Month-long vacation with young babies - where to go?
My husband and I want to leverage our parental leave to go on a month-long "vacation" with our two year old and infant, and are brainstorming where we could go. We're planning to go in November and want to get a long-term rental in one place, versus traveling to multiple places. Given that we'll have a 3 month old, we don't want to go anywhere too rustic or exotic. We want to opt for a relatively easy experience versus tons of culture. (We've both done a fair amount of traveling ourselves.) We also don't want to deal with inclement weather, so cities in Europe could be limited. Any thoughts or recommendations? I know we're rather limiting in our parameters but I'm hopeful we can find a place we're excited about. Thanks!
Aug 18, 2017
Parent Replies
Hawaii! Get a condo (with kitchen) near somewhere that had tidepools, or a resort with kiddie pool. Look for places where there are other people with small kids. Oahu/Honolulu may be kind of crowded and intense. Look at west side of the Big Island, or Kauai, or Maui. Have fun!
Somewhere that is a vacation but has the toddler and baby resources that you need - I'd recommend So Cal, such as Newport Beach or San Diego. New Zealand? Chile?
Rent a condo at the La Jolla shores. Plenty to entertain in San Diego ( newish children's museum) and a gentle, family friendly beach.
Hi - try southern Spain, eg. Granada, Seville, etc. good food. relatively warm weather.relaxed. fun. Cheers
How about renting a small house or apartment at Pacific Beach in San Diego? Great weather, walkable neighborhood (especially by the boardwalk) so you would not need to get in a car unless you wanted to, by the beach, and many great family options for the 2 year old (Balboa Park, Zoo, etc.)
First of all- congratulations, and thanks for the great question: I’m interested in the responses you get. We were in the same decision-making point where you are, having just gotten back from HI for 3 wks with a 1yo and 5yo. I still have time off, and with the kids back in day care/pre-school, the real vacation begins ;-)
We were in 3 places in HI- 2 during the 1st week, and spent 2 weeks in the last place, with AC and steps from the pool and hot tub, which was just great. What was challenging for us when we first arrived was being the midst of sleep training the infant, dealing with the heat and humidity w/o AC, and jet lag.
We also realized that we needed a place where we could accommodate the baby’s 2 naps and still do things with our 5 yo (who has 1 nap or none usu.). The last place with the pool was perfect for that. After a bit of experimentation, we spent most of the morning with our infant napping and one of us with the 5yo in the pool, or a nearby beach. Then around late morning we’d go do something including lunch; we’d drop off one of us with the baby for his afternoon nap and continue with a visit somewhere. And in the late afternoon and early evening we might be able to do something together as a family.
So it was helpful to be near things to see and do; and to have a good situation where you’re staying (our 5yo would’ve been happy spending all day at the pool and hot tub...).
We also stayed in places that had a high chair, and where the eating areas were not carpeted. That way we didn’t have to bring our booster; and could clean easily. All AirBnB or VRBO.
Lastly people suggested that we get childcare- we never did, but that's something definitely worth looking into. Where we were we weren't confident we could find someone in such short amount of time that we'd trust our kids, say, at the pool or beach...
Just some considerations.
Mexico, Costa Rica? Or 3 wks somewhere and a last week in Club Med?
Have fun!
What a wonderful idea! If I were in your shoes, I would consider Hawaii and Costa Rica. Hawaii is probably easiest, but may be pricey. Southern parts of Spain and Italy could still be nice in November, too. Enjoy!
Thank you everyone! We landed on Hawaii... got a two bedroom condo decently priced in Ko Olina on Oahu. We're super excited! Thanks for all of these suggestions, keeping them in the back pocket for future vacations.