Holiday Accomodation Archives - With love from Lou

There’s nothing quite like some time away as a family. Sure, it can be stressful, but with a little prep and planning, it could end up being the break that you all need. Of course, trying to get the family all prepped and off to your holiday spot can be very challenging, so it’s important that you get as much ready beforehand as possible.

Cottage breaks can be a great a way to refresh and revitalise, and whether you’re away for a fortnight or just the weekend, you’re going to want your time away to be as stress-free as possible. Whether they’re toddlers or teens, here’s how to keep the kids happy with a calming weekend away from the hustle and bustle.

Location, Location, Location

Your first step is going to be finding the right cottage. That’s largely going to depend on what you’re looking for. Some families will want the seclusion of a country spot, while others will prioritise easy drives to local attractions. Talk to your family too, because they might have an idea of where they want to go and what they want to do. Look at Amberley House Cottages for a selection of alternative and luxurious Sussex holiday cottages that’ll delight every member of your family. Check every feature that you need, and go from there.

Stay Connected

Even if you want to avoid the world for a while, your kids are going to want to keep connected to their friends. Make sure that your cottage has Wi-Fi so that if things do get tense, everyone has something to do that can distance themselves from any drama. Obviously, you don’t want to escape to the country to find that your teen is staring at a screen the whole time, so make sure that you have a compromise in place.

Pack Some Games

If you’ve got games to play, then you’re going to find it very hard to get bored. Games can be played in your cottage, or even on the car journey there. Take your family’s favourite board games and have some special prizes prepared for the winner. Some cottages will have all-new games to play as well, so you could end up finding a new board game that will be played for years afterwards.

Get Outside

On nice days, you’re going to want to get outside and get some fresh air into your lungs. Make sure that kids are ready for any long walks, and always let them know what the plan is. If they realise that they’re going to be walking for a few hours, then they will be less likely to complain. A top tip is to give them a camera, so that they can concentrate on taking great pics rather than stressing about their feet.

A cottage break is a great way to spend time together as a family. As long as you prepare for rainy days and tantrums from the kids, you could end up returning home closer than ever. If they have a good enough time, then they might even be begging you for a repeat adventure as soon as possible.

Do you have any other tips for keeping the kids happy on a cottage holiday?
If so, why not let us know in the comments below.
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We’re well into the second week of August now, and I’ve seen Facebook post after Facebook post of friends and family enjoying their summer holidays abroad. And I’m not going to lie – they’re making me jealous! It’s been a good 11 years since I last left the country, and although I didn’t miss holidaying abroad to begin with, I’m itching to visit places outside of the UK now.

I’ve recently found myself checking out apartments and villas for rent on a daily basis over on the Clickstay website, as they offer a massive range of holiday accommodation in over 50 different countries. And since I started searching for the perfect place to visit, I’ve realised that there are 3 things that the kids and I really want our holiday accommodation to have. Can you guys guess what they are?

1. A Private Pool

The thing that’s most definitely at the top of the list of things we really want our holiday accommodation to have is a private pool. You may remember me sharing a post on my daughter Stacey’s travel essentials recently, and in that post, she included an inflatable unicorn that we picked up in Primark earlier this year. Sadly, the pool in the complex we stayed in wasn’t all that big, and she was told that she couldn’t use it due to their being other people in there at the same time as us. But this wouldn’t have been a problem had we holidayed abroad in an apartment or villa that had its own private pool!

There are loads of other perks to having a private pool in your holiday accommodation too. Such as being able to take photo’s of the kids without being told off. Knowing you can use the pool whenever you want to and not be having to worry about it being full of other people. And the big one for me: being able to change into a swimsuit and splash around in the pool with the rest of the family without wondering if everyone around you is taking note of just how fat you are. Bliss!

2. Air Conditioning

If there’s one thing us Brits can’t stand, it’s got to be the heat. We spend all winter complaining about how cold it is, yet when the sun comes out for the whole five seconds of summer, what do we do? Complain that it’s too damn hot!! The weather really can’t win, and if you think it’s been scorching hot here in the UK recently, just wait until you feel the heat of the sun abroad! It’s crazy hot, and I don’t think anything can really prepare you for it.

During the day you might be lucky enough to get a nice bit of a breeze to accompany the heat, but at night you’re sure to just feel hot and sticky. And that’s why we want to be sure that our holiday accommodation has air conditioning, so we can be sure that we’re going to get a nice, cool, peaceful night’s sleep. Oh, and so I can escape the sun for an hour or two during the day and read a few pages of the book I started like, four years ago. But don’t tell the kids that!

3. WiFi

OK, I know what you’re going to say! Why do I need WiFi when I’m supposed to be on holiday relaxing? Well, for one, my full-time job is blogging, and I like to make sure any posts and social updates I’ve scheduled for the day have gone out as planned, even when I’m supposed to be taking a break from it. And secondly, I have a teenage daughter whose friends all use social media while they’re on holiday. If I told her she couldn’t do her Snapchat streaks for a couple of weeks I would be, without a doubt, the worst mother in the world.

I feel that making sure she had a satellite internet service so she could keep in touch with her friends while we were away on holiday would mean I could ask for her help with other things without being moaned at for it. After all, the WiFi can easily be turned off if need be!

If you’ve been following my blog for a while now, you might have read my travel bucket list, where I talked about the 5 places outside of the UK that I’d most like to visit at the moment. And The Algarve in Portugal made it to the very top of that list, so I’m sure it won’t come as any surprise that that’s the place I’ve been looking at on Clickstay. And I’ve actually managed to find a villa in Praia Da Luz that has all 3 of the things we want from our holiday accommodation. How cool is that? I’ve inserted a picture of it above for you to take a look at. Isn’t it beautiful? It’s situated close to the beach as well, which is a bonus as I’m sure Oscar would want to build sand castles or dig a hole to bury his big sister in while we were away.

And there you have it, our list of 3 things we want our holiday accommodation to have when we finally book to go abroad. Which reminds me, I’m going to need a new passport. Eek! I’ll have to look into renewing that first thing tomorrow morning.

Would you make sure your holiday accommodation had these 3 things in when travelling abroad?
Or would you want something else? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading.
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How To Keep The Kids Happy on a Cottage Holiday

Holidaying Abroad | 3 Things We Want Our Holiday Accommodation to Have