Family Friendly Holiday Accommodation Near Sydney: What Parents Should Really Look For
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Looking for family friendly holiday accommodation near Sydney and wondering what actually makes somewhere genuinely family friendly?
Grab a cuppa and have a sit down with me. I’m Nila, your Host at Dido’s Place and, more importantly for this conversation, a Mum who knows what travelling with kids is really like!
From our own family holidays and years of welcoming families to Dido’s Place, I’ve learnt there’s a big difference between somewhere that simply allows children and accommodation that has genuinely been designed with families in mind.
So, from one parent to another, here’s what I think you should really look for when planning your next family getaway near Sydney.
How Far Is Too Far to Travel From Sydney With Kids?
This is one of the first things I consider when planning a family holiday. Recently, we took our own family away and our trip involved more than three hours in the car. With children, that was seriously pushing it!
“How much longer?”
“Are we there yet?”
By the time we arrived, everyone was already tired and a bit over it. Now, that’s not really how you want to start a holiday is it?
Personally, I think somewhere within around two hours of Sydney should be the maximum for a short family getaway, and around 90 minutes is even better. At that distance, you can potentially leave home and drive straight to your accommodation without needing to plan toilet stops, meal stops and ways to entertain everyone for hours in the car.
There’s another consideration too and that’s cost. The further you travel, the more fuel you use. If what you’re looking for is already close to Sydney, do you really need to spend half a day and more money getting there?
Dido’s Place is in East Kurrajong in the Hawkesbury, around 90 minutes from Sydney CBD and approximately 45 minutes from the Hills District. It’s far enough away to feel like you’ve escaped Sydney, without spending most of your first and last day travelling.
What Does Family Friendly Accommodation Actually Mean?
I see plenty of accommodation described as “family friendly”, but I think parents need to look beyond that label.
Ask yourself: What has actually been provided for families?
For babies and toddlers, that might include:
A cot
High chairs
Baby bath
Bed rails
Children’s cutlery
Toys and books
As children get older, their needs change. They need room to play, things to do and opportunities to explore. At Dido’s Place, we have toys, games, bedtime stories, dress-up costumes and teddy bears inside, while outdoors there’s plenty of room for kids to run around our nine-acre property.
We’ve also created an outdoor nature play area with a mud kitchen, magic potions stand, sensory and fairy garden, sandpit, construction play, water play and other activities. A lot of these ideas actually come from our own children. Our son particularly loves sensory and nature play, so many of the things we’ve introduced have been inspired by what he genuinely enjoys doing.
That, to me, is the difference between saying somewhere is family friendly and actually designing it around children.
Cleanliness Matters Even More When You’re Travelling With Little Ones
This is something I think can easily be overlooked when choosing family accommodation, until you arrive with a baby or toddler who spends half their day on the floor! If you’ve got a little one who is crawling, you know they’re going to be everywhere.
Hands on the floor. Toys on the floor. Crawling from room to room. And quite possibly picking up something from the floor and putting it straight into their mouth before you have time to stop them. That’s why cleanliness is incredibly important to me as both a mum and a host.
At Dido’s Place, our home is professionally cleaned between stays, and I personally double-check the property before our guests arrive to make sure everything is spotless and ready for the next family. Because if your baby is going to spend their holiday crawling around the floors, you want to feel comfortable letting them do it.
For me, being genuinely family friendly means thinking about children at every stage.
It’s having a clean floor for the crawling baby.
It’s having a cot, baby bath and high chair for the toddler.
It’s having toys, nature play and outdoor activities for younger children.
And it’s having enough room for teenagers to disappear and have some space of their own when they want it.
Families change as children grow, and good family accommodation should be able to work across those different ages and stages.
You Shouldn’t Have to Pack Half the House
Anyone who has travelled with young children knows the packing can sometimes feel like you’re moving house.
Where will the baby sleep?
Do I need to bring the high chair?
How am I going to bath the baby?
What will keep the kids entertained?
Suddenly the car is full before you’ve even packed your own clothes.
One of the comments we hear again and again from families staying at Dido’s Place is:
“You’ve thought of everything.”
That means a lot to us because that’s exactly what we’re trying to achieve. We’re a family too. We know the little things that can become big stress points when you’re away from home, so we’ve tried to remove as many of them as possible. My aim has always been for families to arrive, unpack and feel like they can settle straight in.
Pack your clothes. Pack your toothbrush. We’ll take care of much of the rest!
Space Makes a Huge Difference on a Family Holiday
There’s a big difference between squeezing an entire family into a hotel room and having a whole home to yourselves. Kids make noise. That’s what kids do. One thing I love about a private holiday home is not having to constantly tell children to be quiet because there are people on the other side of a hotel wall.
At Dido’s Place, families have exclusive use of the home and nine-acre property. There aren’t other holiday guests sharing the property with you. There’s room for the kids to play, room for adults to relax and room for everyone to have some space from each other when they need it.
And if you’re travelling with teenagers, you’ll know just how important that last point can be!
Mum and Dad Need a Holiday Too
This is something I think we as parents often forget. When we’re planning a family holiday, what’s usually the first question we ask?
Will the kids like it?
We look for the pool, playground, activities and things to keep them entertained. But when do we ask, “Will I actually get to relax?”
A family holiday shouldn’t mean mum and/or dad spends the entire time entertaining the children, organising meals and keeping everyone else happy. This was really important to us when setting up Dido’s Place.
The children can have their own space, and once they’re tucked into bed, the adults don’t have to go to bed too. Make a cheese board and sit outside by the fire. Relax in the outdoor hot tub under the stars. Watch a movie in the theatre room. Sit out on the deck with a book.
Parents deserve to recharge as well.
A Fully Equipped Kitchen Gives Families Freedom
This is one I’ve appreciated even more after our own recent travels. We stayed somewhere where many of the restaurants were booked out, and suddenly finding somewhere suitable for the family to eat became another thing we had to organise. That’s not particularly relaxing is it?
Having your own kitchen gives you choice. The kids are hungry at 5pm? Eat at 5pm!
Everyone wants a lazy morning? Have breakfast in your pyjamas!
Don’t feel like going anywhere for dinner? Put something on the BBQ!
Why not? You’re on holiday!
Dido’s Place has a fully equipped kitchen and BBQ, and there are Coles, Woolworths and Aldi supermarket just a short drive away, along with farmers markets, farm gates and local producers where you can pick up fresh produce.
The Hawkesbury is one of NSW’s important food-producing regions, so I always encourage our guests to try some of the local produce while they’re here.
Consider Who You’re Actually Booking With
This is something I probably didn’t think about enough until a recent family holiday. I needed to make some changes to our booking at a well known hotel chain and getting a straightforward answer became surprisingly difficult. At times I was communicating with automated systems and at other times with people who simply couldn’t answer my questions.
I wasn’t even sure whether I’d paid twice for parking! Instead of simply looking forward to the trip, I was stressed in the lead-up to check-in trying to work out where I stood.
It reminded me just how important the customer journey before the holiday can be.
When you’re booking family accommodation, it’s worth asking:
Is there a real person I can contact?
Do they actually know the accommodation?
Can I ask questions before we arrive?
What happens if something goes wrong during our stay?
Are the inclusions and costs clearly explained?
At Dido’s Place, you’re communicating with the family who runs the property. I know the house inside out because we stay there ourselves, maintain it and continually test what works and what could be improved.
And sometimes looking after guests continues even after checkout. We’ve had much-loved teddy bears accidentally left behind, and you can be certain we make sure they find their way home. Those little things matter when you’re travelling as a family.
Look for Accommodation That Understands Different Families
Not every child experiences a holiday in the same way. As a family ourselves, we understand that some children may benefit from extra preparation, quieter spaces or sensory supports when staying somewhere unfamiliar. At Dido’s Place we provide things such as a social story, sensory toys and weighted blankets, and we’ve created sensory and nature-based areas around the property.
Most importantly, families are welcome to contact us before their stay and talk to us about what might help. Sometimes simply knowing there’s someone you can communicate with makes travelling somewhere new feel much easier.
Why Consider the Hawkesbury for a Family Holiday Near Sydney?
I think the Hawkesbury is sometimes overlooked when Sydney families start planning a getaway. People automatically think they need to drive several hours away to feel as though they’ve escaped the city.
The truth is, you don’t!
The Hawkesbury has that genuine country feel while still being incredibly accessible from Sydney. It’s also very different from some of the more commercialised holiday destinations.
Depending on the season and where you visit, families can:
Pick fruit at local orchards
Meet and feed farm animals
Visit local markets and farm gates
Swim at natural swimming spots
Explore bushwalking trails
Discover historic towns and villages
Go horse riding
Enjoy water-based activities
Visit gardens and family attractions
Eat at cafés and restaurants showcasing local produce
And you’re still only a relatively short drive from Sydney. That’s what I love about the Hawkesbury. You can feel like you’ve properly gone away without needing to travel hundreds of kilometres to get there.
My Advice From One Parent to Another
If you’re searching for family friendly holiday accommodation near Sydney, don’t just look at how beautiful the accommodation appears in the photos. Think about what your days will actually look like once you’re there.
How long will the kids be sitting in the car?
How much will you have to pack?
Is the accommodation genuinely clean enough for a crawling baby?
Does it cater for the ages of your children?
Is there enough space?
What happens when the kids need entertaining?
Can you prepare your own meals?
Can the adults relax after the children go to bed?
Who can you contact if you have a question?
And perhaps the most important question:
Will you get a holiday too?
Because you should.
And if you have any questions about staying at Dido’s Place, please click on the live chat box, give me a call or send me a message. You won’t be speaking to a call centre or a chatbot, you’ll be speaking to me, Nila, a Mum, the Owner and your Host at Dido’s Place.
I’m here to answer your questions, help make planning your stay as easy as possible and make sure that when you arrive, you can simply settle in, switch off and enjoy your family holiday.
After all, Mum and Dad deserve a holiday too!
