Holidaying with a baby

Rob and I didn't have a Summer holiday this year, and boy am I frustrated about that!!?? We had several ideas and plans but none of these went through. We wanted to go to Venice in May for Rob's birthday (my gift), but Rob's work commitments didn't allow us to. Then, we wanted to go to Santorini, Greece, to celebrate our first wedding anniversary at the end of June, but pregnancy issues made us postpone this trip to next year. Certainly a wise decision, but I still wish we could have gone. And finally, as you all know, my ten-day-trip to Pescara got cancelled because of the exceptional heat wave that was attacking Italy in mid July (and still is, as a matter of fact!). So, no holiday for us, which means no Summer and no break whatsoever. And being 38 weeks pregnant today and starting to get tired of all this, I can surely say that I really needed one. 

Now, who knows when we will be able to have a proper holiday again, but I am starting to see what options we may have. I have found a couple of good websites that list baby-friendly holiday destinations. My favourite at the moment is Baby Friendly Boltholes, an online resource that lists "over 500 stylish yet child-friendly hotels, villas and cottages worldwide". I love their map search as well as their "10 best for" search. I played around with the website and wow, there are so many good options! There is also a section for special offers, which is always handy. Look at the Bolthole of the season, for example: Chateau Les Carrasses. Isn't it gorgeous? 

Images from main website

Another good site, but just for the UK, is Luxury Family Hotels, where there is a selected list of castles, English manor houses, and country hotels. Look at the New Park Manor, for example, or the Thornbury Castle. What a dream! And with a little baby and being completely inexperienced, perhaps the UK may be the best option for a little holiday in the near future.

Thornbury Castle

Blue Chip Holidays also seems to be a good resource for baby friendly holiday options with self-catered properties scattered in six selected areas in the UK: Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, The Isle of Wight, and Wales. 

Uh, I am getting excited. I'll have to start thinking of potential dates and destinations....