I have three children aged 1, 6, and 8. I would love to rent a house/nearby
cottages in the UK so we could go away with another family. However, I don't
want to cook. And I would love some child care for the baby. I know that Scott
Dunn does this sort of villa with staff holiday on the continent, but is
it available in the UK? Nicky Connor, by email
Family travel expert Emma Mahony (middle in picture above left) responds: Well
Nicky, you are in luck. Fortunately for our modern times, the competition in
the holiday cottage market means that more places are offering services over
and above logs in the fire basket.
There is an excellent website called childfriendly
cottages which lists 99 cottages across the UK that offer babysitting
and catering - where the food is supplied from companies such as Top Nosh or "Sue,
who will deliver home-made meals to your door". This should be your
first port of call if you are wedded to certain areas of the country.
However, may I also direct you to the many well-researched and independent
reviews we offer on the subject, because what the website can't tell you is
how good the places are.
My favourites are Down
on the Farm where Fred Mawer takes his toddlers twice a year they love
it so much, and our own family trip to Holwell
Cottages in Devon where delicious home-made meals were put in the
freezer for our arrival and the local 20-something babysitter was kept
amused by our three children (two 6-year-old twins and a 10-year-old) while
we ate at the local hotel.
Other features worth noting if you are using the tour operator of Scott
Dunn as an indicator of the quality of holiday cottage you are looking
for, is an excellent round-up of Self-Catering
cottages with Hotel Service published last year and 15 memorable
hideaways, many from the LandMark Trust in our feature on the Best
Holiday Cottages in Britain .
One other thing, if you are going with another family, and looking for
childcare and catering - have you thought of going the whole hog and booking
in to a hotel? Not one where there are "tuts" at the children, but
family-friendly places where everything, including high tea, is laid on.
Can I recommend a piece called Britain's
best family-friendly hotels, which offers a choice of 18 hotels in the
South and South East/West. All of which should send your head spinning with
choice. So here's hoping you can join up the dots, eat well and put your
feet up with other grown-ups for company.
Got a question about family travel? Email our trio of experts at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk
- Chloe Bryan-Brown takes care of questions for the 0-6 year olds, Emma
Mahony handles the 7-12 age group and Jane Owen writes about teenage and
single parent travel
