My partner and I made the decision to have one child, and while it’s a choice that works beautifully for our family, there are moments when I’m very conscious that our son doesn’t have a built-in playmate, unless you count his fur-brother.
It’s one of the reasons weekends away with friends who have kids of a similar age have become so important to us. There’s something lovely about watching the children disappear off together to play while the adults get the increasingly rare opportunity to finish a conversation – or, even more ambitiously, a glass of wine.
Our recent weekend at The Lodge at Mt Kanimbla was perhaps the best example yet of why we need to do it more often.
No such thing as a holiday with kids
People love to tell you there’s no such thing as a holiday once you have kids. You’re simply parenting somewhere else, usually without all the stuff that makes parenting easier at home. And, to be fair, I’ve had enough holidays with a small child to know there’s some truth to that.
But every now and then, you find somewhere that makes it feel like an actual break for the parents, too.
The Lodge is one of those places.
We stayed with another couple and their two children – the eldest the same age as our son and from almost the moment we arrived, the kids were off exploring the 36 acres of stunning property. With so much space to explore, animals to meet, games to play and absolutely no shortage of places for their imaginations to take over, they barely needed us. And because they were having such a brilliant time together, we got to relax too.
Oh, and a HUGE bonus for a crazy dog lady like me? I got to bring my fur-son, a Groodle named Memphis, who has now likely realised that he was born to be a country dog.
Core memories loading
It helps, of course, that The Lodge is so beautifully designed for exactly this kind of getaway. With four bedrooms, three bathrooms and multiple living spaces, there’s enough room for everyone to spread out without losing the communal feeling that makes going away together so much fun. There are also plenty of thoughtful little touches throughout the property that make the experience feel personal and extra special rather than simply like staying in a beautiful holiday house.
And beautiful it certainly is. The views are spectacular, with seemingly endless countryside stretching out in front of you, and we spent plenty of time doing very little other than sitting by the pool or fire pit, taking it all in and congratulating ourselves on our choice of weekend accommodation.
For the kids, the property itself was the entertainment. They collected fresh eggs from the chickens, met the gorgeous rescue ponies and had acres of space to explore together. As the sun went down, we gathered around the fire pit to roast marshmallows – one of those wonderfully simple moments you know they’ll remember long after the weekend is over.
There were plenty of those moments.
The ultimate luxury
And for us, the real luxury wasn’t any one amenity. It was space.
Space for the kids to be kids without us constantly having to entertain them. Space for two families to coexist without feeling on top of each other. And space for the adults to actually switch off.
Instead of spending the weekend rushing between activities, we could make coffee (and, in the afternoon, margs) and sit outside while the kids played. We could cook dinner together, open a bottle of wine and have conversations that weren’t interrupted every 30 seconds by someone announcing they were bored.
And that, at this stage of life, feels like a five-star holiday to me.
Everyone gets a break
I know the old saying is that holidays with kids aren’t really holidays. But I think perhaps we’ve been doing them wrong. Give children enough space, freedom and, crucially in our case, some very good friends to adventure with, and suddenly everyone gets a break.
For our little family of three, that made our weekend at Mt Kanimbla feel particularly special. Our son got the chaos and companionship of a house with other kids. We got the joy of watching him have the time of his life – while also getting to sit down, relax and enjoy ourselves.
Turns out, a holiday with kids really can feel like a holiday. You just need the right kids – and the right place.
Book The Lodge at Mount Kanimbla here.
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