What to look for when renting a hotel with children. Tips for Parents
Make a list of the places you want to visit in advance, take a couple of days to the training camp, write down a schedule and methods of your movements, and, of course, decide in advance where you will stop. If you travel with a child, when choosing a hotel you need to consider a lot of nuances. Of course, it is impossible to foresee everything, but it is worth paying attention to the following points:
Security
Do not hesitate to call the selected hotel and find out if lifeguards are on duty at the beach and by the pool and whether the windows and balconies in the rooms are equipped with child locks. It’s great if the hotel has its own doctor or at least a nurse.
Fun for kids
Find out if there is a kids club or a games room in the hotel, they will come in handy in case of bad weather. And if you plan to leave the baby in the care of the staff of the children’s club, specify in advance from what age children are accepted there unaccompanied by adults. Usually it is 3-5 years, but in any case, it is necessary that the child can communicate with the staff himself (in some cases, knowledge of English or another foreign language will be required). The presence of water slides, trampolines and other entertainment in the hotel can be both a plus and a minus – it’s very difficult to drag some children out of there, this can disrupt your plans for sightseeing, swimming, sleeping, and eating.
Surcharge per child
In some hotels you need to pay extra for children in a room, starting from a certain age, in others, an extra charge is required only if the child needs a separate bed, and somewhere children stay for free. Be sure to clarify this point, so you can save a decent amount.
Availability of Baby Gadgets
Find out if the hotel provides its guests with a so-called children’s kit: playpen, potty, high chair, and stroller. Some hotels give these items for free, while others will rent for extra money. Check to see if these items will be available at your arrival and whether it is possible to book a set in advance. If you travel with a baby up to a year old, you will probably need warm boiled water to dilute the mixture or porridge, so keep in mind that in some hotels there are no kettles in the rooms.
Food
If your kid is fastidious in food, make sure that there is a restaurant in the hotel or within walking distance with simple and familiar food. The advice is especially relevant for Asia because even a 5-minute daily taxi ride for fried eggs and porridge in the early morning will drive you crazy by the end of the first week. And if your child eats pureed food, find out if the hotel has a blender that you can use, and diet meals on the menu. It is much easier to grind boiled meat and vegetables from a common table in mashed potatoes than to look for familiar jars in a supermarket.
Noise level
Hotels with a bungalow or detached small buildings are preferable since you can book a room away from the source of noise – a pool, restaurant, utility rooms, etc. And it is better to find out in advance whether the hotel has its own disco or a noisy bar with live music and football broadcasts.
Beach
If the chosen direction and finances allow, give preference to a hotel with its own beach. After all, a situation can always arise when no one is near a sunbed. For example, if one parent bathes, and the child urgently needed a toilet. Still, on the hotel beach, the likelihood that your things at this moment will not be stolen is much higher. If nothing happens with a hotel with its own beach, paid or wild beaches are preferable to public ones – it’s cleaner, safer and you will have more chances to take a convenient place in the shade.
Extra bed in rooms
If you do not go to bed with your children at the same time, but want to talk or watch TV after a hang-up, choose hotels where there are two-room family suites or simply rooms with terraces or balconies. In the latter case, we strongly recommend that you stay on the ground floor.
