Let’s get to it!
Oh there are so many! Apart from Mallorca which we loved so much that we moved here! I loved a trip we did two years ago to Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Sri Lanka gave us all a beautiful cultural experience and the Maldives gave us the most amazing beaches with waters perfect for young children.
I found TRVLBEES on Instagram (of course!) and as a mum who loves to stay in beautiful places with my family when I travel, I thought it was the perfect website for me to get some inspiration for stylish sustainable family-friendly hotels.
Well everyone loves a bit of luxury in their life but I’m finding personally these days I really love staying in smaller hotels with lots of character, good interior design, great food and of course something to entertain the children. One of my favorite places that encapsulates this is Casa La Siesta in Cadiz.
Casa La Siesta
I’ve definitely become a lot more of a conscious traveler over the last few years. I mean the best thing we can do for the environment is not to travel right? But I think for that to happen immediately is unrealistic so these days when I stay somewhere I try to make sure it’s giving something back to the local community…whether that’s us supporting a local person by renting their villa or booking into a hotel that openly shows it respects the land and communities around it.
We came to Mallorca for the first time with my husband’s work four years ago. I had all these preconceptions of it being awful as I’d only ever associated it with Magaluf. When we arrived in the south east of the island (far away from Magaluf) I couldn’t believe how stunning the scenery and beaches were. We joked about living here every year we came back, until last year we really didn’t want to return to the rain and rat race of London and so we made the decision to stay. We have been here almost 6 months now and I’m really loving it. Don’t get me wrong, it has been quite stressful sorting our lives out here especially as I don’t speak the language and I also have two very young children but every day I wake up to sunshine and sea views and feel like I can take on anything…it’s truly our dream made real.
There are so many beautiful corners of Mallorca but personally I have a love affair with Santanyi and its surrounding area in south east Mallorca – it has stunning landscapes, beaches and old towns but is also sophisticated and stylish with great restaurants for everyone. I love the Es Turo Finca Hotel and S’Hotelet both small but stylish hotels and open to families who love a modern take on traditional accommodation.
The only words I can think of are busy and tired!…but happy to be starting a new life with them here in Mallorca – it’s a great place to bring up children.
The interior at Casa La Siesta
I started it about 4 and a half years ago when my first baby, my son, was six months old. Like many mums I needed a creative outlet but didn’t want to return to my PR career. I thought ‘what are the two things I love the most?’ travel and fashion have always been my big interests and as an ex travel PR I was determind not to let children get in the way of me staying in nice holiday accommodation. And so I started to research stylish hotels that were also family friendly. Compared to when I first started, family hotels and villas have really clocked onto the idea that families don’t always want to stay in that typical ‘family resort’ accommodation and there is so much choice now which is great. Parents that follow my blog usually like to do things a bit differently on their family trips. They like to travel off the beaten track, stay in unique accommodation and eat good, authentic food. Some want kids clubs and others are happy without. Many like their kids to have a unique experience too or find a kids club that offers some different activities to the usual.
My market is definitely still quite niche I think. Unlike many other family travel blogs I have a strong focus on the accommodation’s interiors. I don’t cover everywhere and anywhere that offers family holidays. I am very selective about the destination and the accommodation – it has to be beautiful and inspiring because for me, staying in somewhere unique and stylish (in its own way) plays a large part in our holidays, particularly at the moment while we have young children, a lot of time is spent in our holiday accommodation so it has to be nice.
I think mums like the blog because it has the fashion element and I always do my best to find beautiful independent brands for both mums and kids.
Everyone has a place in the travel blogging sphere but there are a lot out there now. I’d just say find your niche and stick with it, in the end I’ve found personality rules over everything and if people like you they will follow you regardless of what you’re blogging about.
Abbie also recently visited the lovely Finca Possesio BiniComprat on Mallorca for TRVLBEES, you can find her review here. Want to browse more of properties in the TRVLBEES Collections and not a member yet? We’d love for you to join! Please apply here.