It’s a knock out: villas vs hotels

Villas give you more freedom but hotels have more facilities – when it comes to your family holiday, which one is right for you? We get the boxing gloves on and battle one against the other. Ding-ding

The Villa

The most obvious advantage here is space: several bedrooms, a large living area to lounge about in and a fully-equipped kitchen are the norm; upgrade and you’re likely to have a private pool, bikes to use and even a games room at your disposal. Villas tend to be detached, too, meaning you can make as much noise as they want without disturbing other holidaymakers. And what if you need to work? Chuck them in front of the large flat-screen and duck into a different room
– you won’t be able to do that in a hotel. Hotels aren’t really set up for families of different ages either, with several rooms having to be booked to accommodate everyone. And what if yours are too young to be in a hotel room by themselves? They’ll end up on a pull out bed in your room or, worse still, in your bed. And I don’t know about you but my daughter doesn’t eat three square meals a day but eight or nine round ones (an all-day buffet would suit her down to the ground).  A hotel’s rigid breakfast, lunch and dinner times might not work with the constant cries of ‘mummy, I’m hungry’.  Travelling solo with children is made even harder in a villa if you have a long car journey from the airport to contend with, on unfamiliar roads, in an unfamiliar car (and often on the other side of the road) with cries of ‘I’m tired/hungry/thirsty/about to wee myself’ coming from the back (what? It happens). That said, having a car means you see more of the local area, eat in local restaurants and shop in nearby supermarkets – in essence, giving something back to the community. It also gives you much more freedom and allows you to mix things up a bit: raining? Head to the nearest town and take in a movie or do some shopping. While an all singing and dancing villa will cost an arm and a leg, you can save money on food and drink, too
– simply drive to the local supermarket and stock up. Shove some wine or beers in the large fridge, put a pizza in the oven, shove the kids in the (no doubt) large bath and flop down on a large sofa to watch a movie. Now you’re talking.

The hotel

OK so you might be in adjoining rooms and be forced to share a pool but hotels have one thing that villas don’t: facilities. Think great big pools with slides, several restaurants, bars, staff you can call upon, spas for adults to claw-back some much-needed me time and babysitters so you can go out for an evening, even if it’s just once or twice.  There’s also the added advantage of other people milling around to talk to – kids tend to migrate towards one another without a care in the world, making friends easily and giving you a bit of a beak. Talking of you, what if you’re in between relationships? Could Mr (or Mrs) Right be at your hotel just waiting to meet you? Weirder things have happened. Kids’ clubs aren’t everywhere but if you find one, you’ve struck gold – a few hours on a lounger with a book for you and some play time with like-minded peeps for them is a win-win situation. And they’re often included in the nightly rate meaning you don’t have to fork out any more money. One downside of staying in a hotel is inevitably the money, particularly if the property is in the middle of nowhere or isn’t all inclusive. Those daily ice creams and cheeky poolside beers will really add up, as will eating in the hotel restaurant every evening – and dining with kids isn’t always a pleasant experience: the conversation tends to be one-sided (or non-existent), while those fussy eaters who make you ask the chef to create a special pizza with no tomato sauce, no toppings and just a sprinkling of cheese [insert embarrassment here] are the worst. A hotel can also feel a bit ‘groundhog day’, particularly if you aren’t leaving every day. The walls are thin too – I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone’s TV blasting out at 11pm when I’m about to drop off. Worse still, is the walk of shame in the morning when your baby or toddler has been crying or screaming all night and there’s no way the guests either side of you won’t got a wink of sleep. If someone falls sick, however, you can’t beat the services of a hotel – if there isn’t an in-house doctor, staff will find you one (or at least bung you in a cab and send you off to the nearest pharmacy). When you’re on your own with children, sometimes that’s all the peace of mind you need.