Travelling with a very active 2 year old!

Anna Farmer on 15 June 2018
The very thought of taking an eight-hour flight with a 2-year-old in tow would make many people wonder if the holiday is worth it in the first place! With some careful planning, I must say the flight wasn’t as bad as I’d first imagined; we took some new toys, sticker and colouring books, a favourite blanket and soft toys and the rest of the space in the ‘Trunkie’ was packed full with snacks. Oh, and an iPad loaded with enough Peppa Pig episodes to send you (and everyone else in your vicinity) around the bend.

I once spoke to an American lady who frequently travelled with her young children and she had one piece of advice for me, ‘Honey, as soon as you board have a large G+T – that way you won’t care about the comments other travellers are making about your child’s behaviour’. Good advice!

As our flight departed Gatwick at 10.30am we decided to stay the previous night at the Hilton hotel, located a short walk from departures. Such a relaxing way to start your holiday. The car is dropped off on arrival, so all’s left to do the next morning is wake up, have breakfast and go drop the bags as we had checked in on-line the day before. Once through security, the South Terminal has a small soft play centre. So, forget any self- indulgent duty-free shopping, instead we decided to tire our little one out by jumping and chasing him around. We waited to board until fairly late, as the less time in a confined space the better. We also kept the buggy and pushed it right to the gate just in-case we needed it.

Antigua was our destination, an island known for having 365 beaches, one for every day of the year. We didn’t have time to testify but chose to stay in two different hotels located opposite sides of the island to get a good overview.

We chose Blue Waters, a family owned property located in the North West of the island just a 15-minute transfer from the airport (important after a lengthy flight). Set in 70 acres of manicured gardens, this hotel was a winner for families. It had a kid’s club and a crèche, along with three pools (one adult only) and shallow waters for the little ones to play safely. We had a deluxe beachfront room with a terrace so our little one could nap as we sat out on our terrace within earshot.

The second hotel was Carlisle Bay located in the south of the island on a stunning bay with the backdrop of the rainforest. We had beachfront suite with a separate bedroom for the little one, it gave us direct access to the beach and again it had perfect shallow waters, a crèche/kid’s club which gave us time to spend together and unwind.

Antigua is a beautiful laid-back rustic island, a visit to Shirley Height’s on a Sunday is a must for a Caribbean street party; enjoy a rum punch whilst listening to a live steel band overlooking English Harbour for sunset, the views are incredible.

Our only other excursion was a visit to ‘Sting-Ray City’, a sandbank located a short speedboat ride away from the coast, where you can hand feed wild Sting Ray’s in their natural habitat. These animals are incredibly gentle and it was a thrill spending time with them.