Lloret de Mar With a Toddler: We Booked It Because It Was Cheap – And It Turned Out To Be One Of Our Favourite Family Holidays

Baby Number Two Is On The Way, So We Wanted One Last Adventure

We found out we were expecting baby number two in February and my immediate thought was: we need one last holiday in the sun as a family of three!

We’d normally budget around £2,500 for a week abroad, but with maternity leave just around the corner, we wanted to be a little more sensible. We headed over to Jet2 and started searching a range of destinations using our usual checklist: family-friendly, splash park, good reviews, a free child place and what we thought were decent flight times, which as it turns out did slightly backfire, but more of that later.

The search eventually brought up Costa Encantada Suites & Resort in Lloret de Mar, and I immediately fell in love with the look of the hotel. Fresh, modern rooms, a fantastic pirate-themed splash park for Luca and a larger pool for the adults sounded like the perfect combination.

If I’m honest, I didn’t know what to expect from Lloret de Mar. I was so focused on finding a hotel that ticked all the boxes that I hadn’t really given the destination much thought. As far as I was concerned, if the hotel was great and we never left the resort, I’d still be happy.

Of course, I do love exploring and finding lovely places to eat in the evenings, but my main priority was booking somewhere Luca would absolutely love. With another little one on the way, I wanted this holiday to be all about making memories together and giving him all the attention he deserves before he becomes a big brother.

Surviving a 6:30am Flight With a Toddler (and a 4am Alarm)

We booked the 6:30am flight without really thinking about what that actually meant: waking Luca at 4am to get to Leeds Bradford Airport.

I’m not going to lie, this was possibly the worst experience of the trip. Not because of Luca – he was actually really excited when he woke up and said in his sleepy little voice, “I think I’m going on my holidays.” My mum and dad picked us up, we kept Luca in his pyjamas, and packed his day time clothes for later when he’d woke up.

The real chaos was Leeds Bradford Airport.

I’m pretty sure this is fairly common for early morning flights, as we were even warned to get Fast Track… but did we listen? Of course not.

After dropping our bags with Jet2 at self check-in (which I have to say I do not appreciate – I draw the line at supermarkets, but when you’ve paid £1,700 for a holiday, I don’t really want to be working a checkout at 4:30am in the morning), we headed to security.

The queue was snaking and snaking – and then snaking some more, right outside the building. We were convinced we were going to miss our flight.

Then I suddenly remembered I was pregnant. Surely that counts for something?

So Jordan asked, and hallelujah – we were allowed to go to the front of the queue. I did feel a bit bad jumping ahead of everyone, but honestly, the thought of standing there for hours (and potentially missing our flight) had me waddling very quickly to the front.

Once we were through security, we could finally relax.

The flight itself was smooth with no delays. Everyone worries about flights with toddlers, but for us it’s usually the airport bit that’s the real nightmare.

Girona Airport on the other side was a breeze – pram waiting for us as we got off the plane, and bags straight onto the carousel. We hopped straight onto the transfer and were the first drop-off.

This is where Luca had a very short 30-minute nap, but he definitely could have done with a couple of hours more.

Check-in & First Arrival

We were so excited pulling up to the hotel. You know when you’re on the coach with other holidaymakers and you can see you’re approaching a nice hotel and you’re secretly thinking, I hope this is mine – or the opposite when it looks a bit of a dive. Well, we were definitely on the side of hope.

The hotel looked impressive straight away, and bellboys helped with our many, many cases. Our room was ready even though it was early, around 10am, which was a huge bonus after a very early start.

We were happy to be on the first floor, and we’d opted for a premium room – which immediately felt worth it when we opened the door.

There was a huge living space as you walked in with a double bed, plenty of wardrobes and a big flat screen TV. Off to the right was the modern bathroom with a light-up mirror and a walk-in shower that could comfortably fit a mum, a toddler and an inflatable aeroplane (speaking from experience).

There was also a separate bedroom with two single beds, space for a cot and an open wardrobe. But the highlight for us was the huge terrace area, complete with sun loungers, table and chairs and a drying rack. We had a view of the hotel entrance with a slight pool view, which we were really happy with.

The storage space throughout the room was excellent, and we also had tea and coffee making facilities, a microwave and a fridge, which made things really easy with a toddler.

Luca absolutely loved it and affectionately called it his “holiday house” for the rest of the trip.

We quickly unpacked, got our swimming costumes on and covered Luca in his Nivea sun cream using his Solar Buddies applicator before heading straight to the pool.

First Impressions: Splash Park Wins (and So Does the Bar)

We headed straight to the splash park and the bar, obviously.

I was absolutely dying for a sangria, but obviously being pregnant meant a Fanta Lemon instead.

The splash park and pool area was so impressive. The pirate-themed splash park has a full pirate ship with slides, smaller slides for the younger ones, bigger slides for older kids, plus dolphins, parrots that spray water and loads of fountains and water features. There was just so much for kids to do in one space.

There’s also a small baby pool, as well as the main pool, which has little bridges to walk across – for some reason I always really like those.

The pool bar was also really reasonably priced. We ordered a pizza, chips, Fanta Lemon, three beers and a water and it came to €30, which we thought was great value.

We weren’t sure if we’d struggle to get a sun lounger, but there were loads available around the garden area. That actually suited us really well as we prefer being slightly away from the busy front row and having a bit more space.

We ended up in this area every day. Luca could sprawl out on his towel, have a little picnic and run around to his heart’s content. And the best bit – no sunbed wars for us. We did enjoy watching them all from the breakfast terrace every morning though, although I’m sure that will be us when Luca’s older.

Sun Safety in Spain with a Toddler

We had a mix of cloudy days and really hot ones, where UV levels reached 8.

Sun cream has always been a bit of a battle with Luca. He used to scream, run off and we’d end up negotiating (or bribing) him with snacks just to get it on.

Before this holiday, I really needed a better solution. We tried Solar Buddies for the first time after hearing other parents had success with them.

They’re sun cream applicators designed for little hands. You add your own suncream into the refillable bottle, and then apply it using the foam roller head. Because it’s foam rather than hands, the application doesn’t feel wet or uncomfortable – which is what I think most kids actually dislike.

We first introduced it to Luca on our last caravan trip to Sherwood during the heatwave. We made a big thing of it, decorating his Solar Buddies with stickers and giving him the matching teddy so it felt like his own special “job”.

Since then, he’s been much happier applying sun cream and even lets us go over it afterwards. On one of the cloudy days in Spain, he had us all in stitches when he announced, “I need my Solar Buddy on.”

We’ve been using Nivea Factor 50, especially as there’s currently a deal in Boots where you can buy three selected sun care products and get a Solar Buddies applicator free. We now actually have two – one gifted to test and one we’ve bought ourselves. You can check out the offer here, it’s running until 1^st July 2026 whilst stocks last.

We’re also really conscious about sun safety, so we made sure Luca’s swimwear was UPF 50+ fabric. We rotated between two options – one from Polarn O. Pyret and a neon orange set from My Carry Potty. Honestly, I just loved seeing my little orange fish living his best life.

Exploring Lloret de Mar on Foot (Immediate Area)

There was actually a lot to do within walking distance of the hotel. It’s worth mentioning that the security at Costa Encantada was spot on – there was a security guard on duty day and night, plus barrier entry, which made the whole place feel really safe.

Immediately over the road there was a supermarket and a Burger King, which we ended up using one night when Luca went to bed early and we had a quiet cards night on the balcony.

About a ten-minute walk down the road takes you past lots of souvenir shops and down to Platja de Fenals (beach). This is the second-largest beach in Lloret de Mar and has Blue Flag status. The “sand” is actually tiny pebbles, which hurt your feet a bit when walking on them, but are great for toddlers who love a bit of treasure hunting.

The sea also drops off quite quickly and becomes steep, so it’s better suited for snorkelling than very little swimmers. There are a few places to eat and drink along the seafront, and a coastal path with lots of stairs (not pram-friendly) will take you around to the main beach in Lloret.

The main beach has many more restaurants lined up along the front with sweeping sea views. From here you can easily access the centre of Lloret or by turning left out of the hotel and walking straight into town, which takes around 20 minutes or about an €8 taxi ride.

On first impression, the centre felt a bit like Magaluf – kebab shops, neon lights and clubs everywhere. But if you walk further in towards the church, the town completely changes. There’s a beautiful square with places to sit and eat, small alleyways with quaint shops and restaurants, street music playing, and it feels worlds apart from the neon section.

Eating Out in Lloret de Mar (Breakfast Buffets, Beach Lunches & Gyros Wins)

Breakfast was included in our stay and the hotel buffet was honestly brilliant. There was so much choice, and I’m always happy when there are freshly made omelettes. Jord even treated himself to a Bucks Fizz in the morning – how the non-pregnant half live, ey?

There were plenty of options for Luca too, with pancakes, waffles and a full cereal station. I LOVE a fry-up, so I had one nearly every morning… oops.

We mixed budget meals with a couple of nicer restaurants during the week, and there were a few we really loved.

Sa Maina (Fenals Beach)

Sa Maina is a little beach restaurant located on Fenals Beach. We loved it so much we ended up eating there twice.

We went for a mix of tapas and sharing plates – goats cheese salad, nachos, chicken croquettes, patatas bravas, tomato bread and breaded chicken. Everything was really fresh and exactly what we wanted.

If the cheesecake special is on, order it – it’s out of this world.

It also gets the sun all evening, and Luca kept himself busy treasure hunting on the beach beforehand.

Younis Greek Restaurant

Three non-negotiables for me on holiday: Fanta Lemon, Lays crisps (green packet obviously) and a gyros.

Younis is not far from the hotel. It’s next to a busy road but don’t let that put you off – the food is incredible and really good value.

We shared tzatziki and pitta, then had mixed gyros, chips for Luca and ice cream for the birthday boy. Drinks all round.

Total for 5 of us came to €76.

The Best Meal of the Holiday: La Terrassa by Miramar

The best meal we had was on the main beachfront in Lloret at La Terrassa by Miramar.

We were scouted in by a woman who promised the pasta chef was Italian and the paella chef was Spanish. I was dubious… but I was wrong.

The carbonara was the best I had all holiday – finally one that wasn’t swimming in cream. The lasagne, pizza and everything else we ordered were also excellent.

The staff made a big fuss of Luca for his birthday (round two), which he absolutely loved.

It was a perfect end to the holiday.

Total price for 7 of us – €200

Unmissable Day Trip: Tossa de Mar

One of the absolute must-do day trips is hopping on the bus to the medieval town of Tossa de Mar.

Spend a few hours wandering Vila Vella, with its cobbled streets, independent shops, gelato stops and rustic alleyway restaurants.

Our favourite thing was exploring the castle ruins and finding the Devil’s Hole – a secret passageway you have to crouch through to get to… I’ll leave that part for you to discover. The views framing the sea are incredible and a great photo opportunity!

What We Didn’t Get Around To

We had a 7-day pass included for Water World, but between pregnancy and Luca not being keen on big slides, we gave it a miss. It does look great for families though.

Omno Park is also nearby, just a five-minute taxi ride from the hotel, and looked like a brilliant option for kids.

How Much Did Our Lloret de Mar Holiday Cost?

Our total package cost was £1,700, including a premium room, breakfast, transfers, luggage and decent flight times (the return flight at 10am was much better than the 6:30am outbound).

We took £750 spending money, which lasted the week. We ate out most nights, saved on lunches with sandwiches, and had one Burger King night.

Overall, it was very good value.

Final Thoughts: Is Lloret de Mar Good for Families?

Yes – we’d absolutely say it is.

We loved the hotel, it had everything we needed, and there was loads within walking distance. The immediate area is quite built up, which was the only slight downside for us.

But being able to hop in an €8 taxi into the beautiful centre made it really easy to balance convenience with exploring.

We’d definitely return.

If you fancy seeing more of our trip in action, we’re over on Instagram @TheTinyCaravanner sharing all the highlights.

By Hannah Hey

Image credits – Hannah Hey