Winter sun Fun with a Toddler
For some, this will bring thoughts of relaxation, sunbathing, eating and drinking; for me, dread! The thought of actually going away with a one year old didn’t exactly fill me with joy but I became pleasantly surprised. Our last minute journey took us back to Tenerife – thought process, we know it’s warm this time of year and there were a couple of great family friendly hotels that would cater for our whirlwind. My only stipulation, flight had to be from Birmingham and the creche had to accept under three year olds.
This was our first long flight with a toddler in tow and to say we were nervous was an understatement. However, armed with enough food and stickers we shouldn’t have been so worried, what a diamond she was. Our arrival to the Roca Nivaria Gran Hotel in Playa Paraiso we were greeted by a lovely bellboy, who helped us with all our luggage (you honestly do take everything plus the kitchen sink) and showed us to our room. WOW! What a view. We were so happy! Our Superior Suite with Sea View was huge - a separate living area and a double bedroom plus the biggest bathroom with a walk in shower plus a separate bath and a balcony that overlooked looked the crashing waves on the ocean – BLISS! The balcony housed a table with chairs, plus two sun loungers and a sunshade. The use of a fridge was amazing as we needed to keep some medication cold and the coffee machine was a hit every day!
Our half board basis was perfect. The buffet style breakfast, lunch and dinner was great for our little one to explore new foods. Everything was fresh with three live cooking stations on an evening and themed food nights – it was superb. I have to say that this hotel really caters for those with mobility restrictions. From a hoist chair into the main heated pool or a slope access; five disabled access rooms and lifts to access every part of the hotel, this would be a great hotel! The hotel even reserve sunbeds around the hoist for those that need it the most – this is incredible service. There were a number of wheelchair bound guests and they all said they were repeat customers due to the accessibility the hotel offers.
Our toddler was booked into the creche every day for one hour. We could have booked longer, but this was enough for her to play with other children, interact with different languages and have some time away from Mum & Dad – it also meant we could access the spa, go to the gym, go for a run, that hour was for us to relax! The kids club was great. Very secure and took time to get to know our Daughter; they made her feel extremely welcome. There is a heated children’s pool, which for February was a great addition and a separate kids zone with two water slides, a smaller toddler friendly slide, a rock climbing wall and a zip line; plus an abundance of children’s climbing frames. This area was quiet and the bar was not open until the following week for the holidays, but as our little one was a bit too young, we tended to stay over at the small children’s pool around the main resort. I can see that this would be a big hit for families in the summer.
Children at this hotel are very much at the centre of what they want to achieve. From child friendly plates, cups and cutlery to the small buffet station where children can help themselves – there is even a soft play area inside the main restaurant which was full every single day. Nothing was too much trouble for those with children (even the difficult ones at certain times) everyone was made to feel so welcome.
The spa is great with a spa circuit featuring a hydromassage pool, a Thalasso with water jets, Flotarium, Cold Water Well, Turkish Bath and heated beds to name a few. It was a great place to go and switch off. Unfortunately our trip came to an end and we were very sad to leave the hotel behind. They helped us navigate our first fly and flop holiday with a toddler with ease and without hesitation I would recommend this hotel to anyone with a toddler or two in tow.
Now she has conquered a 4 hour flight, the World is our oyster, right?
