Get To Know Europe’s Family Friendly Vacation Villages

There’s a hidden treasure in Europe that everyone with kids needs to know about – family friendly holiday vacation villages built to entertain families in high style. Think grand resort comes to the countryside – and the prices are outstanding!

For most of us the thought of visiting Europe with the kids in tow conjures visions of  faces buried in tourist maps, schlepping between famous monuments, endless magnificent churches, countless museums and a castle or two.   I suggest you throw a bit of frivolity into your family vacation to Europe with a stay at one of Europe’s family friendly vacation villages – also known as holiday villages, parcs and camps.  There are hundreds of holiday villages scattered throughout Europe specifically designed for family vacation fun.  Each village offers comfortable family style accommodations and is centered around an impressive water feature that provides nonstop entertainment within the park.  Many have a covered ‘water world’ as well, so even on rainy days the fun doesn’t stop.  There are kids clubs offering supervised activities based on age, sports facilities, golf, hiking, biking, zip lines, horseback riding, and a multitude of diversions based on area attractions.  And did I mention the prices are less than you’d be paying at a city hotel?  Here’s a look at three of Europe’s most popular holiday village developers.

Sunparks offer family friendly villa accommodations in holiday villages throughout the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France.  Have you been hankering to visit Provence, St. Tropez and Cannes but thought it was an adults only vacation destination?  You’ll be happy to know that you can rent a Sun Park villa for a week and bounce around the Riviera to your heart’s content.  Be sure to check out their last minute specials, and great discounts offered to travelers age 55+ (up to 40% off)!

Center Parcs has established 17 impressive villages tucked into natural park landscapes throughout Europe.  If your family loves spending time by a scenic lake surrounded by forest, these villages may be the perfect choice.  Accommodations are in a bungalow or villa that feature cozy living rooms with fireplaces and floor to ceiling windows to bring the outdoors in.  The villages offer a huge variety of sporting activities,  ususally a “domed subtropical swimming paradise”, climbing walls and rope courses,  imaginative playground structures, game rooms, golf, tennis, and a great variety of restaurants and shops.  Wouldn’t your kids just love to play Robin Hood and his merry men at this Parc in Sherwood Forest?  Have a look at their photo slide show – it’s amazing!  Sherwood Forest Center Parc

Eurocamp is not just about camping (although you may go gaga over their 3 bedroom tents!), they also offer stays in a variety of bungalows and holiday homes.  This is a large operation with 160 camp developments in the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Germany and more.  Eurocamps are like huge nature resorts offering every entertainment imaginable for family fun.  Their goal is to provide a setting where families can “play in safety from dawn til dusk”.  Imagine spending a week at a fabulous vacation village perched at the edge of Lake Garda in the Italian lakes district – it’s very appropriately named “Eden”!

So the next time you’re planning an excursion over to Europe, investigate a stay at a ‘vacation village’.  Your entire family will relax and enjoy new experiences together while meeting fellow vacationers from across Europe.  Since these villages are marketed extensively in the UK, English is widely spoken.  Be sure to read the descriptions of the accommodations carefully as definitions of a “bungalow” vary widely between companies and locations.  We think you’ll find the pricing irresistible – many in the $500 per week range for a villa that accommodates a family of four.  And remember, this is where all of Europe goes to take their summer vacation, so if you’ll be traveling in July and August, you’ll have plenty of company!

Free Sightseeing Tours in Europe’s Favorite Cities

Sandeman’s New Europe offers a new concept in sightseeing – free walking tours in Europe’s major tourism cities – London, Paris, Munich, Amsterdam, Madrid, etc.  Their philosophy is that great tours should be offered to everyone and you should pay what you can afford – voila, tip based touring.  You can bet the guides are informed, entertaining and attentive, as their compensation is based on your generosity.

The 3 hour walking tours depart several times daily from a central location and advance reservations are not required.  The entertaining guides begin with a brief explanation (pitch) that they are compensated by tips and would appreciate yours at the end of the tour (although none is required).  There will also be suggestions that you might enjoy other  tours offered by the company (at very reasonable prices) and perhaps you’d like to join them for their evening pub crawl – always a big hit with solo travelers.  The tours visit the prime tourist sites around the city as well as introducing interesting local history and folklore.  Sandemans publishes free maps and city guides as well – you can find these in most hostel hotels around the city.  Most participants have a wonderful time and are pleased to leave a tip of about 5 Euros – a bargain by anyone’s travel budgeting!  Click on over to Sandemans New Europe website for all the information, meeting places, and tour descriptions.

World’s Best Chocolate Vacations!

For everyone who loves chocolate as much as I do, it’s time to plan a vacation swirling with chocolate tours and adventures.  Nothing matches the euphoric lift after  munching on a creamy chocolate delight.  Here are eight destinations for immersing yourself in chocolate ecstasy on your next vacation.

Belgium reigns supreme as masters of the cocoa bean.  Since the days of colonization in The Belgian Congo in the late 1800′s, cocoa has been shipped to Belgium to be crafted into dark creamy delights.  Today Belgium has over a dozen major chocolate factories producing  172,000 TONS of chocolate per year.  You’ll find chocolate shops to tempt you around most every corner, as the country now sports over 2,000 confectionery shops!  Visit the Musee due Cocao et du Chocolate in Brussels or The Chocolate Story in Bruges.  And for a full chocolate immersion, don’t miss the Chocolate Festival that takes place each year in early May in Bruges. Read more

Drink Beer, Tour Castles and Munch Chocolates – OK,Where?