MB’s Travels

Congratulations! You’re planning a trip to the Irish or British isles, and you’re really excited. You want to visit the best sites, stay somewhere convenient to everything, and not empty out your savings in the process. Just one problem: those pesky children of yours.

Bring Your Kids?

Sure, you can leave them at Grandma’s. You’d certainly have a better time. No strollers, diaper bags, whiny kids who skipped their naps and can’t stop fighting with each other. And they won’t care whether they get to see Big Ben or the Spanish Arch. 

Wait, stop. Don’t leave your kids at home. And here’s why. 

1. They may not remember, but you will, and those memories are precious. Not the fighting ones. The ones where they get up close to sheep and yell “purple butts!” because it’s their first time seeing spray painted sheep. Priceless.
2. Family time. In an office all day? Now you’re leaving your kids for a week? When will you get to see them?! Yes, I’m trying to make you feel guilty. 
3. Face it, your kids are cute! (Unless they’re teenagers of course.) You’ll have a different experience, and trust me, some places are even more fun with kids! Watching their reaction to the front seat, top level of a double decker bus? Letting them run through a medieval castle pretending to be Knights? Hearing them blurt out, “the past stinks!” while walking through an old thatched house? 
4. For the older ones, they’ll learn something. They’ll experience a different culture. They’ll hear a different language. They’ll learn about history. It’ll be more fun for them than learning from a textbook (do they have textbooks anymore?)

Where to Stay: Benefits of Alternative Accommodations

So now that we’ve got that settled, let’s discuss accommodation. I learned the hard way how difficult it is to find good kid-friendly accommodation in Europe. In America, you’re used to two options at hotels: two queen beds or one king bed. But in many European hotels, the options are: two twin beds or two twin beds pushed together. 

Plus, there’s the occupancy rules. Most rooms will be capped at 2 or 3 guests, and it’s strictly enforced. Guess my toddler’s sleeping outside! What about families with three kids? Or more? Can you even get interconnecting rooms? 

So now you’re left sorting through the millions of hotel options to find the few that offer family rooms: 1 or 2 double beds, 1 or two twin beds, or some combination of those. Or, if you’re lucky and staying somewhere more urban, you may find an aparthotel, which gives you more space and in-room amenities like kitchenettes. But here’s the question. Are these hotels convenient to where you want to be? Is there enough room for your family? Are you paying a premium for an extra bed?

There’s an alternative, and you probably know what it is, if you’ve traveled with kids already. Apartments. Townhomes. Villas. Cottages. 

In Ireland, these are categorized as “self-catering,” so make sure to include this term in your searches to find direct options.

Here are your benefits:

1. Multiple bedrooms: put your kids in their own rooms, get your own space to yourself.
2. Multiple bathrooms: get an ensuite! Your kids can use their own bathroom with a tub while you get a shower in yours.
3. Kitchen: grab some groceries, make breakfast, save some money on your trip, and you don’t have to worry about finding breakfast options everyday. Alternative – you’re out the door early and back in time to make dinner for the family (especially if you’re staying somewhere remote)
4. Laundry: totally underrated on a trip! Pack lightly, wash your clothes for free in your own accommodation, and take care of any “woopsies” your littles may have had.
5. Price. This isn’t across the board true, but I have found alternative accommodations to be cheaper than hotels for what you get. For example, my Bundoran apartment was about $600 cheaper than the Great Northern Hotel that we could see out our window, which included breakfast (way too much for breakfast, am I right?). So you’re getting way more space and paying, in certain cases, less for it. 

The Downsides of Alternative Accommodations

So where do you find these options? Airbnb, Booking.com, Vrbo, hotel-affiliated (think Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy), or independent self-catering (yes, some of these are not on the other sites, you just need to find them). 

Have you ever tried to use one of these Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and felt overwhelmed with choice? Especially if you’re going somewhere you’re not familiar with, how do you know which place to choose? What if you need something (like hot water)? Will they respond quickly, or are you on your own? 

Let’s look at what you give up by staying in alternative accommodations:

1. No reception. You have to go through the process to unlock the contraption that hides the key, or whatever version your accommodation uses to secure itself (keyless entry for example).
2. No staff. No one’s cleaning up after you. Those dishes are your job. The garbage won’t take itself out. And did you just run out of toilet paper?
3. Neighborhood. You’re not on a resort. You’re in a neighborhood, with…neighbors. You don’t know this area. Is it safe? What’s it like at night? 
4. Parking. Most hotels, perhaps with the exception of densely populated urban areas, will provide parking (free or paid). What if your apartment doesn’t come with parking? What do you do then? Find a parking garage a mile away?
5. No amenities. You’re not likely to have access to a pool or gym. No on-site restaurant. No kids clubs. 

It’s daunting, I know. You’re starting to think Grandma’s sounds like the right plan for you. And if that’s what’s right for you, then go for it. But if you want to include your kids on your next trip, and obviously you still want to have a great experience, then you have two options: book two hotel rooms (or more if needed), or book one of these homes from an OTA. 

My experience in England

Let’s jump into my experience. First, we brought the kids to England when they were six and two. We needed three accommodations (ended up with four and I’ll explain why). 

Bath. We found an apartment with a great view and walking distance to the main historic area. It had one bedroom, a living room with a Murphy bed, a small kitchen, and one bathroom. It suited our needs, except for parking. We had to park a mile away in a parking lot since street parking was unavailable. Also, it was a three-floor walkup. Keep that in mind when booking your accommodations (always check these types of details) since it surprised our jetlagged butts after a long flight and two hour drive to get there. 

Chester. This was our favorite accommodation. A two-floor townhome within walking distance to the center of town. Two bedrooms upstairs (a bit squished, but it had two single beds for the kids, so they were happy). One bathroom, also upstairs (also a bit squished since the tub, a jacuzzi, took up the entire floor space). Downstairs, a warm, inviting living, dining, and kitchen space, with a patio outside. We loved the decor, the warm pops of color all around. The kids loved the nook space with a chaise. 

Watford. We added this in so we could stay near the Harry Potter Studio overnight (we did an evening tour, so we were there from 6pm to 10pm). Also it was Harry Potter themed! So of course I couldn’t resist. It was close to the kids’ birthdays, and we’re huge fans, so this was special for us. Bonus: cheaper than adding a fourth night in London.. Let me tell you, you’re not going to get this experience from a hotel. So much fun for Harry Potter fans! The kids were able to dress up like Hogwarts students, ride around brooms, hang out in the back covered patio and watch the movies on TV. At bed time, they had Hedwig, Fawkes the Phoenix, and other stuffies to choose from. Plus the sorting hat. Their room consisted of a bunk bed, which was the biggest draw for them. We had a separate room, very spacious with mood lighting. The kitchen had all Potter-themed dishes. The dining table had lights over it to look like the Great Hall. There was a book for guests to write in like Tom Riddle’s Diary. We wished we stayed here more than one night.

London. We opted for a hotel here, since the locals talk about the housing crisis and ask that you don’t book Airbnbs because companies are buying out all the properties for vacation rentals, pricing out people who live there 100% of the time. And we opted for a locally-owned hotel, which is important if you want to support the place you’re visiting, rather than an American-owned hotel. Guess what? Found another wizard-themed accommodation! A boutique hotel within walking distance to Victoria station, downstairs in the dungeon, there’s a bedroom with a full bed for adults and a bunkbed for the kids. It’s quite small, so adjust your expectations if you’re thinking of American hotels. But the entire room felt like you were staying in a Medieval castle, with four poster beds and curtains you could close for privacy, and a fake fireplace space where you could pretend to make potions. Not Harry Potter-themed, just wizard-themed. One bathroom, dark and small. Breakfast included, with wizard-themed pancakes on the menu!

My experience in Ireland

Now let’s jump to Ireland, where we brought the kids at eight and four.

Bundoran. I chose Bundoran because it was about an hour north of where my family is based in Sligo. It’s a surfer’s paradise. It’s where the Irish go on holiday. It’s small, but there’s enough there to meet your needs. We stayed in an apartment overlooking the Adventure Park. Great views of the beach. Full kitchen, living, and dining. Separate bedrooms (the kids had their own beds), and separate bathrooms (they had a tub, we had a shower). And, of course, laundry. We only had one down side here. We couldn’t get the hot water to work. At first we thought we were being dumb about it. After all, there were instructions on how to access the hot water, and we were following it. But after I put in a request in the secure chat about the issue, they came and resolved it that same day, while we were off on our adventure. So it’s important when choosing one of these places to pick a company that can handle problems like a hotel would (promptly and efficiently).

Ballina. We stayed in a castle! It was sort of a thrown-in-there idea after booking everything else. I thought, I’ve never stayed in a castle, and the kids would love it, so is there a castle option we can afford? Turns out there is, in Ballina! Belleek Castle is tucked in the woods just outside of town. It’s a beautiful building, very Medieval looking, with about 10 boutique rooms. We were upstairs towards the end of the hall facing the front, with a decent view, though I would have liked one that wasn’t over the garbage area. Our bed was on one side, the kids had two beds next to each other on the other side. The bathroom was huge and very modern. We had chandeliers for lights. The only downside we had was that we couldn’t find the mugs. There was a coffee maker with no mugs. Found them shortly before checking out in the closet, along with robes (so lesson learned, always check the closets!)

Galway. We needed accommodation for our arrival and departure nights, and Galway is conveniently located an hour north of Shannon, or 2-3 hours from Dublin. There were two kid-friendly hotels on my radar, plus a third that was out of our price range. Galway is expensive! The two we were looking at were about the same price and very close to each other, so it was a toss up. We ended up with Flannery’s Hotel, but The Connacht Hotel is just down the road, if you’re interested. We booked a family room (2 adults, 2 children), but they have other options for 1 or 3 children as well. The draw here is the on-site restaurant (breakfast available) and bus stop just across the street that will take you downtown without needing to drive (I recommend!). Our room had two double beds and one single, plus a bathroom with a tub/shower. Only downside was that we were at the end of a very long hallway, far from the entrance and restaurant. 

How to Plan Your Next Trip

If you’ve gotten this far, congrats! You’re serious about planning the best trip to Ireland / the U.K. and appreciate my insights! Thanks! 

What should you do next? Well first decide if the kids are coming, or the grandparents, or the extended family…your best friends, church group, sorority. This applies to basically anyone traveling with more than two people. Then, think about which accommodation style fits your needs the most. Do you want someone to cook you breakfast? Clean your room while you’re gone? Or do you really need that in-room laundry and a place to make your own breakfast? 

My advice? Plan WAY ahead, so you have time to lock in your favorite accommodation on your dates, before it sells out. 

If you have questions about a specific trip you’re planning, or want more details about my experiences, find me on socials or click my Plan WIth Me link. I’m happy to chat through your journey and provide tips from my own. The point is, don’t let the process overwhelm you! You’ve got this!