Over the years I’ve stayed in a hotels, apartments and private villas. All have their advantages. But thinking about our first holiday as a family of four (whenever that may be), I’ve been swaying towards a villa holiday.
We love going away with my in-laws. The boys love spending time with their grandparents and we enjoy the adult company. Not to mention the possibility of a date night for me and Joe!
Going away with grandparents means we need a bigger space so a villa would be the ideal choice. They prefer a more private setting, and having 2 crazy boys means they can run wild without annoying anyone (apart from us ha!)
Booking a private villa would give us the opportunity to tailor our holiday. Flights that suit us, location perhaps a little quieter than where a hotel is placed, adding a rental car to allow us to explore. We could really create a holiday unique and special to suit our family.
Don’t get me wrong, I love an all inclusive hotel stay and the facilities would be great for the kids. (I recently wrote about planning a trip to Barcelona with the kids.) But with the boys being so young we need to be able to put them to bed in their own room, and have a space for us to relax and enjoy some adult time. For this reason I know a villa would really work for us.
When we decide to take the boys a little further than Europe, we would most likely use a company like Villa Finder to help us decide on the perfect place to stay. They have villas inĀ Bali, Phuket, Samui, Sri Lanka and Mauritius. We have always said we’d love to go back to Phuket. When I tell people we want to take the boys to Thailand they alway question whether it’s suitable for families. We think it is!
Villa Finder has a unique way to book with them, which I think a lot of people would find useful. Firstly, when you want to book a villa with them you initially put in a request. This is then followed up by a phone call from one of their travel consultants. This way they get a full understanding of what the clients needs are. This is particularly useful for families. The consultant will be able to ensure the villa is suitable for the ages of the children staying there. For example, do they need a car seat during their stay, or even a pool fence?
With my little Bear cub being so ‘spirited’ we would ideally need somewhere we could relax without worrying he could put himself in too much danger. A secure pool area, stair gates, minimal things he can pick up and break.
As well as a travel consultant, once the booking is made you then have a Concierge Service to help you further with your booking. You can contact them for help with a variety of things. Including help with booking excursions, airport pick up, even arranging a special meal. All payments are made direct and the Concierge doesn’t charge for their service.
Taking young children on a long haul holiday is quite daunting, well it is to me anyway! I love the idea of having someone on the end of the phone to help us wit our trip and give us the confidcene we’ve booked the perfect location.
So whether you need to findĀ a villa in Ubud for your family trip, organise a group trip to Phuket, or maybe something extra special for your honeymoon, booking with Villa Finder could be your answer.
~A~
* Collaborative post
Emily Nellist says
Here here, P’s ‘spirited’ too and having a villa is just much easier as they can run amock without disturbing others.
lambandbear says
Gotta love them, but also gotta contain them! hahahaha x
Kerry Conway (@kerrymconway) says
We stayed in a villa in France and it was our favourite holiday! We really want to go back next year!
lambandbear says
Oh fab! I enjoy hotels too but with the kids being young I think a villa would work best x
emilyandindiana says
We’ve never done a villa holiday, but I think as the kids get older we’ll definitely consider it! Finding a room suitable for 5 isn’t so easy in an all inclusive x
lambandbear says
Exactly, you often have to tip toe around the kids while they sleep. A villa solves that problem! x
Lyndsey O'Halloran says
I would love a villa holiday but we would need to make sure it was easy to get to and not cost a fortune in a taxi! Villa Finder sounds like a good service.
lambandbear says
You’ll always find them close by to everything hun, they’re not hidden away. x
Hi Baby says
I think villas work SO well when you have small children, you have much more space and they seem calmer
lambandbear says
I agree. There’s more space for them to relax and wind down x
Kate Tunstall, The Less-Refined Mind says
We’ve recently returned from our first family holiday abroad (a cruise) and I’m with you. We’ve learnt our lesson and I think a villa would be a brilliant choice next time.