Not that any parent would ever call their kids a burden on their holidays, but it’s difficult not to agree that children do add some rather serious complications to what would otherwise be a simple trip. Of course, every effort is worth it for the most incredible good times and memories families share on their holidays, but it would nonetheless be of such benefit to all of said efforts could be reduced to an absolute minimum.
Well, the good news is that such reductions in efforts and complications are in fact 100% possible and rely almost solely on how family-friendly or otherwise the resort and accommodation chosen is.
Now, it pretty much goes without saying that everyone knows the difference between a family-friendly resort and one that’s more adult-oriented. After all, most are far more likely to choose a nice and relaxing weekend break to Cornwall than a week with young kids in the throbbing heart of Ibiza’s San Antonio. As such, it’s usually a case of knowing exactly what makes an accommodation choice the perfect place for a family or otherwise – hit the nail on the head and it could seriously transform your holiday.
Age of Children
Right off the bat, you need to be looking at exactly what age ranges the accommodation caters to when it claims to be a good place for families. The reason for this is the rather obvious fact that there is a huge difference between say family-friendly hotels where teens are looked after and the best toddler-friendly cottages on the south coast. This is crucially important to bear in mind in order to ensure that the youngest of children aren’t left with nothing to do at all while older teens are expected to make do with cartoons and colouring books.
Ideally, it’s best to look for a provider that covers all bases to the greatest possible extent, though these can be few and far between.
Definition
After assessing the above, it’s of huge importance to assess exactly how the provider in question defines its status as family friendly, as the badge itself isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. It could be that they have a kids club, it could be menu items designed for kids, it could be rooms that have been made safe for even the most hyper of toddlers or it could be nothing more than a vile painting of a clown on the wall. Everyone has a slightly different definition of what makes a place genuinely friendly for families and it’s therefore quite a good idea to make sure your own definition matches up with theirs.
Optional Extras?
And finally, what should always be kept in mind is that in this day and age, it is frankly ridiculous to face additional charges for the so-called ‘optional’ extras that all families need to get by. Family friendliness isn’t about fleecing parents with extra charges, but rather pulling out all the stops to make sure the whole family is looked after. As such, from on-site clubs for the kids through to additional furniture and accessories for rooms, you really should never be willing to accept paying over the odds to keep kids of any age entertained and happy.
- Family-Friendly Holidayiknow-uk / Travel Photos / CC BY-NC-ND
By Gary Bury
Gary Bury decided after dozens of failed attempts to find true family harmony on holiday begin a blog for those not looking to make the same mistakes. He now runs a fully dedicated service finding toddler-friendly cottages up and down the UK for British holidaymakers.
