Ireland has a huge range of top quality family friendly accommodation ranging from five star hotels to campsites. The Irish are very child friendly and welcoming and there are few accommodation providers who actively dissuade children from staying. Where they do it is sometimes in old houses where there may be steep steps or a lot of antiques or destination spas.
You can book hotels that actively promote the fact that they are family friendly here with Gulliver Ireland. Gulliver Ireland is the biggest booking engine in Ireland with over 8,000 Tourist Board Approved properties. The Irish Hotels Federation has a great new Healthy Eating for Kids campaign with over 250 hotels and guesthouses signed up so far which is good news for parents who want their children to eat healthy food while on holiday which can be an issue.
Book Hotels in Ireland
Just because a property calls itself family friendly does not mean that it is though. Our research has shown that the vast majority of properties will say they are family friendly but in fact the situation on the ground may not reflect that in some cases. Having a kid's club or a playground does not in itself make a property family friendly. So what is the magic formula? In reality there is no magic formula but what is important is providing a real welcome for parents and their children and appropriate facilities. Feeling welcome and being able to relax knowing the kids are enjoying themselves are the two things parents highlight most.
In terms of accommodation families generally need more space than couples or people travelling alone. While a baby in a travel cot does not take up that much room if a double room is small this can limit circulation space. Interconnecting rooms, family rooms, suites and self catering attached to hotels with full use of the hotel facilities are great for families. There has been a significant increase in the amount of family accommodation and serviced self catering accommodation in Ireland over the last few years and this is very welcome. Families also like to have good in room facilities including TVs, DVD, movies and with a young baby a fridge in the room is always useful.
Facilities on premises will depend on the type of accommodation you are looking at. Families generally want premises where children can have fun and parents can relax in the knowledge that the children are welcome. They want a safe environment and in some cases activities and facilities on premises such as a leisure facility, sports facilities or a kids club.
Healthy eating is becoming increasingly important and healthy children's meals are a priority for parents. The Irish Hotels Federation has recently introduced a healthy eating for kids programme for their hotels and guest houses this is very welcome and should be encouraged.
Finally activities and things to see and do with the children in the local area are important. Beaches, parks, outdoor activities and indoor facilities for rainy days are all important in getting the balance right on a family holiday.
Later this year we hope to carry out a comprehensive survey of hotels and guest houses in Ireland so that we can provide you with further family friendly premises information. In the meantime we have highlighted some properties such as hotels with self catering or hotels with kids clubs. Watch his space mums and dads.
You will also find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section also.
Check out also the experience of other parents and travellers in our forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences.