What are the best package holidays for toddlers?
I think one of the best toddler friendly options for a holiday is a package holiday. They are so geared towards families, and we have done many.
With toddlers, I don’t think the destination overly matters. When booking, we tend to focus on hotel facilities.
Every family is different, but we have a few ‘non negotiables’ which we unfortunately only decided on after realising what didn’t work for our family.
We have taken our tots away on sun holidays from 8 months old. I therefore have plenty of tips and advice for keeping little ones safe from the sun. I have also compiled a Summer packing list to ensure you pack all the essentials.
A few things on our hotel Wishlist include:
- Children sleeping in separate room to us – usually a converted living area (now they are older we just all wake each other up, when they were younger we had them in with us.)
- A kitchen area. This does not have to be an industrial catering unit but we find it so useful to have a designated area to prepare bottles, make snacks or a light meal.
- A splash park. Our kids love the water, but we don’t want to spend our whole trip in a freezing pool. Now they are older, we look for a splash park where they can play safely (we obviously always watch them) but we can sit at the side and ‘relax’ …whatever that is.
The annoyance about finding a holiday that best fits your family is although most comparison sites allow you to filter your search for simple things like ‘kids pool’ or ‘family friendly’ but for more specific request it is simply spending hours researching each hotel or destination.
Alas – that is where I come in! I now offer bespoke holiday planning for just a one-off fee of £200 (no matter how many requests or holiday extras you might need!)
If you don’t have time to scroll through thousands of hotels then contact me so I can help find the right deal for you.
All inclusive or self catering with toddlers on holiday
Another decision to make is what board to go for. We have done them all and I really think it depends on your family and the cost of the holiday. Some holidays we have booked, it was a couple of hundred quid more to go all inclusive than self catering which is a no brainer. I mean I can drink a couple of hundred quid in espresso martinis in one sitting.
We have also been quoted double the price of the holiday for all inclusive compared to bed and breakfast.
There is no black and white answer unfortunately and it is just about doing your research and comparing prices.
I have conflicting views on board types for your family holiday and there are pros and cons to each.
I do love an all inclusive buffet with my toddlers as this is their opportunity to try new foods that I haven’t had to cook or pay for.
I swear if I have spent 12 hours cooking an organic vegetable frittata it will be greeted with a turned up nose. But give a toddler their own plate, walking around a buffet with the pick of the bunch, they will eat a plate of frikkin sardines!
So although we enjoy a buffet, not having to cook and kids trying different shades of beige food. A lot of European dinner times are totally out of my kid’s routine.
This is definitely something you need to check before you opt for an all-inclusive or half board option. We have stayed at hotels before where dinner didn’t start until 19.30! Am I Hitler or is anyone else’s toddlers in bed by 7?!
I think a happy medium for us is bed and breakfast as this still usually includes a kitchenette in your room to satisfy those little snack monsters.
But as I said before, it does depend on the cost and if you can get all inclusive deal for an extra couple of hundred euros then go for it and it gives you the freedom of going out for dinner if you need to.
Perfect weather for a sun holiday with toddlers
Weather is a huge factor you need to consider when selecting a destination for your family holiday.
Check the weather of your destination to ensure is not too hot for your toddlers or that it will not be too cold for swimming or outdoor activities.
Though you want to avoid the scorching sun with your little ones, if you do go for the cooler months bear in mind the pools in Europe are often not heated so can be too cold for swimming.
We have been to Majorca in early May before and I swear if my kids accidentally fell in the pool I’d hesitate to jump in after them, the water was that cold.
Also, if your children are anything like my fearless tots, they would jump into the Antarctic Ocean without hesitation. Our son’s lips have genuinely turned blue before in reasonable 20 degree heat but as it was the start of the season the water was freezing.
Hotel facilities for toddler
In addition to the room, hotel facilities are really important to consider for your family holiday.
I think I would avoid a hotel with just one generic deep pool with toddlers as I always feel awkward splashing around with my feral child whilst Karen is trying to get her daily laps in.
A shallow splash park allows the older toddlers to ‘play’ in the water without you having to follow them around constantly but can sit and supervise from the side.
We like a hotel with a supervised Kids Club. I know some people frown upon this, but it is still our holiday and we do appreciate some adult time too.
Having said that, my 2-year-old currently hates any childcare, nursery or kids club. So we actually only tend to put my daughter in Kids Clubs who loves mixing with other children.
If it is important for you to get some alone time too, and hey it is your holiday – you paid for it, then do check the Kids Club restrictions as many will not take children under 3-years-old.
Even organised children activities that we have to attend we enjoy as it can be a nice break from the pool or beach.
The last thing I like to check is the kid’s evening entertainment. Unfortunately, most European hotels we have stayed at, the children’s entertainment starts so late.
I try my best to research this before booking the hotel but you usually can’t find this until you are there with a paper entertainment guide.
As someone who scoured the internet, like Poirot, to discover my cousin’s most recent tinder date was scamming old men out of miniature railways (true story), I think if you have the time to find it: it is invaluable as we have booked a hotel before for the ‘amazing’ kid’s entertainment to find it didn’t start until 9pm and therefore never benefitted from it.
I do consider myself a master on comparing deals and options for holidays so if you want to take this stressful part away from your family holiday I would really love to help you. Check out my travel services and look forward to your next adventure.