House parties-great for big families with kids or groups of friends
House parties are a fantastic way of having a holiday with a group of friends who have kids or a family for a special celebration or simply to enjoy quality time together. They are extremely family friendly and provide great flexibility and privacy for families, particularly where there are children of various different ages to keep each other company.
Top tips for family friendly house parties
Most of our top tips for choosing your (family friendly self catering accommodation) will apply to the selection of a larger house for a big family house party, However, you should also consider that there are a large group of people who may have different requirements and needs.
The first issue to consider is budget and you should try to agree on what each family wants to spend and the facilities that they require. If your children are a little bit older, you may for example have forgotten the dangers of steep stone steps or the need for stair guards.
Generally, the etiquette is that the organiser gets first choice of room and as standards and sizes vary. Try to agree in advance on any issues that are important. Where you can get a floor plan.
Sometimes large houses have annexes or houses nearby which provide additional accommodation. You should investigate how far they are as on occasions, they can be quite some distance and can have an effect on your baby sitting options.
How to book a house party
Firstly decide if you are a going to book direct with a villa in or self-catering package company or directly with the owner. Booking with a company such as
James Villa for overseas villa holidays will usually give you more security but it usually works out cheaper to deal directly with owners through sites such as holidayhomesdirect.ie.
Use the web
Many companies and owners will offer online discounts as everyone saves when a brochure does not have to be printed. Feel free to try to negotiate on price anyway as owners will often accept offers of 10% to 20% below the advertised asking price.
There is only so much that can be printed in brochures and the internet usually offers more information, photographs and in some cases user reviews. Look at photographs for image distortion where smaller room are made bigger by the use of wide angle lenses.
Check for currency savings as paying in a weak local currency such as the dollar at the time of going to print can mean great savings.
Suitable for children
Check with the brochure, the owner or on the booking website whether the property is suitable for children. If it is not appropriate such as being filled full of antiques or has extremely high quality furnishings both you the owner and you may be uncomfortable with this as an option.
If you have young children and in particular toddlers check that the pool has a shallow end or a sheltered entrance. Check also if there is a pool whether it is big enough for the party size and not just a plunge pool and whether or not it is heated, which usually costs extra.
Location of the accommodation
Before you book, check out how far the accommodation is from the facilities you wish to visit such as theme parks, local towns, shops, restaurants and public transport. Investigate whether the property is on a busy road or down steep steps and whether you will need to hire a car. If times are given check if they are by car or by foot and read between the lines.
Beds and linen
It is important to check how many bedrooms and beds there are. Sleeping sixteen for example, in a ski resort could mean a four bedroom apartment with pull out couches as spaces often are very limited. In Portugal, however a villa may provide 8 bedrooms for sixteen people. Check also for what is supplied and how you can use what is supplied. For example, in some villas pool towels are supplied but you are not allowed to take them to the beach. If children are supposed to sleep in bunk beds whether or not there are safety rails.
Enquire also about linen and how often it is changed and if you need to bring any towels or sheets. Proprieties at the lower end of the market may be more limited in this regard.
Safety
Consider whether or not there could be any hazards such as a pool and if there are young children, open fires and marble floors/steep steps may not be suitable. Safety is always a concern and if there is a pool check that it has a fence, an alarm or a hard cover. In France this is a legal requirement but this is not the case in other European countries.
Baby-sitting
If you are going for the self catering accommodation option, organizing baby sitting can be a little more difficult. Try to make contact with the owner or the villa/self-catering company where possible and see if a good reliable baby sitting service could be made available.
Directions and checking in
Children have a finite amount of time that they can spend in the back of a car and while you can fill your car with interesting car games and things to do, getting to new destinations with children can bring obvious difficulties. We would suggest that you check the directions carefully before you set off and be absolutely clear as to your check in times as to allow for changeovers and cleaning. You are not usually handed the keys until mid-afternoon whereas you have to leave a property usually first thing in the morning. Consider this also before you book your flights as you may wish to avoid a very early morning outbound flight.
Family friendly house party accommodation Ireland and the UK
If you are looking for a family friendly accommodation on a self catering basis in either Ireland or the UK, we would suggest you check out the huge range you can access here
In the UK check out Hoseasons or cottages4u
Self catering villas overseas
Overseas,
Meon Villas and James Villas provide excellent family friendly villa options.
You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday.
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