Venice with the children

I knew that I wanted to take the girls to Venice one day so they could experience this amazing city. I’d held off booking a trip as I didn’t think the younger two would fully appreciate it and I thought the walking would be too much. Sofia being eight and Maria and Gabriella a few months short of their sixth birthday. It was a great time of year to go (more about that in the Venice top tips below) and they were definitely old enough as they’ve been raving about it ever since.

Venice isn’t actually geared up specifically for children in the way that some cities are (here are some that definitely are) with special child-centric activities and cookie cutter childrens’ menus. However, like in most parts of Italy, shops, restaurants, bars etc bend over backwards for their younger patrons.

Accommodation

I looked at hotels, but family suites for five were very expensive and to be honest I wanted the children in a separate bedroom (though not a separate room in a hotel) for a bit of peace We managed to find an ideal place on Airbnb, which was reasonably priced and literally a minute’s walk from the famous Rialto Fish Market and three minutes from the Rialto Bridge. It was right in the centre but tucked away down a little street so nice and quiet at night.

Where we went and what we did

We were staying in the San Polo district. It is one of the smallest districts of Venice and away from the busy Rialto there are plenty of quieter back streets to explore and many very nice squares. Of course we went to the Rialto Bridge – and visited souvenir shops there so the girls could get a Venetian mask – and visited the fish market. However, we also went to Campo Frari (Frari square) and saw the lovely Gothic church Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari and just generally wandered around taking in the sights.

San Marco 

This is probably the most well known district of Venice and famed for Saint Mark’s Square (Piazza San Marco) and the Basilica San Marco (the cathedral). It was pretty busy, but being May, not as busy as it can be. We went into the Basilica and the girls all loved it with its huge expanse of shiny gold and ornate decoration; they especially loved it when we climbed up to the balcony. We were unashamedly touristy and visited Cafe Florian on the square. It is far, far more expensive than going to a bar down a neighbouring street, but hey, we had a drink on St. Mark’s square and we were on holiday. Then we did that other ultimate tourist in Venice thing and took a lovely Gondola ride, which we all loved. OK, we had two Gondola rides by the end of the holiday.

We didn’t go up the bell tower in St. Mark’s as the queues were too long. However, we visited the island of San Giorgio Maggiore (a short boat ride from St. Mark’s Square) and went up the bell tower of the church. We didn’t have to queue and the views were stunning though my photos aren’t the best!

Cannaregio

We visited the Cannaregio district to see the Venetian Ghetto (the first ghetto), the area of Venice where all Jews were once forced to live. This was a completely different side to Venice, but even away from the ghetto area itself and the tourist area near the train statin, Cannaregio had a very different vibe with many more locals. Here we encountered the wonderful Vino Vero one of my favourite bacari (bars). More details later on!

Walk at dusk along the Cannaregio canal; away from the crowds

Venetian Arsenal (quay Arsenale)

Nowadays it’s a naval base, but founded in 1104 it was once the largest shipyard in the world. There are armouries and maritime museums to visit, but time got the better of us. It’s a much quieter part of Venice and very nice for a stroll. Arsenale is also the epicentre of the Venice Biennale, a very large international art exhibition that is held every two years. We managed to visit one exhibition. However, if we weren’t with the children we’d have visited more.

Murano and Burano

The island of Murano is famous for its glass blowing workshops and is a great excursion to go on. It’s really easy to get to with lots of water buses from various stops; travel time is between 10 and 30 minutes depending on which you take. We had a lovely wander around and a look in at some of the enticing shops. When I asked, one of the shops was happy to recommended a family-run glass blowing factory. It was brilliant, not expensive at all (children were free) and the girls were fascinated. We saw the whole process – explained in English – of making a vase and then the very skilful demonstrator made a child-pleasing horse.

After lunch in Murano, we headed to the island of Burano, which was quite a bit further out, but still very easy to do in a day combined with Murano. Burano is a very quaint fishing village, famed for its lace production. It is cited as one of the most colourful towns in the world with each house painted in a contrasting vivid hue. It is very different to the rest of Venice and really pretty.

Beach day

After a lot of sightseeing, we had a beach day. We got a water bus (vaporetto) from the main island to the Venice Lido (where the Venice Film Festival takes place), which took less than 30 minutes. The Lido is a long skinny, sandy island that sits between the lagoon and the Adriatic sea. It had good facilities and umbrella and lounger hire wasn’t extortionate. It was quite strange to encounter roads, cars and buses again and was a lot more like mainland Italy than Venice. A beach day really broke up our trip nicely.

Food & Drink in Venice

Even if there isn’t a specific childrens’ menu there are lots of eating options. Although Venice is famed for its fish and seafood and has a number of fantastic regional specialities, you’re never too far away from pizza and more familiar pasta dishes. Calamari and spaghetti with clams (other favourites of the kids) are in plentiful supply.

Even in more upmarket places, meat and poultry can be simply cooked and they don’t mind making an off menu pasta with a simple sauce.

We found Trattoria Alla Madonna in San Polo district great for the family. It’s a traditional fish restaurant. However, there was plenty on the menu for the kids and familiar favourites as well as many authentic Venetian dishes; things such as baccala’ mantecato con polenta (puree of dried code with polenta), cuttle fish in black squid ink and raw prawns.

We avoided the Michelin-starred places that we’d hit as a couple. However, for a real culinary and wine treat in an elegant but approachable venue Chat Qui Rit is fantastic. Despite the name this place is 100% Italian. Really high end food and a wine list that made me practically weep with joy. We asked for spaghetti with a plain tomato sauce for the kids and they very happily obliged.

Then there were the cicchetti: traditional little delicacies of the area which can be described as Venetian tapas; lovely picky bits that are served with a small glass of wine in a bacaro (small bar).

The girls acquired a love of anchovies, octopus carpaccio and soft shell crabs! My husband and I filled our boots with Venetian speciality Sarde in saor (sweet and sour sardines).

Bars in Venice 

Our two favourite bacari were completely contrasting. Vino Vero in the Cannaregio district, just by the Jewish Ghetto, is modern and far from the madding crowd. It serves really varied wines and has a very extensive list. It also serves wonderful cicchtetti and unusually for a bacaro has outside seating next to a very peaceful part of the Cannaregio canal. Cantina do Mori in the San Polo district dates back to 1462 and claims to be the oldest bacaro in Venice. It is very traditional in style, charismatic and has just five seats; bacari are not places for lounging too long – think bar crawl with lovely eats. Both are popular with locals.

No trip to Venice would be complete without Prosecco and Spritz (Spritz by the way can be made with Campari and Select as well as Aperol, which both hail from the area). Pinot Grigio also comes from the area, but you can get really nice ones, not the insipid ones that we often get in the UK. I also rekindled my love of Soave another Veneto product.

Childrens’ highlights

I asked the girls what their favourite bit of the trip was. Here are some of their responses: Walking around the ‘secret’ passageways, riding on a Gondola, food and eating, the big church with gold (Saint Mark’s Basilica), the lovely buildings, the water buses, the water taxi, the bell tower, buying masks, the beach…

Venice top tips

• • Visit in April, May, early June, September, early October – This isn’t because the canals smell (they don’t), it’s just because it gets very hot and crowded

• • Wear in shoes you’ll be doing a lot of walking

• • Take a cover up – There’re so many beautiful churches to visit. However, bare shoulders can’t be on show and shorts can’t be short, short

• • Travel cards – Buy a tourist travel card. Anyone over the age of six has to pay full price (with the exception of wheelchair users and their carers). We made the mistake of buying daily for a six night stay – costly! TripAdvisor has a very good piece on tourist pass options

• • Check opening days/times – attractions, restaurants and shops often close on random days of the week. Check venues beforehand to avoid disappointment

• • Water taxi – it was €120 for the five of us to get a water taxi from Marco Polo airport to the Rialto Bridge. It was expensive, but took a fraction of the time and meant we didn’t have to struggle on public transport with our luggage. Also it’s a fantastic experience – you feel like you’re on the set of a Bond film

• • Views over Venice – Instead of queueing for the bell tower in busy St. Mark’s Square, avoid the crowds and go to the island of San Giorgio Maggiore. The panoramic views from the top of the bell tower of San Giorgio Maggiore church are spectacular

• • Take insect repellent for the evenings – Mosquitos are out in spring and summer

• • Murano –  You’ll be greeted by people selling visits to various glass factories as soon as you step off the boat. Don’t go to these as they can be tourist traps. There are plenty of authentic family run ones so just do a little research

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Knoll House is situated in a prime spot on the Dorset coast, overlooking the stunning Studland Bay and its beautiful, long sandy beach and heathland (managed by the National Trust). Studland beach is less than 400 metres from Knoll House and can be accessed via the hotel’s grounds.

Studland Bay

Knoll House a Truly Family-friendly Hotel

My first thought on approaching the hotel was: it looks nice, rather old-fashioned. As we spoke to the receptionist on checking in, the true charm of the place quickly became apparent. It’s a family business and this permeates through everything. We were immediately given the lowdown on the main dining room and the Children’s Dining Room (CDR), which boasts its very own childrens’ chefs. As we’d arrived in time for lunch, we were going to head to the CDR straight after seeing our room.

On the Studland sand dune trail

Rooms

Our room was configured perfectly for a family of five. On entering, there was a bathroom to the left, a separate single bedroom for my eldest daughter straight ahead and a central double bedroom for my husband Matt and I, which then connected to a twin room (for the twins). The rooms were clean, comfortable and child-friendly.

Our room didn’t have a TV (many rooms do, and they are available on request for the rooms that don’t plus there is a TV lounge). However, we didn’t contemplate requesting one as the kids, who are big fans of the goggle box, were so entertained they never once asked to watch a single programme. My only criticism was that the bathroom had seen better days and could have done with a spruce up.

In the CDR eating tea. A little subdued after a day’s activities

Dining Experience and Feeding the Little Ones

Our second port of call was the CDR. Knoll House cleverly timetables things so that everything caters completely for families but doesn’t infringe on other guests. This means childrens’ lunch is served 12.30pm to 1.15pm and tea is 5.00pm to 6.00pm. Although we completely missed it, a table literally had our name on it (as did tables for all the other families staying). It was already set up with two tall chairs for the twins (high chairs were set up for younger children) and three plastic cups and three sets of childrens’ cutlery, so no scrabbling around to bag the last high chair! There was a marker pen and labels on the table so that we could make name badges for the kids so staff could get to know them. Our waitress came over and explained a little bit more about the CDR. The kids (or we) could help themselves to juice and water that was laid out and then could have a starter, choice of two main courses and dessert. The children unanimously loved every meal; there were favourites such as spaghetti Bolognese, shepherd’s pie, macaroni cheese and roast with trimmings. I loved the set up for tea; it was a sort of buffet of both healthy foods and treats. Our kids loved the novelty of the pick and mix style. For many children this would be ample for tea following a hefty lunch. However our gannets ate this and then had a hot main, which is also offered.

On the first day, we were told that there was a childrens’ disco after dinner; that cemented it: they loved the place.

The pièce de résistance was the adjoining playroom, which was available throughout the day, but actually supervised from 1pm until 2pm. The playroom had its own child-sized toilets and a changing station equipped with nappies in all sizes from newborn to number 5s.

One side of the playroom. The other half had lots of comfy sofas and more toys!

Matt and I had the option of ordering from the main dining room and eating in the CDR or actually leaving the children in the playroom and going to the main dining room itself. On the first day we felt we should eat in the Children’s Dining Room as we didn’t want to desert them. We had a lovely two course lunch delivered to us. As it turned out, it was the children that deserted us, lured by art and craft activities, sing-alongs and lots of toys and games. Day two and we had no qualms, so after having an enjoyable time with the children as they polished off every last bit of their roast (and we had an alcoholic beverage), we absconded to the main dining room and enjoyed a leisurely lunch a deux: The best of both worlds.

Feeding for babies

I was given a tour of the Children’s kitchen, which is accessible 24 hours a day. I was very impressed. You can help yourself to milk, squash, ice and fruit whenever you want. There are also tea and coffee making facilities as well as tons of children’s plates, bowls and cutlery that you can help yourself to. You can store anything you want in the fridge, which incidentally contains jugs of cooled boiled water (something else not to have to think about). You have access to constant boiling water and a microwave, so every feeding/weaning scenario is catered for. There is even a cupboard that stocks jars of baby food.

Activities

We packed the two days with beach and seaside town visits (the hotel is really close to many good attractions), punctuated with meals back at Knoll House and plenty of visits to the great adventure playground on site. It’s really well maintained and suitable for little children and young teens alike. We also spent time in the spa using the plunge pool; something we all enjoyed. I particularly liked the spa bar, which alongside smoothies, juices and coffees also served spirits, wine and beer (my kind of health spa).

Dinner for the Adults (and the baby-listening service)

So that was the kids very well catered for. What about the adults? One of our waitresses had told us about the evening baby-listening service, which runs from 7.30pm until 11pm. Having never done this before and actually not sure what it entailed, I was a bit apprehensive. I was then convinced that it was fine. One of the housekeeping staff was literally stationed outside of ours and another two rooms, and sat there all evening listening out for any whimpers or cries. If any upsets did occur they could go in and try to settle the child or – if you wanted – just call straight down to let you know. Matt went down to the bar, got us some pre-dinner drinks to have in our room as we got ready; we settled the kids and then had another drink in the bar before dinner.

The hotel’s main restaurant boasts twelve chefs, who provide different table d’hôte menus of classic dishes each day. The food, if not groundbreaking, is very good quality and locally sourced; that said, the Dorset Blue Vinny ice-cream was rather avant-garde (and tasty). Our waitress was stunned that we dared to order it. Matt and I were thoroughly enjoying our evening meal and all the parents that were dining looked to be having a great time; then the restaurant phone rang. We all looked around. We were all thinking the same: ‘please don’t let it be my child that’s woken up’. Phew it wasn’t (either night)

The Pirate ship, one of the attractions in the adventure playground

We had a lovely meal, and on the first night adjourned to the bar for a bit of old-school Scrabble and bar billiards. The following night we hit the games room (which is actually aimed at the older kids staying there) and reverted to our teenage selves by playing table tennis and more. Brilliant! I kind of envisaged my 15-year-old self coming here: too young to go on hols with my friends, but feeling too old for the family holiday, but actually enjoying it and maybe having a little holiday romance with someone else that was also ‘too old’ for the family holiday.

The Other Stuff

So what else? There’s a self-service laundry with ironing facilities (which we made use of), two hard tennis courts, a nine-acre par-three golf course, Turkish steam room, gym, hot tub and a wonderful, big outdoor pool (surrounded by loungers), which is heated from mid-May until September. The kids were itching to get in, but seeing as our visit was at the start of May, we said we’d save that for another time. Dogs are also very welcome and the hotel has several resident ones.

We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience of a completely family-friendly hotel. The children loved it and my eldest was asking (before we’d even left) when we could return. All the guests seemed so chilled out and everything was designed to make life easy. I think Matt and I were the most relaxed we’ve been on a family break. Matt said: the question is would you come back paying full price? Yes we both agreed.

* We were given two nights full board for the purpose of this review.

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