We wanted to book a holiday with Little A before his new bro or sis arrives on the scene and so it was off to Egypt we went. At under 10 mins transfer time from the airport, the Four Seasons Sharm El Sheik is quite the find for winter sun.  I shudder at the thought of toddler taming in most luxury resorts but the Four Seasons caters above and beyond for the little people in our lives.  An apple juice awaited Little A in the complimentary transfer car, a pot of Play Doh appeared at check-in and a hamper of nappies, disposable bibs, Johnsons goodies, animal sponges and a flock of rubber ducks lay waiting in the room.  Not only was Little A in tow but Granny came too.  We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite which worked perfectly: Little A was in with us (in a cot already installed by the hotel), Granny had space in her own room with ensuite and we also had a sitting room with kitchen equip.

The resort itself is luxuriously laid out amongst gardens, fountains and with a choo choo – read Funicular – to take you down to the beach what more could Little A dream of.  Ahmed, the golf cart driver, soon became a firm ‘high five’ favourite and all the staff were mega child friendly.  Little A didn’t venture to the kids club but I saw lots of treasure hunts and bake-offs taking place and the resort seems to offer a lot for all ages. My personal favourite was the fact that a travel cot would miraculously appear by your sun lounger should you request it so Little A could enjoy his lunchtime snooze under a poolside cabana whilst you caught the rays. For those more in favour of the beach there is a crate of sand toys for the littlies and a jetty for fish spotting which given the Red Sea location means parrot fish rather than goldfish. On my birthday we took Little A on a glass bottom boat trip which was pretty cool for toddlers and adults alike.

On the food and drink front, 3 restaurants out of 5 were are open to kids and provided kids menus and crayons.  Granny treated us to a night out and whilst she and Little A enjoyed the fab room service, we ventured to the rather slick Sails restaurant overlooking the sea.  All in all I don’t think you would find a more luxury hotel that caters so well for kiddiwinks. Definately a spenny trip but exceptional once you are there.

With the Christmas excitement behind us hubby and I thought we might get away for a week R & R before the new arrival in July.  Given the long haul distance required for that elusive winter sun and with a willing Grannie and ‘Bumpa’ on board we decided to leave Little A behind and pack our bags for Antigua.  Now one thing definitely worth considering – that is if you dare to be so callous as to leave your toddler behind for a week so you can enjoy a vista of no nappies, uninterrupted book reading and time with your hubby – is to find a ‘no kids’ resort.  If I were to spend the week surrounded by other cheeky chappy toddlers splashing in the pool and building sandcastles then I would have sat there miserably wishing Little A was with us.  Leaving him was hard enough but luckily we had chosen Hermitage Bay for its adult only vibe and it certainly made the distance easier.

If you want intrepid adventure and a high paced, adrenalin-fuelled holiday then this resort may not be for you.  If you want to collapse on a pristine beach, eat and drink to your heart’s content and swim in turquoise water then Hermitage Bay is definitely worth considering.  One huge plus is that HB is all inclusive which although it might seem eye-wateringly spenny when you book, when you get there the food and drink is incredible and there was not a buffet in sight.  HB pride themselves on their cuisine and I was lucky enough to have my baby bump as an excuse for my ever burgeoning waistline. Hubby enjoyed glasses of Minuty Rose over 3 course lunches whilst I made my way through the delicious mocktail list.  We stayed firstly in a bungalow on the beach and then in one of the hill top villas with pool.  The bungalow on the beach (ours was No.15 which is the one to request as it is the far end of the beach) meant you literally stepped off your verandah and could be reclining on your lounger overlooking the sea in seconds.  The hill top villas are better if it is privacy you are after although you do use a golf buggy to get to some of them.

All in all a cracker of a holiday and Hermitage Bay’s staff make a repeat visit a must. Just hope that next time I can indulge in the cocktail list.

What we read: The Fever Tree by by Jennifer McVeigh, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson, After the War is Over by Maureen Lee.
What we wore: my Beach Candy dress was perfect to cover my middling tummy and hubby brought out a new pair of FB Collection trunks.

This time last year I was in the thick of preparations as to how to get Little A to Malaysia for Christmas without too much stress and upheaval. I spent a lot of time searching forums looking for answers on how best to travel and in particular what sleeping/seating arrangements to make for the flight. Little A was just turning one and as he has always been big for his age I was concerned that he would not fit in the travel bassinet (the clip on cot you can request with a bulk head seat). The Grandparents we were off to visit generously treated him to his own seat but I was concerned that it would be difficult getting him to sleep in an adult’s seat. Then I read that you can take car seats on board. The general guidelines state that you can take a car seat on a plane as long as it is forward facing (not your Maxi Cosi Pebble for example) and conforms to safety standards. Each airline commands different criteria and I struggled with Singapore Airlines as to exactly which model they would accept. In the end we took our Maxi-Cosi Priori XP car seat as it complied with current European regulations and hoped the airline would be happy with it.

Next obstacle was how to lug the heavy car seat through the airport with the rest of our other kit. In America you can buy attachments for your American car seats to wheel the seat through the airport as a stroller with your child onboard but last year I could not find the same solution for the British market. In the end I bought some strap on wheels I found in John Lewis so at least we could tow the seat through the airport.

No one batted an eyelid as we made our way through the airport and once at the check in desk we clamoured for any free bulk head seats. Basically if you are taking a car seat it is still better to have the bulk head as the space is much tighter if the person in front reclines their chair in the standard rows. We managed to get 2 seats bulk head and one behind and once on board we secured the seat using the plane seatbelt and unbelievably once Little A once ensconced in his travel sleep bag with his Nay Nay (dummy) and after his evening milk he slept the entire way. Before you accuse me of being too cocky the flight home was another story; we missed our connection due to a delayed flight and had to bed down at 2am in Singapore in a somewhat less than salubrious hotel room courtesy of the airline.

The long and short of it is that taking a car seat on the plane is a great way to keep your toddler secured in an environment that is familiar to them and it is a no brainer to try and book night flights where possible.

Another saviour was the car seat cover I have blogged about before which helped save the car seat from any food/drink calamities and stopped Little A getting all hot and sweaty once in the hotter climes – click here for post.

A couple of things that we packed for Portugal.  For more bits and bobs to pop in the suitcase read my guest post on Sunuva’s blog click here to view.

Clockwise:

Scarf maxi dress in pink peacock by Beach Candy
This was great as a poolside cover up that worked from beach to bar in the evening.
Aerosol spray sunscreen factor 50 Kids by Ambre Solaire
Little A loved the spray factor and it gave great coverage.
The Killing DVD – Season 1
The Danish version was a great holiday choice for the odd night in as the subtitles allowed us to keep the volume low whilst Little A slept.
Tozzle App from Itunes
Fab app which was the perfect distraction to combat airport queues, a real must for 18mths plus.
Navy Crocs
Although not a fan of adult toting croc wearers these were perfect for Little A – light and easy to put on.
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James
Of course I wanted to see what the fuss was about.  Caught a lot of other mummies surrepticiously reading the second and third book by the pool too.
Byron Bay rope bikini by Heidi Klein
A neutral stripe that makes for a very flattering style.

When I asked my mother where she took me on holiday abroad when I was 18 months old the short answer was that she didn’t.  Back in the Eighties it was the chilly waters of Wales, Scotland and Cornwall that my little feet paddled and beach attire was usually a chunky knit jumper, raincoat and shorts.  With the British summer being the usual let down and hubby getting some time off work I set to investigating a family friendly yet chic resort that was only a short haul flight away.  Hello the Martinhal resort in Sagres, Portugal.  Aimed at parents who don’t want to comprise on style and comfort but still want to keep the kiddiwinks happy the Martinhal is only 2 years old and quite a find.

After a short hop to the Algarve we arrived at the resort by noon and this is what we found…

Sleeping –
I had booked us into a Garden House flat which meant Little A would sleep in our room but we would have a separate sitting room to chill out in, kitchen to prepare the odd lunch and a separate WC so we didn’t disturb the sleeping boy.  One of the big bonuses is the amount of baby kit they can provide so apart from clothes you can travel relatively hassle free.  You can pre-book a whole host of things from safety gates, baby baths and travel cots.  We took our buggy but asked for a cot for Little A which was up and ready when we arrived.  It comes as no surprise to discover that the woman behind the Martinhal is a mother of four.

Eating –
Each restaurant has a children’s play area so whilst you and the hubby enjoy a glass of something you can watch your little one bouncing on a trampoline or digging in a sandpit.  The aesthetic of the resort has been carefully considered and each restaurant retains a stylish grown up feel although kiddie friendly – even the highchairs were Nano bloom ones. We booked a babysitter for 3 evenings and stayed in the rest. If you opt for a house with kitchen facilities then you can get the essentials from the onsite Mercado and the village restaurant also does a good take-away pizza.

Playing –
For kids over 2 there are really good kids’ clubs and there is a crèche for smaller ones which we booked Little A into.  This proved to be a somewhat naïve venture given that I don’t put him in a crèche/nursery at home.  Luckily the staff gave us a call to let us know he was missing us a little too much and we were able to set up some 1 on 1 babysitting instead.  Little A was much happier with this plan and it meant that hubby and I still had a couple of hours of us time.

I wasn’t sure a holiday with a toddler would ever be classed as relaxing but I think the key is to go somewhere relatively child friendly and so you don’t have the stress of bothering honeymooners with your toddler’s tantrums.

The long and short of it is, if you want 5 star romantic luxury and long-haul leave your little one at home with the grandparents.  If you want a break solely centred on your kids book Eurodisney.  If you want a holiday where there is something for everyone book the Martinhal.