|
|
|
Comments (4)
Print
Save/ShareMy wife would love to bring our boys, ages 11 months and 3 years, to Europe. That is, until I remind her of how difficult the trip would be. The flight, of course, could be a nightmare. We're normally pretty exhausted chasing the kids around, and jet lag could push everybody over the edge. And then when we got to Spain or Italy or wherever, it would be tough for all of us to stay in a reasonably priced hotel room and actually get some sleep. Figuring out hotels that would be child-friendly is difficult in the U.S., let alone overseas.
Until now, that is. A couple of interesting new websites focus on family-friendly hotels and resorts in Europe. CiaoBambino.com specializes in Italy, and also has some recommended properties in France and England. The site, run by a couple in California, lists everything that a mom would want to know -- not only if the place has cribs and highchairs, but also how level the grounds are around the hotel (if it's on a big hill, you'll never be able to put your toddler down), not only if there is a pool, but if there is a gate and a fence for the pool, and how high the fence is. The site also details activities in the area from horseback riding to cooking schools, and what ages the activities are right for.
BabyFriendlyBoltHoles.co.uk lists resorts, hotels, and ...
...self-catering cottages, mostly in the U.K., and with a handful of properties in France, Greece, Italy, and Spain. Just about every property has kitchens and extra-big rooms that are perfect for families, and with one click parents will be able to find out if the property offers babysitting, tricycles, sandboxes, trampolines, and more. Of course, you'd be able to find all of these details by hunting on your own (and perhaps e-mailing the owners with your questions), but it sure is nice to have someone else do the homework for you. And while I can't exactly say I'm ready to bring our two sons to Europe just yet, I'm certainly closer than I was before checking out these sites. If you know of similar family-friendly resources for Europe or anywhere else, let us know.--Brad Tuttle, Senior Editor of Budget Travel.
User reviews and comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions.
The answer is home exchange. You stay in the home of a European family while they are using your home. No money changes hands.
That way the kids have space to run around, they each have their own bedroom, there are laundry and kitchen facilities, baby gear is included if you swap with families who have kids and best of all, it's free!
See my non-commercial blog homeexchanger.blogspot.com for tips and links.
Posted By Nicole on April 19, 2007, 8:45 AM
Another answer is vacation home rental. It is abundant in Europe and much more affordable than hotels. It's also much more convenient for toddlers who don't eat on the same schedule everyone else does. We did it with our 16 mos old daughter and swear by it.
Posted By nadine on April 20, 2007, 1:13 PM
I've never done this before but I have had such a bad experience. After many years of travel I have found these people the worst to deal with: In booking a trip through Universal Studios in Orlando for Mardi Gras, their on site hotels were full so they transferred me to a web site called travelnow.com. I picked a hotel near Orlando studios called Orlando Grand Hotel & Suites for $189.00 a night. Doesn't this sound like a first rate hotel? Upon arrival at 3:00 P.M (their check-in time) We found the room deplorable. Lock on door broken, hinges on inside of door totally rusted. Cigarette ashes on floor in bathroom (non-smoking room). Large pieces of bathroom counter (marble) broken out.Mold in the bathroom. A small (dorm room type) refrigerator under the sink. A microwave oven perched on the folding luggage holder. All in all, the room was filthy. The front desk said they had no more rooms and offered to do nothing. This was Daytona weekend and everyone was booked up. In the morning we talked to the manager and he agreed to comp the room, but we had to go through travelnow.com. They came back with the answer they would have to talk to the manager. After two months of them not answering me and doing nothing, I finally sent all the info to Chase Mastercard, and they did not feel this was wrong either. DO NOT STAY AT THIS HOTEL(there was nothing grand about it) OR WASTE YOUR TIME WITH travelnow.com.
Posted By Rhea Bergert on April 24, 2007, 11:38 AM
Dear Rhea Bergert,
Thanks for sharing with our readers your experience. It sounds like you had an awful time. TravelNow isn't a company we've mentioned in our magazine for years, and we're not familiar with it currently. It is apparently not a member of the Better Business Bureau, and has received several complaints from customers. (See the BBB file by clicking here: http://www.springfield-mo.bbb.org/commonreport.html?bid=12289
If other readers have had good or bad experiences with TravelNow, let us know. Thanks.
Posted By Blog Editor on April 24, 2007, 11:52 AM