We went on a family holiday (4 adult kids, partners and 2 grandchildren aged nearly 1 and nearly 4) to Port De Pollensa Mallorca last year. The self catering villa was expensive but it was a great family holiday. Adults all enjoyed the activities, sailing/scuba/cycling all easily available. We could walk to the beach, beach shallow and sea warm, so the grandchildren played all day. Easy transport, lots of restaurants at different prices. We’ve been to mainland Spain and Croatia before and it got everyone’s vote.
We went with our first grandchild, daughter and partner to Puerto Pollenca in September 2024 and it was fabulous- self catering, for flexibility and with its own pool. The way that climate change is influencing Europe, I think that a spring bank break would probably deliver great weather, without the wasps! The food was great, when we chose to eat out, and I also love being able to buy different regional foods and cook.
We had our honeymoon there 30 years ago, staying in a damp holiday home that had been flooded 2 weeks before and my new husband was coughing like time was not on his side. However, even with these issues, it was very friendly and worked for our 3 year old twins and us and the second time was just as fabulous and considerably less damp!
Cascais in Portugal. Beautiful, family friendly seaside town which is sunny but not too hot (usually around 30 at end of July). Can get there on a €2.60 train which runs from Lisbon at least 3 times an hour. So good we went with our 8 y.o. two years in a row. Oh and Ronaldo now has his family home nearby!
Mallorca is really nice.. we did both (resort holidays and self-catering ) when we were there... We stayed in an Airbnb in the northwest for a week( not soo many tourist.. Nice hiking with nice views) after that we stayed in an all inclusive hotel at the beach in the Northeast for a few days...1 hour taxi drive...
Skopelos is lovely, fly to Skiathos then a ferry. Also the west side of Mallorca near Deia in the mountains we stayed in port fe Soller. Ile de Re in France is fab too!
Please write a novel! I love your writing so much.
We've done both types of holiday and I completely empathise. I absolutely loved our all inclusive in Madeira and for me it was totally worth not having to shop, cook, wash up or think of what to do but it was too expensive to repeat in this lifetime...plus our daughter who is 13 loves a pool just for us, home cooked BBQs and being on holiday with our friends so a self catered villa is our usual and cheaper choice 95% of the time. Mallorca is wonderful, we used to go all the time BUT it has become quite £££ and in July/August you could be forgiven for thinking everyone in London, Surrey and the Home Counties in general has moved there. We had a villa in Croatia 40 mins from Spilt this year - can totally recommend. Apart from the fact that I got there 5 days late due to a passport that was issued in June 2016 (but had 8 months left so I thought it was ok) then we were brutally evacuated on the second to last night due to a raging and terrifying 4 mile square wild fire that happened to burn within 50 meters of our villa. But don't let that put you off!
Oh gosh holidays with kids... SO much to say, but will keep it to this: had 5 kids under 5 (now aged 22-27), holidays were honestly HELL for a long time (deeply desired and looked forward to; inevitably left me thinking why the fuck did we bother leaving home?). But Swiss Alps in the summer were always winners (easy flight to Geneva, brilliant efficient trains into the mountains) - perfect temperatures and loads to do. Now all kids are grown and flown, and we just had our first family holiday abroad all together since 2017 - in Mallorca! It was, in equal measure, heaven and hell LOL - glorious to be together but weird how they seem to resort to being toddlers when all back under our roof. Also ball-achingly expensive when you need a villa big enough for 7 adults, 6 of whom are over 6' tall. BUT Mallorca is wonderful - easy flight to Palma, no faffing around to hire a van big enough for everyone, beautiful beaches everywhere, very varied terrain so lots of stuff to do - glorious. Kids all gone back to their lives now, so hub and I heading off to Greece (Rhodes, Naxos and Crete) to recover! The circle of life...
Actually husband brilliantly organised the villa and all the activities (via ferratas, free-solo climbing etc. - WTF?!) and I organised the restaurants and beaches and the domestic shit like keeping the fridge constantly filled with beer/wine/food ("but snacks, mum, not ingredients" *eyeroll*), doing laundry and picking up all the crap. So much like normal family life then, but in a hotter place! :D
Funnily enough we had the 'are we meant to be booking holidays around what the kids want?' conversation on our holiday in the UK this summer. We wanted WALKS, adventure, wild landscapes, cooler weather, total peace. They wanted 'relaxation' (aka watching endless videos of OTHER PEOPLE PLAYING MINECRAFT?!?!) The thing is, most of our lives are governed by what the kids want/need, so it kind of feels only fair that the holiday is also for us. Especially given that we're paying for it. And also considering there is literally no way of predicting what will set my kids off.
We are at an Ikos knock off in Albania. It was about the third of the price. £3500 for three of us, compared to over £10k. Previously we had really good experiences at Ikos Oceania and Sani, but in September / October so much more reasonable pricing. I love the Greek islands (Anti Paros is my favourite and I’ve also spent a lot of time on Skiathos) but can’t face that type of holiday with a 3.5 year old - although give it a few years and I am very keen to try taking him to a Greek Island!
It’s hot and sunny, it is on the beach and it’s a good size so there are 4 restaurants plus the buffet. There are fewer staff than Ikos and they are less smiley and friendly - not unfriendly, but not quite Ikos level of training. The kids club requires parental supervision for under 5s and our son isn’t as keen on it as he was at Ikos / Sani. Given the price (£7k cheaper than Ikos for 7 days) we think it is brilliant!
We have been on a few lovely UK holidays but my 6 year old still rates Butlins to see Mr Tumble the best 😂. We are braving Spain later this year with a 4 year old in tow as well and I am half excited, half know I am going to live to regret it! ….Absolutely love these honest reviews and was looking forward to you uploading this one. You have a knack of diplomatically articulating all the gripes about travelling the rest of us feel.
I’d highly recommend the middle ground of “train to a resort hotel in the Alps.” So much less stressful than flying, and the resort towns there work really hard on their summer offerings.
I hate to share my favourite place EVER but you must try Skíathos. Small island but has 50+ beaches, one road so easy to navigate (30 mins one end to other) and the princess hotel is ideal if you have kids (private beach, kids club, amazing restaurant) but if you do go don’t Instagram it as you’ll price us ‘normals’ out of it! Also direct flights from Gatwick etc
Hmm, I didn’t like Skiathos personally, it felt touristy rather than proper Greece to me. But we went as a couple so looking for different things than family holiday! On the other hand I loved Mallorca and haven’t stopped recommending it since we went.
We go as a couple too but have been going so many years we’ve made a ton of friends there so now can’t go anywhere else as we’d miss them 😩. Also I feel like we’ve done the hard yards over the years finding the best beaches and restaurants now so I can’t face starting again somewhere new. Yes, I’m now THAT person 🥹😩🤣
I also adore your travel reviews. I will say that while I agree traveling with kids is not at all the relaxing experience of being without our beloved young ‘uns, it is a lot better now that our daughter is 14. Somewhere around 12, she stopped needing so much hoopla to keep her even keeled (does that make sense?). But we do of course have to make specific plans that she will enjoy, even if it is not something my husband and I would do otherwise (e.g. standing in line for over an hour to race downhill in a wicker basket through the streets of Funchal, Madeira).
The best family vacation spot for us is St John in the USVI. It’s tiny with an incredible number of gorgeous beaches and great food and just utterly relaxing regardless of whether you do a self catering option or a hotel (never done an all-inclusive there). But we live in US, so the flight would be long for you. BUT it does involve getting there by ferry! And we often take a sea plane in addition to ferry because we often go to another island first. Sea planes are so fun! My daughter and I love them.
I am Team Mallorca. Less than a 2 hour flight and you can get from one side of the island to the other in like 45 mins. Low on travel time, lots to do and very, very good food.
Went to Mallorca this year and stayed in an all inclusive resort and it was not my favourite summer holiday! Resort was trying to appeal to everyone, but that meant there was a lot that really didn’t appeal to me. However, I guess it wasn’t so bad once you found the bits you did like and tried to ignore the bits you didn’t!
It was also horrifically humid the whole time we were there in late July, which I was not expecting at all in the Med, so that probably didn’t help with my feelings about this holiday!
We went on a family holiday (4 adult kids, partners and 2 grandchildren aged nearly 1 and nearly 4) to Port De Pollensa Mallorca last year. The self catering villa was expensive but it was a great family holiday. Adults all enjoyed the activities, sailing/scuba/cycling all easily available. We could walk to the beach, beach shallow and sea warm, so the grandchildren played all day. Easy transport, lots of restaurants at different prices. We’ve been to mainland Spain and Croatia before and it got everyone’s vote.
We went with our first grandchild, daughter and partner to Puerto Pollenca in September 2024 and it was fabulous- self catering, for flexibility and with its own pool. The way that climate change is influencing Europe, I think that a spring bank break would probably deliver great weather, without the wasps! The food was great, when we chose to eat out, and I also love being able to buy different regional foods and cook.
We had our honeymoon there 30 years ago, staying in a damp holiday home that had been flooded 2 weeks before and my new husband was coughing like time was not on his side. However, even with these issues, it was very friendly and worked for our 3 year old twins and us and the second time was just as fabulous and considerably less damp!
Ease. I just want ease. A little warmth, a pool, a sunshade.
Cascais in Portugal. Beautiful, family friendly seaside town which is sunny but not too hot (usually around 30 at end of July). Can get there on a €2.60 train which runs from Lisbon at least 3 times an hour. So good we went with our 8 y.o. two years in a row. Oh and Ronaldo now has his family home nearby!
Mallorca is really nice.. we did both (resort holidays and self-catering ) when we were there... We stayed in an Airbnb in the northwest for a week( not soo many tourist.. Nice hiking with nice views) after that we stayed in an all inclusive hotel at the beach in the Northeast for a few days...1 hour taxi drive...
*de Soller obv! Did all with kids!
Skopelos is lovely, fly to Skiathos then a ferry. Also the west side of Mallorca near Deia in the mountains we stayed in port fe Soller. Ile de Re in France is fab too!
Please write a novel! I love your writing so much.
We've done both types of holiday and I completely empathise. I absolutely loved our all inclusive in Madeira and for me it was totally worth not having to shop, cook, wash up or think of what to do but it was too expensive to repeat in this lifetime...plus our daughter who is 13 loves a pool just for us, home cooked BBQs and being on holiday with our friends so a self catered villa is our usual and cheaper choice 95% of the time. Mallorca is wonderful, we used to go all the time BUT it has become quite £££ and in July/August you could be forgiven for thinking everyone in London, Surrey and the Home Counties in general has moved there. We had a villa in Croatia 40 mins from Spilt this year - can totally recommend. Apart from the fact that I got there 5 days late due to a passport that was issued in June 2016 (but had 8 months left so I thought it was ok) then we were brutally evacuated on the second to last night due to a raging and terrifying 4 mile square wild fire that happened to burn within 50 meters of our villa. But don't let that put you off!
Oh gosh holidays with kids... SO much to say, but will keep it to this: had 5 kids under 5 (now aged 22-27), holidays were honestly HELL for a long time (deeply desired and looked forward to; inevitably left me thinking why the fuck did we bother leaving home?). But Swiss Alps in the summer were always winners (easy flight to Geneva, brilliant efficient trains into the mountains) - perfect temperatures and loads to do. Now all kids are grown and flown, and we just had our first family holiday abroad all together since 2017 - in Mallorca! It was, in equal measure, heaven and hell LOL - glorious to be together but weird how they seem to resort to being toddlers when all back under our roof. Also ball-achingly expensive when you need a villa big enough for 7 adults, 6 of whom are over 6' tall. BUT Mallorca is wonderful - easy flight to Palma, no faffing around to hire a van big enough for everyone, beautiful beaches everywhere, very varied terrain so lots of stuff to do - glorious. Kids all gone back to their lives now, so hub and I heading off to Greece (Rhodes, Naxos and Crete) to recover! The circle of life...
Hahahaha, absolutely love this! Especially as it was Mallorca. Did you end up doing all of the organising?
Actually husband brilliantly organised the villa and all the activities (via ferratas, free-solo climbing etc. - WTF?!) and I organised the restaurants and beaches and the domestic shit like keeping the fridge constantly filled with beer/wine/food ("but snacks, mum, not ingredients" *eyeroll*), doing laundry and picking up all the crap. So much like normal family life then, but in a hotter place! :D
Funnily enough we had the 'are we meant to be booking holidays around what the kids want?' conversation on our holiday in the UK this summer. We wanted WALKS, adventure, wild landscapes, cooler weather, total peace. They wanted 'relaxation' (aka watching endless videos of OTHER PEOPLE PLAYING MINECRAFT?!?!) The thing is, most of our lives are governed by what the kids want/need, so it kind of feels only fair that the holiday is also for us. Especially given that we're paying for it. And also considering there is literally no way of predicting what will set my kids off.
The watching other people play video games that are already mind-numbing is so beyond my comprehension.
We are at an Ikos knock off in Albania. It was about the third of the price. £3500 for three of us, compared to over £10k. Previously we had really good experiences at Ikos Oceania and Sani, but in September / October so much more reasonable pricing. I love the Greek islands (Anti Paros is my favourite and I’ve also spent a lot of time on Skiathos) but can’t face that type of holiday with a 3.5 year old - although give it a few years and I am very keen to try taking him to a Greek Island!
And how is it? How does it compare? Invested in this!
It’s hot and sunny, it is on the beach and it’s a good size so there are 4 restaurants plus the buffet. There are fewer staff than Ikos and they are less smiley and friendly - not unfriendly, but not quite Ikos level of training. The kids club requires parental supervision for under 5s and our son isn’t as keen on it as he was at Ikos / Sani. Given the price (£7k cheaper than Ikos for 7 days) we think it is brilliant!
We have been on a few lovely UK holidays but my 6 year old still rates Butlins to see Mr Tumble the best 😂. We are braving Spain later this year with a 4 year old in tow as well and I am half excited, half know I am going to live to regret it! ….Absolutely love these honest reviews and was looking forward to you uploading this one. You have a knack of diplomatically articulating all the gripes about travelling the rest of us feel.
Thank you! And good luck, obviously..
I’d highly recommend the middle ground of “train to a resort hotel in the Alps.” So much less stressful than flying, and the resort towns there work really hard on their summer offerings.
What sort of weather? X
Sunny and warm-to-hot but less unbearably hot than the Green Islands!
Good to know, thank you!
Children often rate the dullest holidays the best ! So annoying !
Yep!
I hate to share my favourite place EVER but you must try Skíathos. Small island but has 50+ beaches, one road so easy to navigate (30 mins one end to other) and the princess hotel is ideal if you have kids (private beach, kids club, amazing restaurant) but if you do go don’t Instagram it as you’ll price us ‘normals’ out of it! Also direct flights from Gatwick etc
Ok. Got it. Skiathos, shh shh. I did actually nearly book Skiathos and am now annoyed
Hmm, I didn’t like Skiathos personally, it felt touristy rather than proper Greece to me. But we went as a couple so looking for different things than family holiday! On the other hand I loved Mallorca and haven’t stopped recommending it since we went.
We go as a couple too but have been going so many years we’ve made a ton of friends there so now can’t go anywhere else as we’d miss them 😩. Also I feel like we’ve done the hard yards over the years finding the best beaches and restaurants now so I can’t face starting again somewhere new. Yes, I’m now THAT person 🥹😩🤣
I also adore your travel reviews. I will say that while I agree traveling with kids is not at all the relaxing experience of being without our beloved young ‘uns, it is a lot better now that our daughter is 14. Somewhere around 12, she stopped needing so much hoopla to keep her even keeled (does that make sense?). But we do of course have to make specific plans that she will enjoy, even if it is not something my husband and I would do otherwise (e.g. standing in line for over an hour to race downhill in a wicker basket through the streets of Funchal, Madeira).
The best family vacation spot for us is St John in the USVI. It’s tiny with an incredible number of gorgeous beaches and great food and just utterly relaxing regardless of whether you do a self catering option or a hotel (never done an all-inclusive there). But we live in US, so the flight would be long for you. BUT it does involve getting there by ferry! And we often take a sea plane in addition to ferry because we often go to another island first. Sea planes are so fun! My daughter and I love them.
Sorry but the basket thing sounds amazing! 🤣
It kind of was!
I am Team Mallorca. Less than a 2 hour flight and you can get from one side of the island to the other in like 45 mins. Low on travel time, lots to do and very, very good food.
Went to Mallorca this year and stayed in an all inclusive resort and it was not my favourite summer holiday! Resort was trying to appeal to everyone, but that meant there was a lot that really didn’t appeal to me. However, I guess it wasn’t so bad once you found the bits you did like and tried to ignore the bits you didn’t!
It was also horrifically humid the whole time we were there in late July, which I was not expecting at all in the Med, so that probably didn’t help with my feelings about this holiday!
Honestly since I asked you about it it’s all that comes up on my Instagram feed!
Also I ADORE your travel reviews!
I’ll keep them coming!