John's first family holiday

Deciding where to go on your first holiday with a baby can be a bit of a challenge… Will it be too hot? Will it be too noisy? Will we be the annoying family on the plane with the child that won’t stop screaming? After our trip last year, I’m pleased to say we scored pretty well.

We decided on heading to Portugal in late September. The weather is normally warm enough for poolside reading (the hungry caterpillar) but not too hot so that you are searching for shade for 3 hours in afternoon. The resort of Carvoeiro was also ideal in that there’s a nice beach, plenty of choice of restaurants but none of the Club 18-30 trance at 2 in the morning.

There are plenty of accommodation options too, all seem to be well suited to children and infants (baby pools, kid’s clubs, playgrounds) and with lots of happy families having fun, there are lots of friends to be made by little ones and mums and dads alike.

Any downsides… the town is at the bottom of a hill so heading into town for the beach/coffee/meal is a nice stroll but heading home pushing a push-chair on a full stomach can take your breath away. It also helps to hire a car to make the airport transfer easier and allow some exploring which can push up the cost.

…and as for child flight tantrums… pack the favourite toy, plenty of food/drink, a change of clothes and pray that they fall asleep!

Why not check out our Portugal brochures and those others that specialise in family trips.

John