Meeting up in Spain for a family reunion
Arlene Harris and her clan plan a global reunion in Spain and manage to avoid the pitfalls
Holidays are meant to be fun and relaxing but sometimes they can be fraught when children become bored and fractious and parents get frustrated that their hard-earned break is not as peaceful as they had planned.
But what happens when you add several generations and layers of cousins and siblings into the mix?
With relatives spread far and wide across the globe, the idea of getting together en masse some- where under the sun had been mooted amongst my family for years but no plans had ever been put into action – until now.
We had bitten the bullet, booked the tickets and had planned to meet in a small coastal town in Spain – it was going to be great.
But sadly things very rarely go to plan. Having organised the trip months in advance, no-one could have foreseen that we would be missing a key member of the family.
My Dad, patriarch, linchpin and larger than life, was the one person who had always talked about getting his children, grandchildren and extended family together so the fact that he tragically passed away before getting the chance to do so was heart breaking.
However, despite the circumstances, we made a family decision to take his ashes with us to a much-treasured location and use the opportunity to spend time together – remembering the
person we had lost – in the place he would have wanted us to be.
With people travelling from different parts of the country (and the globe), the first decision when it comes to family holidays is not to travel as a group. There is no point trying to get everyone together on the one flight as this is bound to cause stress – so we all booked the time and day that suited best and agreed to meet at some point within the first few days.
My family of five flew from Cork to Barcelona and as the flight was leaving at the crack of dawn, we decided to travel down the night before and stay somewhere close to the airport. Family accommodation can be expensive but we struck gold by staying on campus at UCC.
An apartment complete with ensuite bathrooms for every room, a kitchen and living area and free parking costs from €84 per night, is located just a few miles from the airport and was the perfect start to the trip.
Advance research is also vital and while it may seem easier to go with the first option, it is always best to delve a bit deeper.
So rather than buying individual train tickets into Barcelona city centre upon arrival and then another set of tickets on to our coastal destination, we discov- ered that a T10 ticket (which covers ten trips) was far more reasonable and saved us over €100.
No matter how close the family, there are always tensions when everyone gets together so with harmony in mind, we decided not to stay in the same accommodation but to book somewhere that suited everyone’s particular needs. Those with teens (myself included) needed a venue with plenty of space and action, the younger members of the family were better suited to accommodation with maximum security and the minimum potential for damage and the older generation just wanted peace and quiet and a view of the ocean.
With 16 family members in total, we opted for three different accommodation types – a hotel with views of the sea for the older members, an apartment with a safe kiddies’ pool and play area for those with young children, and a resort complex with lots of activities, suitable for older children and teenagers.
With inter-generational accommodation needs sorted within walking distance of each other, we were good to go.
As everyone knows, it can be difficult to ensure that three generations rub along happily for a fortnightf – so we decided to make individual plans and agreed in advance not to feel offended if any member of the family didn’t want tot join in. Mornings were largely spent around our respective poolsp or walking on the beach. Some days we met for lunch, others we didn’t.
On a couple of occasions, the teenagers took some windsurfing lessons while the younger children builtb sandcastles and the adults soaked up some rays.
With several different venues to choose from, dinner at home was never held in the same apartment and on the nights we ate out, the younger children were fed first so they could run on the sand next to
‘Barcelona was loud, vibrant and colourful’
the beachfront restaurant or contentedly eat ice-cream while their parents tucked into a main course without having to worry about them eating enough ‘proper food’.
We took a few days out to Port Aventura theme and aquatic park and while it was definitely teenage heaven with a plethora of hair-raising rides to choose from, there was also plenty for the rest of us to do.
There is a designated section catering for toddlers and young children, pools and waterslides for those who aren’t so keen on adrenaline rushes and lots of lovely bars, restaurants and shaded areas for those wanting to take a breather from the whirlwind action.
To make life even easier for our diverse group, we stayed overnight in one of the many hotels on site. Located in the ‘Far West’, our accommodation was spacious, comfortable, peaceful and within a short walk of the park. There was also a pool, various places to eat and drink and plenty of activities to keep young children amused while adults relaxed over dinner.
After the hustle and bustle of the theme park, we headed up into the mountains for some peace and quiet to reflect on our recent loss.
This was a nice contrast for the adults who had (in truth) spent the guts of two days watching their children careering down rollercoasters and waterslides and for said youngsters, it was good for them to see more of the area, get a bit of exercise in the form of hiking and learn how to have fun with a pack of cards, a frisbee and a couple of guitars.
With differing return flights, we headed back to Barcelona a day early with the intention of show- ing our three boys the sights and sounds of the city. The Barceló Sants hotel was the perfect spot to base ourselves at as the main train link to the airport was literally underneath the hotel, which completely obliterated the usual last-day panic.
Armed with a handful of buspasses, we hopped on and off the ‘Turistic’ bus that travels to all the main sights Barcelona has to offer – stopping off at Camp Nou so our youngest could see Messi’s stamping ground.
After the peace and tranquillity of our seaside town, Barcelona was loud, vibrant and colourful – and as is often the case with this city, a fiesta was under way so the sky was illuminated with fireworks, long into the night – making it the perfect grand finale for our family holiday to Spain.
The essence of our trip was of course, entirely different to what we had originally planned and we had many a poignant and heartwrenching moment – both in private and as a family.
But despite our sadness, our originally well-thought-out planning helped to make the holiday somewhat healing for everyone. We each had our own space, concessions were made for all age-groups and most importantly we had agreed in advance that anyone who needed time out, either on their own or with their partner and children, would not be given the cold shoulder – this I feel, is essential for anyone planning a vacation with a large group of people with different needs.
So if anyone is considering a trip with parents, siblings and cousins, I urge you to get planning now – don’t put it on the long finger as no-one knows what the next year will bring.
Life is short, so get out there, make some memories and have some fun in the sun.