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Join me and indulge yourself in the best National Something Day ever!
Berkshire is in the midst of a baby boom. At least, BBC Berkshire seems to be! Nikki Whiteman is just returning from maternity leave, Sooze is about to go off on maternity leave, Andrew Peach has a new addition and Phil Kennedy has two little ones with the youngest under a year old. I have decided to stop drinking the water at Beeb Berkshire just in case...
Surrounded by all these excited, happy, but very tired, people I decided they all needed a holiday. But holidays aren't easy with dependents in tow - even a mini-break is a challenge - so I went in search of a solution for them.
My success has been such that I am now looking to borrow one or two little cherubs so I can qualify for one of these baby-friendly bolt holes! Which, incidently, is the very engaging name given to the web site.
The founder of the site, Sian Williams, has enjoyed a career spanning over 12 years in the travel industry. She joined the ranks of the holiday-challenged last year when little Erin Williams made her debut into the world. Sian soon put her knowledge of travel to good use and sought out the best of a bunch of holidays for those with young families. Sian has put her own personal touch to the tone of the site ensuring that 'the little things' are included in the details.
Most of the properties featured are down in the south-west with a peppering of alternatives in Northumberland and Norfolk. But every one looks nothing less than idyllic.
All of the holidays are self-catering and some, at first glance, look more like luxury homes lifted straight from the pages of Ideal Homes. Closer inspection reveals that all have been selected because they really know how to cater for families, and in many cases the properties are 'run for families by familes'. High-chairs, cots, booster seats, baby-monitors, bed guards, stair gates, fireguards, plug covers, baby crockery, baby baths and every other child-friendly innovation is ready and waiting for you. There's simply no need to find out if your suspension can withstand the packing-for-a-baby syndrome anymore.
Add to the baby-facilities, the tennis courts, saunas, hot-tubs, games rooms, bar-be-ques, playgrounds, cycle hire and, yes, baby-sitting services, you've got yourself a family holiday that should guarantee you return home refreshed, relaxed and ready to roll!
So, anybody willing to let me borrow their toddler for a long weekend!?
Sample Holiday:
Bosinver Farm Cornwall
Country cottages sleeping 3-12 scattered amongst 30-acres of woodland
Features:
Egg-collecting
Wild animal trail (with prizes)
Animal feeding
Outdoor heated swimming pool
Games Room
Local pub with great food apparently
Jamie Oliver's '15' restaurant nearby
Fishing lake
Local chef providing home hampers
