Ideas for holiday destinations with a baby and UTD
Yup, give me your ideas please.
I desperately, desperately need a holiday.
A week, maybe a week and a half. Probably in November.
Somewhere warm, where I can swim and relax.
Somewhere DS would be safe, and we wouldn't be worrying about abductions.
I normally like to "do things" while away, but this will be an exception, I suspect. I imaging DH and I will plonk on the beach or by the pool and read and play with DS and swim and eat and sleep and do little else.
And somewhere it won't matter that I will be about 5 months pregnant.
Ideas, recommendations, and (if you remember!) how much it cost you?
We are going to Kingscliff in NSW in first week of Nov. Come with!
Someone at husbands work recommended it. Apparently it's quiet, nice resort, good beach and bush. Perfect for doing nothing.
It's in far north NSW just south of the Qld border. We are flying to Brisbane using frequent flyer points. Gold Coast airport is closer but I'm a snob and don't fly Jetstar.
We are staying at Peppers Salt. A two bedroom place for 6 nights including breakfast is $1230.
Otherwise Sheraton resort in Port Douglas is nice. Anything in far north Queensland is good - Cairns, Palm Cove or Port Douglas.
Go to QLD, P. Close enough that the flight won't stuff J up too much, far enough to feel like a real holiday.
We just came back from Qld - we were fortunate to stay with DH's cousin and her hubby, they had tonnes of room, but we did notice that there is a STACK of accommodation up there at the moment going really cheap. Keep an eye out for cheap flights (or do Frequent Flyer like me and FabFi have both done!) and then start trawling the net for cheap accomm.
They are hurting up there - they are doing pretty much whatever they can to get tourists back.
We were up there for 5 days, we did not a great deal apart from Sea World (FANTASTIC, loved it) and Australia Zoo (TBH, pass - kids didn't really get as much out of it as Sea World) but if you stayed on the Gold Coast there are lovely places like Labrador that are beachy and not in the madness of Surfers. Though Surfers wasn't too mad when we were there, like I said, hurting.
For the ultimate in beachy relaxation - Cairns Northern Beaches. Not as far north as Port Douglas, a bit cheaper and a bit more family friendly. I can hunt down a (gorgeous) house I stayed at last time I went to the Northern Beaches if you like?
Otherwise if you're up for a drive - Merimbula. Likewise, I stayed at another lovely house there recently.
Hamilton Island! Perfect do nothing or as much as you want holiday! Awesome for children, super safe, gorgeous, a world of it's own.. I lived and worked there for 6 months and have been back for a few holidays, last one was in March - Where we conceived this bub in fact! We stayed in private accom for 5 nights for under $1000.. It can get exxy especially if you go through the top advertised mainstream companies but I know a few cheaper (but still luxurious!) avenues so hit me up if you need info...
It's magical up there. There's a kids club as well, you have full access to every resort pool on the island, the restaurant and dining options are amazing (we also got Coles online delivered to our self contained apartment and cooked a few nights to keep costs down) the atmosphere is relaxed and totally holiday mode everywhere you go, that's their only industry so it's all tailored for having a good time.. Very much a place you can be super busy doing activities or super busy doing nothing and be equally entertained...
I've travelled a fair bit and just love Hammo!!
Other than that I'd suggest Gold Coast if you haven't been much before, Byron Bay, Cairns or Port Douglas for anywhere up QLD way and for a mini break off shore, a P&O Cruise, Fiji or Vanuatu.. All safe, great for kids and very much geared for the kind of Holiday it sounds you want...
I went to Noosa when I was about 26 weeks pregnant last year. We did some day trips to Eumundi markets on Saturdays and Montville and Maleny on Sun and then hung by the pool in the resort most of the rest of the week.
Careful of North QLD and going in stinger season. Noosa is south on sunshine coast and its still warmbut no stinfers or stinger suits!
We are going to QLD in 10 days time. I'll be 23 weeks when we leave and DD turns 2 while we are on holidays.
We have a friends wedding in Mission Beach so we are staying there first at Castaways Resort for 4 nights and we've also splurged and booked 4 nights at Hayman Island in a pool access room We also have 2 nights in Cairns but purely to meet our arriving and departing flights - we've already been to Cairns, Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation.
Although we live not far from the coast, we wanted to holiday right on the beach so we could just stroll out from our room and hang out with DD in the sand. The pool access room is a huge bonus as we can swim straight from our room which means we can enjoy the pool while DD naps. Woohoo!! The other important things for us, which Hayman provides, were:
- child friendly and families actually welcomed!!
- kids club and additional facilities for kids (just in case we want some time out or DD is bored with us, LOL!)
- baby sitting (we plan on having a nice dinner alone one night)
- meal options - we've booked half board so breaky and dinner are included daily
- water sports especially hobbie cats as DH loves his sailing
- child friendly beach
So I'd definitely suggest somewhere with facilities to keep your DS entertained as well. And by that I don't just mean a kids club but generally if they have a kids club, often they have additional facilities (toys, playground, etc) or you can take your kids into the club for a play without leaving them, IYKWIM, which is handy if the weather isn't favourable or they are sick of the beach and pool
Oh, and Hamilton Island is a great suggestion too! We looked into Club Med Lindeman too but it gets an awful wrap online. If you're happy to go overseas, friends of ours have raved about Club Med Bintan (it's in Indonesia but just off the coast of Singapore so you actually fly to Sing and travel by ferry to Bintan).
funny you ask - we've got some quotes for "reef view hotel" on Hamilton Island, because their juniour kids club is for kids from 6 weeks - 4 years old ... so we can book Joshua in for a few hours on a couple of days, and do some mini day trips. I've never been to the barrier reef, and I gather there's some trips I can do from there, which would be nice!
Though I was pretty keen on Kingscliff too ...
We haven't made a firm decision, but DH is finding out how much time he can get off, in Oct/Nov and then we'll make a decicion and book.
I went to Port Douglas when I was 16 weeks pregnant and DD1 was 9 months old. It was wonderful! THere are some gorgeous restaurants that don't mind if you have a pram with you and the resorts are gorgeous. We hired a car and did a drive up to Cape Tribulation too. Have fun wherever you decide! x
DH has to wait until Monday to find out whether he can get the time off, at work. They don't really like people taking leave other than during school holidays, but we specifically don't want to be there then!! We'd rather be there when it's a bit quieter ... more opportunities to have some space to ourselves at the beach, snorkelling, less busy at the kids club, etc
And we're hoping wherever we go is *not* a schoolies destination!!
Hey hun you can book him into the junior kids club no matter where you stay on the island.. It's the one kids club for the whole place. Maybe try some private apartments, they are nicer and some are cheaper than Reef View and are self contained also unlike Reef View..
Reef view is ok, it's just most popular as it's the most advertised as it, along with Palm Terraces & Bungalows as well as Beach Club are owned by HIE who are the big tourism company that own most of the island, so people often think they're the only apartments on the island and they're getting a good deal, but their deals aren't usually the best, just the most advertised if that makes any sense at all.. There are actually hundreds of other apartments on the island better value.. Let me know if you need done direction! Not bagging Reef View at all, it's the standard holiday accom you'd expect and is nice, just I know how much HIE takes over the advertising and know there are nicer places for better money in the island that don't come up in google searches as HIE has paid the bug bucks to ensure their name is out there first..
You'll love Hammo! A world of its own It's gorgeous!
Oh and you can also still use all of the Reef View facilities, restaurants, pools etc... All resort facilities apart from Private Accom (non HIE) are open to any guest on the island regardless of where you're staying, and it's all very accessible as well especially with a buggy which is the bonus of going private accom as well as most apartments have a buggy included, HIE accom does not but has the shuttle which you have to wait around for and doesn't stop everywhere in the island.. As a private accom guest you can still use the island shuttle as well It's quite expensive to hire a buggy otherwise..
* get a buggy
* can use the pools in the resorts
* can have DS in the kids club
* can eat at any of the restaurants
* can order Coles Online instead if we want, and eat in.
Yep!! All of the above! And a good percentage of them have cots and high chairs as well!! Check out the stayz website for starters and there's also a company who does it called Hamilton Island Holiday Accommodation as well as the local Real Estate which from
Memory is a PRD Nationwide has a few private holiday apartments also.. Anchorage and Heliconia Grove are two apartment complexes that are nice and great value just off the top of my head but there are quite a few more! Good luck!
Oh and Oasis Apartments are gorgeous and well priced also.. Not as cheap as mainland accommodation but that's the way everywhere on Hamilton Island is.. It's worth it though!
Ideas for holiday destinations with a baby and UTD
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We also have 2 nights in Cairns but purely to meet our arriving and departing flights - we've already been to Cairns, Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation.
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