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If you are visiting Córdoba with children take a ride in a horse drawn cart, the kids will love it and you will get to see this wonderful Andalucian city in peace and comfort. if you are nice to the driver he will even let the kids ride in front and lead the horse - with a little help!
Very friendly country where the people love children. We visited Nizwa and enjoyed the goats (through we didn’t let on what would happen to them), the Wahabi Sands and small villages and finally the Green Turtle place. We all enjoyed it immensely and it possibly is the most child-indulgent place we have been to in a while.
Ciao Bambino is an online guide to family-friendly vacation properties with many accommodations in Italy. I used them to research a family reunion trip for 17 people. It's easy to use and has age appropriate ratings - this is great if you have toddlers/small children and need things like highchairs, cribs, etc. Many of their properties are apartments with hotel amenities which is a great combo.
Cushchine Cottage is a small, family-friendly, beautiful, self-catering rental set within an animal farm park. It's ideal as a base for all of Kaikoura's attractions (about a mile from the town centre) and includes free access to the Farm Park, and you can help out with their early morning feeding.
The cottage has two bedrooms (sleeps up to seven), an equipped kitchen, lounge with wood burner, sofas and TV, free use of a gas barbecue and fabulous views of Mt Fyffe. Towels and bedding are included, and it only costs $100-180 a night (depends on numbers and time of year).
We spent two nights in a more expensive motel, before staying an extra night in the rental cottage. We enjoyed it so much, we chose cottages for the rest of our NZ trip!
Ask them about a lovely walk to a nearby river, less than a mile away, with two huge natural swimming pools - it's a local secret!
12 Kowhai Ford Road (about 1 mile from Kaikoura town centre)
03 319 5033
www.cushchinecottage.co.nz
A superb family-oriented farm park run by a lovely english couple. They've a wide range of farm animals (wallabies, llamas, ponies, lambs, donkeys, rabbits, ducks, horses, peacocks, chickens and chicks, guinea pigs, chinchillas... the list is practically endless!).
The aminals are super-friendly, and come right up to you. They offer free pony cart rides, and you can help bottle feed their younger animals. It's a cute, small, personal kind of place, with magnificent views of snow-topped Mt Fyffe.
We ended up there when our Whale Watch trip was cancelled and, to be honest, our kids are still talking about it, and have long forgotten the whale trip which they didn't appreciate at all (amazing when you consider the whale trip was about ten times the price!). It's not as 'flash' as another park we visited in the UK, but the hands on experience was truly memorable, and became one of the highlights of our NZ holiday. They've also got a small beautiful self-catering rental cottage - we loved the place so much, we stayed an extra night in their cottage and benefited from free access to early morning feeding and free farm park entry. The kids loved it - shame we didn't know about it before we arrived.
12 Kowhai Ford Road (about 1 mile from Kaikoura town centre and railway station)
03 319 5033
www.cushchinecottage.co.nz
This place is fantastic. Nothing is too much trouble for the hostess, Sarha. She runs this place with her two boys and between them they make you feel 'at home on holiday'.
The food is fabulous - every evening we ate out on the terrace and kids played in the garden and bounced on the trampoline. And when it cooled slightly in the evenings they went inside to the playroom to play or watch DVDs.
Highly recommended.
In the small village of Burlats near to Castres about an hour's drive from Toulouse airport
This is a fab little Cuban place in Ballsbridge. We took our children there early evening and the waiter was delightful, couldn't do enough to make us comfortable and well fed, and the other diners were graciously accommodating of the added fuss. Far more important - the food was fantastic, authentic Cuban grub, and the service duly attentive; and to boot the tab was very reasonable.
11 Ballsbridge Terrace, Dublin 4
Thanks goodness we haven't needed to actually use them yet, but I bought two ID wrist bands for the kids to wear on holiday in Granada, in case they got lost in the city or at the Alhambra.
They're made of velcro so are easy to adjust to fit small wrists. You write your name and contact details on a waterproof piece of paper and slip it inside the little pocket on the inside of the wrist band.
I'm sure they would be good for the beach too.
The street of Victorian shops is fascinating; there are other historical mock-ups such as a First World War trench (no wellies required) and something for all ages... it's a family run business so the home-made scones ARE home-made.
Just the place for a rainy day.
Corner Fore St. (St Marychurch) & Hampton Ave, near Babbacombe Model Village, 01803 32610 www.bygones.co.uk
Kingsand is an undiscovered gem - which is why C4 are making a documentary about it! Unspoilt beaches, very kid friendly, stunning walks overlooking Plymouth Sound, tons of art exhibitions, but very low key and fun. Try Westcroftguesthouse.co.uk. Owners Sarah and Dylan have an art gallery as well, and the accommodation is lovely, overlooks the sea and the organic breakfasts are to be recommended. Perfect bolthole break!
westcroftguesthouse.co.uk
Kingsand is on The Rame Peninsula, near Torpoint, Stations: St Germans or Plymouth mainline
Once your kids can ride a bike there's no better way to see Paris than cycling about it. The high spot of our recent half-term break was a morning spent exploring the Marais, Bastille, Louvre, St. Germain de Pres, Les Halles and many back streets in between.
Our guide, Paul, founded Bike About Tours with a friend and gives a charming and personal view of a city he clearly loves. Some of his enthusiasm rubbed off on the kids who particularly relished spotting locations from Ratatouille, or finding out how many Parisians slip in dog poo each day. Paul takes only safe back streets and cycleways, stopping for lunch at a boulangerie on the way.
Every so often we would park the bikes and explore a secret garden or a hidden alleyway on foot, letting Paris work its magic on children and adults alike. By the end of four hours we felt like we belonged. Try it, you won't be disappointed.
www.bikeabouttours.com
www.pret-a-rouler.fr
+33(0)624580215
Meet 10am by Charlemagne's statue in front of Notre Dame Cathedral
This National Trust site has a manor house, with attached farm and gardens which can all be visited. The farm is especially popular with kids - petting areas, a playground with toy tractors, feeding time (hear the pigs oink and squeal as the food approaches) and all the usual farm animals are there - horses, cows, sheep, pigs, poultry, goats, with a few guinea pigs and rabbits thrown in. There are cafes and a restaurant too.
8km southwest of Cambridge, www.wimpole.org
There are games to download to take with you on your skiing holiday.
One is a ski holiday travel quiz for children. They tick off items they see on their journey to their ski holiday.
The other is a snowsport trivia quiz to do at the chalet with the other guests. I have enjoyed using them both.
www.upmymountain.com/ski_news/travelling_kids_ski_holiday.php
This is the cityside beach in Dunedin, quite short but always with impressive surf. At one end is the open air salt water pool, great for swimming when the surf's up, also good for toddlers and small children.
There's a promenade behind the beach with a couple of good bars and cafes. There are more impressive beaches further up the peninsula but for convenience and all-round utility you can't beat St. Clairs.
If you are after a fun-filled yet educational trip for your children, this is the place to go. It's an inclusive science centre that caters to all age groups, including children under eight years old.
It refreshes exhibitions yearly and the most recent one, Fossils and Funny Bones, is specially designed for early years learners. By the end of this year, there will be even more on offer in the science centre with two new exhibitions, Inside DNA (all about human genome) and LoveSport.
The science centre is located right at the heart of Bristol harbourside, which provides the perfect setting for a great family day out!
Address: Anchor Road, Habourside, BS1 5DB
Info: 08453451235
URL: www.at-bristol.org.uk
Nearest station: Bristol Temple Meads
Loop! is the biggest and best gift shop in south Manchester - prices are keener than city-centre or the local competition and staff are totally helpful.
66, Beech Road
Chorlton
MANCHESTER
M21 9HU
This summer my two boys, age four and seven, had twice a week swim lessons in the pool at our villa. The progress they made in seven weeks exceeded the years of lessons they had been having back home in London!
By the end of the summer both boys were swimming confidently with no floating aids. Our seven-year-old learned to perfect his strokes and both boys were taught about pool and boat safety. I cannot recommend their teacher Ruth enough. The boys adored her and looked forward to each lesson with great excitement!
It's the business.
Open 10am - 4pm
Tel: 01962 863791
www.intech-uk.com/
If you decide to visit the Atlas mountains in a 4x4, remember to take some pens and pencils with you as the children there ask for 'stylos' when you pass through their villages. They were really disappointed when we didn't have any with us.
Take some courage too, as the mountain tracks we were driven on had very steep drops, no passing places and no crash barriers.
An 'adventure' really does mean an adventure in Morocco.
It is a museum in a beautiful, tranquil park. The museum costs €3, but the park is free with a children's playground.
32 rue Célony
Tel : 04 42.21.05.78
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
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