Going away with a baby was always going to be more stressful and manic than when it was just the two of us and even though we’d already taken Evie to Paris when she was just nine weeks old, our trip to Mallorca would be her first flight, her first beach holiday and her first taste of the summer sun.

I’m not usually much of a worrier but it can be a bit daunting when you have to remember to pack different factor sun creams for all three of you, swimwear for every occasion (one to keep baby warm, another to keep baby protected from the sun and one to keep any leaks out), plus a pram, travel cot, car seat and the kitchen sink.

Enter Tots to Travel who seriously made our trip so much smoother and stress free, not only by sending us to a brilliant baby friendly destination (although it was still hard to pick where because they have so many dreamy ones to choose from) but also by providing anything we could possibly have needed when going away with a little one.

I mentioned in my last post how Mallorca was never somewhere I was particularly keen on visiting before having a baby but on scrolling through their list of baby and kid friendly villas and resorts across Europe, as soon as I came across Sa Rota, a traditional finca (Spanish farm cottage) in the middle of the island’s lush countryside, I knew instantly that this was the perfect place for us.

Being a half hour drive from Palma airport meant that we needed to hire a car to get to Sa Rota but the bonus of this was that we were away from the big resort towns with a much more remote and authentic feel. And another bonus of having a car was that we could drive around the rest of the island taking in all the gorgeous sights.

A few weeks before the holiday I was sent a checklist to fill in online of any baby or children’s items that we required and on our arrival our room had everything we had asked for and then some. A big cot with a lovely thick mattress and blankets, a changing mat, bouncer chair, baby monitor, baby bath, a paddling pool and a highchair. Evie was still too little for some of these but they would definitely be handy for slightly older babies.

I cannot even begin to describe how absolutely stunning, not only our finca, but the entire property was. The cottage was so spacious with plenty of room for the three of us.

But it was our terrace that had me open-mouthed in wonder when I stepped outside on our first morning and was able to see it all properly in the daylight.

We had our own secluded area with a huge table and chairs, sun loungers, rocking chairs and a hammock that all looked out across a vista of the gorgeous countryside. Even though other people were staying at Sa Rota the set up was so remote and peaceful that we felt as if we had the whole place to ourselves and the view was just for us.

Outside our own little piece of paradise, the walkways were dotted with colourful flowers, inviting hammocks hung from branches, and the trees shaded over the cosy seating area where guests could enjoy breakfast.

We made the most of our kitchen though, stocked up on supplies and enjoyed breakfast on our sunny terrace every morning along with some delicious homemade jam from Sa Rota’s own kitchen.

Another bonus of booking with Tots to Travel is that you can guarantee there will be other little ones around to make friends with. All of the other guests at the finca were families with young children but, with only nine apartments and rooms in total, most days we ended up with the heavenly pool completely to ourselves.

Evie could play and splash about as much as she liked in the pool floats that were available for everyone to use.

The owners of Sa Rota were so friendly and couldn’t be any more helpful. The previous occupants in our room had broken the steriliser for baby bottles and even though we didn’t need one they told us they would replace it the next day. We had forgotten to pack an iron and they didn’t have a spare one for us to borrow but when we returned to our room the next day we were greeted with a brand new boxed up iron that they had obviously gone out to buy just for us. It’s places like this that go above and beyond that makes somewhere so special.

There isn’t a restaurant at Sa Rota but dinner can be provided to the rooms, so on our last night we asked for dinner which we were told would be a surprise. I’m not going to lie, both of us were a little worried at this as we’re both a bit fussy when it comes to food! But it couldn’t have been any more perfect. A starter of potato and vegetable soup with breads and olives, a delicious spinach and ricotta cannelloni (my fave – how did they know?!) and the most drool worthy chocolate and cherry mouse for dessert. We took a bottle of wine from the fridge and sat outside with our dinner as the sun started to set on our last night in this beautiful beautiful place.

This would have been an ideal time to put the baby monitor to use, with Evie sleeping soundly as we ate our evening meal, but babies don’t always follow the rules so she ended up joining us!

Not only had Tots to Travel sent us to a gorgeous place that had me changing my entire view about Mallorca (pre-Mallorca thoughts: all inclusive, binge drinking, English louts vs post-Mallorca thoughts: OMG this island is everything – I never want to leave!!!), but they had also done everything they could to make a holiday with a baby so much easier. From email countdowns making us all excited, along with car hire and baby’s first passport advice, to providing the best baby and child friendly accommodation and equipment, our first proper holiday away with Evie couldn’t have been any more wonderful. There were so many other lovely destinations I came across on their website that I know I’ll be heading straight back to Tots to Travel for our summer holiday next year!

Have you visited any baby or child friendly destinations? Let me know in the comments below (cos I’m always looking for more places to go!) or at:

Twitter  ♥  Instagram  ♥  Facebook