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Holidays in Spain with Children
By : Susan PedalinoFor obvious reasons Spain persists to be the number one holiday destination for British parents. However, despite the fact that Spanish are a child-loving nation, their facilities are not always child-friendly. They are improving on this all the time but they are still not at the level that we now take for granted in the UK.
Spanish Restaurants:
In restaurants you will find that the Spanish are
generally very tolerant of young children's behavior. Waiters
tend to be quite good-humored with children running around the
table whilst their parents are eating. needless to say, the
restaurants were not designed with children in mind and neither
is the menu.
Children are expected to order
from the same menu as their parents. In other words, there are
no special children's menus complete with coloring in packs! If
you ask, the waiter will usually advise you as to which dishes
are suitable for children.
On the Spanish menus they usually have an impressive array of fish
dishes, be very careful with bones and small children; pez espada
(swordfish), atun (tuna fish) are the safest bet. Tapas are
ideal for children because it enables them to sample lots of
different tastes in miniature portions. We recommend tortilla
Espanola (potato omelette), albondigas (meatballs), revuelto
(scrambles egg), calamares (squid deep fried in batter, safe but
maybe a bit chewy), jamon (ham) and queso (cheese which is
perfect for little nibblers).
Children are also expected to use the same cutlery and crockery as everyone else, as we all know this is not always a good thing. You may want to bring your
own plastic forks and knives The same goes
for drinks. It is a good idea to bring toddler beakers as drinks
are served in either glasses or direct from the manufacturers
glass bottle with a straw.
It might be an idea to try to get your toddler used to sitting on a chair, as you'll be
hard pushed to find restaurants with highchairs unless you plan
to spend your entire holiday dining out at the fast food chains.
A good idea, but slightly awkward, is to take one of those
plastic seats that you attach to chairs or the fabric ones that
can be screwed onto tables.
Bear in mind that there will be some people who are stuck in the 60s who on holiday who still
expect children to be seen and not heard so you may want to
bring your own supply of crayons and paper to use as a
distraction if your little ones start to brew. If you are going
to have breakfast out, make sure you try 'churros con
chocolate', long, strips of sweet batter that you dunk into
thick, gooey chocolate that children will love. They're a bit
messy so don't forget your wipes.
Hygiene in Spain:
While I'm on the subject of wipes, you can buy them in any of the
supermarkets in spain so there's no need to carry out a whole
holiday worth. Bear in mind that your children will be in a
different environment and probably in an adapted routine, so you
may have to be more vigilant with hygiene i.e. washing hands
more often etc.
It is a good idea to carry a pack of wipes and a bottle of hand
wash that doesn't require water, try Mercadona supermarket
(cheap supermarket). You may also want to add some toilet
paper/tissue to your daily survival package as Spanish toilets
are often primitive and lacking in the basics.
Also the baby changing facilities that we now take for
granted in the UK as we have so many, are very few and far between in Spain. When out
shopping, you are most likely to find baby changing facilities
in El Corte Ingles department store. The Spanish tend to change
their babies' nappies on the lie back position of the pushchair,
so it can be pretty awkward if you have a stroller with you.
Getting about with a pushchair:
When it comes to pushing your pushchair around, it can be very awkward
especially if you have a double. In my own experience, I have
often come across flights of steps with no alternative ramp
entrance/exit.
another thing doorways into shops can be very narrow; however, the
Spanish do tend to be quite helpful if they see you struggling
with small children.
Entertainment and activities for children
As long as you get good weather on your Spanish holiday,
entertaining children is fairly straightforward. In the Costa
del Sol, there are two huge aqua parks (Mijas, Algeciras), Zoos
(Fuengirola, Estepona), cable car rides (Benalmadena, Gibraltar)
and of course, the beach.
You may even fancy taking them with you for a game of golf!
However, although they reportedly have three hundred days of
sunshine, they also have more than two months worth of bad
weather. If you do get caught out, don't worry there is always something to do especially in the Costa del Sol.
For the under eights, Agro Jardin is a really fun garden center just
off the N340, near Estepona. It is ideal for killing a couple of rainy couple of
hours. There is a pet shop section and a coffee shop with a
ballpark and slide. Camelot Park, Puerto Banus opposite the
department store El Corte Ingles is also good fun. You could
always spend a couple of hours in La Canada shopping center in
Marbella. Upstairs in the center, close to the toilets, there
are some kiddies rides. On this level, you will also find Spain's
equivalent to the Early Learning Centre 'Imaginarium'.
Be prepared:
Traveling with young children is always a challenge. In order
to make the most of your Spanish holiday, the more prepared you
are the better, so try and bring everything you could possibly need. If your baby drinks formula milk, it is wise to
bring your own from the UK. Although, there are some equivalents
for the UK brands, you may not find what your child is used to.
So, prepare yourself in advance and change your routine to
really make the most of your Spanish summer holiday!
Susan Pedalino is Masters degree qualified in Intercultural Communication and teaching English as a foreign language. Susan regularly writes for Eye on Spain (www.eyeonspain.com). Having moved to Spain to set up a business and buy property, she has gained invaluable experience in buying off plan property in Spain.