Hellobee Boards

Well we haven't done a flight/anywhere longer than a 3 hour drive. Her favorite by far was the hotel with a waterpark. She would have stayed in it for hours, she liked it better than all the actual activities we had planned (at almost 2.) Next year we have a cabin rented which I think will be fun, I'll have a 3 month old, so fun for DD/DH while I snuggle with the baby in the shade.

We loved Bali when DD1 was 15 months old. She was at a really cute, exploratory age and loved all of the different sights and sounds. The people in Bali were also ridiculously friendly and they go nuts over babies, so DD1 was constantly being fawned over and I really think it helped her get over her stranger anxiety a bit.

I actually prefer city vacations with LOs as I like to relax and read a book when I'm on the beach and that just isn't going to happen with a LO. We loved visiting London when DD1 was six months old as we just popped her in the pram or Ergo and went everywhere we wanted.

Best vacation was when we went to the beach at around 18-20 months. He was walking, he was eating everything, he was still taking two naps a day, lol, so it was super relaxing.

We love going to Watercolor/Seaside. It's super family friendly and you don't really ever have to get in the car once you're there.

@lawbee11: We usually book a condo through watercolor or seaside, but now they allow rentals through outside companies and vrbo. We don't stay in a particular condo, though. We've been 3 times with LO so far. It's been hard to try other places because we know how easy and fun it is there.

I think for on-the-cheaper-side beach vacations, both Pensacola Beach, Fl and Fripp Island, SC are really nice for vacays with LOs, because the water is so calm and the beaches are nice and sandy. You can rent condos in both places and cook at home or go out to the restaurants--at the very least, you have a fridge and kitchen so you don't have to schlep to a restaurant for every meal.

I went to Pensacola Beach this year and it was so nice! Tons of kiddos on the beach, but not a crowded party town atmosphere.

I know M is only like a month older than my LO & I definitely recommend waiting. That's for sure. lol we took her to Destin two weeks ago. She loved the water but hated the sand & wasn't keen on chilling at the beach for long. It was alright but not much of a vacation (still 2 naps a day & she's a lot of work.) I think it would have been more fun had we waited until she was 2 ish & we are more able to do more activities.

@lawbee11: he was about 16 months...it was really so fun! And he entertained himself surprisingly well on the beach, so we did get to relax a bit. I also highly recommend taking advantage of babysitting/nanny services wherever you go--we went out to dinner every night by our selves after he went to sleep and it was great!

We also had a good time when we went to Israel with him (more of a city vacation I guess), but with that we had to find times specifically where he could just run around and get his wiggles out. Museums/sight seeing is not really conducive to that unless the kid is a bit older (like 4 or 5) IMO.

@lawbee11: We have really like Hyatt Lost Pines near Austin and Hyatt Hill Country near SA for easy get-aways. They were great with a toddler. (We went when he was 4 months and 15 months)

Also we took a great trip to Florida and stayed at a rental house in a little town north of Tampa called Tarpon Springs. It has great beaches and it's a Greek fishing village so fabulous food We went right after he turned 1. The flight was easy and short.

@hilsy85: yes! That's the one. It doesn't look that great in pictures, but I just want a nanny!!! haha

@lawbee11: yes. She did pretty good for the most part. On the way there we drove during the day & it took us about 13 hours with stops. We drive at night on the way back & she slept the entire time & it took us about 9 hours

ETA: my IL's went with us. That was both helpful & annoying lol

We took H to Tallahassee/Carrabelle beach when she was six months old. There are a lot of beaches on the coast that you can drive to and lots of family-friendly things to do.

We really enjoyed our Disney cruise this past spring. There were plenty of families with young toddlers and infants, and it's nice that they have such a great day care. But to maximize the experience I think 3 year and up is best.

we had a blast at Disney. DD is in love with Mickey and Minnie and was so excited when we did the meet and greet. She was scared when they came close to her but from afar she was so excited

We took LO to London when she was 9 months old and had a great time...we were sightseeing all day and she napped in the Ergo whenever she needed to. It was an easy time to travel with her before she started crawling! We just came back from a week in Spain at almost 12 months old and that was HARD...she could not stay still for a second and we are not used to the heat!

Next beach vacation she will be 19 months and hopefully walking, but a little more chilled!

We spent a few days in a crappy caravan on a dreadful campsite in Devon (UK) when LO was 3 months old. It was just..... weird. The days were very pleasant - a bit of local sightseeing with DD in the carrier - but then bedtime rolled around and we were trapped in a caravan with nothing to do but watch TV!

We're actually going back to the same place in a couple of weeks but this time I think DD is going to have a blast during the day! We can go to the beach (it wont be warm but we can still have fun), play on the playgrounds, go to the arcade (flashy lights and noises!!), hit the swimming pool - she's going to love it! We're of the mindset, at this age, that cheap, cheerful and plenty for tots to do it the way forward!

Perhaps we will go abroad next year, though! Mama deserves a treat!

@Cherrybee: lanzarote in April are you going to Haven?

@Cherrybee: Devon Cliffs? We usually do a Sun holiday with SIL each year and fancy DC next year. We went to the Haven at Burnham on Sea this year and Sophie loved it!