Scenic and secluded destination with a 2-year-old

With a 2 year old, I would go self-catering rather than a hotel and in a neighbourhod with a playground and at least one family friendly restaurant. Then depending on your transport plans a location with either car parking or walking distance to the train. The where then depends on what you would like to do on your trip.

Lech am Arlberg in the Austian Alps...beautiful and secluded. I recommend Pension Juliana. Claudia is a wonderful landlady. She does have apartments at a great price. You will love Lech!!!!
http://www.lechzuers.com/lech-in-summer/
http://www.juliana.at/home-en/

Personally, I'd consider the UK.

You could try Scotland. I love Aviemore, a village in the Cairngorm Mountains. Lots to do- even for a 2 year old. There's a restored steam train that does round trips along the river Spey- you can see the lovely countryside and LOTS of sheep. There's even a reindeer preserve (along with walks, hikes, and lots more). Plenty of houses or cabins for rent, so you can meet kiddos needs easier. Easy to reach by train from Edinburgh or Inverness or Glasgow.

You could also try Brighton. Nice seaside town. I'm sure there are houses, cottages and apartments for rent (we didn't stay there, just did it as a day trip- but it was really nice). Again, easy train ride from London.

And though it is not technically part of the UK, you could also consider Ireland. The Ring of Kerry area has LOTS of rentals available. Nice day trips within driving distance- and there are lakes as well as the ocean.

Look at Olu Deniz, Turkey. There's plenty of self-catering apartments. There's the beach, a cute little town, not far from bigger towns, plus lots of historical and sporty things to see and do. If you want to stay in central Europe, look at Zell Am See, Austria, mountains, big and little towns, historical and sporty things, too. Lastly, Croatia comes to mind. Same as the other two locations as far as towns, history, sports, etc.. Also great opportunities for apartments.

I am very much in love with the UK, Ireland so take this with a grain of salt. If it was up to me, would rent a cottage in say Ireland for a week and then a week in England or Scotland. Regardless, would definitely rent a cottage or flat wherever you go, that way your child will be able to run about a little, have breakfast, etc. Would not rent a hotel room wherever you go.

Here's another UK / Scotland fan's posting. :) Here's a good post on kids in Scotland. I think if it were me, I'd look for some place to stay in Perthshire. There are lochs and beautiful countryside, but it's central and you can drive a shorter period of time to get to see other sites. There's a sweet little garden in Birnam that has all the Beatrice Potter characters. She used to spend time there. In fact, I'm sure I read somewhere that Peter Rabbit was conceived of there.

I agree for the most part with this post. However, they don't mention Dynamic Earth, and I'm pretty sure I saw Scottish Toddlers there when I visited!

And this one also seems to have some valuable suggestions.

Pam

If you like it scenic, secluded and in the Alps: Martelltal/Val Martello in South Tyrol/Alto Adige. It's a side valley of the Vinschgau and one of the most authentic valleys of the Alps. Until the 1970s they didn't have roads, they still don't have ski lifts or big hotels, and most people are still mountain farmers who rent out apartments in often centuries-old, rustic houses. The valley is surrounded by up to 3.700m high mountains, the Ortler with 3.900m is just around the corner, the highest mountain pass of Italy, the Stelvio 2.700m), is just a short drive away, and down in the valley of the Vinschau you can visit several castles (Reinhold Messners for instance), very old churches and small, medieval towns.

The Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark have lots and lots of family areas along the coastlines. You have your own little house, but there are other things to see and do in the area.

http://www.urlaubholland.de/familienurlaub/

Then there are also farm vacations, where everything is set up for families and kids. Germany has tons of these.
http://www.bauernhofurlaub.com/en/

On top of some Alpine peak your child will disturb only some deer. Since most Alpine accommodations have walls at least 1/2 mt thick, I wouldn't worry about disturbing the guests next door.

We spent a week this summer in Seefeld, Austria which is a lovely alpine destination with lots to do. We had a 2 and 9 year old with us and never ran out of activities.

I would highly recommend hotels in the kinderhotel chain. High quality and made for small kids. Here is a link:

http://www.austria.info/uk/kinderhotels

How about the Tropea area of Calabria, Italy. Have stayed in Pizzo a couple of times, and have enjoyed it. There is history, beaches, and good food. There are lots of rentals down there, so getting an apartment for the two weeks would be a viable (and good) option. You would need to rent a car though, so not sure if that would be an issue.

I would consider Italy, because Italians seem just about universally welcoming to children. We took our 17mo grandson and his parents to Lucca for a week, rented an apartment just outside the walls, and daytripped to Cinque Terre, Pisa, and a village or two. In Lucca we had a little culture and history for us, plenty of piazzas and pigeon chasing for him, bike riding atop the city walls for all of us, and warm welcomes from some very good restaurants. My German friends often booked two week stays at agriturismas with pools, activities, and other families around, and a rental car to get into the surroundings. With two weeks I think I might like a week of each. Lucca's pedestrian old city was a plus because it gave our toddler a little more freedom to walk safely when he wanted to get loose!