Reply With QuotePlease let us all know what flights you book.
Our little bundle of joy will be about 18 months old when we want to go away for 10 days or so in July/August.
As a couple we love Greece/Crete but feel it’s a bit too far on the plane and all so are thinking the Algarve may be better.
Any suggestions for a lovely resort complex with self catering villas or apartments that also have restaurants and bars by the seaside would be great.
I’ve been told to avoid the bigger towns like Albafuera and Lagos, in favour of smaller towns like Armaceo de Pera.
Anyone been there??
Would are also happy to go to Spain or Majorca/Menorca etc.
Hate booking holidays. Such a minefield and not knowing what it’s like till you get there is always nerve wracking!
Please let us all know what flights you book.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Algarve is perfect that time of year - outskirts of Albufeira is ok - there are a few familiy friendly resorts in the area
We've been going almost every year since the kids were 18months old (now 15 and 12)
We've stayed in the grande real santa eulalia (great kids club, hotel and self catering apartments, loads of pools) and the nearby Alfagar (more self catering but they have a good breakfast buffet, nice kiddie pools)
Albufeira town is a bit hilly and bumpy but we've been with the strollers and not had an issue - most hotels (and definately the ones I've mentioned) have shuttle buses to and from the town centre
Stunning beaches, some great restaurants in the area and water parks, zoos, shopping centres, go karting all sorts well within 30 mins drive from there ...
Fly to faro and get a taxi or rent a car, most package tours would include transport to from airport, so no need to rent a car if you really dont want to, plenty of tours start from the hotels too or include buses to and from...
Last edited by Xantiagib; 12th December 2019 at 10:25.
cascais or estoril in portugal are nice, martinhal resorts are good but probably wasted on a 18month old better when kids are 3+Originally Posted by mr noble
I've stayed in Carvoeiro, Alvor and few other places in the Algarve- Beach far better in Alvor, town very busy but not as chaotic as Albufeira etc... Stayed in Carvoerio this year in a Villa just outside town, 5 Minute walk to Restaurants but very quiet and peaceful location. Booked with Villa Plus who were excellent. Have always found the Portuguese very friendly and accommodating , never had a bad experience in all the trips there.
A couple of years ago I stayed in Alvor (Alvor Baia Resort Hotel) with my young family. It was pretty good for us, the double rooms were large with a kitchen area. It's a hotel but rooms are usable for self catering. They provided everything from bottle steriliser and all the bits we needed for a baby. It was all inclusive but we ate out in Alvor most nights which is lovely.
With the family (2 kids under 4) I prefer resorts.
Turkey has been amazing and have been there twice.
Hilton Dalaman is great, food, restaurants, things to do etc.
We've been Turkey twice and would go again.
At that age we just booked a cottage in Cornwall and let them run on the beach. Below 2 years old they also had to share your seat on the plane, dunno if it is the same now, but it was a pita. More towards 3 then we went to Spain etc. I think we did transatlantic to Disney when the youngest was almost 4 and that was fine.
More or less the same here. The biggest SUV on the market, stacked with all sort of stuff 3 ft high and off to the beach. Only when they were 3 and 5 we tried our first air-trip to Greece in May followed by the first trip to Grandpa and Grandma in Florida in December.
We bought tons of 'el-cheapo' toys in the (Dutch version of) Poundstretcher to keep them focussed on playing. A new toy every hour or so. There were no iPads yet! We were lucky: they kept the noise down.
To be honest: very small kids and flying can be okay. One of my wife's friends' (I dislike here...) father is pharmacist. Her father gave her codeine (in cough syrup) when she took the family on a trip to Florida for golfing. Her two daughters were quiet during the trip...
Last year we went to Florida, traveling business class. When we were seated, a family entered with a very, very small baby. Long story short: it was the cutest little boy ever. Totally quiet during the trip. His parents were great people as well. I ended up with a 5 wk old baby in my arms! (Former Chelsea player and Newcastle manager Ruud Gullit, in front of me grumbling and moody, wasn't interested in holding the baby. Despite encouraging words from his partner... - but that's another story)
I took our baby to Lagos and it was great, we stayed in an Airbnb apartment in the marina. The flight was fine.
In a few weeks we’re are flying to Mexico first class which I’m quite nervous about now he will be 18mths. I hope we have a good flight for the sake of the other passengers!
18 months is about the worst age to be flying! They are not yet old enough to get their own seat, but big, heavy and wriggly and the last thing they want to do is sit on your lap for hours. It’s much better when they are younger, or over 2 and they have their own seat!
That said, we have flown with our 2 kids 3-4 times a year from when they were about a month old (now 6 and 3). We still do all inclusive as it’s just so much easier not having to go out for meals all the time or cooking yourself. We have only done a couple of long haul trips with them (to Dubai and Antigua), otherwise we have just been within Europe (Spanish mainland, Spanish islands, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania) and to be honest, they don’t really care where you go so long as there is a decent pool, kids club and mini disco!
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I have travelled to India every year for the last 5 years with my son who is now 6 years old and my daughter first went at approx 9 months old. I did give some calpol for the first couple of trips but the last two trips I have not. I ensured we arrived at airport early so no worrying about being late or stressed about the time in security.
We have something to eat and then let the kids have a really good wander about where they decide where to walk etc. This offsets the regimental processes of checking in and going through security etc.
By the time we sit on the plane, the kids are tired but glad of a sit down. We try to keep them awake until near mid-journey and then encourage them to sleep. By the time they wake up, they watch a film or two and we ready to land in Dubai. Then 4 hours stopover and another 3 hours to Delhi. And then another 6 hours by car. It’s a long journey door to door which we try to break up with naps, food, toys, snacks, more toys etc. Cheap and cheerful toys and small colouring books etc. No iPads or phones, only inflight entertainment.
A godsend is being able to order on Boots online with the store collection being Boots airside, so no security issues with baby food, fruit pouches etc. You can pre-order a few weeks ahead.
My kids absolutely hate the toilet being flushed in the plane toilets so I normally wait outside and take them back while my wife flushes the toilet. It is very loud, especially when the kids are half asleep and not expecting the noise. Same with the hand dryers.
When descending, my kids having milk helped with ear pressure but now prefer sweets. Touch wood, they have been great.
When other passengers are taking something from overhead luggage cabin, be mindful as they is always someone who is clumsy and a bag will drop and that would hurt an adult, never mind a child.
A good buy is the child rucksack with a rein so you can ensure they don’t disappear while letting them have a wonder. My kids loved their Trunki case which I definitely recommend.
I would recommend asking family and friends for child friendly hotels as a friend booked a hotel once and it was nothing but stag and hen party goers there.
We are not going India next year (and next few years) so I am also interested in holiday ideas.
Unless you used to go 'having it large' in Ibiza every summer, I don't see why you have to make any specific changes with a baby? We didn't, but we always went camping or house renting anyway, and always drive there. I can't be arsed with flying and trying to pack two week's worth of kit in a tiny holdall, especially with baby gear.
Try HomeAway.co.uk. They have homes all over Europe. Can you drive to your destination? The Limousin region of France or South West for beaches, are both excellent. The Loire is nearer but still hot and sunny. We found our two just slept in the car and we only needed to stop for a feed and nappy change so it was all pretty relaxed.
Ps I forgot to mention that me and my wife people watch and see what other parents do. It took us a couple of trips to realise the benefit of us having a rucksack each which enabled us to walk freely. Our first trip to Canada when my son was 7 months old was epic. I was carrying 3 pieces of hand luggage, a food bag and a nappy change bag. That certainly was not fun.
At that age, your child will be sitting on your knee for take off and landings, and most of the flight. We went to Portugal when we had children that age and stayed a hotel in Vilamoura. A hotel offers you both food and drink without any hassle of cooking for yourselves. It will also give you enough space to entertain your child.
As our kids got older, we moved to Eurocamp holidays in France.
Keep it domestic, safe the flying stress. Ribby Hall we found great for the little one.
Some excellent advice, thank you all.
I'd not thought (yet) about the nightmare of flying with an 18 month old, so maybe a UK trip with a drive is the best bet.
Presumably on an Easyjet or Jet 2 flight, we could book 3 seats so we have one for the kiddy to sit in during the flight?? (And so some unlucky other passenger isn't sat next to her on my lap!)
Will also look at the villa company that was mentioned.
Cheers.
Centre Parcs is just down the road from you :-)
Last edited by adrianw; 13th December 2019 at 10:24.
I wrote this before reading your post Adrian, I was on the CP France site at the time!
We spent a week at the Woburn one this summer and really liked it. Great with small people, and there was a creche.
We have also thought of going to a Centre Parcs in France or Belgium. There are some fantastic looking villages over there.
https://www.centerparcs.com/gb-en/fr...re-paris?facet
Having a 20 and 18 year old and now doing it again with a 3 year old, I'd definitely recommend keeping it as close to 2 hours as possible. Also if you book a package holiday you can sometimes pay around £50 for extra legroom seats that aren't emergency exit seats - that small bit of space may be very valuable. Also book somewhere with children's facilities. They will be too young to go in the clubs, but somewhere with a playground. We took our daughter to Gran Canaria (because it was winter) when she was 6 months old and 18 months old and being near swings and a children's pool was vital. I'd probably just book a package holiday for ease myself if it's a first time. Look at the reviews. Also consider a private transfer which might cost a few quid but worth every penny if its 30 minutes, instead of 1 1/2 hours on a coach. Anything to reduce stress.
Same goes for the SW part of Holland, near the sea. I can recommend the area near Zoutelande and Domburg. Very kid-friendly. 1.5
Hr from The Hook of Holland. Or closer to The Hook: Kijkduin, a village as a part of The Hague.
https://www.kustlicht.nl/en/
Last edited by thieuster; 13th December 2019 at 15:45.
Don't stay in this country, you'll just be throwing your money away and will regret it when it's a wash-out.
Flying with kids doesn't have to be difficult, it never has been with ours. We've experienced some feral kids and parents on flights but we've always made sure we had enough to entertain them.
We first took our eldest to Menorca when she was 10 months. Easiest holiday ever! We went again when she was 22 months so a similar age to yours and that was excellent too. We then did pretty much the same with our youngest.
Nice foreign holidays with a bit of sunshine, warm evenings and good food are great and I've got some amazing memories of those times. Don't stay here for wet weather, high prices and bad food.
Our first holiday abroad with our daughter she was 9 months at the time was to the Maldives. Took 3 flights and over 20 hours in total.
At that age they're easier. Now I have two under 4 they're more of a handful.
Although my duaghter will happily watch movies for hours.
We've taken our little boy to Ibiza for the last 2 years. First time he was 4 months and much easier than this last time when he was 2 and a 1/4.
We went in August 2017 to Sensatori Ibiza. Can't fault the place. At Easter this year we went to Cyprus and that wasn't a patch on the Sensatori so we went again this summer.
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