Trips with kids under 6 that felt like a “real vacation”

[Anonymous]

I agree that renting a place is the least relaxing way to vacation! Whether at a beach or European city, I much prefer a resort or hotel with room service and daily housekeeping.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Bring nanny

It is possible to have a nice vacation and not have a nanny. Many people do it in fact because they can't afford it.

Maybe bring a grandparent if you get along well and if he/she is willing to give you a date night, some babysitting help.

[Anonymous]

Club Med and places with kids clubs. We had great trips all over the world.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I need ideas. We have done Disney (Land and World), Hawaii, Costa Rica, Utah, Arizona, SF/Carmel, San Diego, Nantucket + Boston, New Mexico, Hill Country Texas, Idaho, Washington state, Vancouver. Need some ideas! Most feel like a trip and not a vacation. Maybe my expectations are too high!

I am impressed, op! That's a lot of great vacations already! How many kids do you have and what are their ages? I took my 6 year old and 9 year old to London which was fantastic but, with Covid that changes things. Plus, my 6 year old was the youngest.

OP here! My kids are 3 + 5, so it is still very much a trip. I’m looking into some of the ones with activities/childcare for kids. We have stayed at some nice resorts before but none with stellar kids club programs. We have used an occasional night sitter to go to a dinner alone. My kids really love organized and guided activities like a craft, etc, and they enjoy meeting and playing with other children. My 5 year old was even bored at Disney at times when it was a ride or something tailored towards a younger sibling. They really thrive in being active and doing things. The issue with swimming in the pool and beach is that we get zero down time because they need to be watched every minute at this age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are no vacations with children, only trips. Sorry!

Depends on the kid and frankly the parents.

We definitely take vacations with our kid. We do trips also but we have had some amazing vacations.

Why do you not think this possible?

I don’t get this either. I travel often with my three children and would absolutely call them vacations. But I’m also not the type to sit around a read on a beach for more than a day - I prefer more activity and energy so maybe that’s why?

Really, with little kids? Are you the dad? Picking out where to eat, what to do, where everyone can use the restroom everywhere we go, packing day bags, cleaning, getting through naps and nighttime in a new space, and all the child care stuff is not relaxing. Also, you cant' actually sit around and read on the beach with little kids. You have to watch them. I took really adventurous vacations pre-kids. Now, I'm so exhausted from getting out of hotel/rental with the kids on our "vacation." Our last couple of "vacations" were filled with fun moments interspersed with me crying and having anxiety attacks in the bathroom. My husband and children had a wonderful time though.

OP, yes exactly. I’m happy for the memories on all our trips but there was zero down time for my DH and I. I need something with some childcare options that’s more than babysitting and actual activities. We obviously plan to spend time with our kids but a few hours a day and late dinners alone after the kids go to sleep would be ideal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I need ideas. We have done Disney (Land and World), Hawaii, Costa Rica, Utah, Arizona, SF/Carmel, San Diego, Nantucket + Boston, New Mexico, Hill Country Texas, Idaho, Washington state, Vancouver. Need some ideas! Most feel like a trip and not a vacation. Maybe my expectations are too high!

I am impressed, op! That's a lot of great vacations already! How many kids do you have and what are their ages? I took my 6 year old and 9 year old to London which was fantastic but, with Covid that changes things. Plus, my 6 year old was the youngest.

OP here! My kids are 3 + 5, so it is still very much a trip. I’m looking into some of the ones with activities/childcare for kids. We have stayed at some nice resorts before but none with stellar kids club programs. We have used an occasional night sitter to go to a dinner alone. My kids really love organized and guided activities like a craft, etc, and they enjoy meeting and playing with other children. My 5 year old was even bored at Disney at times when it was a ride or something tailored towards a younger sibling. They really thrive in being active and doing things. The issue with swimming in the pool and beach is that we get zero down time because they need to be watched every minute at this age.

What you need is family camp.

https://www.deervalleyymca.org/programs/summer-family-camp/

[Anonymous]

My kids would never willingly go to a kids camp or stay with an unknown babysitter so we just kept it to condo rentals until they were older. Yes we had to make a lot of the food but it was easier than eating out with them all the time (we would still do some dinners out) and also the adults got down time when they napped and went to bed early as they were excellent sleepers if they had a dark quiet place. We stuck to beachfront places with pools and that worked well for us.

[Anonymous]

This is a timely thread. Our DD will be two in August, and we'd like to take a vacation just the three of us before having another kid. However, it's really tough to find a place that's good for a kid that age, as all the "kid activities" at resort type places seem geared towards kids that are at least 5 or so.

[Anonymous]

Tyler Place.

[Anonymous]

We’ve always loved summers in Mont Tremblant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is a timely thread. Our DD will be two in August, and we'd like to take a vacation just the three of us before having another kid. However, it's really tough to find a place that's good for a kid that age, as all the "kid activities" at resort type places seem geared towards kids that are at least 5 or so.

What is wrong with a beach resort with a nice pool?

We also did 4S Vegas with our kid at this age. They loved it.

[Anonymous]

I agree with PPs that there's no such thing as a "real" vacation when traveling with young children. Some lovely adventures and great memories, but not relaxing. If you want a real break, you'll need to find a resort with a kids camp or you'll need to bring your nanny with you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is a timely thread. Our DD will be two in August, and we'd like to take a vacation just the three of us before having another kid. However, it's really tough to find a place that's good for a kid that age, as all the "kid activities" at resort type places seem geared towards kids that are at least 5 or so.

What is wrong with a beach resort with a nice pool?

We also did 4S Vegas with our kid at this age. They loved it.

Most of those places won’t take PP’s 1 (or 2) year old in their kids club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I need ideas. We have done Disney (Land and World), Hawaii, Costa Rica, Utah, Arizona, SF/Carmel, San Diego, Nantucket + Boston, New Mexico, Hill Country Texas, Idaho, Washington state, Vancouver. Need some ideas! Most feel like a trip and not a vacation. Maybe my expectations are too high!

I am impressed, op! That's a lot of great vacations already! How many kids do you have and what are their ages? I took my 6 year old and 9 year old to London which was fantastic but, with Covid that changes things. Plus, my 6 year old was the youngest.

OP here! My kids are 3 + 5, so it is still very much a trip. I’m looking into some of the ones with activities/childcare for kids. We have stayed at some nice resorts before but none with stellar kids club programs. We have used an occasional night sitter to go to a dinner alone. My kids really love organized and guided activities like a craft, etc, and they enjoy meeting and playing with other children. My 5 year old was even bored at Disney at times when it was a ride or something tailored towards a younger sibling. They really thrive in being active and doing things. The issue with swimming in the pool and beach is that we get zero down time because they need to be watched every minute at this age.

I'm the Nemacolin poster. Their kids club starts young enough to take your youngest. They have townhouses so you can get space, or suites in the main hotel. Plenty of activities for everyone. You can do kids club just a couple half days and use that time to go to the spa. I refuse to do rentals with my kids - we did it once, and it was so much work!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree with PPs that there's no such thing as a "real" vacation when traveling with young children. Some lovely adventures and great memories, but not relaxing. If you want a real break, you'll need to find a resort with a kids camp or you'll need to bring your nanny with you.

I have 3 kids ages 4-12. Dh and I take turns giving one another a break. I go to the spa, lay out by the pool, etc while Dh may do an activity with the kids. We did this when we had 1 kid, 2 kids and now 3 kids.

Younger kids had puddle jumpers so you are still in the pool with them but it can still be relaxing.