Planning a family holiday in Scarborough often starts with the exciting bits. Which beach are you going to visit first? Will the kids prefer the rides and amusements of South Bay or the slightly slower pace of North Bay? Is everyone old enough for the bigger attractions yet, and what on earth are you going to do if it rains for three days?
Somewhere amongst all of that comes the question that can make a surprisingly big difference to the holiday itself: where are you actually going to stay?
There is certainly no shortage of family accommodation in Scarborough. There are hotels overlooking the sea, guest houses tucked into the streets behind the seafront, caravan parks around the outskirts and self-catering properties scattered across the town and surrounding villages. They all have their place, but for families, we’ve always thought there is something particularly easy about having a whole holiday cottage to yourselves.
Not because you need somewhere enormous or particularly extravagant. It’s because family holidays tend to work better when everyone has a little bit of space and you aren’t constantly trying to fit normal family life into a hotel room.
A Family Holiday Doesn’t Stop When You Get Back from the Beach
One of the things that’s easy to overlook when choosing somewhere to stay is just how much of a holiday is actually spent at your accommodation.
Scarborough might provide the beaches, the castle, the waterpark and the days out, but there are still breakfasts to make, wet coats to hang up, shoes to find, tired children to feed and evenings when everyone just wants to flop down somewhere comfortable.
That’s where having your own holiday home starts to make sense.
At The Firs, there are three bedrooms rather than everyone trying to sleep in the same room. There’s a proper kitchen and dining table, a living room where you can put your feet up, a garden to disappear into and a games room when somebody still has considerably more energy than everybody else.
None of those things are necessarily the reason you come to Scarborough, but they’re often the things that make the holiday easier once you’re here.
You Don’t Have to Eat Out for Every Meal
We love eating out, and there are some brilliant places around Scarborough and Scalby to do it. But breakfast, lunch and dinner out every day with a family can become an expedition in itself.
Sometimes everyone just wants toast in their pyjamas.
Having a kitchen means you can have slow breakfasts before heading out, make sandwiches for the beach, come home for lunch if you want to and cook something simple in the evening when nobody has the enthusiasm to get dressed and head back out again.
It also means you’re not tied to restaurant opening times or trying to persuade a hungry child that the table will definitely be ready in another twenty minutes.
You can still have fish and chips by the sea, find a pub for Sunday lunch or book somewhere special for dinner. You just don’t have to do it because there isn’t another option.
Space Matters More Than You Think
Family holidays are supposed to mean spending time together, but that doesn’t necessarily mean spending every waking minute in the same room.
After a full day out, sometimes one person wants to watch television, somebody else wants a shower, the kids want to play and someone simply wants ten minutes of peace with a cup of tea.
A holiday cottage gives you that flexibility.
It’s one of the reasons we’ve always felt The Firs works particularly well as a family holiday home near Scarborough. There are places to be together, but there’s also enough room to spread out when you need to.
The games room helps too. Table football has settled more than a few debates about what to do next, and it’s particularly useful on those Yorkshire days when the weather has decided not to cooperate.
And if that does happen, we’ve put together our guide to rainy day activities in Scarborough for exactly that reason.
Staying Just Outside Scarborough Can Make Family Life Easier
When people start looking for family-friendly accommodation in Scarborough, the obvious assumption is that staying as close to the seafront as possible must be best.
We’re not convinced it always is.
The Firs is in Scalby, a village just north of Scarborough. You’re close enough to be at North Bay, Peasholm Park or the Open Air Theatre within a few minutes, but when you come home at the end of the day, you’re back in a village rather than amongst the bustle of the town centre.
For families, that can be a really nice balance.
You can spend the morning on the beach, have an afternoon exploring Scarborough and then retreat somewhere quieter in the evening. There’s parking at the house, you’re not carrying everything backwards and forwards across town, and you’re well placed for heading north towards Whitby and the North York Moors as well as into Scarborough itself.
It’s something we’ve written about before in Why Stay in Scalby Instead of Scarborough?, because where you base yourself can change the feel of the whole break.
Then there’s the Garden
A garden probably isn’t at the top of anyone’s list when they first decide to visit Scarborough, but it quickly becomes one of those things you’re glad you’ve got.
It gives children somewhere to be outside without needing to organise another outing. On a warm evening you can sit outside after a day at the coast, and on slower mornings there is no need for everybody to be ready and out of the door before anyone gets some fresh air.
At The Firs, the garden is enclosed too, which is particularly useful for families bringing the dog.
We welcome up to two dogs, so nobody has to be left behind while the rest of the family goes on holiday. Scalby is a particularly good base for that sort of break, with walks nearby and plenty of dog-friendly places to explore around the Yorkshire Coast.
If your four-legged family member is coming too, our Dog Friendly Stays guide has much more about staying at The Firs with dogs.
You Can Have Busy Days Without Having a Busy Holiday
Scarborough is very good at filling a day.
You can easily go from Peasholm Park to North Bay, spend an afternoon at Alpamare, explore Scarborough Castle, head down to the harbour or lose several hours to the amusements without really intending to.
And then there are all the places beyond Scarborough. Dalby Forest, the North York Moors, Whitby, Filey, Robin Hood’s Bay and plenty more are within reach.
We’ve already rounded up some of our favourite family days out around Scarborough, but you certainly don’t need to tick them all off.
In fact, we’d argue the opposite.
Some of the best family holidays have a bit of nothing built into them. A morning when nobody rushes. An afternoon back at the house. A takeaway instead of another restaurant reservation. A game together because it’s raining outside.
Having your own place makes those gaps in the itinerary feel like part of the holiday rather than wasted time.
Choosing Family Accommodation in Scarborough
There isn’t one type of accommodation that’s right for every family.
If you’re planning to spend every waking hour exploring and just need somewhere to sleep, a hotel might be exactly what you need. If the children love having entertainment on tap and making friends around a holiday park, a caravan might be perfect.
But if what you’re looking for is somewhere that feels a little more like your own place for the week, self-catering is difficult to beat.
You get your own front door. Your own kitchen. Bedrooms rather than beds squeezed into one space. Somewhere for everyone to sit together and enough room for everyone not to sit together when they’ve had enough of each other.
Perhaps most importantly, you’re in control of the pace.
And we think that matters on a family holiday.
Family Stays at The Firs
The Firs sleeps up to five people across three bedrooms and sits in the village of Scalby, just outside Scarborough. There’s an enclosed garden, private parking, a fully equipped kitchen, games room and plenty of space to settle into for a few days or a full week.
Scarborough and the Yorkshire Coast are on the doorstep, while Scalby gives you somewhere quieter to come back to when the day’s adventures are finished.
If you’re currently deciding where to stay in Scarborough with kids, you can take a look at our Family Stays at The Firs page to see whether it might be the right fit for your family.