It’s a long weekend or the school holidays and you haven’t organised anything and everyone you know is going away and doing something exciting? That’s how we often find ourselves. Well, what we do when all our friends have deserted us and we’re staying home, is go on a ‘Holiday at Home’. That’s right we stay at home but we pretend to be on holidays. We do things that we would normally do when we are holidaying somewhere. For example, we go out for meals – we might go out for breakfast and stay out all day for other meals too. We’ll pick cafes or restaurants that we’ve never tried before and we’ll go and do touristy things around Adelaide. Check out our list of top Adelaide Attractions here for ideas. What you would have spent on travelling, ie airfares, fuel and accommodation, you can spend on meals and going out, at a fraction of the cost of a holiday away. Check out our calendar and click on a date to find out what events are happening too.
It doesn’t have to cost the earth either. You could pick a playground to visit – maybe one you haven’t been to before (just like if you were on holidays somewhere) or one that you haven’t played at for a while.
See our Top Parks & Playgrounds here and our Best Playgrounds for Toddlers here for fully fenced options.
If the budget can stretch a bit further (and you get a little bit more organised) you could have a little getaway in Adelaide. I know many families who like to stay at Adelaide Shores for a holiday for example. Last school holidays we had a little stay in Glenelg. It was the last Thursday of the school holidays and I’d been too busy with work to arrange anything so that afternoon I jumped online and then rang and booked us a room at the Stamford Grand Adelaide for one night and the Oaks Plaza Pier Hotel for two nights. The excitement level at home exploded when I surprised the kids with the news! They were ecstatic that we were going on a holiday and busily packed their bags.
This was our room at the Stamford Grand Adelaide in Moseley Square. During the school holidays (like many hotels) they had a family package which included a free movie and popcorn for the kids and kids ate free at one of their restaurants. The package also included the buffet breakfast for everybody.
It was fun for the kids to move hotels the second night – it’s always exciting exploring a new hotel room. Below are photos of our two bedroom apartment at the Oaks Plaza Pier Hotel.
What they loved about this Hotel is the fabulous indoor heated pool. Especially since it was Winter – it meant that they could swim and play in the water for ages without getting cold. The spa was especially lovely and warm.
The view from our corner room, over the Marina Pier where there are plenty of great food options. We had a lovely meal at Viviamo Mediterranean Restaurant one night. They were very accommodating with the kids.
The other very exciting thing about staying at Glenelg for the kids, is the Beachouse. Staying at the Oaks meant that we were literally right next door.
Did you know that the waterslide water is heated? And as the entrance and exit of the slides is all indoors you can still slide when the weather is cold. In fact we always find that winter is a great time to go – we had the slides all to ourselves!
The mini golf has a great unique theme and always fun for the family.
Jetty Road has many food options, including Bracegirdles for Belgian waffles.
So, if you aren’t going away but would like a mini holiday, consider ‘holidaying at home’. You don’t have to worry about traffic and driving for hours to get to your destination. There is less stuff to pack (especially if you stay at home and don’t stay in a hotel)! If you stay at a hotel there are no sheets and towls etc to wash (unlike when you go away and stay at a holiday house). You’re also not tired from travelling on a plane or having to listen to “Are we there yet?” in the car a hundred times. Holidaying in Adelaide also helps to support local businesses.
What: Holiday at Home
When: Long Weekends, School Holidays, Any Weekend
Where: At home | A hotel or holiday place in Adelaide
Who: Families
Please note that our Reviews are the opinions of the Play & Go Editors, this is not a sponsored post and we do not advise venues prior to or during Reviews.
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
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