kapi travel tips - kate&lottie in turkey
I booked a trip with my family for my 30th birthday when I was pregnant with my little girl. We chose Turkey as it is well known for being very accommodating to families. My little girl was 9 months when we were travelling and ideally wanted somewhere with a pool and beach, but in hindsight going to a beach with a baby who puts everything in her mouth wasn't the best plan and we spent most of our time at the pool. We stayed at Royal Garden Beach in Alanya.
We stayed in one of the premium rooms and it was plenty spacious and were provided with a travel cot. The transfer was long, about 1hr 30 with a private transfer company. The seatbelts in the vehicle were not long enough to fit the car seat properly, but nonetheless I felt much more comfortable taking our own car seat as it's not guaranteed the standard of car seat you will be provided with. The hotel itself was excellent, the all inclusive buffet was brilliant for weaning, and there were 4 Al La Carte restaurants to choose from, plus pool and beach bars to frequent for lunch. We didn't partake in much of the evening entertainment due to bedtime but the ones we did see (taking it in turns) were very entertaining and varied.
When it comes to travelling with babies my top tips are:
Relax - You won't see anyone from the plane again (unless you're really unlucky) and if it's the worst flight of their life then at least they have a take away from their holiday. Majority of people understand what it's like travelling with children so just chill out and try not to worry
Car seat / pram - We took our own pram to Turkey which most people advised us against, but having a spot that was guaranteed Lottie would nap was invaluable. Our pram is quite compact so it wasn't a problem on the flight (leave at the plane door) or when we were there. We could walk her around the complex to get her to sleep when needed.
Packing - I massively overpacked, it was so hot Lottie spent 95% of the time in a vest, swimmers, or just in a nappy.
Sun cream - Buy a solar buddy, decant your suncream of choice and it is much easier to apply to tiny bodies.
Say goodbye to routine - I didn't want our entire holiday to be dictated by Lotties naps, plus she slept more due to the heat, so I took her lead and she slept when she was tired and ate at meal times with us
Good luck with your travels!
Kate x
