Holidays in Costa Brava:
 Interview 1

Holidays in Costa Brava Family Interview:
Claire (mother of 3 year old boy and 4 month old girl)

Tips On Flying Ryanair With Babies:

Flying Ryanair with children and babies is hassle free if you are organised. But I would choose a different airline if I could (i.e. if another flew from Stansted to Girona).

• I Recommend priority boarding. However, if you don’t do priority boarding go to the back of the queue because they always put families in the reserved seats at the front of the plane (they are for families and children travelling alone). Make sure you board the plane via the front steps.

• If you are staying in self-catering accommodation, The luggage restriction on Ryanair is no problem because you will have a washing machine. 

• Infants under 2 have no baggage allowence, so your hand luggage will have to be the babies changing bag (make sure you buy the biggest changing bag you can find).

• Word of warning: if you carry the baby in a car seat, you will have to pay for an extra plane seat, as you can’t put it in the hold at the time you board the plane. So make sure you check in the car seat when you check in the rest of your luggage.

• If your children have allergies contact Ryanair Special Assistance who will give you a waiver to carry an extra hand luggage bag of special food. You will need a doctors note, which you email to Ryanair along with the itinerary of what is in the bag plus the bags weight. Make sure you give Ryanair Special Assistance both your outgoing and incoming flight details because you need one waiver letter for each flight!

General Tips On Flying With Babies:

• If you are flying with a baby get an aisle seat - they are easier for breast feeding as have more elbow room and for getting out to change the baby (the changing table is at the back of the plane).

• Feed the baby on take-off and landing as it unblocks their ears (unless they are asleep, in which case just leave them).

• Give toddlers a sweetie or lollypop on take-off and landing to unblock their ears.

• If you are taking a pram for your baby - check it in at the main hold and use a sling in the airport.

• Weigh everything before you leave home. Having to repack at the check-in desk with screaming babies is one of the most unpleasant airport experiences ever!

Holidays In Costa Brava With Children:

• A normal travel cot seemed too big for my 4 month old baby as she is normally in a moses basket at home, so we bought a Little Arc Travel Cot (it's a really good size, fully enclosable to protect again mosquitos, can also buy a sunshade so you can use it on the beach - it weighs 2.5kg and fits children up to 3 years old).

• Hire what you can at the other end. All villa rentals offer highchairs, cots, pushchairs etc for hire.

• If renting a villa chose one that has parasols, beach bags, esky and beach toys for use. Or hire them as extras.

• When choosing a villa - think of the distance from the villa to the beach, restaurants and the shops. The Costa Brava is quite hilly, so even though you may only have a short walk home, it could be a steep one!  Give this some thought even if you plan on hiring a car because it can be hard to park at the beach at peak times.

• Would recommend hiring a car. There are so many lovely beaches and little villages to explore. 

• If you want to hire a car seat make sure the car rental company have a car seat for little babies (most car seats seemed to be front facing).

• Costa Brava supermarkets sell food intolerance foods (wheat free, glutin free, dairy free and soya free). We visited several big chain supermarkets and they all had a good selection of free from food and all different types of milk (i.e. oat milk, soya milk).

• The Costa Brava is not cheap, but the supermarkets and restaurants are comparable in price to the UK. 

• The Costa Brava is a gorgeous part of Spain and we would happily come back every year!

• Costa Brava beaches are child friendly - calm, clean seas that are a lovely temperature, sand or fine stone beaches with gentle drop offs. There are also toilets and ice cream stands at most beaches. You will need to buy a parasol (about €20) as we couldn’t see anywhere to hire one. 

• Our favourite Costa Brava beaches for children would have to be Llafranc, Tamariu and Sant Marti d'Empuries.

• We have been on holiday to the Costa Brava 4 times and have always found it to be family friendly (lots of children on the beaches, in the restaurants and out late - just a great, safe atmosphere).

• We would recommend the Costa Brava for a family holiday for the amazing beaches and the lovely food.

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