Welcome to Family Friendly Stays #10
So, we’re on the countdown now to the long summer holidays! Have you booked a trip away for the school holidays or are you planning a last minute panic buy? There are some great bargains to be had this summer if you know where to look. I’ll be publishing a post about my favourite tour operators in the next few weeks so stayed tuned if you need some last minute holiday ideas!
I’m writing this amid post-camping chaos: tent, mats, sleeping bags and smelly cool boxes are yet to be dispatched to their rightful places around the house. We visited a brilliant campsite in the Cotswolds over half term which I’ll write about for next month’s Family Friendly Stays.
We also made a great discovery in London last week: the Calthorpe Project. Hidden behind a hedge on Gray’s Inn Road, this lovely garden is a perfect respite from nearby Kings Cross. We planned to just pop in there for lunch but ended up spending the whole afternoon enjoying the facilities. There’s a vegetarian cafe, a sports pitch and creative play spaces for children to explore. There were lots of activities arranged over the course of the day: my boys played football and went pond dipping for newts. And we all donned beekeeping suits and learned about the resident beehives.
Moving on to Family Friendly Stays, I really enjoyed reading all the posts which linked up last month. Domaine de Briange in France, reviewed by Daisy the Bus, particularly caught my eye: unmarked pitches, star gazing, wine tasting and lots of other quirky extras alongside a big swimming pool and a well-stocked shop and bar.
This month I’m linking up my post about the Ammos Hotel in Crete. The Ammos offers great food and great style whilst also welcoming children with open arms. If you think your days of staying in a minimalist and contemporary hotel are over once you have kids, think again!
What is Family Friendly Stays?
Family Friendly Stays is a monthly blog link up where you can share blog posts about brilliant places you have stayed at with your family. It’s also the place to come to if you need some family holiday inspiration.
Have you rented a great little cottage which had a perfect garden for your children? Maybe you’ve stayed on a campsite with the most amazing swimming pool which your kids loved. Perhaps you found that all-important villa which allowed you to walk to a restaurant or a beach. Or maybe you stayed at a hotel where the staff were particularly warm and attentive to your family. It doesn’t need to be a place which is obviously family-orientated, just somewhere which worked really well for you and your brood.
This isn’t the place for all inclusive resorts, big chain hotels or cruise ships. There are plenty of online resources where you can find out everything you need about those types of holiday. Family Friendly Stays is about highlighting smaller, harder to find places to stay.
I’m hoping that Family Friendly Stays will become a community of like-minded parents sharing places to stay that genuinely welcome families.
Posts can be old or new provided you still believe the property is suitable. And if you’re not a blogger, do drop by to have a read of some of the submitted posts, you might discover your next holiday destination!
How it works:
- Family Friendly Stays will go live on the first Wednesday of each month. It will stay live for 2 weeks.
- Bloggers can link up one post, old or new. Please add the #FamilyFriendlyStays badge (details below) or link back to my site.
- Please read my post plus at least 2 others, using the hashtag #FamilyFriendlyStays. We want to share these wonderful places you’ve all discovered.
- Social media: tweet me your post with the hashtag #FamilyFriendlyStays and I will re-tweet it (@smudgedpostcard). I’ll also be adding the posts to my #FamilyFriendlyStays board on Pinterest and mentioning my favourite posts each month on the @SmudgedPostcard Facebook page. Add an image of your #FamilyFriendlyStay to Instagram and I’ll do a round up at the start of next month.
If you enjoy staying in independent, characterful properties, keep an eye on Smudged Postcard: changes are afoot to include a directory of holiday accommodation recommended by like-minded families.