How To Enjoy The Best Three Generation Luxury Holiday Cottage Breaks
So just what is a three generation holiday break? Well the clue is in the name, it’s a party or group spread over three generations. Often but not always this is a family group and they will be getting together for a celebration, often at a rented holiday home or holiday cottage, large enough to accommodate them all. The trick to a successful three generation break is easy, making it enjoyable for everyone, where no-one see’s the holiday as a duty and everyone leaves with treasured memories.
So Just What Are the Vital Ingredients and the Ideal Recipe to Create the Perfect Three Generation Break?
Firstly you need plenty of suitable entertainment activities, you then add this together with some good sharing type meals and mix it all together in the right celebration holiday home. If you get this ingredient mix right the result should be plenty of mingling, lots of laughter, time passing far too quickly, a collection of treasures memories and plenty promises to do it again soon.
So as these ingredients are so important let’s spend some time looking at them in a bit more details.
Entertainment & Activities For All
The most important this to consider with your activities is doing things that everyone can participate in, even when not playing remember people can be umpires or actively involved spectators, the more people who feel involved the better. We find it helps if there is a competitive edge but most importantly is having fun.
Some of our favourite facilities that we have on offer at West Acre are:
Croquet : A fabulous 3 generation games, the teenagers may initially groan at this ‘old fashioned game’ but once they start they’re will be drawn in. We have a 6 player which is ideal as it can be played with 4 or 6 people or even 8-12 if you play in pairs. The game can takes a few hours but this does not matter if everyone is having fun. As the players starts to master the game they quickly also learn the dirty tactics possible, they will make and then break pacts to help each other. All in all this supplies and evening of good family banter as everyone starts to analyse who really is their most ruthless family member.
Giant Jenga : Another favourite that can be played with 2 upwards, this is a game that the spectators seem to get as engrossed in as the players, everyone shouting out which is the perfect brick to try and remove as the towers starts to topple.
Family board games : A perfect contrast to the game stations of today is the traditional family board game, from the old classics to the newer versions often based upon popular TV quiz games. Our top tip would be games that can be played in teams, either mixing the generations or having them competing against each other. Some of our favourites for playing across the generations we have at West Acre are masquerade (charades on a board), pass the bomb (this one gets the adrenaline going) and less obvious quiz type games such as logo.
Great sharing meals:Deciding upon the best meal to sit down to is often one of the hardest things for larger groups, an especially hard decision for the designated cook for the meal, who obviously wants the meal to be a success and satisfy what will inevitably be a broad range of tastes. But everyone must remember the cook is also on holiday and does not want to miss out on the fun.
Whilst you can never please everyone, out tip would be relaxed none formal sharing food that that everyone can dig into. Food that is fun to eat and helps conversation flow. You can of course get food in and this is a terrific idea for at least one meal. The only thing to watch is that traditional takeaway foods sometimes do not encourage the sitting down as a group and enjoying being together for the meal. Large group eating often does not seem to come as naturally to us Brits as it does other cultures, so on this holiday we need to learn from the Mediterranean countries like Spain and Italy where big multi-generational groups will go out and sit down eating together, often for hours at a time
Here are our top tips for classic sharing meals
A Barbecue : I know it’s an old favourite and let’s face it, it never fails. Even the cooking process itself brings people together and is a guaranteed way to get the men in the group involved. Getting around the barbecue with others sharing a few beers whilst turning the food is a group builder and a chance for the men to show off their barbecue skills to each other. Every holiday cottage should have a barbecue and our advice for ease would be to search out one with an easier good sized gas option.
Paella: Another favourite outdoor meal of ours where the cooking itself is a centrepiece of the meal experience is to build around a great big pan of paella At West Acre we have a large paella dish and burner that can be made available for guests to use, this is favourite as it is often something new or original. It’s not something everyone is experienced at so we offer a paella package, all the ingredients, instructions and equipment to cook for a quality paella centrepiece for 12-16 people.
Traditional Comfort Food: Another great option, especially in the Winter and Autumn months is pre-made comfort food that can be easily heated up and everyone can dig into and help themselves. The classics such as lasagne, shepherd pie, casseroles etc. always go down well and can be pre-made before the holiday then just heated up when needed. Or even better at West Acre there is a local café where such homemade meals can be pre-ordered and collected from the café. The results are delicious and we think they are very reasonable, best of all dead easy to do, heat up the main meal simply serve with some nice rustic bread and everyone is happy.
Finding the Perfect Venue
Just what do you need in the perfect venue for a group get together especially one which spans the generations. Our top tips are that you look for the following three things in any luxury holiday cottage.
Firstly you need a holiday home that specifically targets celebration groups, these home owners will hopefully have thought about and learnt what groups need and they know what they need to supply to make a successful holiday. Best tip is to look through reviews for ones from groups.
Secondly think about what you need for a group get away, we think the most important space is a big communal one where everyone can comfortably get together and mingle. If possible it also really helps if there are other spaces where smaller groups can form or places where people can sometimes get away from the wider group and get some quiet time or catch up in smaller groups.
Thirdly and our final suggestion would be to consider the needs of the individual members of your group and pick somewhere with something for everyone. Whilst all will hopefully enjoy their time together, especially when mixing grandparents and children/teenagers, they will have quite separate requirements to entertain them and keep them happy. Especially important so you do not feel the pressure to constantly entertain everyone!
How About Picking West Acre (Holiday Homes to Rent UK) As Your Venue ?
At West Acre (holiday home to rent in the UK), we believe we have exactly the sort of venue that we believe would suit any group and would particularly suit the needs of a three generation group.
We have a large, living room everyone can fit in as well as a kitchen diner that flows into the dining hall, we also have two large outside spaces where people can congregate. A large patio area in the centre of the garden with our covered African hut that seats 12 or our open outside dining area that comfortable seats 16, we also have a large sun terrace with seating, lingers and a hot tub.
It’s in the extra spaces and activities are where we believe the real benefits come, at West Acre we have a second lounge with gaming machines perfect for the teenagers to escape to. We also have a cinema room, sauna, hot tub, lots of board games as well as plenty of other more ‘holiday home’ entertainment facilities such as table tennis and a full sized pool table.
Finally being close to York and in the incredible countryside of Yorkshire, there really is plenty to do to suit everyone if anyone in the group fancies a day out.
