When I was young I don’t ever remember staying in a hotel with my parents. Maybe a guest house once or twice, but our preferred holiday was in a tent. I had a little reminisce about our family camping days in another post.
When I grew up I stuck with the camping bug although when I had kids of my own I preferred the relative luxury of a caravan. We still didn’t stay in hotels.
In fact, it’s only recently, that I have stayed in hotels and only once with the kids. So I’m not really much of an expert. I do know, however, what I would look for if planning a hotel stay with the kids in the future.
- Being near is very important. I have not booked a hotel specifically because they would put my children in a separate room. The problem being I have three children and most hotels cater for only two in the same room. However, I still consider my children too young to be in a room on their own. So it would have to be a large family room, or two rooms which are connected.
- Child friendly hotels are very important. My children are generally well behaved when out, well, we won’t include the Little Man in that statement, but the girls are great. However, I would still like to feel comfortable in the hotel with my children, I would like them to think they were welcome in their surroundings.
- A menu that caters for children is a great idea, particularly if you are staying more than one night. Also, dining times should be staggered so that families can eat a little earlier.
- The surrounding area should be child friendly, I’d avoid a place which was surrounded by late night bars and prefer somewhere with nice gardens, or a park nearby.
- Treats for the children, like activity packs are not a necessity but a real nice extra which help to keep them entertained and welcome.
I recently stayed at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington for the MAD blog awards. I was thrilled to see that they have so much to offer for children there, including all of my recommendations above. They also give children their own key card, and there are books, games and toys available for them to play with, including scooters and balls to take to the park. You just have to hand them back before you leave. Right next door to the hotel is the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, also nearby is the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum. Having stayed there I can honestly say it is truly a lovely hotel and I would love to take my children there.
view from my window at Royal Garden Hotel |
This post is my entry into the Royal Garden Hotel Blogger competition.
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