After our dreamy wedding and all the excitement that came with it, we decided to escape for a few days just the three of us, my husband, our baby and I. We spent the day after our wedding chilling with our friends at a beach bar by the lake which was lovely, but on Sunday we said goodbye to Lake Garda and drove to the Dolomites in South Tyrol for a three-day “minimoon”.
Now retrospectively I dare say that we seem to have broken the curse of the car seat!! Maia no longer by default screams her lungs out in a car but is quite content or even sleeps most of the time! It took us about 2.5 hours from Malcesine to the Panoramahotel Taljörgele and I could focus on admiring the spectacular scenery while my husband drove. It was interesting how even the architecture changed as we reached the Alps. So beautiful!
Beautiful nature and fresh air, peace and quiet – just what we needed after the busy wedding week! The place was an absolute haven and the hotel suite luxurious. All of our meals where included in the room rate and we weren’t intending to leave the hotel for the three days but instead we had planned to go on little hikes in the area to enjoy the surroundings as well as to make use of the hotel spa. The weather was lovely and slightly cooler compared to Lake Garda, about 23/25 degrees Celsius, which was a welcome change after a week of sweating.
The Hotel Taljörgele was very child-friendly. Maia had a travel cot and a highchair and we could even borrow a “baby backpack” carrier for free! I think the hotel would be nice for older kids too – they even get their own little slippers and bathrobes and who doesn’t love a pool and an ice cream buffet?!
And most importantly, there were other families with babies there. It’s funny how as soon as there is another baby in the restaurant/pool/etc it takes the pressure off. I know I shouldn’t feel guilty about the noise and hassle caused by our baby but I can’t help it sometimes… At the restaurant we were always seated next to another family and the babies had fun observing each other. The restaurant staff were also understanding when we asked to have our (four!!) courses in quick succession and to have our dessert up in our room because of Maia’s bed time. I would have had no issue with Maia staying up past 7pm but unfortunately that’s when our princess turns into a frog, which is not fun for anyone… Having the desserts on our balcony after Maia had gone to bed was much more enjoyable anyway!
We went hiking on each day for a couple of hours – easy walking paths in beautiful scenery. After my big day as the princess bride, being all dressed up and in the middle of the attention, it felt good to be back in my trainers and shorts and to go for walks in the forest. The nature (vegetation, trees etc.) was actually very similar to Finland, except for the mountains of course, and it felt wonderfully familiar to me (I haven’t been back home for a year now). Without having checked the facts, I’m assuming that because of the altitude of the Dolomites the climate zone and nature is comparable to southern Finland (which is obviously much further up north from Italy).
We tried the backpack carrier and Maia enjoyed it for a little while but only until she got tired. She’s still quite small for it and it isn’t snug like the Baby Björn carrier and she wouldn’t sleep in it. We swapped to the Baby Björn so that she could sleep. When the babies get heavier the backpack is definitely more comfortable for the adult to carry, it’s not as hot either and the weight is distributed better. We’ll give it another go when Maia is a bit bigger.
We also took turns to have massages at the spa which was heavenly. Maia enjoyed the pool as well – I’m so glad we started the weekly baby swimming classes in the winter because she’s so comfortable in water! It’s a nice activity to do all together.
Although the days were lovely, let me just remind you that being in holiday with a 7-month old baby isn’t that relaxing! It can be, and was, fun, but it’s also tiring. For the first week in Italy Maia slept really well despite us changing our hotel three times, but at the Dolomites she simply wouldn’t sleep! We were pretty exhausted and clueless of what was going on. She kept waking up and would spend most of the night in our bed… We now know she was teething because just a few days later she had her first tooth appear. Honeymoon with a teething baby wouldn’t have been my first choice but as a parent you simply adjust!
But overall our minimoon was a great success. 😊 We chose to have our wedding and minimoon this summer knowing that we’ll have a young baby with us. Ok, in fairness it wasn’t exactly an informed decision because we are first time parents, but we wouldn’t change it for the world.
Maia was a great little traveller and was no hassle at all on our way back to London, even though our flight was five hours delayed. She slept in the car and on the plane and was happier to explore the same duty free shops at the airport for the nth time than her parents were!
We ended up spending more money on our trip with Maia than what we used to when it was just us two. Based on our first proper longer trip with a baby, it’s worth it to invest in a nice hotel (you’ll spend more time there), taking a taxi to/from the airport in London (pre-booked) instead of the tube, and hiring a car (with a large trunk and an aircon!) to move around stress-free. If you can’t enjoy the trip you are better of staying at home I think… 😊
I would also highly recommend South Tyrol as a family holiday destination!!
xoxoxo,
Sini