The most frequent piece of advice I got while pregnant? Go on holiday. “While you can” parents of small children would say, with an ominous nod. Babies, it was implied, are the end of holidays. The mortal enemy of spontaneous city breaks, beach parties and long afternoons sunbathing with a good book. But even if you can’t enjoy all of the above at the drop of a hat post-baby, with a bit of planning, can a holiday with an under-one still be relaxing?
Emerging from the newborn tunnel when my son Robin is 3 months old, I tap up friends with kids for advice. The general consensus is that three things will make your life easier if you decide to take a baby abroad: space, stuff and sleep. One friend learned the hard way that if a hotel has no babysitting service your day will end when the little one goes to bed. Another found the time zone switch meant her baby spent the whole week adjusting to the jet lag - only for them to fly home again. “The sweet spot” texts a friend with two kids under 4, “is an apartment set up, with hotel facilities.” A few replied simply: “Go to Abama.”
