 Two adults, two kids – in the tourist trade, that’s what defines a family. But who these days fits ‘the norm’? What if you’ve done the unthinkable and had three or more children? Does this mean your travelling days are over for good?!
Don’t despair – many of your fellow readers of Holidays with Kids feel your pain, and have come to the party by offering great advice about how to take a large clan on holidays without breaking the bank.
The main gripe is that most deals are for that magic 2x2, with families of five and over forced to look beyond package deals, which often means booking more than one hotel room per family. Similarly, many attractions limit family deals to the magic number four, making a day out an impossibly expensive undertaking for a bigger mob.
Many readers recommend calling properties direct. By explaining your predicament to a hotel manager, you may at least be able to wrangle a rollaway bed, adjoining rooms or even a family suite, all at a cost that will suit you.
The most popular accommodation option by far amongst our readers with large families is apartment or holiday home rentals. These can be booked via the internet (or sites such as stayz.com.au) or through real estate agents. Holiday homes not only provide extra space, but they also offer all the comforts of home such as self-contained kitchen and laundry facilities, a backyard for the kids to run around in and all the comforts of home such as a television and DVD player.
Holiday parks are another great option for large families, with camping options as well as cabins and villas available at value rates. Holiday parks these days feature all the facilities of a resort, with pools, jumping pillows and playgrounds to keep the kids busy for hours – and for most parents with multiple kids, that’s always a godsend!
 Where to go
If there’s one thing families of all shapes and sizes agree on, it’s that the great Aussie beach holiday is alive and well! Sun, surf and sand is an unbeatable combination; and with apartments and holiday houses often ideally located to the coast, it’s a great place for a large family to base themselves.
Many of our readers, however, have braved overseas holidays with the kids in tow – and have no regrets. Popular destinations include Fiji (though the package deal is often a deal breaker for larger families), Thailand (a great budget destination) and the US cities of New York, Los Angeles and Orlando. Here are a few places recommended by readers with large families:
Thailand
"The best option I found was within the Laguna complex, just north of Phuket. The Allamanda was fantastic, large apartments, beautiful pools and a beach nearby. On Koh Lanta, we discovered a beautiful 4-star resort with half price rates. Apparently most of the island resorts close at the end of April for monsoon season, so offer good deals during April. The Lanta Sands Resort did a deal of about $80 a night for the whole six of us, including breakfast, and we were able to get a huge two-bedroom apartment, brand new with all mod cons, overlooking an amazing pool. We were in heaven!" - Lynda Reid
Gold Coast
"I found a great special at Nara/Seaworld Resort. They were happy to include a rollaway, so we were only charged for one room and a nominal $20 fee each night for the extra bed. But the best bit was, included in our accommodation was two days unlimited entry to Sea World, and the water park is actually joined now to the resort so you can use all the slides free for your duration." - Bel Russo
"We stayed in a three-bedroom apartment at Turtle Sands Resort, Gold Coast. It has several swimming pools and spas, a gym, a cinema with free movies playing at various times, mini golf and tennis courts. Of course we did all the theme parks, but were able to spread them out spending in-between days at the resort." - Peta Wells
 Anaheim, California
"We stayed at the Howard Johnson Motel within walking distance of Disneyland and Downtown Disney where we (two adults, three kids) were able to stay in a standard size room without having to pay for two rooms. We found the best purchase for theme park tickets were the Southern California City Pass which included tickets to San Diego Zoo, Seaworld, Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure Park plus Universal Studios – it saved us hundreds of dollars." - Danielle Galvin
Orlando Florida
"Last year, I went to Orlando, Florida with my husband, twin boys aged 10, my parents and my mother’s brother and his whole family. I booked a six-bedroom house only two miles from Disneyworld. It cost me a third of the price I would have had to pay at any of the Disney accommodation." - Jeni Chen
"Because we wanted the complete Disney experience, we booked interconnecting rooms at the All Star Disney Movies Resort, which gave us four queen beds and two bathrooms for a family of six. I also managed to find a special deal that included free Disney dining for the duration of our stay." - Amanda Clark
New York
"I found the Affinia Hotels Manhattan website and booked a one-bedroom suite with kitchenette, two bathrooms, two double beds, one sofa bed plus a King Kong plush toy for just over $1000 for four nights!" - Nicole Mullen | 
