Travel Blog - Mr & Mrs Smith Boutique & Luxury Hotels

Ok, we know you Mr & Mrs Smiths out there love a nice romantic weekend away, but we also know that all those romantic weekends away can result in a couple of mini-mes and put you in the family way, which is why we steer you towards hotels that are stylish and child-friendly with our Smith & Kids collection.

But since planning family getaways is only one of the many strings to our bow, and not our main area of expertise (that’d be romantic weekends away in stylish boutique and luxury hotels), we’ve invited a real-life expert to guest post for us on travelling with your bundles of joy (and writhing toddlers, and sulking tweenies)…

Debbie Dubrow is a mother of two (ages: three and a half, and two - bit of a handful there!) living in Seattle, WA. Her hugely successful US-based blog DeliciousBaby.com is about travelling with babies, toddlers and kids, and is full of personal travel stories, family-friendly city guides, and lots of tips and advice for travelling with children. Not tasty cannibalistic baby recipes (just in case you were confused). Here’s her first post for us, on travelling with children in Rome…

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CHILD-FRIENDLY ROME
Travel books and travel experts often advise parents with young children not to visit Rome. Having enjoyed a trips to the city with my (then) one-year-old son, that perspective always surprises me. While there are very few activities specifically for children in the city center, the welcoming environment and warm people make the city a fun an interesting destination for both kids and parents. Here are some of my favorite things to do in Rome with kids:

The historic Campo Dei Fiori Market sells a colorful and enticing variety of local produce in the mornings. Visit with a toddler, and you’re likely to be welcomed by vendors offering your child a snack of fresh fruit in the hopes that they’ll get a big smile in return. Forno Campo de Fiori (at the edge of the market), known as one of the best takeaway pizza places in the city.

Not only will your child be greeted with a slice of ‘Pizza Bianco’ to munch on while you wait your turn, but you won’t be disappointed with the selection of pastry – or the pizza. Once you’ve bought a slice, sit in the square to eat it, or watch through huge glass windows that look into the kitchen as pizza dough is rolled, toppings are added, and pizzas are continuously transported into and out of the huge wood-fired ovens.

Rome’s piazzas each have their own charms, and any of them makes a wonderful place for your child to burn off some excess energy. Bring along an inflatable ball (we like the Gertie Ball) and your child will almost certainly find other children to play with in minutes. The continuously running water is endlessly amusing to toddlers and pre-school aged kids.

The Explora Children’s Museum is a great place to play during the hottest part of the day. This relatively new museum has a variety of hands on activities for young children, including a grocery store, a fire truck and more.

Villa Borghese Park is the second largest park in Rome, and one of the few green spaces easily accessible from the city center. What makes it particularly kid-friendly are the merry-go-round, a mini train, a zoo, a puppet theatre, and a small lake with swans and boats. Our favorite way to visit the park is to rent a multi-person bicycle (seating as many as six people) from one of the stands stationed throughout the park. Don’t skip the excellent Galleria Borghese museum, which is so richly decorated that even the most museum-averse kids will be drawn in (advance reservation required).

Giolitti, one of the city’s best Gelato shops is located near the some of the city’s best boutique shopping. Grab a cone and window shop, or pay a little extra to sit at one of the outdoor tables and enjoy a scoop of the richly flavored gelato.

ROME TRAVEL TIPS
Pharmacies stock the best selection of diapers and baby foods, though larger supermarkets also carry a limited selection. Finger foods and unsweetened cereals are not widely available as kids are expected to eat off grownups plates at mealtimes. If your child has a favorite snack that he or she cannot live without, consider bringing it from home.

Rome’s cobblestone streets are notoriously hard on strollers, while small shops and stairs make it difficult to navigate with a bulky jogging stroller. Choose a lightweight but sturdy umbrella pushchair, or consider carrying your child in a sling or backpack.

Public transport in Rome is sparse, making it difficult and time consuming to get from one destination to the next with small children. The easiest way to get around town is on one of the double decker red tourist buses.

Kids are welcomed in all but the fanciest restaurants, and waiting staff will go out of their way to help keep them happy during mealtimes. Don’t expect to find high chairs, though; find an outdoor restaurant and pull your stroller right up to the table or hold your child on your lap.

WHERE TO STAY
One of Mr & Mrs Smith’s family-friendly recommendations is the Hotel De Russie, a boutique hotel that welcomes your wee ones with a gift of specialized children’s bathroom amenities, and dedicated kids’ menus.

MORE INFO?
Check out Debbie’s excellent Delicious Baby guide to Rome with Kids, a comprehensive compendium of kid-friendly information; and browse Mr & Mrs Smith’s collection of family-friendly hotels in Rome, with tips on child-friendly activities. For a more grown-up take on the Italian capital (in case you left them behind or have a babysitter booked for a few hours), check out Mr & Mrs Smith’s city guide to Rome.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 at 8:45 am and is filed under Activities, Boutique hotels, Child-friendly, Europe, Smith & Kids, Uncategorized, Worth getting out of bed for. You can follow any comments on this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.