We are looking for a place to spend Christmas in England. I am traveling to England with my three youngish children, ages 4,6 and 9,and want a place to stay over the Christmas holiday that is "all inclusive", and by that I mean provid meals and entertainment for those few days. We want some place that will give us a taste of a traditional English Christmas and is of course family friendly. We fly into London but I am more than willing to travel by train to get to something special.Thank you for your help.
Posted by
washington
837 posts
London has it all.
Posted by
Hinstock,, Shropshire, UK
3 posts
Hi, Summer:
Lots of Country House Hotels do special Christmas Holidays. Unfortunately, most are very very pricey.
London is a great place to be but a nice village is certainly the place to be with young children. Everything pretty shuts down for Christmas DAy. Make sure you will have a Chrismas meal included with your stay, wherever you are! Have you thought about a home exchange for the holidays? Its kind of late, but you might find a family which would be happy to see New Mexico.
Do remember that the UK/and especially London are very expensive places to stay and eat. Fortunately, most all the museums in London are free. Train travel in the UK can be very expensive. Best to see if you can use the Trainline web site to book ahead. Also, some of the lines may have repair programs in place during the holidays so travel can be disrupted. Coach is a good, cheap alternative, esp. National Express. They have cheap travel to the Continent, too.
Good luck and pack for cold weather!
Barbara King,
North Shropshire
Formerly of Gig Harbor Washington
Posted by
Charlotte, NC, USA
3428 posts
Have you considered staying in Scotland for Christmas? You and the kids might find it really special. Here are a few links to help get you started.
Edinburgh- The Balmoral Hotel has special Christmas family packages. Edinburgh has a great Christmas market and is a very walkable city!!!
http://www.thebalmoralhotel.com/offers-and-packages/christmas-and-new-year-offers/?gclid=CLj6zYLElbsCFYQ7Ogod7mYANA
And you might find this site helpful (Visit Scotland is a great resource)
http://www.visitscotland.com/holidays/seasonal-breaks/christmas
The MacDonald Resort company has multiple locations in both England and Scotland. They specifically offer 'all inclusive' packages. Here's their website http://www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/festive/
Posted by
NC, United States
970 posts
Remember that just about everything closes on Christmas day, so plan on your fun, food and sustenance coming from the place where you're booked. If you want to use some other mode of transportation besides your feet or a rental car on Christmas, be really sure that it's working.
With the kids, I'd look for a good B&B or a small hotel in a smaller town or the countryside. Urban hotels in London, Edinburgh, etc. have never struck me as being where a kid would want to spend Christmas day.
FYI, Edinburgh is about 4-1/2 hours by train from London and York is two hours. Might be worth looking to see what's going there over the holidays.
Posted by
Nashville, TN, USA
3747 posts
Check out hotels or B&B's in the Cotswolds. Should be a very special place to spend Christmas, if you like peace and quiet.