Location Advice for Relaxing Family Holiday with Small Kids (4 and 2)

Hi all,

Looking for a holiday to de-stress and unwind with a young family.
2 adults, 2 kids aged 4 and 2.

Thinking 5 - 7 night stay duration.

Current thinking is a resort with a kids club to actually give the adults some time to unwind which is very much overdue with work and young family unrelenting exhaustion.
Location wise - Fiji popped to mind first but have had other recommendations for Thailand.

No firm budget it mind, want to enjoy the experience and stay at a nice location but not may extravagant tourist tax.

Comments

  • +1

    destress

    unwind

    kids between 2 and 4

    anything more than a 30 min drive

    Me: stress through the roof

  • -3

    New Delhi, Manila, Mumbai all come to mind….
    go somewhere really stressful then appreciate the peace one can have here….

  • Phuket was really nice for us, very nice resorts, lovely people and affordable. If you want to keep it relaxing find a resort where they have multiple restaurants, kids entertainment etc. so you don't have to leave the resort too often. We stayed for 5 nights and left the resort once.

    Can't wait to go back.

  • That Mario theme park in Japan. Gotta imprint those lifelong Mario memories early if you want them to be wholesome Nintendo kids.

  • Bora Bora

  • +3

    We went to a beachside resort in Fiji - it was as good as a family resort can be with a toddler and a young child. We did enjoy ourselves, but you do have to have realistic expectations…

    Think:
    * there’s a beach and/or a pool 10m from your front door! But… toddlers can be surprisingly quick so you have to watch them like a hawk
    * there are gravel tracks to take you anywhere in the huge resort! But… small travel prams/strollers don’t fair well on gravel or mud and potholes
    * there’s a kids club! But… the kids won’t know anyone there, so it’ll be like their first day of childcare all over again; along with lots less supervision/structure/attention from the staff

    We still enjoyed it and did get a little downtime, but a family holiday at that age is partly just parenting in another country

    • +1

      managing expectations at its best!!! :

  • I always recommend Vanuatu. Taken young children before, easy to rent a house and costs are generally less than Fiji (especially if you stick with local non imported goods)

  • +1

    Suggest you check age limits at your prospective kids club. Otherwise consider Aulani, A Disney Resort & Spa in Ko Olina, Hawai'i.

  • +1

    Given you are traveling with young children for only 1 week or less then choose the option with the shortest direct flight / no transfers / easy to get to airport from resort / best time of day flights.

    We liked Fiji.
    Direct 3.5hr flight from wellington
    About 1.5hr taxi to intercontinental resort

    Fiji is not cheap, but the flights were very cheap so that balanced out the higher accommodation costs.

    Bali is going to be cheaper, but not sure about the flights, which might be longer or more expensive.

  • Lash out and hire a nanny to take with you

  • +1

    Bonnie Doon.

    Ahhhh the Serenity.

  • Kids may be too young to make use of kid's clubs in resorts, hence we had great holidays within Australia.
    For us Cairns/Pt Douglas or even Noosa were great locations, but depends were you are. We chose a kid's suitable air bnb with a pool and were able to make day trips as it suited the young ones (e.g. nap schedules etc). in Noosa we stayed in RACV Noosa Resort. Still plenty to do around there with a car hire and you can always relax by the pool if need be. The short flight times and not being stuck in hotel rooms were big advantages for us.
    it's not an overseas holiday and I understand places like Bali and Fiji provide more value, but it was a more relaxing holiday for us, especially if it's only few days.

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