Where should I take my UK-based family on holiday this Easter?

February 13, 2010 2:04 AM

Where should I take my UK-based family on holiday this Easter?

I've just resigned my current job and have been placed on gardening leave, so will have a unique opportunity to take a family holiday this Easter without being chased by work calls. My next job is going to be pretty demanding, so I don't want to waste this chunk of time.

My wife and I have two boys aged 2 (and a half) and 4 (and a half), the oldest being at school already (we don't want to take him out of school in term time).

The school holiday is for the two weeks starting 5th April.

I'm based in the UK, near London and close enough to all the London Airports. We can drive for , say, 5 or 6 hours. I'm not keen on the idea of any long-haul flights as the two year old would drive either us or other passengers to distraction if the journey was more than 3 hours.

We've ruled out a couple of options - Disneyland Paris (general bad reviews) and Centre Parcs (going for a weekend soon anyway).

We're feeling at a loss for ideas, as the boys will need a range of things to do but I'd like to find something a bit special where we can all relax and isn't only about entertaining the kids.

Budget is flexible within reason, if we said for argument's sake £3,000 for travel, accommodation and expenses, but I'd happily go over that for the right option.

Are we asking for too much? Does anyone have any ideas?

I'm away until tomorrow morning now - if you have any questions I will be back in 24 hours to answer them! Thanks in advance.

posted by simcd to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)

Your budget isn't exactly tight so think about what things you all enjoy doing, what sort of climate and location that requires and where that might be available in early April and work it from there. Without you telling people what sort of things you all enjoy doing it is difficult to come up with any specific suggestions.
posted by koahiatamadl at 3:43 AM on February 13, 2010

Have you thought about Paris itself? We went there for a week (rented an apartment) with our two daughters (when they were about 3 and 6). There was plenty for us all to enjoy and my wife and I probably enjoyed it more for not trying to overschedule on museums etc. You could incorporate a short trip to Disneyland Paris for variety rather than having to be stuck there the whole time.

Short flight, or you can go by Eurostar - no problems with excess baggage then (except carrying it in the first place).
posted by crocomancer at 8:40 AM on February 13, 2010

In my opinion you should find somewhere with a beach. You can strap the kids in life vests and let them play in the sand while you and your spouse sit on the beach and relax. Of course most resort towns have more to do than just the beach, so if you look around you'll probably find somewhere with lots of other things to do.

I'm not sure how warm the Mediterranean will be in April, but maybe that's something to consider? It's going to be more expensive, but it's a shorter flight for you than something like the Caribbean.

Another thought would be a cruise. They have lots to do, and they have great kids programs for the little guys so the grown ups can relax. A cruise is number one on my family dream vacation list.
posted by TooFewShoes at 9:31 AM on February 13, 2010

What about Barcelona? It's beautiful, culturally significant, kid-friendly, and there's a beach. And if your budget's £3,000 (jealous) you could probably stay at the Arts, or, for a third of the price, here.
posted by tigrefacile at 12:01 PM on February 13, 2010

Thanks everyone - some great ideas. We hadn't really thought of city breaks or cruises - we're now having a good look at Paris, as my wife speaks French and we used to spend a lot of time there a few years back. There's a lot more for kids there than I realised!
posted by simcd at 2:01 AM on February 14, 2010