# Holiday with 2 small kids



## KimWilde (13 Jan 2006)

Hello. We are looking for ideas for a weeks holiday in early June, 2 x adults, a 2 year old and a 4/5 month old (due any moment now). 
Cos of the small kids, we were thinking about taking the car, maybe a ferry to the UK.  Any recommendations for a child friendly spot, or 2, not too far from a ferry port? 
Or anyone recommend the isle of man? (although I can’t get the thought of hi-de-hi campers out of my head). 
We thought of France, but it’s a but far to go for one week. 
Would a package deal to Spain / Portugal be an easier route? One baby is manageable, but not sure how nuts 2 would be...
Many thanks.


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## tomthumb (13 Jan 2006)

One word - Menorca.   Small island, very family friendly, kids everywhere, weather not too hot, perfect for families, babies, buggies - you feel odd if you haven't one!!  Check it out - we went several times when kids were tiny and great hol had by all!


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## bonvoyage123 (13 Jan 2006)

Menorca : Lago Garden Apartments is ideal for families wanting bright and friendly accommodation in the heart of Cala'n Bosch. With good on-site facilities and close to a host of amenities including shops, bars, restaurants, the marina and beach, this complex provides the perfect base from which to get the most from your holiday. 

Features: Adult swimming pool; sun terraces with sunloungers and parasols; restaurant (buffet/waiter service); pool bar with satellite TV; 24 hour reception

For Children: Own section of main pool; mini-club; cots/highchairs for hire 
Cala'n Bosch has become one of Menorca's busier resorts due to its attractive marina development. Take your time while you choose from the bustling mixture of bars, cafés, restaurants and pizzerias set out along the water's edge. Beachwise the resort is centered around its own attractive sandy cove, while the equally sandy, but usually less busy, beach of Son Xoriguer is only about 900m away.

20 May 06 - 2 Bedroomed Apt €1597 excluding insurance - Free Child Included
03 Jun 06 - 2 Bedroomed Apr €2026 excluding insurance - No Free child space available

Insurance - €40 for the family

Hope this helps. You will need to book soon enough as the child spaces are on the wane and prices are subject to avail.. price is total price for all.


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## Winnie (13 Jan 2006)

I always went camping as a kid & think it is so much nicer for kids than going to apartments.
France isnt really too far for 7 days, although 10 is ideal really.  
You can rent mobile homes on a lot of the campsites - prob better than a tent given the most likely crying of baby.


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## Carpenter (13 Jan 2006)

Sa Caleta, Menorca is another option.  My wife and I went there last year with our first child and as stated above found it very child friendly.  Best holiday we ever had.


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## NiallA (13 Jan 2006)

A good spot if you don't want to go too far is Trabolgan.  Went last year with the two kids, (similar ages to yourselves).  They loved it.  Swimming pool, play centres, Barney etc, worth checking it out.


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## KimWilde (13 Jan 2006)

many thanks all, Menorca sounds like a safe bet, but like winnie, we are probably more of camping family. Food for thought...


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## Henny Penny (14 Jan 2006)

Hi KimWilde
Congratulations on your impending arrival ... hope all goes well. Babies are very portable so I would definately recommend getting away while you can. I would concur with the previous post regarding Menorca ... very family friendly ... the one downside is that the beaches aren't great .... which mightn't be an issue for you as your kids are so young ... but there are lots of family orientated restaurants, buggy ramps, bouncy castles, kiddy rides etc. Some of the packages have very good children's clubs that do indoor activities such as painting etc.


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## tina27a (14 Jan 2006)

Hi KimWilde,We stayed at a great camping and bungalow park last year just outside salou.It's very child friendly-no noise after 12pm and even security walking around checking.Great entertainment at night and a great kids playground.there are 3 pools there and one of them has a seperate kiddies pool.I could go on and on about this place,so good we are going back this year but just have a look at the website.www.sanguli.es. believe me it's just as good as it looks and it's so clean .


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## Bonafide (17 Jan 2006)

Ryanair fly to Reus airport (which is only 10 mins from Salou resort by taxi).

Port aventura is close by as well as a couple of very good waterparks.


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## Kramer (17 Jan 2006)

Not to be putting a downer on your (or anyone else's) holiday plans but in my opinion bringing an infant on an aeroplane is very selfish. 
1. Adults can be in real pain when flying, particularly in relation to the air pressure changes, how can an infant let you know that they are in trouble?
2. As a follow on from point 1 above, the ear splitting screams of an infant (for whatever reason) on board a plane can be extremely unpleasant for other passengers

Just my 2cents


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## Diziet (17 Jan 2006)

Kramer said:
			
		

> Not to be putting a downer on your (or anyone else's) holiday plans but in my opinion bringing an infant on an aeroplane is very selfish.
> 1. Adults can be in real pain when flying, particularly in relation to the air pressure changes, how can an infant let you know that they are in trouble?
> 2. As a follow on from point 1 above, the ear splitting screams of an infant (for whatever reason) on board a plane can be extremely unpleasant for other passengers
> 
> Just my 2cents


 
Actually, I have been dragging my two around the world from a very young age with no major problems. Feeding a baby or giving them a dummy to suck relieves pressure changes. Excessive crying is the exception rather than the rule.
I find the knees of the tall passenger behind me digging into my back at least as unpleasant as a crying baby, but I would not recommend that tall people desist from flying 

cheers,
Diziet


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## KimWilde (17 Jan 2006)

Tina27a - Im sold on . looking into this right now. Thanks for the tip. 
It probably is selfish Kramer to take an infant onto a plane - but maybe the baby will sleep the entire journey. Its a risk. 
Just think twice before booking a flight to Reus in early June!!


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## icantbelieve (17 Jan 2006)

Sounds like you need a private jet Kramer, one that you can fly yourself. You think its selfish for those with children to bring them on planes, why stop there, what about buses, trains, cinemas, restaurants. Virtually everyone will be responsible for small children at some stage in their life and there are some things that can't be helped like babies crying, put up with it its a small price to pay for them.
I'd like to give a positive vote for Menorca as well, great for young families especically Cala n Bosch, restaurants will be full of similar people with kids so you'll have no need to be worried about your own rugrats, the same goes for the flight over.


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## tina27a (17 Jan 2006)

Hi KimWilde,I'm sooo glad you looked at sanguli.You won't be dissapointed.Your the second person that i've answered on holidays in the last 2 weeks in a different forum and they also booked this place.Hubbie says i have to stop telling everyone about Sanguli or else we'll find it hard to book in future Anyway if you do book the only problem is that you won't want to go back to a typical apartment holiday anymore.
If you have any questions about Sanguli i will be only too happy to answer.


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## ClubMan (17 Jan 2006)

_Italy _(and in particular, my favourite, _Sicily_) is good because the locals don't bat an eyelid when families arrive in for dinner or elsewhere with kids in tow unlike a lot of other places. In fact the kids are usually fawned over generally - especially the boys! I presume that many other _Mediterranean _places are similar? _Menorca _is great for a really relaxing holiday alright. If possible try to get to some of the beaches in the protected park areas around the island. You'll need your own transport (car, motorbike or bike) to get there, there is a small charge in and you'll need to bring a picnic because they are totally uncommercialised but they are unbelievable and the nearest thing to desert island beaches in _Europe _that I can imagine!


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## Kramer (18 Jan 2006)

icantbelieve said:
			
		

> Sounds like you need a private jet Kramer, one that you can fly yourself. You think its selfish for those with children to bring them on planes, why stop there, what about buses, trains, cinemas, restaurants..........


My point about bringing children on a plane, was primarily related to the fact that an infant can't explain whether or not the altitude/air pressure is causing them pain. 
You can't compare travelling in a train/bus to this.
Also if you are in a cinema/restaurant with an infant present who starts crying, you have the options of either the parent/guardian taking the child out of the establishment or leaving yourself.

In relation to the private jet....I have my Euromillions ticket for Friday


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## suzie (18 Jan 2006)

tina,

What are the rented accommodation like, if cost wasnt an issue for 2 adults + infant. which would you go for?

Thanks

S.


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## michaelm (18 Jan 2006)

KimWilde said:
			
		

> Im sold on .... early June!!


It's a bit late in the day to hoping to get your preferred dates and accommodation, if any, in June.  Also, their online booking is a bit 'trial and error' when trying to workout availabilities.


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## ribena (18 Jan 2006)

I was in Menora a few years ago with my son and found it lovely but very hilly, tiny beaches and very quiet.  We went to an All-Inclusive place in Lanzarote, can't think of the name of it but loved that.  It's ideal for kids, there was no asking for money for ice-cream or a drink because everything was included in the price.


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## ribena (18 Jan 2006)

I just found the name of the place we stayed in Lanzarote, Club Hotetur Lanzarote Bay , Costa Teguise.  Panorama go there and I think Direct Holidays so as well.


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## tina27a (18 Jan 2006)

Hi Suzie,When we went we stayed in a Tahiti Suite because we wanted air conditioning but this year they have put air conditioning in the tahiti as well.If cost isn't a problem then i would go for the Suite.We are going back in may and that's what i've booked but there are 6 of us going.The Louisianne also has air c and they were only new last year.I was going mad that i didn't look in them when i was there but they looked lovely from the outside.
The only bad thing i can say about the bungalows is that they are quite dark inside but we spent most of out time sitting outside on the patio.
If ye want more info on Sanguli there is a thread running on www.rollercoaster.ie discussion boards under your reviews  called camping sanguli, and it's been running for the last year so all the info is on it.As regards booking ,i would book by phone just to be safe.
Tina


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## pnagle (25 Jan 2006)

Hi, you've all done a good job pushing Menorca...you've got me thinking!....can someone tells me who flies from Cork to Menorca? Myself and my gang need to take a holiday mid-March (because my son turns 2 in April!).


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## ribena (25 Jan 2006)

I flew with Sunworld to Apartments.  Sunworld fly from Cork.


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## Carpenter (24 Jul 2006)

Ok folks, Carpenter Junior II  has arrived and myself and Mrs C really need another nice holiday this year, sometime around September (Menorca last year with Carpenter Junior I was the business, probably the best holiday we ever had).  Should we take the safe bet and head back to Menorca or can anyone recommend something similar?


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## Cabbage (25 Jul 2006)

We've recently come back from two weeks in Carnac in Brittany (2 small kids, elder 2 1/2 and the younger 10 months and we had a ball. I'd heartily recommend it for small children. Some things that we found that may resonate with other parents of young kids.
- We travelled in our own car on the ferry. No hassle at airport, had our own car seats, could load up lots of gear -- buggies, etc, able to bring back some goodies. Travelled with Brittany Ferries, took a cabin - v. pleasent journey. 
- Took a mobile home in Carnac on nice campsite. Easy to maintain. Campsite had a toddler's pool, access to the beach and plenty of nice playgrounds for the kids, and plenty of other small kids around, so our two were both well occupied for the fortnight.
- Weather was normally in the mid 20's and sunny. Had two wet mornings, so no great fussing with sun-creams, etc.
So, all in all, we all had a pleasant couple of weeks. We intend returning next year with the kids and we'll probably bring the dogs (another advantage for us - both Brittany Ferries and the campsite are sufficiently geared for dogs to make bringing them possible).


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## CharlieC (25 Jul 2006)

Cabbage said:
			
		

> We've recently come back from two weeks in Carnac in Brittany (2 small kids, elder 2 1/2 and the younger 10 months and we had a ball. I'd heartily recommend it for small children. Some things that we found that may resonate with other parents of young kids.
> - We travelled in our own car on the ferry. No hassle at airport, had our own car seats, could load up lots of gear -- buggies, etc, able to bring back some goodies. Travelled with Brittany Ferries, took a cabin - v. pleasent journey.
> - Took a mobile home in Carnac on nice campsite. Easy to maintain. Campsite had a toddler's pool, access to the beach and plenty of nice playgrounds for the kids, and plenty of other small kids around, so our two were both well occupied for the fortnight.
> - Weather was normally in the mid 20's and sunny. Had two wet mornings, so no great fussing with sun-creams, etc.
> So, all in all, we all had a pleasant couple of weeks. We intend returning next year with the kids and we'll probably bring the dogs (another advantage for us - both Brittany Ferries and the campsite are sufficiently geared for dogs to make bringing them possible).


 
Sounds good- how much did it cost, if you dont mind me asking?
What facilities- bars restaurants etc
What were the other people like, was there much rowdiness? Somebody told me of a place where the adults got sloshed and the kids ran riot

This year we took a 10 mth to Salou and had a nice break but next year we are thinking of France by car- with an extra nipper


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## purplealien (25 Jul 2006)

I went by ferry to Brittany last year (from ringaskiddy)- i also have two kids under the age of three. I found it fantastic. We stayed in la plage, only an hour and a quarters drive from the ferry point. It was literally 1 minute from the beach, it had a waterslide, playground and bouncy castle. There was a bar and a shop on site aswell. I found it the most relaxing holiday ever. We're going again this year - getting the ferry is alot less strenuous than flying with 2 small kids.


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## purplealien (25 Jul 2006)

Bonafide said:
			
		

> Ryanair fly to Reus airport (which is only 10 mins from Salou resort by taxi).


Not from cork - ye dubs have all the luck!


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## Vanilla (25 Jul 2006)

Congratulations Carpenter! What age will #2 be in September? Have to say I'm playing it safe this year and staying in Ireland, and will wait until next year to go abroad- I figure until the youngest is at least crawling the holiday might be too hard going, and better still if they're walking. So I'm thinking it'll be at least a year before we'll go again. And then I'm thinking either back to Menorca or South of France...I'll be interested to know how you get on though.


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