H is for... Holidays

It's no secret, I love to travel.

I've been to some amazing countries over the years and passion for travel will never fade - it's just the big stuff has been put on hold for a little while.

I want to share a holiday we took last year to Lanzarote.

I'm sharing this is order to spread this amazing place to more Mums and Dads who may be a little wary of travelling with babies, toddlers and young children. With a place like this you need not be!

I must admit that the thought of going on holiday with a then 13 month old Mini Cheddar terrified the life out of me. The thought of not being able to relax in a hotel or apartment, the thought of having to be all eyes by the pool and having to try to pack enough things to entertain her for 7 nights.

I did quite a lot of searching online and then stumbled across the mention of a place in Lanzarote on a forum about travelling with kids. I checked it out and it seemed too good to be true! We booked it for a week in May 2010 and it's one of the best holidays I've ever had. Which, considering all my previous holidays have been without children that's saying something.

Casa Arabella is a beautiful 2 bedroom villa (with heated fenced pool) in the lovely resort of Playa Blanca in Southern Lanzarote. I had always thought that a villa holiday would be extremely expensive but we paid £450 for the week and got cheap flights with Ryanair (don't knock them too much, we've never had a problem with them).

The service I received from the people who ran the villa was fabulous, even before we departed. They were able to advise on flights and offered me an extensive list of what was included in the villa. I was amazed at all the baby and toddler items that were included (a 2 page list no less!). It meant we literally didn't have to take a thing with us - which is good with a Ryanair baggage allowance.

Here is just a small selection of what is included:

More toys and books than your child will need for two weeks, never mind one!
All toddler and baby plates, cups and cutlery
Cot with mosquito net if required
Highchair - a really lovely huge one, not like the usual cheap ones you get
A portable highchair to take out to restaurants
The biggest bucket of pool toys and inflatables you've ever seen
Bath toys
Potty, step stool etc.
Terrace play area with slide
They can supply a buggy if needed and a carseat etc.

I could go on and on. Basically, the people who own the villa have a little girl who has now grown out of these things. All the items are still in great condition - don't worry, there are also plenty of boys toys in the villa...Mini Cheddar grew very attached to a toy truck while we there!

I don't want to bore anyone with this post - I just want it to serve a purpose to tell you about this place so if you are thinking of holidaying abroad with babies/young children it may give you food for thought. We had a fabulous holiday.

Now here are a couple of links you need if you're interested but be warned - book in advance! It can get booked up very quickly.... obviously.

Lanzarote Lates website for the villa - details everything much better than me!
Tripadvisor reviews - one of them is mine!

Finally, I'll leave you with some pictures and just say that obviously this is NOT a sponsored post and I did not receive any sort of payment for this post.