Holidaying with older children and their children......?

Having talked to friends about this subject, they are divided, some say it was great, others it was fine if you all decide before you go who will do what to help out, and others say it was dreadful, with themselves being left to look after everyone and do all the cooking! Maybe ground rules is the way to go?

18 of us holidayed in a big house with pool in France this year. The kids had a whale of a time, and cooking was on a rota in couples, it was like Come Dine With Me every night. We really ate and drank well! We had a fantastic time.

A few year ago I went away with my mam. Things went well during the day but on the first night I awoke with a start and with a smarting pain across my face. Mam had reached out and 'accidentally' smacked me in the face because I 'was breathing to loudly'. I did point out that I have to breathe.

I go twice a year with my family at October half term and at Easter. We rent a house in France with enough bedrooms to all have our own and two bathrooms so not all scrabbling in the mornings. There is my oldest daughter and her husband and two children my youngest daughter sometimes on her own and sometimes with her partner. Her partner travels all over the world with her job so not always available. We take two cars so have lots of space to take the children's bikes / scooters and able to fill the car up at the end with wine and nice stuff from the French supermarket. We all eat together mucking in with the cooking and sometimes do things together and sometimes not. We take turns to pay for things and sort it all out fairly when we get home. It's worked well and we all enjoy it. The girls then have a holiday somewhere hotter in August without me ( I can't stand the heat now I'm older) and I have a hOliday with a friend on my own as well. It's great and I'm so happy to be asked.

Looks like we have a similar set up to Ginny. It started off with a house that we all fitted into but gradually as more gcs appeared we spread out - now have the house and several caravans at the camp site round the corner.

We had to give up communal meals as too many of us and just have a couple of meals out all together. The GCs look forward to hol w cousins as they don't see much of each other during the year. Families can swap children or just go off for a morning and leave theirs with other people - constant state of flux. And any family can withdraw to their own space.

Feeling a bit raw on this subject as DD and SIL had asked us to spend last week with them at their holiday house in Somerset, but DH was summoned to hospital for a "procedure" which never actually happened in the end. Annoyingly, with 4 other medical appointments in 4 days this week we were unable to go this week instead.
2 years ago we had a short break with them in Blackwood Forest which was great fun, especially as DH was fitter then than now. I would have loved spending time with the little ones, but it might have been the antithesis of relaxing!

We frequently holiday and have long weekends with all three of our DDs and their families. This weekend we are all off to Norfolk . Us in our caravan and the others camping. Everyone mucks in with meals and no one has to do or go places they don't want to. So we have the best of all being together with the option of having our own space. Love it !

Quite right HildaW - we did the same and it's worked really well. annsixty - mine are both divorced but we have good access to our son's daughter and obviously to our daughter's daughter so it is still working well. I'm thinking that in a few years' time they will be too busy to come and see us so I'm making the best of it now

We did something like this a couple of years ago and all went smoothly probably because of the layout of the rented house. This enabled us to make a few ground rules that were sorted out right from the first. Bedrooms were private and the 'public' rooms such as sitting room and kitchen were for everyone. We also had a couple of rules about meals that I let everyone know about in the planning stages so that everyone understood what they were taking on.

Breakfast was a help yourself buffet but I was happy to cook eggs & bacon for all. Lunches were always DIY (you could bring something back or eat out). And in the evening I cooked a simple main meal and everyone pitched in with bought deserts and clearing up.
If you get the rules sorted out well in advance it works.

We holidayed with our DD, her H and GC for several years, abroad and here in England and loved it. Always a cottage or villa with lots of freedom. Now they are separated I miss it so much. Enjoy it while you can, I look back on it as a very good experience for us all.

...we are about to go away for this coming weekend with my son and his wife and 1 year old, also a first. I am in from the list of "can't be without" requirements for the baby! But am looking forward to it.