My Ideal Family Holidays

When it comes to holidays, my perception of a holiday has changed rather a lot since we had children.  Those long lazy days by the pool, where I could read a book and relax, are long gone! 

The hotels that I would have dreamed of before, just aren't practical when you have two kids, and you want to actually enjoy your holiday. Even the locations of my dream holidays have shifted, to take into account the weather being just too hot or too cold to enjoy it with little ones in tow. 

As we are returning to the UK, we'll need to start searching around for some sunshine, and so I've been on the hunt for family holidays that we can all enjoy. 

Here is my current dream holiday list:

Center Parcs:

I went to Centerparcs quite a few times as a child, and I absolutely LOVED it. I'm having a bit of a hard time convincing Gary that we should go here though, as he's worried it's like Butlins. 

Although I think the new Treehouse and Exclusive accommodation might convince him, the idea of sitting in the hot tub while the kids are in bed with a bottle of wine might just swing it. 

I love the way that it has been completely set up for children, even for the really young ones. There are structured activities especially for them, not to mention the swimming pool. 

Knowing that we can keep our young children entertained is a great relief. One of the things we found on recent holidays was that just sitting by the pool isn't enough for our two. They quickly get bored of the pool and want to go off and do something else. 

Mister L would be able to go and take part in some messy play, while Miss S was off at her Pirate Adventure or at the Chocolate Factory. We could all have a dip in the pool before wandering back to our own little home at night, where Gary and I could get some much needed time to ourselves. 

There are plenty of outdoor sporty activities to keep Gary busy, and theres even a spa for me. So it looks like a winner all round! 

Centerparcs has five UK locations, and I'm also really excited by the idea of travelling to one of the European Centerparcs too!

Disney World:

There is no way I could even consider writing about dream family holidays without including Disney World. 

Even though Miss S is not yet three years old, and Mr L has only just turned one, I'm already sneaking peeks at the enormous amount of information out there about planning your trip to Disney. 

While I think we'll wait until Mr L is at least two, to make the most of actually going, I'm so excited when I think of their little faces! 

There's so much to do at Disney, but we're going to have to try to plan some downtime to make sure we all don't end up tired and burnt out by trying to drag us all around the parks and see everything. 

I'm really excited about going to see Harry Potter World as well, although the kids will probably have no idea about Harry Potter when we first take them, I'm sure that the magic of Hogwarts will still keep them occupied. 

Italy: 

Italy has been calling my name ever since my mum got married in Sorrento. I spend rather too much time day dreaming about wandering the streets and tucking into a beautiful bowl of fresh pasta. 

The Italy I remember wouldn't have been very child friendly, as it involved lots of time by the sea and with lots of good food and wine. 

However, there seem to be an amazing amount of British families who have packed their bags for Italy, and have set up farmhouses that cater for young families. So it looks like we really might be able to have our cake and eat it. 

Time by the pool, check. 
Play areas to occupy the kids, check. 
Two bedrooms to ensure a good nights sleep all round, check.
Baby supplies, to save on the luggage allowance, check. 
Private patio area for evening relaxation, check.
Nearby restaurants for that bowl of pasta, check. 

Sounds like bliss to me!


Where are your dream family holidays? I'm always looking for more inspiration and to add to our ever growing list! 

x