Let me tell you about our first real family vacation—it was a road trip. We were living in England at the time, and our kids were 1 and 3 years old.

Cue scary music.

Having reserved what appeared to be a family-friendly vacation rental some months previously, I began to pack. Since we wouldn’t have laundry facilities, I felt it only prudent to bring along every last tiny shirt, shoe, and sock that we owned. Next I turned to the kitchen. With babies on board, we’d need bottles, sippy cups, bibs, a booster seat, and special foods unavailable at our destination.

The prospect of a week without toys was frankly chilling, so next I threw in 150 pounds of dolls, action figures, books, crayons, paper, and a portable DVD player. Almost done now, I stuffed in diapers, swim diapers, armbands, goggles, a baby gate, our portable crib, a crib-sized blanket, a baby monitor, two travel strollers, and every medication either of my children had ever taken for any reason whatsoever.

Sound familiar?

Some months later (having only partially recovered from our first “vacation”), I began to plan for our second trip. This time I dug deeper. Much deeper. I discovered to my unending delight a handful of small European hotels whose owners have young children themselves. They invite you to bring your children, and very little else.

In Umbria, Italy there’s the wonderful Villa Pia. You’ll stay in an 18^th-century manor building (complete with its own vineyards), but your kids won’t even notice because they’ll be too busy with the trampoline, pools, and swingset. Your bliss will be complete when you discover their “help yourself” kitchen stocked with wine, beer, milk, soft drinks, baby food, cereal, yogurt, bread, butter, jam, and fresh fruit (open 24/7 for your bleary, jetlagged convenience).

In France you’re spoiled for choice. Choose from Pagel (fully equipped holiday homes in a forest setting in the Dordogne, with an astonishing array of play structures, scooters, bikes, and trikes), La Villeneuve (light and airy holiday homes on 9 acres in Brittany, where kids can pet ponies, play boules, and fly kites), and La Cour aux Bourgeois (a rambling 17^th century farmhouse in Normandy, with an orchard, sandbox, wading pool, and playbarn).

In Spain you’ll feel right at home at the Caserío del Mirador (except without all the pesky cooking and cleaning). This country house retreat is set high above a valley overlooking olive and almond terraces, just 30 minutes from the beaches of the Costa Blanca. It’s unlikely your children will ever see this view though–they’ll be too busy frolicking in the pool and playing with the resident cats and goats. You might miss it too if you’ve got a plate of Sarah’s paella in front of you.

May 8th, 2008 | by Jamie Pearson 1 comment