Family holidays are the best. A chance to disconnect from the every day and spend time together without restrictions of work and school timetables – grandparents included! But now you’re starting to plan, you’re not sure where to start. It’s not always easy organising a family holiday and ensuring all generations are happy. After all, it needs to be child friendly, have plenty to keep your teenage nephew occupied, accommodate your parents’ requests, and your 5-year-old will be heartbroken if the family dog can’t come too. Phew! Don’t worry - we’re experts at this. Take a good look at our top tips and suggestions and start planning a multi-generational holiday in a family-friendly property to suit everyone.
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1. Determine the must-haves: privacy and beauty sleep
Whether you’re a close family or not, everyone needs their own space, so make sure you determine the bedroom and bathroom requirements early on. Consider booking a family house with the luxury of a couple of en-suite bedrooms to avoid awkward bathroom encounters or hallway queues. Consider the sleeping arrangements too! Pick a family holiday cottage where the children can have their own room, and you can indulge in the decadence of the master bedroom; remember this is your holiday and lie-ins are paramount!
Large family holiday cottages with lots of privacy:
- Horslett Barn, Devon – sleeps 10 with 5 bedrooms and 5 en-suite bathrooms
- Ropsley Lodge, Lincolnshire – sleeps 18 with 9 bedrooms and 6 en-suite bathrooms
- Skyline, County Durham – sleeps 10 with 5 bedrooms and 4 en-suite bathrooms
2. Location, location, location
The UK has a huge appeal for families, and when restricted to school holidays and annual leave, a staycation is often a far simpler alternative to going abroad. Besides, the UK offers a wealth of contrasts, and there are so many beautiful family-friendly destinations to choose from. Whether you’re dreaming of long days on the powder-white sandy beaches in Cornwall or exploring magnificent castles in Northumberland, the UK has something for the littlest member of the family, right through to the eldest.
Take a look at our top family holiday destinations in the UK >>
3. A reason to celebrate
Big family holidays and group getaways are the perfect way to celebrate special occasions. Whether it’s a big birthday, anniversary or simply a family reunion, consider the extra special details of a party house like having your own bar, a private hot tub or an extravagant cinema room. Don’t get overwhelmed by the big celebration though, as we have a whole host of party guides to help you plan the party of all parties:
4. Something for everyone
Now, this is probably the most important top tip we can offer you, especially when your family group includes grandparents, toddlers, children and teenagers. It might sound like a daunting task, but actually, our best family holiday cottages have been designed to cater for multi-generational groups.
For the really little ones: babies, toddlers and small children
Babies, toddlers, and small children just want to have fun, and you just want to make sure they’re entertained, so that you can sit back and relax. That’s an easy one to solve when you pick a large family holiday cottage that has games and play areas that little ones will love. We’ve picked out a few examples from our extensive collection of large family holiday cottages.
- An outside play area like at Forebrae, Perth and Kinross
- A playroom with toys and games like the children’s lounge at Sheafhayne Manor, Devon
- On-site activities like ‘meet the farm animals’ at Treworra Stables, Cornwall
Take a look at some of our favourite family-friendly large cottages >>
For the inbetweenies: Children and teenagers
Energetic children and temperamental teens need plenty of space to both burn off energy, and to get away from the adults (or the adults away from them?!) A lot of our large family holiday cottages cater well with facilities like cinema rooms and games rooms, complete with everything from Xboxes to table tennis. Here are a selection of fabulous family cottages with fun features:
For more ideas, check out our favourite houses with tennis courts and cinema rooms >>
For the elders: you and the grandparents
This is your chance to think about what you want from your holiday! We’re thinking: good food, good wine, and time and space to relax. Are we close? While the kids kick a football around or watch a movie, the adults can chat over dinner prep in the kitchen or relax in the hot tub beneath a starlit sky. After a busy day of adventures together, the grandparents may like to break off into a private lounge for some peace and quiet before dinner, you may fancy a glass on wine on the terrace, or your brother and his family might head out for an early evening stroll around the gardens. The key here is space and time for yourselves. Look out for large family houses that offer some of these indulgent features:
- Impressive al fresco dining areas like the Lazy Sheep Barn, Somerset
- Hot tubs, swimming pools and saunas like Oakfield, Somerset
- Beautiful gardens and walks from the doorstep like those from Airlie Castle, Angus
- More than one living room for extra privacy – The Hay House Retreat, Hay-on-Wye, has 3 living rooms
Take a look at some of our favourite group accommodation with on-site activities, perfect for multi-generational holidays >>
5. Set a budget
Now you’ve decided the must-haves and the nice-to-haves of your holiday, it's time to set a realistic budget that you all agree on. The great thing about booking group accommodation is that you can often split the price across several families. When you break that down into ‘per head, per night’, self-catering family holidays can be a pretty inexpensive way of getting everyone together.
Book a multi-generational holiday
We hope we have inspired your next big family holiday! With a little extra knowledge and some well-informed research, your dream family holiday is just a few clicks away. With our help, you can find the perfect group accommodation for every member of the family.
Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information at the time of writing,
please ensure you check carefully before making any decisions based on the contents within this article.