There are so many different types of holiday accommodation you can choose from when planning your family vacation including: camping grounds (tent, caravan or chalet), family hostels, B&B’s, motels, hotels, family resorts, self contained apartments/villas, and cruise ships.
So how do you choose the right place for your family?
Tips for choosing the right type of family holiday accommodation when travelling with kids:
The type of holiday accommodation that you choose will depend on several factors.
Ask yourself these questions to help you decide which will be the best type of accommodation for you.
- Where you are going?
- Why you are going? Visiting family, sightseeing, relaxation.
- When are you going? Is it summer or winter?
- What are you doing when you get there?
- How long are you going for?
- And then there is the BUDGET which ultimately will make the final choice for you.
Tips for choosing holiday accommodation that best meets you family travel needs:
I start by looking at the facilities an accommodation offers and then move on to the rooms and restaurants.
However you decide what’s most important in holiday accommodation for you and start there.
You can find most of the following information on the accommodations official website or reviewer forums (just take the reviews with a grain of salt as some people who review will only advise of the negatives and leave out the positives.)
- The price of accommodation will alter according to the season either: low, medium or high.
- One of the most important things to find out: Is your accommodation family friendly?
- Choose a place that will suit all ages of your family and that will comfortably fit all your family.
- Can they provide baby services such as cots, highchairs, food warmers and baby sitters. Book these items when you book your accommodation.
- If you are spending alot of time at your accommodation do they have kids clubs that are appropriate for the ages of your children? Or at least playgrounds or games rooms to keep them occupied.
- Do they have children’s meals in the restaurant?
- Is there a supermarket nearby to buy supplies?
- Remember that hotel restaurants and mini bars are usually more expensive than if you go out.
- So check what restaurants will be nearby.
- Or consider a self contained apartment, the extra cost may be worth it (but remember you will be cooking and cleaning).
- Maybe an all-inclusive deal would suit you better.
- Consider safety when choosing your accommodation.
- Check the room on arrival and have socket protectors (or prearrange with the hotel if travelling overseas) or take masking tape to cover.
- Move sharp items in the kitchen up high.
- Use bottled water for brushing teeth.
- Lock balcony doors if you have toddlers.
- Ensure smoke detectors are standard.
- How are you getting to your accommodation?
- Do you need parking facilities?
- Do you need a transit shuttle to get to the accommodation.
- Is there public transport nearby?
- Don’t forget to consider yourselves. Do you want “Mummy and Daddy” time?
- My article on Intimacy and Travel with Kids may help with some of this.
- Consider how soundly your children sleep.
- Does noise bother them.
- Will light wake them.
- Whilst your children may sleep soundly, do they need lights out to go to sleep or stay asleep. What do you do during this time?
- Look at the bed configuration. It’s all well and good getting to double beds to sleep 4. But does this mean you will sleep in separate beds with a child each – due to lack of space/comfort?
- Go to the accommodation’s website and look at photos, room layout, in-room facilities and accommodation amenities.
By taking the time to research your family holiday accommodation for kids, you are on the way to a great family holiday!
Great list! And very useful too. We always make sure that we’re near a supermarket and at least one family friendly restaurant when we go away.
I agree, supermarket location is a big one for me. You always need to purchase drinking water and want more snacks at a reasonable price.
Sadly budget does make the final choice.
We like to have a lot of space, so we usually chose an apartment or rent a house. We just came from a trip, where we stayed in a cozy apartment on a working cow farm:)
Apartments are great especially with babies and toddlers when you have to constantly make food for them. That probably goes double for teens who eat non stop as well.
Your tips are 100% accurate… there’s so much to think about to make a family holiday work… trust me, I know as we’ve had some shockers!!
Your’re absolutely right Seana there is soooo much to think about when booking a family holiday. But it’s worth it to put in the effort to get a good vacation.
I very useful tips are mentioned here in this post. You must be very careful while considering any Accommodation. Our Author has particularly highlighted all the basic things and amenities. Actually mu main concern is my Children and they need spacey environment.
It’s always important Shrona to do your research when booking accommodation and make sure it matches your family’s needs.
A best tips are mentioned here in this post. Sometimes it is so difficult in choosing for best holiday accommodation. You should be extra careful while finalizing any hotel. As you’re checking in with your families.
I agree Honor, There are so many options for accommodation at each destination you really do need to take care.
Great tips to plan a family trip with toddlers. You information is really useful to avoid commotion when traveling with kids. Thanks for the post
Thank you.
This is priceless advice for parents travelling with young children so thank you. There are so many people out there who have no sympathy when it comes to taking children abroad so I think this is brilliant for anyone, not just for parents.
I found, when travelling, that one of the hardest and most stressful scenarios is getting off the plane and having no idea where to go. I’ve recently been involved in the development of a new travel site (www.triporia.com ) which aims to solve this by providing users with detailed images of their accommodation’s surroundings. I’d really appreciate it if you could take a look and let me know what you think 🙂 Best wishes!
Thank you Jenny
Great share and post..
One need to be very careful while selecting the accommodation when you are out with your kids. Go through a proper research and have a preview of the images on the net to get a clearer view about the hotel.
Good tip Sakda
Hey!
The post is really interesting .
I must say that a family vacation is a great way to relax and enjoy your time with the loved ones while seeing new place at the same time.
You need to be very careful when choosing the family vacation package as it needs to be perfect. The first step in choosing any vacation package is to decide where you wish to go. Since it is a family vacation, it is better to take everyone’s opinion and then make the decision based on the majority vote.
I think for kids the activities like water skiing, scuba diving, bird watching, or you can teach them how to play golf.
All of these activities can help them keep entertained and fun while learning something new. This could be a new skill or new information about their environment.
Thanks a lot for sharing your great information.
Keep doing good work.
God Bless U!