Keep up to date with our special offers and latest news by registering with us

Email address

Child friendly. Baby friendly. Family friendly                                                           

All, apart from one, of our properties welcome children and babies. Most can provide a cot, highchair and other baby equipment, but many of our cottages, owned by ourselves or our owner friends who have children, provide a range of things to entertain children from toy boxes, books and dressing up boxes to garden play equipment and games rooms (great for big kids too!) In short, some are more child friendly than others!

 In order to help you make a more informed choice of property for your holiday, we have our own star(fish) rating system for child-friendliness ranging from 1 to 3. Whilst no two cottages have exactly the same facilities, they all fall within the parameters set by the following categories:

3 STARFISH 

These properties are suitable for children of all ages, have their own private garden space, some outdoor play equipment and some, even a games room. Some have a specially designated children's bedroom

MOO HOUSE, THE GRANARY, NOOK END, DRIFTWOOD, MARINER’S, SMUGGLERS’ HIDE, THE HEMMEL, CRASTER RETREAT, GARDEN COTTAGE

   2 STARFISH

These properties are equipped with games, toys, children’s DVDs, dressing up box and such, but may lack a garden and perhaps are more suited to those aged children who don’t need an enclosed space with swings etc. Some have a specially designated children's room

GLEBE COTTAGE, FISHERMAN’S RETREAT, SEAFARER’S, HARBOUR MASTER’S HOUSE

1 STARFISH  

These properties welcome children but have no private garden or limited outdoor space and as such may be more suited to either babies or older children

THE PLAICE, BUDLE BAY PENTHOUSE

 These ratings are intended as a guide but if you have a specific question or need please feel free to discuss this with us.

 

''We had a fabulous February half term week in Nook End. The cottage has spacious living accommodation internally as well as a great garden and Wendy House filled with toys. The weather hindered our full use of the external facilities but the rest of the house more than adequately made up for the snow and cold. Our 2 girls (aged 2 and 4) were easily amused by the toys in the house; the plentiful videos; and the layout of the house meant that they were able to chase each other; play hide and seek etc.

 

For the adults, the very comfortable king sized bed ensured 6 nights of very good sleep (crucial); the files full of information on child friendly and other places to visit meant that our days were planned easily; and the very competent babysitters who looked after our girls one evening meant we were able to go out to meet friends one evening. Fantastic. Our next visit to Northumberland will definitely include a booking of Nook End or its neighbouring cottage owned by the same couple.''.....Review on www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk

We offer child friendly holidays and think we've thought of everything when it comes to children and babies (please tell us if we've missed something). It's easy enougth for self catering cottages to provide a cot and a highchair and then to call themselves child friendly! We think we go a step further and incorporate a fundamental child friendly approach to everything we do at Coastal Retreats. We welcome children and families and will provide anything that may be required (within reason!). We can provide your little ones with travel cots, high chairs, stair gates, night lights, steriliser, plastic crockery and cutlery, children's videos/DVDs, toys, books and games to suit the age of your child and we also have the very popular dressing up boxes in each cottage - guaranteed to please children and adults alike! We try to make it as easy as possible to come on holiday with children and are pleased to hear from our guests that some of the little things we do, have made such a difference to their stay.


There is no doubt that our Northumberland cottages are designed, furnished and equipped with children and babies in mind.

With two young children of our own, we have learnt over the years, that if our girls are happy, then we're happy!     

Many of the younger guests write messages in our visitors books and these make great reading. Some as young as five are commenting on our interior design scheme or telling us how they don't want to go home at the end of their holiday!

' I really like the funny bunk bed in Driftwood with the stripey curtain. It made me feel I was sleeping in a boat' ...Julia aged 7, stayed at Driftwood

'This has been the best holiday ever and me and my sisters don't want to go home'...Ben aged 10, stayed at Moo House

' It was really kind of you to leave us the chocolates and the sweeties'...Harriet, aged 6, stayed at Glebe Cottage

Nook End and Driftwood are especially popular with children, as they have the benefit of the use of the large lawn (ideal for kicking a ball around, putting up a tent or just letting off some steam). Here, we also have swings, a sand pit and a timber play cabin full of toys and books  - perfect for toddlers. We've erected a 12ft trampoline here too! (with a safety net of course)
The addition of the games room last year has been a huge hit (with both kids and big kids!). The full size table tennis table and table football get well used. We have maps and magazines to keep any supervising adults amused and also a radio for some
background music.                                                                                                                                    

The games room in the garden of Moo House, our largest property, has to be the best games room you'll see in a self catering holiday cottage! This games room (The Cow Shed) is equipped with full size pool table, table football, music, board games and other activities. With comfy leather sofas, oak floor, music, TV and piles of books..most kids and adults will love this retreat away from the main house!

At some of the holiday cottages, we have a selection of outdoor bikes, boogie boards, sledges, scooters, roller skates and buckets and spades for your children to help themselves to - this may save you from having to fill your car with their toys from home! At Moo House, we even have a yoga mat and an organ. At Nook End and Driftwood, we have several kids wetsuits, one adult wetsuit for the supervising adult and a selection of bikes, kites and other various seaside oddities, including a metal detector!

The Granary, the Garden Cottage, The Hemmel, Glebe Cottage and Moo House are again perfect for children. At Tughall Steads, most of these properties (Glebe Cottage has a patio for outdoor eating and plenty open space around the cottage) have decent sized gardens with countryside views and any children in your party will no doubt make good use of the timber play equipment. If you're staying at Glebe Cottage, with young children in your party, we will try to make available a bike or a see saw for your youngsters - please just ask!). Tughall Steads generally is a safe quiet hamlet with no through traffic and plenty of space for children to play and explore. There is a real holiday culture at Tughall and there is a good chance that your children will meet and make friends with some of the other children staying in one of our other properties. This reason alone, makes the idea of holidaying at Tughall particularly appealing to some parents!!

The Fisherman's Retreat, Seafarer's, The Plaice, Smugglers' Hide and the Mariner's are both within walking distance of the magnificent beaches and local facilities of Seahouses and Beadnell respectively, so you won't always have to be strapping in the children and packing up the car. Everything is on the doorstep. There is a nice little playground in the village of Beadnell that has recently re-opened following some renovation work. This is within walking distance of the Mariner's and our new cottage, Smugglers' Hide.  The Harbour Master's House in Craster has a lovely ground floor children's twin bedroom stuffed with 'children's stuff' and themed around castles and the sea, with castle building blocks, Fisher Price castles, knight and maiden costumes, pirates outfits and of course a buckets and spades for digging in the harbour and checking out the rock pools! The children's playground in the village is just a few minutes walk from the Harbour Master's House and our new Craster Retreat

Even the Penthouse has been equipped with the younger ones in mind. Although not ideal for toddlers, it is a great place to stay if you have a baby or older children. We can provide you with the usual array of equipment and, as there are two shower rooms and not the usual family bathroom arrangement, we can provide your baby with a plastic baby bath as well as a cot,  high chairs and anything else you may need - just ask!

For children who enjoy nature and bird watching, the telescope and binoculars will come in handy. Situated in a popular area for birdwatchers, the Penthouse overlooks Budle Bay which attracts all kinds of different bird life. We have just had a family of kingfishers nesting within a stones throw of the window!

Our self catering properties are all non-smoking, we don't allow pets and we have superb cleaning teams who leave everything spotlessly clean, so you can rest assured if your child is asthmatic or suffering from allergies.

We can even arrange a babysitter or a nursery place for you should you fancy an evening or a day out without the children. This may give you an opportunity to book a restaurant for dinner or  enjoy a couple of hours to yourselves in the Ship Inn at Newton or take an evening stroll along the beach.  The Lucker Private Day Nursery at Lucker near Bamburgh, will take holiday makers children, aged from 2-5 years, on a daily basis. They will take children up to the age of 8 during school holidays. Have a look at their website www.luckerdaynursery.org.uk

We have an exciting relationship with the new private Ocean Club in Seahouses. This enables our guests to use the facilities of the Ocean Club at any time of day and for any length of time, for a reasonable price (there are some protected times when the pool is for adults only but you will find a timetable in your cottage). It is not open to the public and so doesn't get exceptionally busy, which is nice if you are taking your children for a leisurely swim. The club welcomes children of all ages, has a separate children's pool, play pens, baby changing facilities, 'Splash Times' and serves a selection of children's meals and snacks in the cafe/bar. It is an ideal venue for the odd rainy day!

 

 

Even though our properties are exceptionally child and family friendly, you will find that we haven't compromised on design and style. Our properties are equally appealing to those guests coming without young ones!

Useful Websites If You Are Travelling With Children

Down loadable games for the journey

Coastal Retreats Logo
Virtual Tours | Events & Festivals | Accessibility | Walks | Sitemap


Website designed by Zebra
UK Top 50