really not that long from Dublin!
We have been to Cork and Clare with kids and found the drive an absolute killer tbh!

vidapura · 21-02-2020 10:14AM

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

Yah, sitting in the dark trying not to wake the kids doesn't appeal to me funny enough!!

We did the Quality in Youghal when we just had the one lad and twas good alright.
Nice leisure centre, bit of a playground and huge long beach if the weather is good. Stayed in the houses.. which are nice, clean, modern, but was bulling when we arrived and found a two story house with no feckin stairgate... If they had told us we'd have brought one like.. but anyway..
Youghal itself is a dead loss... main street is half closed or just charity shops...
We thought we'd get takeaway a couple of the nights but the choice isn't great and what we did get was awful..
There IS a big tesco tho and some nice butchers downtown so we did eat well enough in the house.
Ate in the hotel one night too and it was grand. They rolled out the highchair and all that so would say the staff were very nice.
It was just lackin the kids club dimension, we'd like a small bit of time off and would like the lads to meet other kids and have the craic.

I used to know Kilkenny pretty well.. the Castle is pretty spectacular if you've never visited... and there is St. Canice's roundtower which is an exciting climb for the kids who are able for it... These days the town has ballooned and there's all sorts of shopping and even michelin starred restaurants (if you get loose..).
Dunmore Caves just out the road from the Newpark are pretty good too.

Neyite · 21-02-2020 11:53AM

Even before kids I remember OH and I on holiday and seeing a German family in the ground floor apartment of our hotel. We never saw the women, except when they came out to serve food or drinks to the husbands and kids. I said right there that I'd never have a holiday like that as it's no holiday for the women. I'm happy to pour cereal in the morning but no way am I spending my holiday in a tiny and under equipped kitchen cooking a family dinner on two crap rings.

We didn't do holidays until our lad was 5. We did a few weekends away or days out - with and without him. At the age of yours though, We did a weekend away in Lahinch which was lovely. They have apartments or adjoining rooms so you'd have space. Most hotels have a list of babysitters if you wanted to even just go to the bar downstairs in the evening. The pool was a big hit and there's walks or playing on the beach that might suit the little ones.

Fota is another great day out for that age group. The hotel itself is pricey but you could stay elsewhere cheaper as you'd have to drive to the park anyway. We did one day in the wildlife park and the other in Cobh.

Dingle has the aquarium. Actually so does Galway and might be quicker to get to depending on where you are coming from and would have other child-friendly events from time to time as well.

CheerLouth · 21-02-2020 12:25PM

Neyite wrote: »

I'm happy to pour cereal in the morning but no way am I spending my holiday in a tiny and under equipped kitchen cooking a family dinner on two crap rings.

That does sound awful

We always make sure that we have a proper kitchen with a full cooker & oven. I normally bring spaghetti bolognese for the first night. I take the sauce out of the freezer on the morning that we go and let it defrost in the cooler box on the way (also keeps the milk & anything else cool) so the first meal is usually just a case of boiling pasta, reheating sauce & sticking a few garlic breads in the oven. We might get a few pizzas & chips for the second night to pop in the oven. I'm all about low effort meals when we are on holidays.

For breakfasts, I bring cereals & bread for toast. I might bring some flour or ready made pancake mix & do pancakes one morning as they are quick and easy. I also make sure to bring enough ham and bread etc to make some picnic lunches.

We are going to CentreParcs next weekend with a 5 year old and 3 year old - I can report back if anyone is interested

vidapura · 21-02-2020 12:36PM

Neyite wrote: »

Even before kids I remember OH and I on holiday and seeing a German family in the ground floor apartment of our hotel. We never saw the women, except when they came out to serve food or drinks to the husbands and kids. I said right there that I'd never have a holiday like that as it's no holiday for the women. I'm happy to pour cereal in the morning but no way am I spending my holiday in a tiny and under equipped kitchen cooking a family dinner on two crap rings.

Hear hear!!
I think most on this thread agree on that.

Neyite wrote: »

We didn't do holidays until our lad was 5. We did a few weekends away or days out - with and without him.

Yah, thats refreshingly straight. Fergeddit till 5. Again, others are saying the same.
Friends who went to Centreparcs said they were great with 10yr olds cos they just hung out around the pool area all day.
But I am wrecked with our 3yr old in the pool trying to keep a hold of him.
They reckoned I'd be driven nuts in centreparc cos he'd be contstantly tearing off into trouble...

I'm rapidly warming up to the idea of 2 weeks at home.
But my OH says I will have to turn a blind eye to all the jobs that need doing around the place. LOL.

Neyite wrote: »

Dingle has the aquarium. Actually so does Galway and might be quicker to get to depending on where you are coming from and would have other child-friendly events from time to time as well.

Yah, well thats it, we are actually close to a load of stuff really.. so maybe we just do the tourist in our own locality.
Great thing is we don't have to worry about on or off peak accomodation.. we already have the house.

And we could choose to do it during something cool like the arts festival when there is stuff on.

Thanks again to everyone for the straight talk.

Millem · 21-02-2020 12:36PM

CheerLouth wrote: »

That does sound awful We always make sure that we have a proper kitchen with a full cooker & oven. I normally bring spaghetti bolognese for the first night. I take the sauce out of the freezer on the morning that we go and let it defrost in the cooler box on the way (also keeps the milk & anything else cool) so the first meal is usually just a case of boiling pasta, reheating sauce & sticking a few garlic breads in the oven. We might get a few pizzas & chips for the second night to pop in the oven. I'm all about low effort meals when we are on holidays.

For breakfasts, I bring cereals & bread for toast. I might bring some flour or ready made pancake mix & do pancakes one morning as they are quick and easy. I also make sure to bring enough ham and bread etc to make some picnic lunches.

We are going to CentreParcs next weekend with a 5 year old and 3 year old - I can report back if anyone is interested

Amazing would love to hear back on Centreparcs! We haven’t booked it yet.

CheerLouth · 21-02-2020 12:52PM

Millem wrote: »

Amazing would love to hear back on Centreparcs! We haven’t booked it yet.

No bother, I'd be happy too!

Cakerbaker · 21-02-2020 12:56PM

Self catering doesn’t have to mean you’re chained to the kitchen. Breakfast can be kept basic, lunch is a case of throwing a salad together and lounging on the sun lounger(with wine or beer) while my husband bbqs something, or else fresh bread and cured meats / cheese / olives etc. Dinner out or a takeaway.

Tbh I’d see a holiday where the mam is stuck in the kitchen as more of a relationship issue rather than a self catering issue.

shesty · 21-02-2020 01:25PM

Apparently the Clonakilty Park Hotel is brilliant for kids....play centre, cinema, playground, kids club etc.
Tbh we never bothered with availability of baby sitters or kid's clubs and that for that age group. They are a nice idea until you get there and realise that the kids won't settle.Maybe ok when one is small but with a toddler and a baby....I wouldn't get too hung up on it as a criteria.
I would try Centreparcs or similar but equally we have accepted that a night out for ourselves while away would not be happening unless extended family came with us!

Digs · 21-02-2020 02:39PM

CheerLouth wrote: »

No bother, I'd be happy too!

We were in CP in November. Our kids are 6, 3 and 1. Cannot recommend it highly enough. Exactly our type of holiday. Safe, secure for smallies and lots of places to explore. The pool if nothing else is worth the trip, couldn’t get them out of it!

Enjoy yourselves!

Neyite · 21-02-2020 02:48PM

Cakerbaker wrote: »

Self catering doesn’t have to mean you’re chained to the kitchen. Breakfast can be kept basic, lunch is a case of throwing a salad together and lounging on the sun lounger(with wine or beer) while my husband bbqs something, or else fresh bread and cured meats / cheese / olives etc. Dinner out or a takeaway.

Tbh I’d see a holiday where the mam is stuck in the kitchen as more of a relationship issue rather than a self catering issue.

I probably noticed it with that family because I do all the cooking at home. I do it though because I like to do it and because my OH hates cooking. He does other household stuff instead. When we are on holiday he's not doing the laundry or garden work so likewise I'd get a break from cooking and groceries too. On holiday I would normally give cereal to our child and we would just have coffee in the morning then we are out the door to the beach. We eat lunch and dinner out and really only have snacks and booze in the accommodation.

I think mammies in general do more on holidays. You see it when there's a family sitting there and the kids run up to their mother constantly to get dried/ fix their water wings/ have a drink /snack. It's only when the mammy is not at her spot do you see the chlid stop and think 'oh, I can get dad to do it' :pac:

jlm29 · 21-02-2020 06:44PM

Neyite wrote: »

It's only when the mammy is not at her spot do you see the chlid stop and think 'oh, I can get dad to do it' :pac:

This is nonsense. Under no circumstances would my kids think “oh, I can get dad to do it”. They come and find me. Every time. No matter where I am. Calling me loudly. If i leave the premises, they seem to save all their needs up, until I come home, and bombard me with them as soon as I come back in the door.

zapper55 · 21-02-2020 07:56PM

Nonsense is a bit harsh Jlm29.

Borzoi · 21-02-2020 08:26PM

vidapura wrote: »

Thanks Jim, yah I'm with you on the one room thing..
Don't ever see why I should pay money to be in less comfort than we have at home

.. which sounds like we have loads of money.. :rolleyes: but we don't..

Been there.. about 2 years ago. Still not fully out it it. But we have it figured....
2 bedroom apartment/cottage, part of a hotel complex with pool but walking distance to a town for dinners and quick pints. Easy travel to Dublin, which rules out some places in Kerry. Perfectly reasonable request, and as rare as hen's teeth. But will vouch for:

Castlemartyr hotel - courtyard lodges. Lovely hotel, 3 places to eat on the grounds and another in the village, a short walk, easy for buggy or small people. Pool is super. Grounds lovely. Easy reach of Fota, cobh, spike island and a few animal farms.

Talbot apartments in Wexford. Book a seafront view, the train runs in front, our 3 year old loved it. Pool in the Talbot hotel 150mtr away. In town, so choice of restaurants for dinner, all a walk away.

Amber Springs in Gorey, family suites have bunks in a nook, so you can watch telly etc and have lights on! 3 restaurants in the hotel, pool, kids club etc. Not self catering, but best kids set up I've seen.

Dungarvan park hotel. Nice plain lodges, good pool. 2 playground in walking distance. Loads of places to eat in town, 10min walk, plus 2 in the hotel.

Swimming really tired our lot out so ensured good naps etc back in that day. Simple brekkie and lunch. Afternoon activity. Dinner and drinks out, getting a babysitter once or twice if there's a nice restaurant and we want a break.

Always stayed a week so we were able to make the most of things. Kelly's never appealed because of the all inclusive

Millem · 21-02-2020 08:39PM

We have stayed in Kelly’s B and B. My kids wouldn’t eat all the food. They also don’t sell chips believe it or not! They are wedges which is a deal breaker for our gang!!!!!

cant26 · 22-02-2020 01:00AM

jlm29 wrote: »

This is nonsense. Under no circumstances would my kids think “oh, I can get dad to do it”. They come and find me. Every time. No matter where I am. Calling me loudly. If i leave the premises, they seem to save all their needs up, until I come home, and bombard me with them as soon as I come back in the door.

Maybe nonsense for you but what you’ve just described is nonsense to me!!!

jlm29 · 22-02-2020 05:55PM

zapper55 wrote: »

Nonsense is a bit harsh Jlm29.

Am... I was joking.

vidapura · 23-02-2020 07:47AM

Thanks @Borzoi, your post is exactly the kind of info I was hoping for, lots of interesting recommendations to take a look at.
I think @CheerLouth has the right idea for the old self-catering.. a bit of preparation goes a long way.
We used to do exactly that kind of thing on hillwalkin weekends or sailing trips. Pot of bolognaise and a some dried pasta.

S'amazin how I forget stuff when I'm sleep deprived.. like this morning .. yawn..

Gynoid · 23-02-2020 09:13AM

When you have a 3 year old and a 9 month old there is just no way to get out of the constant minding of them. Being knackered and unable to get a minute to yourself is par for the course, it only lasts about 20 years and then all is cool again

We did not do holidays as such when the children were small, but did go places for brief sorties, like overnight or 2 nights max, just to see something we had a hankering to see. We used to take a big tent and all the camping gear but then we are mad (and did not have money). Always good fun but never a minute to yourself so to speak. If you expect this, the facts of life, it is fine. Maybe just do stuff you would like to do nearish to where you live, like cultural or historical places you want to see, or forests you want to walk in, or seashores you want to stroll along beside, but never take the time to do in a normal week, and just bring the bowsies along as per normal and mind them in the usual knackering way. At least you will have seen new places! And gone to the chippers on the way home where you can fall into your own bed knackered, repeat for years until they leave home....:D Kidding, you can go on more distant holidays when they are older. .

vidapura · 24-02-2020 10:17AM

Heh heh, yeah, thanks, you're right of course.
The sooner we get used to it the better off we'll be,..
Thanks
Vida

Gynoid wrote: »

When you have a 3 year old and a 9 month old there is just no way to get out of the constant minding of them. Being knackered and unable to get a minute to yourself is par for the course, it only lasts about 20 years and then all is cool again We did not do holidays as such when the children were small, but did go places for brief sorties, like overnight or 2 nights max, just to see something we had a hankering to see. We used to take a big tent and all the camping gear but then we are mad (and did not have money). Always good fun but never a minute to yourself so to speak. If you expect this, the facts of life, it is fine. Maybe just do stuff you would like to do nearish to where you live, like cultural or historical places you want to see, or forests you want to walk in, or seashores you want to stroll along beside, but never take the time to do in a normal week, and just bring the bowsies along as per normal and mind them in the usual knackering way. At least you will have seen new places! And gone to the chippers on the way home where you can fall into your own bed knackered, repeat for years until they leave home....:D Kidding, you can go on more distant holidays when they are older. .

fits · 24-02-2020 10:22AM

We are going to France with our 3 year old twins this summer. Ferry and mobile homes in 2 campsites plus an airbnb.
We might be completely mad. But I dont think its going to get much easier for us as they get older.

CheerLouth · 24-02-2020 10:27AM

We did France two years ago with a one year old and a three year old & had an absolute ball! It will be fab!

Holiday suggestions for 3yr old and 9mth old..

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