Expanding Baby Friendly Holidays
We’re thrilled to announce that we are expanding our portfolio of baby and family friendly holiday accommodation to Ibiza, Costa Brava, the Algarve and the south west of England. It’s exciting times!
Child and Baby-friendly Holidays in Spain
www.villajalon.com Caserío del Mirador is a family-run country house retreat for families with small children, set high above the Jalon Valley overlooking a magnificent landscape to the sea. Enjoy the sun and clean air among peaceful olive and almond terraces. The accommodation is flexible including spacious apartments, luxury suites and guest rooms in the house. We have created lots of areas for eating, drinking, reading, sunbathing and snoozing. We invite you and your family to relax, revive your senses and enjoy yourselves. Produced by http
Holidaying With Twins – And More!
Are you planning a holiday with twins? If you have heard the horror stories from other parents of multiples who have tried to spend time away from home with an active, young family, you know that meticulous planning ahead is required. Traveling with children of any age can be difficult, but there is much more to think about when you are traveling with twins – especially if they are younger!
Safety
The physical safety of your children must always come first, but it is something that few parents think much about before booking a rental property or hotel. There is an assumption that any rental property will be safe for every member of the family, but when it comes to smaller children this is very far from the truth.
Unless you are renting property that openly claims to be designed and laid out for the safety of smaller children you have to assume there will be some dangers lurking. It is best just to look for properties which cater to families and children so you know for sure your children will be safe.
On-Site Amusement
While you may enjoy just relaxing in your room, getting a massage on the beach, or reading a book poolside, young children (especially rambunctious twins!) are not likely to tolerate this type of low key relaxation for very long. Children need entertainment and amusement to be happy-go-lucky and full of smiles on a holiday. This means you have to think ahead to how you will keep them entertained at all moments.
If you are staying in a property that caters to families, then chances are there will be some onsite options for amusement of little children. Yet, you should always bring some of your kid’s favorite toys along with you so they have something to do while you are in the rental home. If you are worried about paying for extra bags at the airport if you pack toys, consider buying some once you arrive and donating them to a charity before you return home.
Room to Breathe
It can be tempting sometimes to save some money for holiday shopping by getting a smaller property, but when you are traveling with twins it is not the time to skimp on room! You need room to breathe and relax in order to keep your sanity with small children on holiday, but your children need room to breathe as well. If your little ones are accustomed to having their own space to play and sleep in, then your holiday will be much smoother if you find a property that gives them that needed space while away from home.
With small children, the key to a happy vacation is to keep as many similarities as possible between their home environment and their holiday environment. Giving them adequate space to be on their own is part of that.
The only way to really plan a family holiday that will look after the safety of your children while offering appropriate amusements for the entire family and giving everyone adequate room to live happily is to find a travel company that caters to families like yours. These companies are out there and will make the difference between a torturous family vacation that leaves you exhausted and a fun family adventure that you will remember forever.
Child and Baby-friendly Holidays in Spain
www.villajalon.com Caserio del Mirador invites families with small children to come and stay at this family-run villa set high above the Jalon Vally. Here kids can interact with other children, play with the animals, like the rabbits, goats, ponies, the cat and enjoy slides, see-saws, the trampoline and the pool. Find out more about this magical place for children and adults. Produced by http
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Top 10 Tips For Taking Tots Away For Christmas
So you’ve taken the plunge and booked a family ‘get away from it all’ Christmas break…but now you’re realising exactly what you will be ‘away from’ and are wondering how you’ll transport the ‘family Christmas at home’ experience to another country!?
Here are our top 10 tips for taking tots away for Christmas, to make sure you all have a wonderfully relaxing holiday…
1. Involve your kids in the travel experience. Get out a map and show them where the family is going. Talk about how many miles you are travelling – just like Santa himself! Let your kids help pack their suitcases and even shop for Christmas gifts for family members with whom you’ll be holidaying.
2. Make sure they leave a note at home letting Santa know of their temporary location so he can be sure to find them on Christmas Eve. If Santa will be unable to hop down a chimney, let the kids leave suggestions as to an alternative method for their delivery. And of course, don’t forget to leave out a little tipple and a mince pie (or perhaps a local equivalent!) at your destination. He’s sure to be hungry after the extra trip from your house!
3. Find out whether the larger online retailers deliver to your destination. You can even get deliveries gift wrapped. Just remember to plan for how you’ll get them home! Perhaps try to keep a suitcase or fold away bag empty and keep everyone’s luggage to a minimum (at least you won’t usually need swimming gear at this time of year!) Try to plan gifts that are small and lightweight to pack.
4. If you can’t take all the gifts, talk about how children in Europe get theirs on Epiphany instead. Maybe Santa will accommodate your travel plans and leave smaller than normal packages, or perhaps leave some but with a note that there are still some more surprises waiting at home under the tree.
5. Make much of creating the same ‘Christmassy’ atmosphere they’ve left behind when you arrive – most properties will provide a tree, decorations, etc for Christmas guests.
6. Take some CDs of Christmas songs and stories along for the journey to keep the festive spirit alive en route.
7. Check out the local Christmas markets or plan to visit a theme park that opens during the holiday season. Train rides, tours of lights and visits to see Santa are some of the things you can expect to find no matter where you go on your Christmas holiday.
8. Pack a small bag of supplies for your tots to make decorations for your holiday home. Or pop to the local supermarket on arrival to stock up on the makings of some batches of Christmas biscuits or mince pies (though you may need to pack a jar of mincemeat from home!)
9. Before your trip, read about how children celebrate Christmas in other countries.You can perhaps introduce some new traditions during the holiday, to take home with you for future Christmases.
10. Enjoy the relaxation that being away from your home environment brings – no racing around visiting friends and family, no sale shopping, no ‘let’s use the time off to decorate the spare room’ – just chill out and enjoy time as a family!
7 Top Tips For A Hassle Free Vacation Booking
There’s no doubt that January and February are the busiest months for holiday agents and that is when the pick of the spring and summer availability gets gobbled up. Here are my tips on booking your holiday to ensure that you don’t miss out!
1) Think about it now!
Christmas is over so now is the time to give your holiday plans some ‘brain space’. When you have a little bit of clarity about what sort of holiday you want then that’s the time to give us a call. Self catering or hotel? Here or abroad? With or without friends? Or just call for a chat with a holiday agent and see what they can offer.
2) If ‘with friends’…
Now’s the time to nail whether your friends are a) serious about going on holiday with you or b) whether they really are people that you want to holiday with.
3) How was your last holiday?
Giving some thought to your last holiday will help you decide what holiday to opt for next. What did you love about your last holiday? What could have been better? What did not suit you – tell your holiday agent so that they can help you find the best vacation to suit your needs.
4) Research your vacation when it suits you (even after the kids are in bed!)
Many agents have extended their opening hours (some until 9pm or you can email them anytime), use the evenings to research possible destinations online.
5) What’s on your wish list?
Give holiday agents a wish list of your ‘must haves’ and your ‘would like to haves.’ Pools, childcare, a homecooked food menu or complete ‘away from it all’ bliss?
6) Don’t let it drag…book your holiday NOW!
We know what it’s like, something gets in the way, the snow arrives, the school holidays come and then before you know it weeks and months have passed and you still haven’t got around to booking your holiday. All the research you did is now wasted as the availability has completely changed.
Think, plan and book your vacation while you’re thinking about it now. It will be a huge relief to have something ‘in the bag,’ will give you many months of something to look forward to and will avoid the disappointment of missing out! This is especially true if you need May half term or school holidays.
7) Make the most of your agent’s expertise
They’re here to help so make the most of their advice and experience. Call, email or tweet, whatever suits you best!
ON TOUR WITH TODDLERS
Kids are fun to be with. In this piece, the reference is to those of more advanced age than babies, but not up to the stage at which they can develop exceptional interest during sight seeing missions. Really, it is obvious that taking care of children of this class can be quite challenging. They want to be all over the place, yelling and performing ‘feats’. At times they appear impossible to control. Then on occasions of traveling there are strategies to put in place in order to ensure a fun-filled, educational and one lasting memories for both children and parents. This is very possible with proper planning.
The happy toddler during traveling
One of the tips that will ensure an interesting journey is to try as much as possible to keep the kids happy. From observations, they cannot be engaged in the same activity for a long time, therefore, variety of materials that will create different interesting environments when on board the train or flight or at the destination must be made available. Parents must endeavor not to forget the toys, picture books and teddy bears.
In addition, the activities scheduled for the journey should not be strange and monotonous. Their favorite activities as much as possible should be capitalized upon during the trip. Also, time for sleep and nap should be as coherent as possible to the time at which they have them at home. When embarking on journeys such as these, it is very important to keep things snappy for the sake of the children. For example, the time spent outside should be reduced especially time spent in the train or on the road.
Tips on keeping kids safe
Watching out for the safety of the kids is of foremost importance. These are a group that will tread dangerous paths in utmost naiveté. Therefore, parents must make sure that all precautions as pertaining to children’s welfare are adhered to especially in the car, train, airplane and the hotel room. Try as much as possible not to take off your eyes from these ones at every point in time. As regards this, it is crucial to check the hotels to be lodged in if they are actually children friendly. Also leaving pills and sharp objects in open places where it can be easily accessed by the children is seriously discouraged.
Nutrition for the kids
One of the significant aspects of the journey will surely be the food demands by the children. It must be ensured that they eat at the right time. Giving them their favorite meal is also paramount if they are to really enjoy the journey. Furthermore, as parents you have knowledge of appetizing dishes and snacks. The children should not be denied of these. With all these tips, all things being equal, traveling with toddlers will be a satisfactory experience.
How to Find Child-friendly Properties For Your Holiday
Trying to organise a holiday with a small child or baby can be a nightmare – you want to stay in a charming, family-orientated location, and yet every cottage you want to stay in has a treacherous spiral staircase, a frighteningly accessible pond or swimming pool, or no space for a travel cot. Baby or child-friendly properties can be like gold dust but fortunately, some astute landlords have seen the gap in the market and are beginning to tailor their holiday lets to suit families.
It is ideal for a family with a new baby or young children to look to the UK for their holidays, as there is much less disruption and organisation required, travel times are more manageable and one can be confidant of finding the right baby milk, should it run out, or an NHS doctor (should it be required) who speaks the same language, and can get in touch easily with your GP if required. Every parent however will need to ensure that the holiday home they are renting is a child-friendly property and there are a few questions they will need to ask before committing to the lease.
You will need to ask whether the property is on a single or multiple storeys and, if the latter is the case, whether there are stair-gates available to prevent any unwanted tumbles. A surprising number of holiday apartments or cottages now provide these, if requested. You will also need to ask about any outdoor or indoor swimming areas or water features; and ascertain whether they are secure or not against roaming toddlers or crawling babies. It is now a legal requirement for landlords to ensure that they are made secure if they are advertising their holiday home as a child-friendly property, so you would be well within your rights to ask before making a booking.
On top of the security aspect to choosing your holiday home, it is also worth checking to see whether the landlord can provide equipment for your baby or child; such as high chairs or cots, to save you packing so much and giving you an outside chance of actually fitting everything you will need into your car! You will certainly want to hire somewhere that has a washing machine, to save trekking out to find a laundrette, and good kitchen facilities. A microwave can be extremely useful for defrosting your baby’s food quickly and some thoughtful owners supply microwave sterilisers for all those baby bottles in their baby-friendly property.
If you are looking for a really upmarket and relaxing stay, why not find out whether a local babysitter can be pre-booked to give you some time off, or a taxi service to drop you in to town? Some child-friendly properties list all of these ‘luxuries’ on their websites, so it is really worth shopping around. Others go so far as to supply caterers or fitness instructors if you want.
Whatever your budget, or your taste, it is certainly worth doing your research and explaining carefully to the property’s owners what your requirements are — you will find that many do genuinely want to help families, as they tend to be the most conscientious guests, and more likely to return if the holiday was a success.
A Guide To Child-Friendly Holidays In Devon
Holidays in Devon offer the perfect destination for those wishing to take holidays in the UK. The temperature is favourable all year round, with possibly the best sunshine in the UK during the summer months. Holidays in Devon offer rolling countryside situated next door to beautiful beaches, sites of historical interest, outdoor pursuits, family attractions, fine dining and much, much more. Self-catering holidays in Devon are the best way to holiday on your own terms: you are not subject to the strictures of hotel meal-times, you need not worry that your children are making too much noise and travelling time is cut down considerably. Where children are concerned, holidays in Devon are a convenient and relatively inexpensive way to enjoy time together as a family and immerse yourselves in that ‘holiday feeling’.
If you are planning your holidays in Devon with children, there are a few things you will need to bear in mind in order to get the best from your time away.
Firstly, you will need to consider the size of the accommodation you require. Many holiday companies offer details on the website of how many the property will accommodate, but it is worth checking out the ‘small print’. A property might state that it will sleep 4 people but this might take the form of a double bedroom and a single room with bunk beds. With teenagers or babies in the party, this might not be a desirable option. Some websites will provide this sort of information but if they do not, a simple phone call will allow you to make a more informed decision.
You might also want to consider the property’s location. With small children in the party you might want to be near local amenities, in which case it might be better to be situated in or close to the nearest town. This might also appeal to teenagers who can take in shopping centres and other attractions with limited supervision. Running out of your favourite foods in the middle of the countryside might not be an experience you want to put yourself through. Alternatively, if you’re looking for an experience where everyone has to ‘muck in’ – perhaps to cement bonds between you and your children – a remote cottage might be just the thing you’re looking for.
Children always need entertaining, so it’s also a good idea to check which attractions are close to your location and how long it will take to get to them. Devon offers a variety of attractions for almost every interest you can imagine. Holiday companies may provide some details, but it is always worth checking with the local Tourist Information board to uncover hidden gems. There is also the potential for children to make friends with children from other holiday parties; some cottages are rented in groups and so you may find yourself holidaying next door to a family with children of similar ages. Again, ask the holiday company for any information they might be able to give you.
A good rental company can also provide you with information on the facilities that the property has to offer. You may want to ask about the availability of high chairs, stair-gates, pushchair hire and whether any ponds or swimming pools are covered up. A little time spent researching the property and its surroundings can help to make your family holidays in Devon a time you will cherish for years to come.
For more information about Baby Friendly Holidays and Child Friendly Holidays here
Three Tips For Creating a Baby Friendly Holiday
When creating a baby friendly holiday, safety should always be a primary concern. You will also need to think about taking care of basic needs in a wide range of situations. Therefore, you may also want to think about products and plans that will provide convenience as well as comfort.
Child Safe Accommodations
If you have accommodations in a regular hotel, they may be perfectly safe for older children. On the other hand, pools and other facilities may be very dangerous for babies and toddlers. Before you settle on a given resort, you may want to look for one that caters to parent that plan to bring along babies or toddlers.
During the process of choosing baby safe rooms, you may want to do more than look for hotels that will provide playpens and cribs. Among other things, it may be of some help to look for facilities that have special doors and windows that cannot be opened by curious toddlers. This includes the bathroom door as well as other doors and windows in the room.
Driving and Transport
Even though you may have a car seat, there are other important aspects that come with having a baby in the car. For example, you may need to feed the baby or change his/her diaper during a long drive. You should always have a kit that will include anything you might need for these situations. It may also help to bring along items that can be used to amuse the baby if he/she becomes restless.
Unfortunately, there are many cars that have baby seat belts in unusual locations. While the baby may be perfectly secure in these vehicles, you may find it very difficult to tend the baby if he/she starts crying. No doubt, if you are driving on a strange highway or thruway, you won’t want to have to choose between concentrating on traffic or pulling over to tend a screaming baby.
Feeding and Snacking
During you vacation, it is important to continue choosing healthy and nutritious foods for your baby. In some cases, you may be tempted to buy candies and other items that will have a placating effect. That said, if you can bring along an ice cooler, there is no reason avoid providing fresh fruits, vegetables,and other wholesome snacks.
Regardless of whether you are travelling or in a hotel room, it is very important to arrange your schedule to accommodate routine feeding. At the very least, if the baby feels disturbed because of being in strange areas, adhering to a normal feeding routine can have a calming effect. You will also have to be less concerned about dehydration and other issues that can come up during a vacation.
Typically, there are three main aspects of vacationing with a baby that you will need to think about. This includes finding baby safe accommodations, as well as vehicles. As may be expected, you will always need to think about basic are needs that may come up at any time.