first family holiday abroad in july 2013 - ideas

gtanny

Hi

i am finally in a position i have wanted to be in since starting working, i have recently started a new job and as a family we finally have enough income to look into a good family holiday abroad.

i have a wife and 2 daughters who at the time of the holiday will be 17 months and one will be 5 1/2 years, so a simple family of 4 holiday.

we are looking for something that is not too expensive but we haven't really set a strict budget, we worked out we could get around £3,500 for the holiday including spending money but didn't intend on spending all that for the holiday as we are also saving for the 'big' family holiday around 4 years time for 3 weeks in Florida

im very open to suggestions and the only thing we would like it to be abroad as my wife and children have never left British soil.

only requirements are, plenty of activity's for the eldest to do, she loves swimming so a good water-park would be great

edit: might help if i give dates, i am on a 21 day shift break from 5th - 25th july 2013, i am a shift worker so i have no say in this, i know i will have to get my daughter out of school but i have been told this has never been a problem in the area we live and the company are supposed to be very supportive with confirmation of the situation

Obviously_the_best

I don't know where you want to depart, but Mallorca (Majorca) is very nice at that time of year. The Club Del Sol Aparthotel is fab for smaller kids.

trailingspouse

We've just come back from a few days with our granddaughter (aged 4) at the Altomincio Holiday Park near Lake Garda, Italy. It was one of the best I've been to, and the swimming pool was just perfect. In fact, there were 3 pools - a large but shallow one with waterslides for the little ones, an Olympic sized 'normal' pool for the serious swimmers, and another one which we didn't even have time to visit! There's a kid's club, crazy golf, restaurant and bars, loads of little play parks (so there's likely to be one near you), and an entire shop selling nothing but Italian ice cream. Also you can fly into Bergamo with Ryanair, and the park is only about a half hour's drive away. And if you want to get out and about, you've got Lake Garda on your doorstep. We hired a motor boat (EUR38 for an hour, holds 6 people) and all had a turn driving it (including the granddaughter with a bit of guidance from her grandmother!!). We didn't have time to do it, but you are also within easy reach of a train station that can take you to Venice or Milan, if you fancy a grown-up day out!!

jaffacat_2

Majorca is fab, the Bonaire at Cala Bona is a Thomson family resort, it is FAB we have been twice now and suitable for little children and older ones. fab splash park & swimming pools, all flat so great for pushchairs, lots fairly local and not far from airport. its just perfect!

zagfles

If you don't mind driving, have a look at siblu/keycamp/eurocamp, the parks are generally very good with loads to do. We always found driving holidays much easier than flying when the kids were young (and they loved the ferry crossings!). Your budget should be easily enough for 2-3 weeks.

Also check out booking the parks direct, sometimes a lot cheaper, but if you want a longer crossing eg to Normandy/Brittany it can be cheaper to book as a package with one of the above.

mew

Although I don't like the company, First Choice holiday villages are great for families with young children. If you want to go abroad and go exploring, visiting attractions and eating out then they would not be suitable.

If however you want a fun packed family holiday filled with activities for kids (and some family activities) then they are great. Imagine Butlins but with better accomadtion, better activities, better food, almost guaranteed sunshine and almost everything included in the price.

http://www.firstchoice.co.uk/sun-holidays/holiday-villages/

nancmat

we just came back from insotel cala tarida in ibiza short flight approx 2hrs and it was well catered for kids, buggies, parks, small safe beach it was lovely, booked with first choice.

dude0nvacation

Well, it really depends on what kind of holiday you are looking forward to. I'm pretty sure since you have kids, you would love to go to theme parks like Disneyland and such. You can visit the US or HK for an enjoyable themed park vacation with your kids.

You can also take a look at this site http://crispy-hotels.com/ as you plan your holiday vacation with your family so that you will be able to have a heads up and calculate how much hotel accommodations on the country of your choice will cost and will still be on your budget. I always use this link for my travels (most especially those travels that I don't require any travel agency).

Good luck!

a66y31

we have just booked up to go to Menorca cala n bosch 2 adults 2 kids (10, 12)..free access to waterpark ... all inclusive £2350 7nights july 2013