Holidays with babies and toddlers can be a wonderful opportunity to spend time together but they come with their challenges, and mealtimes are often one of the biggest. Unfamiliar food, overtired toddlers and restaurant dinners that start well past bedtime aren’t exactly a recipe for relaxation.
After more than 20 years welcoming families with young children to Caserío del Mirador, our small family hotel in the Spanish countryside, we’ve learnt a thing or two about what makes holiday mealtimes easier.
Whether you’re looking for a hotel with kids’ meals in Spain or planning a family holiday elsewhere in Europe, here are our tips for making mealtimes more enjoyable for everyone.
Choose Early Mealtimes and Food They’ll Actually Eat
One of the most common challenges when travelling with toddlers is trying to fit their routines around restaurant opening hours. In Spain, dinner often starts much later than young children are used to eating. A toddler who’s normally finished supper by six isn’t necessarily going to enjoy waiting until eight or nine, however lovely the restaurant. And even adventurous little eaters can suddenly become suspicious of unfamiliar food when they’re away from home.
Our advice: Look for accommodation that serves children’s meals early, ideally around their usual teatime. Familiar favourites alongside fresh, varied dishes give children the opportunity to try something new without pressure.
If you’re travelling with a baby who’s starting solids, particularly if you’re following baby-led weaning, check whether the hotel offers suitable foods and an understanding attitude towards the inevitable mess.
How we do it at Caserío del Mirador:
We serve children’s teatime five evenings a week, with familiar favourites such as pasta, sausages and broccoli alongside Mediterranean dishes including Spanish tortilla, mussels and paella.
The children eat together around a large outdoor table, while parents enjoy a drink and a chat as everyone gets to know each other. Eating with other children can encourage even the fussiest eaters to try something new – sometimes seeing a new friend enjoying a dish is all it takes. It’s relaxed, sociable and often becomes one of the highlights of the holiday. Babies exploring new foods are welcome too, nobody worries about a little mess, and best of all, we take care of the clearing up!
Look beyond the children’s menu
Many large hotels offer a dedicated children’s buffet. It can be convenient, particularly if you are travelling with school-age children who enjoy choosing for themselves. The trade-off is that buffet rooms are often loud, busy and set to fixed hours. For some families, that lively atmosphere is part of the fun. For others, especially those with babies or children who are sensitive to noise, it can feel like the opposite of a break.
A smaller boutique hotel can offer a calmer kind of ease. There may be fewer choices on paper, but more thought in the experience: local ingredients, meals prepared with care, a table outside in the warm evening air, and hosts who understand why an early supper is non-negotiable.
Check What Baby and Toddler Feeding Equipment Is Provided
Anyone who’s travelled with a baby knows how quickly feeding equipment can fill a suitcase. Bibs, bowls, travel highchairs and everything needed for preparing baby food can take up a surprising amount of space. And it’s often the small things you forget that cause the most inconvenience once you’ve arrived.
Our advice: Before booking, check whether the hotel provides highchairs, children’s cutlery, cups, bibs and sterilising facilities. If you’re travelling with a baby, ask about blenders, microwaves and other equipment you might need.
How we do it at Caserío del Mirador:
Over the years we’ve built up an extensive collection of baby and toddler equipment, you can see the full list on our Babies & Toddlers page.
The kitchenette question
Even with excellent meals available, a kitchenette is worth its weight in gold. Babies and toddlers do not always respect restaurant opening times. A kitchenette means you can prepare an early bottle or a favourite snack without leaving your accommodation, before little ones get hangry!
How we do it at Caserío del Mirador:
Each apartment has facilities for preparing light meals, and we provide some basics on arrival, including milk, children’s yoghurts, bananas and Weetabix. That means there’s no need to head straight to the supermarket after a long journey.
Choose a Hotel in Spain with Flexible Kids’ Meals
Even with the best intentions, holidays with young children don’t always go to plan. Some days everyone’s hungry after a morning swimming. Other days, a late nap or an outing means the usual routine goes out of the window. Being tied to fixed dining arrangements can add unnecessary pressure.
Our advice: Look for somewhere that lets you decide whether to eat in or go out, without committing to every meal in advance. It’s also worth checking whether food can be adapted for different ages and preferences.
If your child has allergies or specific dietary requirements, speak directly to the accommodation before booking. Find out what can be prepared safely and whether the kitchen can manage any necessary precautions against cross-contact.
How we do it at Caserío del Mirador:
Our meals are optional and can be booked day by day. Families can enjoy our home-cooked food, prepare light meals in their apartment or explore local restaurants.
We also keep jars and sachets of baby food available at the pool bar, and encourage families to discuss any dietary requirements with us before arriving.
Make Sure Parents Get to Enjoy Their Meals Too
One thing we’ve learnt over the years is that a successful family holiday needs to work for parents as well as children. Eating out with a toddler can be lovely, but trying to enjoy a leisurely dinner while entertaining an exhausted two-year-old isn’t everyone’s idea of a relaxing evening.
Our advice: Consider how the hotel’s dining arrangements work for adults. Can children eat earlier? Is there somewhere comfortable to enjoy dinner after their bedtime? And can parents keep an eye on their children?
For families whose little ones go to bed early, separate children’s and adults’ mealtimes can be a real treat.
How we do it at Caserío del Mirador:
Our Sunday paella lunch is always a big hit with families. Once the children have finished eating, they can play with the toys provided beside our outdoor dining area, giving parents the chance to linger over pudding and chat with other parents. Lunch can also be prepared on request on other days.
Our children’s teatime is followed by relaxed dining for adults once the little ones are asleep. Parents can enjoy dinner privately on their terrace or join other guests for sociable dinners under the stars. Baby monitors are provided so parents can monitor their children sleeping nearby.
Our resident chef Joan Marc, who grew up in nearby Xaló, prepares Mediterranean dishes using seasonal produce from local markets and our kitchen garden. With only six families staying at a time, dinners are relaxed and informal, and new friendships are often made over good food and a glass of wine.
Find out more about our approach to family dining.
Choose Somewhere That Genuinely Understands Young Children
Perhaps the most important thing isn’t the children’s menu or even the equipment available. It’s whether the accommodation understands what travelling with babies and toddlers involves.
A hotel that’s wonderful for families with teenagers may be less suitable for a baby starting solids or a toddler who needs an early supper.
Our advice: Look beyond the label family-friendly. Read reviews from parents with children of a similar age to yours. Check whether the hotel regularly welcomes babies, toddlers and preschoolers, and whether its facilities and routines are designed around them.
A relaxed atmosphere, understanding staff and the freedom for children to be children can make as much difference as the food itself.
How we do it at Caserío del Mirador
For more than 20 years, we’ve focused on making holidays easier for families with children under five. With a maximum of six families staying at once, we can offer a personal approach, from catering for different ages to having the right equipment ready when guests arrive.
Food that feels like part of the holiday
The goal is not to recreate every meal you make at home. Holidays are a chance for children to taste ripe tomatoes, local olive oil and juicy peaches, perhaps discovering a new favourite along the way. But it helps when this sits alongside dependable options, especially during the first few days when sleep, heat and travel can unsettle even the most adaptable eater.
When choosing a hotel with kids meals in Spain, trust the details that acknowledge real family life: early hunger, fussy phases, bottles, crumbs, high chairs and the occasional abandoned dinner. Find a place that handles them with warmth and without fuss, and you leave more room for the moments you came for – watching your little ones make memories in the sunshine while you finally exhale.
At Caserío del Mirador, daily food service is designed around the realities of travelling with little ones, while giving parents the chance to enjoy beautiful, grown-up food too.