JoMark

In the 2 months I've been researching for our June/July holiday in Britain, France and Italy I have yet to come across a hotel room that will take 5 people- certainly on the web there is no option to place a fold up bed in a quad room. Is there a law against this practice? Should I give up on hotels altogether- having to book 2 rooms gets very exy and no guarantee they'll be next to one another or even on the same floor. Youth hostels are somewhat scarce in Italy & not all offer family rooms. Most B&B's cater for 2 people max in a room (that's 3 rooms!)Apartments (mostly what I've booked)want a minimum of 3 nights- not always an option. What do other families of 5+ do, stay home?

julia_t

As a single mum with 4 children (now all in their teens) I have been faced with this problem for many years.

I am assuming that you are travelling with young children, wanting and needing to have them close by. I think that 5th bed in the room is against a hotel insurance policy.

Apartments/villas are the only way to go IMO with small children, but if staying less than 3 nights it doesn't always work out. Once they get older I just bite the bullet and pay for 2 rooms, and now mine are older I don't mind if they are down the hall or even on a separate floor (I trust them for now but that may well change as they get older!).

The other option that I have used in France and the UK are camping and caravan sites. You don't need your own tent, because there are static caravans and sometimes chalets. Most of them sleep at least 6, and are comfortable and generally fairly well fitted out. Almost always there will be some accommodation available on these sites, and often just for a few nights. Once we stayed in a log cabin by a lake on such a site in Brittany, and it was lovely. All these sites have pools and lots to amuse and entertain.

Anyway, it's a possible option.

If you have decided your destinations in the UK and France, post back and I can try to come up with some campsite websites to help if you are interested.

HeatherStimmlerHall

Quintuples can be hard to find in Paris, but one place I know of in Paris that you may want to check out is Le Marignan (http://www.hotel-marignan.com; it's reviewed in the Fodor's Paris guide). They even have a kitchen and laundry room you can use for free. This is a bit of a budget styme hotel; if you're looking for something more comfortable, most hotel rooms in the four-star category have connecting rooms for families, but book as soon as possible. Good luck!
Heather

janisj

First of all - in major cities you'll want to stay 3 or more nights anyway. So apartments are certainly viable in most places. Plus some apartment hotels do rent by the night.

Also, many B&Bs have "family rooms" - not that sleep 5 but that will sleep 3 or 4 depending on the age of the kids. So you'd only need 2 rooms.

and most any full service hotels do have adjoining rooms.

What is your itinerary like? Maybe your problem is too many short/one night stops. If you stay a bit longer in a place you will be able to find reasonable priced flats almost everywhere.

Sue_xx_yy

Believe me, once you see the size of most European hotel rooms, you won't need to inquire further. Many double rooms I've seen could only accomodate a third person in a hammock strung from the ceiling. The same goes for the few triples and quads I've seen - they really do accomodate the number they claim and no more.

Given your time of year of travel, and your tight budget restrictions, I wonder if camping might not be an option for you. The downside is that you would have to pack sleeping bags and hire a vehicle big enough to handle the gear. Note that some campgrounds even rent out sites with pre-set-up tents, or trailers, or even wooden cabin like affairs. Unfortunately my own personal experience on this is some 25 years out of date, but it is possible, and it is cheap.

http://www.camping.it/english/veneto...iso/prezzi.asp

namaka

I was somewhat in the same predicament with wanting my children in the same room/place. I also found that it can run either the same or sometimes cheaper by renting an apartment. Plus you end up with much more room and a kitchen. I will be traveling to Paris, Lisbon and England and have rented apartments/cottages in all 3 countries. In England, we rented a cottage in a small town where my husband has family, but we went with a hotel in London. That hotel,for 2 nights, which is a Holiday Inn, costs me 196GBP and the cottage for 11 nights is only 400GBP. Get the idea?

loves2sing

I was having this same trouble planning a trip for my family of 5 to Germany & Austria. Having been to France and Italy before with my husband, I knew the rooms weren't like the typical rooms here in the US with the 2 queen beeds and an extra roll-away bed or small sofa. Even in the Bahamas and Mexico we have been able to share a room.

I have an 18 year old and a 16 year old and I was fine with getting them their own room, but what did I do with the 11 year old? Sure, he's not a "much" younger child, and I can see where that would be harder, but still a 3rd kid, and I wasn't really crazy about leaving him with his older sister since they don't always get along.

I did find a number of "family" rooms, a few that would suit up to 5 (when I emailed them!), and while some hotels did even have a triple, we ended up deciding to bring my mom along so now we have to get 3 doubles because I couldn't find family type rooms for six. And of course, I am moving around every few days so I didn't even look into the whole apartment thing (nor did I want to get stuck cooking on my vacation!)

In some way it works out better now, my my mom gets to go to Germany, my daughter can room with Grandma, and me and my husband get a room to ourselves! But yes, it IS much more expensive!! I suppose which is why we DID stay home when the kids were younger, or at least chose different vacations spots.

suze

About the two hotel rooms, you can book ones that are adjoining, right? To be sure they are right next to each other. I'm not sure why you think you can't get this guaranteed at least if the hotel has these available. This still may not be your best budget option but a possibility (adjoining or next door rooms in a 1-star hotel).

WillTravel

I have heard of people who have booked adjoining rooms, and then found they didn't get them. But the worst case scenario is that one parent has to take one or two kids in one room, and the other parent has one or two kids in the other room.

If you approach a youth hostel with the idea that you want to book a six-bed room, you might succeed with no difficulty. You'd probably get a room with three bunkbed sets.

mindylt1

We're also a family of five. We've found that its best to contact hotels directly, explain your situation, and ask how they can accomodate you. Often they have a "family room" that isn't on their website, or they'll offer you adjoining rooms. We've gotten a room for five in Rothenberg, Nuremburg, Berchtesgaden, and London...to name a few off the top of my head.

Good luck!

janisj

Loves2sing: &quot;<i>nor did I want to get stuck cooking on my vacation!</i>

renting a roomy apartment and having a kitchen doesn't mean you have to cook. I almost always rent flats - and seldom do any cooking to speak of. Having the kitchen is a BIG advantage simply for late night snacks, simple b'fasts, and <b>mainly</b> for the washer/dryer.

If one gets more space for less money and just happens to have a kitchen thrown in for free - I just don't see the down side . . . .

loves2sing

janisj - I totally agree with you regarding the extra space or free kitchen, so the downside I guess is having my husband, ha! I was really only trying to joke that my luck my family would want to stay in now and then and have me cook! At home I LOVE to cook and they all love my cooking, but on vacation...this chef is off duty! LOL

JoMark

Thank you all for your advice, life would certainly have been less expensive if we only had 2 children. We have booked 3 night appartments in the big cities &amp; some rural centres (most of the latter have one week minimum),with the occasional youth hostel thrown in but I now have a host of options to pursue for the shorter stays in locations where there is no hostel. Still working out actual locations between cities at this stage- as much as possible trying to eliminate 1 night stays. Thanks again

Surfergirl

We've found them all over the place! Personally, we prefer two rooms, simply because you get two bathrooms, and bathrooms are notoriously small in European hotels. However, the hotel we stay at in Paris has too separate loos (very convenient). The hotel we stayed at in Rome the summer before last had its best rooms on the top floor devoted to families of five. I also remember a giant room we had in Vienna. There are, however, some countries (none that you mentioned) where the hotels ONLY allow 2 people to a room (it's a law). Seek and ye shall find!