Happy Holidays Abroad?

[kazzdt]

Hi all

 

I was just hoping that someone would be able to offer me any advice on holidaying abroad. We have decided (well almost) to holiday abroad NEXT summer (yes I know, but it will take a lot of planning - and saving!). We generally holiday in this this country, usually in South West, last year I.O.W.

 

Basically we love the typical English seaside holiday, but the weathers always so unpredictable we really feel we need to have a couple of weeks sunshine.

 

What I really want to know is can anyone recommend a resort, probably in the med, and not costing a Kings ransom! ? Kids will be 13, 12, 10 & 6.

 

I haven't been abroad since I was single, and am slightly apprehensive of travelling with the kids (only me to worry about before - mind you I was a lot to worry about unleashed abroad. Sorry I digress) especially as hubby has never flown before either. Kids all desperately want to go, though Sam (AS/ADHD) is naturally more unsure. I'm sure he'll love the flying but will have trouble coping with the unfamiliarity, may need a few trips to the airport first and lots of research into the destination (will a year be enough time to plan! ). We've been wanting to do this for a while now but to be honest I've never been sure whether Sam would actually get on a plane and this is our main concern, we don't want to be worrying about going to a really naff destination as well.

 

I've been asking around (as you do) but then thought of you lot as the best people I know on giving advice and hope you can help. Thank you for your time.

 

 

Kaz x

[hev]

steve has as/adhd and we always go on thompson superfamily,they have got resorts all over and the staff are really friendly,for 2 adults,2kids it cost us �715 half board for 7 days that was at costa brava,then again i didnt pay for katie as she was under 2,steven found the airport very stresful,luckily there wasent any delays,whatever you decide,happy holidays!

[Suze]

Hi we go abroad but avoid the package type holiday.We rent a villa(they can range in size from 2 beds-10 beds.)We have found Portugal in May / June to be really good as it,s not too hot.We book the villa on the web buy the flights making sure they are schedule(better times more room less bustle). We also arrange to pick a hire car/mini bus up from the destination airport, so we avoid that wait for the coach and long journey.Doing it this way we can tailor the holiday to suit us,we also go with granparents sometimes.You can get some fantastic places to stay with your own pool tv/sat tv, dvd player etc.This means we don,t have to worry about our d,s behaviour too much as it,s just the family around.You get loads of room so no cramped hotel to worry about.We take lots of home comforts food, videos etc.Most villas we,ve stayed in have play station etc too.It,s easier for us to do it this way as my son is a fussy eater too and I can do all his meals.It feels like home but in the sun .The beaches on the Algarve are lovely and never packed, there are water parks great shops and restaraunts at Villamoura.........OOOHH!!! I NEED A HOLIDAY! ......P.S hiring your own car gives you lots of freedom too, there are great supermarkets and they all sell English food a real bonus for my son. We,ve found its as cheap to go to Portugal in May as it is to go to Devon in August.

[call me jaded]

We self-cater. That takes away a lot of the stress and allows you to eat out when possible or eat at home. We also hire a car (a people carrier - like you, 4 kids plus Grandma). Sometimes send Grandma and a couple of kids in a taxi from the airport because of luggage.

 

For some reason Minorca popped into my head when reading your post. I haven't been there for 20 years, but it's really suitable for families. There's only one main road across the island, so you can't really get lost navigating to your resort. I would choose a resort near Cuidadella because that's a lovely town to wander around or one of the resorts at the bottom right corner of the island, the name of which escapes me right now.

 

The other thing that's fairly low cost is driving to the South of France and self-catering there. Pierre et Vacances have apartments/villas of a reasonable standard.

[Carol]

We are going to France next week and we are going self catering - we are staying at one of the Haven Europe holiday parks - we have 3 kids so have an idea that self catering probably the way to go as hotels are normally "2 adults 2 kids" set up.

 

We are just driving down to Dover to get the ferry & then the site is about an hour from Paris so not too far after that.

 

I will post when we come back if you like so you can hear how it goes - my lads are 11, 12 & 13.

 

Carol

[kazzdt]

Thanks everyone for taking the trouble to reply.

 

Call me Jaded

 

We have actually been thinking of Menorca, I've never been there myself, but I've heard food and drink is more expensive there than other places.

 

Carol

 

Hope you all have a great time. I'd love to hear how it goes for you.

 

 

We would definately go self-catering, we like to work by our own timetable. Love the idea of a villa but not sure that it would give the kids enough to keep them occupied. Depends on location I suppose. My sister has a villa on the Costa Blanca but its not in walking distance of anything, though it is lovely - and cheap!! But we'd need a car the whole time, and I understand people carriers are quite pricey to hire. We would really like to not use a car much. Our holidays in England always seem to involve loads of in & out of the car and we feel like a break. Thought we might hire a car just for the odd day.

 

Shame the weather here isn't always like it is today. I'd quite happily stay in England!!

 

Kaz x

Edited June 17, 2005 by kazzdt

[call me jaded]

Last year on mainland Spain the Euro has made a significant impact on the supermarket shop. Tesco comes out cheaper now and that was never the case. I recall Menorca being 'more expensive' way back, but still cheap. Do what the Spanish do: eat at home and go out for coffee and icecream.

[lorryw]

Menorca is ideal, lovely beaches, good food and child friendly. Also the people are very laid back and take everything in their stride!

My friend is planning to take her AS lad on his first flight, he is 18. She is taking him on a cheappo flight to Edinburgh from Gatwick. I think it has cost �11 each. This way she feels that its a good way to test the water and see how he copes. No huge holiday expectations just a day trip.

I think if you contact your local airport they will prove helpful. I know Gatwick airport arranged for another friend to take her son aboard a stationary plane and show him around.

Godd luck, Loraine

[elainem]

It's always the food that worries me. Me and dh would be happy to eat out for main meal every night but my kids diet is a nightmare and mostly comprises the usual kiddie junk, and I worry they will starve abroad.

[nix]

Hi there we are fortunate to go on holiday abroad roughly three times a year we normally book it over the internet i have two sons aged 8 and an asd son aged 4. If you look on ryanair.co.uk you will find ridiculously cheap flights to brilliant destinations. In April we flew to Almeria which is in Spain in an area called costa Almeria and stayed in a resort called Roquettas de mar. The flights alltogether for all four of us came to one hundred and fifty pounds it was something like 1.99 each way plus taxes. We then booked a four star hotel seperately with find-rooms.com we stayed eleven nights and paid 400 pounds half board. The resort was very quiet and had a really long promenade the food was excellent and the Hotel was nearly brand new not bad for 550 pounds for a family of four !!!! We are going in a caravan near Salou in Spain in August It is with touroperator Thomson and the brochure is called Thomson Alfresco. We stayed in one last year in a different resort but this year it has air conditioning. That holiday is really relaxing because it is a detatched caravan with three bedrooms designed by Linda Barker with decking outside so when the kids go to bed we got candals out and played cards it was lovely. Also centreparcs is absolutely brilliant my youngest son loves the pool the only trouble is it is expensive, saying that we went week after new year for three nights and it was 220 pounds and we went with another couple and their baby so it was 110 each. I find that if you go abroad you can relax in Spain because they just let their kids run riot they have a totally different attitude to us english whose children should be seen and not heard. I have always felt relaxed there even when the kids were young and I was breastfeeding none of the locals batted an eyelid because they all breastfed in public too infact the average age they feed their kids to is two years old.