“When we had only one or two kids we could get away with cramming into a hotel room. Nowadays, with four under the age of seven, it’s apartment travel all the way. It makes such a difference to have somewhere to sterilise bottles, prepare baby food, cook if we want to, wash clothes and stretch out…” Amanda Hill
Amanda, like many parents with young children, has discovered the extra space, flexibility and facilities of a serviced apartment take the pain out of travelling with young children. Long popular with business travellers, apartments are the latest trend for families looking for comfortable and affordable alternatives to hotel and resort accommodation, with companies such as Quest, Accor, Australis and Medina all offering apartment options.
Eating in
When you’re travelling with baby, restaurant meals are not always an option; baby sleep times can throw eating schedules out the window, plus not many places serve baby food! Being able to prepare meals both for children and yourself in the convenience of a full-sized kitchen is a godsend; it’s also very handy for heating up leftovers, or sterilising bottles. And when all the hard work is done, simply kick back with your feet up on a comfy lounge while the kids snooze.
For families who prefer not to cook while on holidays, some apartments have restaurants attached; others offer local restaurant deliveries to eat in the comfort of your own apartment.
Quest apartments also offer to stock guests’ apartment fridges and pantries; simply advise the property in advance, and they’ll do the grocery shopping for you. And if you have a special request, they’ll go out of their way to find it – one mother recently forgot to bring a birthday cake for her son, but staff managed to find a local supplier to make a 3D cake version of Thomas the Tank Engine!
If you decide you and your partner are desperately in need of some “us” time, Quest also offer a babysitting booking service, working with qualified local babysitting agencies who arrange sitters for their guests.
Most apartments offer full in-room laundry facilities, which as the parent of any baby knows, is nearly impossible to live without! But if you want a break from chores, many apartments offer regular housekeeping services as well as valet laundry and dry cleaning services.
Resort facilities
With the boom in apartment accommodation, many companies now offer all the facilities of a resort in an apartment complex – pools, games rooms, barbeque facilities and restaurants. There’s no need to sacrifice your fun, just because you’re staying somewhere self-contained. Security is also taken care of, with on-sire reception staff, secure internal and external doors and appropriate fencing – peace of mind where small children are concerned.
But let’s give one of our readers final say – after you, you’re the experts!
“We are fairly fussy when we search for an apartment as we generally want somewhere that has everything we want within the resort complex. Our check list usually includes clean, modern facilities, a lagoon-style pool with a sandy area of the kids, a restaurant on site that is open all day and early evening, a playground on site or nearby, family friendly staff and good reviews from previous guests all at a competitive price.” Amanda Hill
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