We’re all going on a Summer holiday…to Corfu!

Last month we went on our first summer holiday as a family of four

We had been away last year as Team Stock but both times we were with friends, which we now realise was a big help! [plus you got adult conversation on tap without having to befriend strangers!]

If I am honest I was not looking forward to going on a summer holiday as just our family unit – a few weeks before we went away one of our friends [who had just got back from a family holiday] told me that he felt he needed another holiday because he had done more parenting in the last ten days than he had done in the previous ten months…and he went on a summer holiday with his in-laws too! Obviously this made the words ‘holy shit’ spring to mind!

The Flight

Rufus is still under two years old which meant that we did not have to pay for a seat [bingo], downside was that he had to sit on our lap [urgh].

My kids [like all kids] have attention spans the size of fleas so I made sure we were travelling with a lot of entertainment. I’m not totally sold on massive amounts of screen-time so we made sure that we packed in their trunkis not only the Amazon Fire Tablet but also books, activity books, crayons and little figurines/duplo which the kids are really into at the moment.

Snacks on the plane can be extortionate so I also made sure to pack a fun little snack box for them. Inside I put boxes of raisins, chocolate biscuits, dried fruit crisps, pom bears, etc.

I then prayed that we would not be delayed at the airport. The flying gods must have heard me because we departed on time!

We chose flight times that worked for the kids. This meant that we did not get maximum time out of the holiday but it also meant that we were not travelling at ridiculous times and that our kids resembled humans rather than little devils. Funnily enough, a lot of other families had done the same as us.

The holiday resort

We went to Corfu and stayed in the Kerkyra Golf Resort which was so lovely!

The only drawback was that they said there was a private beach. I was expecting something more than just a small strip of sand but we spent more time by the swimming pools anyway.

Kids facilities

There was a fab kids pool and park area that both of mine loved to visit. The pool was also great for us because I didn’t have to worry too much about them falling into the water and drowning – unfortunately when it comes to water, both of my kids seem to just run and jump. No fear!

Entertainment team

Ok. The entertainment team seems to always get a reputation for being cringe. In fact, that could have been a stop gap career choice for most people from my uni course but we all swerved that path because of the reputation! How stupid were we though?! I mean, these guys work so so hard and they get to do it in a beautiful place and have the time of their lives!

In all honesty, some of their acts were cheesy but they were for the kids. The entertainment in the evening was brilliant. Most of the team had bags of talent and it was a pleasure to watch them.

Kids Club

This might be really divisive but I bloody loved the fact that for two hours per day we could send the kids off to the kids club. It meant they were out of the sun and it meant that Kris and I got some quality time with each other [Kris wondered if most of the parents using this went up to their rooms to…ahem, but I told him we weren’t doing that, I wanted to just lie in the sun, possibly read a book and not be pestered every minute. He agreed. It was bliss.]

I was told by someone that we talked to [who went on holiday with her parents] that her mother had tutted and commented that we had put our kids in the kids club and surely having the kids around makes a family holiday? Totally agree. But two hours per day is nothing and absence does make the heart grow fonder haha! So I have no qualms about using this facility – it was fantastic, Cecily got to hang out with kids her age, the nursery workers were so lovely with Rufus and they adhered to UK nursery standards so my mind was totally at ease.

A bit of culture

When Kris and I go on holiday we like to explore. I’m not the type of person who is content with sitting by the pool all holiday. I want to see what the place has to offer.

We only had a week in Corfu so did not bother to hire a car, also we were only a 10 Euro taxi trip away from old Corfu town which we visited.

There was so much history to take in. Corfu old town was so pretty with its narrow winding streets, tall houses, bougainvillea trailing up the walls and people on mopeds trying to get around you. The place really changed and became more magical in the evening. We went on a Friday evening so there were a lot of people milling around, twinkling lights in shops, festoon lighting in open air restaurants.

All in all it was a great holiday! A packaged summer holiday is not usually our thing but we needed some R&R so we/I came back refreshed [probably due to my digital detox] and with a different mindset. It’s funny how the sun and different surroundings can do that to you isn’t it?

x

If you liked reading about our holiday, then how about reading my post about my three day city break to Barcelona?