vacation ideas

[holland2]

Does anyone have any good vacation ideas or spots for a couple and their 9 months old baby. Most charming places do not take babies...

Thanks.

[rachelfran]

what are you thinking of doing? we are now on a car trip thru arizona with our 9 month old and our 10 yr old... he has, so far, been very cooperative... I know that there are many resorts with babysitting for young babies... some of the club meds and family resorts in jamaica, come to mind.

[holland2]

Most of the resorts offer services for children above 2 years of age. Club med, florida takes children from 6 months, but it is a golfing resort. As we do not play golf, I prefer a resort that caters to people who want to relax and swim.

[hthompson]

hthompson

Hi! I'm not sure where you live, but we just went on vacation last month with our then 8 month old daughter. We went to The Homestead, in Hot Springs, VA. It was great and very child friendly (I think they even put all of the families in one wing, so it was quiet during naps and in the evenings!) There is a kid camp, but, of course, our daughter was too young for that. They also have babysitters, which we used for dinner. There is a lot for the adults to do, and for family time too and I definitely recommend it for a family vacation with a baby!

[egoldber]

Well, we are taking our baby to France next month when she will be 8 1/2 months old. We are renting a gite (farmhouse) in Provence which has a high chair, crib, kitchen, laundry, etc. I like that we will have a "home" to go to during the day for naps, etc.

The cost to rent the farmhouse is 385 euros (~$345) for a week, so it is very economical. We are using frequent flier miles to get there also, so overall the trip is costing us relatively little.

We have been to Europe many times. In general, Europeans love kids, and are very willing to help out families. From the East Coast, it is only a 5 hour flight to Paris, so about the same as to fly to California for us.

HTH,

[Libby_1]

Hi, I was wondering where you got the information for the farmhouse or did you go through an agency. This sounds like a wonderful vacation to me! We love France and have contemplated a similiar holiday but in Italy. If you have any information or websites you can share I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Liz

[egoldber]

Liz, if you try http://www.gites-de-france.fr/fr/index.htm (click on the British flag for an English version) you will be able to search for gites on-line. Not all French departments (a department is the French equivalent of a "state" ) have their gites on-line, but most are. You can put in search criteria for number of bedrooms, particular amenities, owner speaks English, etc.

You will likely find a large number of gites in an area. The way I found ours was I actually started with a guide book that I have used many times over the years (look at www.ricksteves.com). I have stayed at MANY places that he has recommended and have almost invariably been pleased. The places he recommends are not "5 star" type places, but relatively inexpensive places with warm hosts and character. I found a gite that he recommended in the area where we are going and then I sent the owner e-mail. We did all the planning and negotiating via e-mail.

I do speak and write a little French, which helps. But many of the gite owners speak and write enough English to do basic transactions.

You can go through an agency to rent a gite, but it is MUCH more expensive that way.

HTH,

[Libby_1]

Thank you so much for your help. We are thinking it would be nice to go in the middle or end of September. Our baby is due in a few weeks so by September we should be ready for a nice holiday. We are Canadian so we do speak a bit of French and usually it's enough for us to get by when we travel. We have used Rick Steves recommendations before and have been quite happy with them as well. Thanks again and have a great time! Liz

[rodmar]

We like to rent a house with a view of some kind (such as beach or mountain) so that we can enjoy relaxing while our baby is sleeping rather than being stuck in the four walls of a hotel room. This might not be as significant if your baby sleeps anywhere, but ours only sleeps in her bed. I also highly recommend bringing along grandparents, or childless relatives or friends who would be willing to sit with the baby while you all get out and do something.

Marcia