Rest with a child at sea in Russia

Sea air, water, warm sand and the rustle of waves are good for both adults and children. As a rule, we start planning our vacation at sea in advance. And if when organizing an adult voyage we are guided only by the possibilities of our family budget and personal preferences, then to a trip to the sea with a child is a completely different approach.

The optimal beach vacation with kids is a vacation in Russia. We will try to figure out why this is so and how to plan a vacation so that all family members get pleasure and benefit from it.

Pros and cons of vacation in Russia

Children, due to the immaturity of their immunity, find it difficult to perceive travel. The younger the child, the more difficult it is for him to travel, flights, climate change. A small organism immediately reacts to what is happening, the acclimatization period begins. The baby's temperature rises, vomiting and diarrhea may appear, his mood and behavior change. The younger the age and the brighter the contrast between the climate of the native region familiar to the baby and the place where his parents brought him on vacation, the harder and longer acclimatization will take.

Doctors do not recommend children under 3 years old and preschool children to travel to distant and exotic countries. It is better for the child if the climate at the resort does not differ too much from his usual one. This also applies to older children who have not gone to sea before. Their immunity also does not yet "know" how to behave in a new country, with a different time zone and specific bacteria, viruses and other "delights" characteristic only of this country. By the way, of all of the above, babies react the hardest to changing time zones.

It is for this reason that most of the inhabitants of Russia who have planned a vacation with children by the sea are more suited to local resorts. In any case, before the children grow up and get stronger.

To travel within the country, it is not necessary to fly by plane, since many moms and dads are afraid to transport their little child by air. You can choose a train or a car, it all depends on the distance that separates your home and the coveted coast. The road will take much longer than the flight, but the child's acclimatization will be softer and smoother as a result.

In case the child still gets very sick on vacation, and you have to seek qualified medical help, every Russian has a medical insurance policy. You do not need to pay extra for insurance separately, trying to foresee all possible unpleasant events on vacation. Any medical facility in the country will provide you and your child with the necessary assistance. Abroad, even not far away - in Turkey, for example, you will have to pay for such an appeal separately, because travel medical insurance does not provide for many diseases.

A Russian resort will not require additional financial and time expenditures from you for obtaining a passport or visas. This is an absolute plus.

However, the Russian sea coast has its drawbacks. This is an underdeveloped infrastructure of beaches, almost complete absence of "children's" beach areas. It is not easy to find a beach with soft sand in Russia; almost the entire Black Sea coast is covered with pebbles and stones. But special swimming shoes will help you and your child to cope with this, they are inexpensive.

So, the decision to go to the sea with the baby was made, it remains to find out exactly where to go.

Black Sea

The most popular sea in Russia is the Black Sea. The coast is replete with expensive hotels, budget resorts, and quite budget hostels. In addition, it is possible to rent an apartment or a room for a vacation for little money.

The most expensive city is, of course, Sochi. Its prestige was raised by the 2014 Olympic Games, however, even before them, Sochi could never be attributed to a low-budget vacation. It is good to travel here with older children, because, besides the beaches, there is something to see in the city and its surroundings. Olympic venues, singing fountains and the longest suspended pedestrian bridge on Earth will be of no interest to very young children.

If you try, you can plan a pretty eventful vacation in Sochi. In addition to water procedures and sunbathing, you can go to the Sochi Arboretum, Riviera Park, a large oceanarium and several water parks. Dolphinarium Sochi is famous far beyond the borders of the country, and your preschoolers and schoolchildren will remember the amusement park at the height of SkyPark for a long time.

Many resort villages are concentrated around Sochi, and if living in the city itself is burdensome for your budget, you can stay in Dagomys, which is located only 15 kilometers away.

With infants and children under 3 years old, it is better to go to Anapa or nearby places. This is practically the only Black Sea resort, on the beaches of which there are not stones and thorny pebbles, but sand. Descent into the water is smooth and long, which means that the water is warmed up better than at other resorts.

If you are going on vacation not with one, but with two or more children of different ages, it is also better to choose Anapa. While mom and her one-year-old child are sunbathing on the beach, dad with older children will be able to find interesting activities for children. There are three water parks in Anapa, the Solnechny Ostrov amusement park, the Braveheart adventure park. You can go by boat to the Lotus Valley.

Pay attention to the villages adjacent to Anapa - Sukko, Dzhemete, Blagoveshchenskaya. You should not come here at the end of July, during this period the sea begins to "bloom" and smell unpleasant.

If your heart is in Gelendzhik, you should remember that not all of the many beaches in this city are safe for children. You shouldn't stop and swim with kids in the area of Tolstoy Cape - there is a sharp descent into the water, great depth and rather cool water.

The central beach of Gelendzhik at the height of the season is not a place for children at all, it becomes incredibly dirty, cramped and uncomfortable here. The best choice for families with children is the Blue Bay and the Thin Cape.

For older children, there is something to their liking - you can go on a boat trip or ride a cable car, visit a water park (there are three of them here) or a dolphinarium.

Kabardinka cannot boast of an abundance of entertainment, parks and attractions, but the sea here is the best suited for children. There are many sanatoriums in the village where the whole family, including its little members, will receive medical assistance and a lot of health procedures that cannot be done on the beach. Kabardinka will give a feeling of peace and quiet, which are so important for a young mother with a baby.

If there is a desire to visit Crimea, the problem of choosing a specific vacation spot will rise to its full height in all its glory. The fact is that in Crimea with children you can relax almost everywhere, nature, beaches, the sea allow it. The only difference is in prices and service. You can easily rent an apartment with a toilet, shower or bath, TV, refrigerator, air conditioning and a baby cot, if you agree in advance.

The most budgetary vacation for today is in the Western part of Crimea, average prices are waiting for you in Sevastopol. The southern coast (Yalta, Alupka, Alushta) is the most expensive. There are seven water parks in Crimea, there are ostrich farms, several dolphinariums and even the Yalta crocodillarium. Here you can make a student's rest very informative. For children from 6 years old and older, there are numerous excursions, weapon exhibitions, underground cities, palaces and fortresses.

If you are going to the Crimea by car, first find out the degree of congestion of the Kerch ferry, so as not to stand in a multi-day traffic jam at the gates of the peninsula with a roaring and tired baby.

Azov sea

Holidays on the Sea of Azov should be chosen either by large families, for whom it is important to economically spend their budget, or by lovers of privacy... The coast is not rich in secular entertainment, as well as resorts in the full sense of the word. But in small villages the beaches are flat, sandy, and the water is quite clean.

The Kuchugury and Ilyich are in the greatest demand. Peace and quiet, beautiful nature, of course, are good for kids, but the infrastructure is poorly developed, and you have to run to find a first-aid post, a decent cafe or post office. Will have to live in a private guest house or in a "rented" apartment in the village.

In the village of Golubitskaya and Yeisk, rest is a little more expensive, since there are hotels, hotels, restaurants with Caucasian and European cuisine. It will be interesting for teenagers to ride a catamaran, yacht, visit a pirate town and even fly a paraglider. You can go fishing with your child, here they "bite" a lot and often, and fishing boats can be easily rented.

There are a large number of ethnographic museums, archaeological exhibitions in Taman and Yeisk, and if your student is keen on history, then such excursions will be interesting to him.

Baltic Sea

This is a great alternative to the Black Sea coast for people who do not tolerate heat well, for families with newborns and babies. This is almost ideal for children whose habitual environment is the climate of the northern part of Russia. Since doctors do not recommend such kids to abruptly change the climate to a hot one, the first trip to the sea may be a visit to the western coast of the Kaliningrad region.

The cost of rest in the Baltic is about 30-35% lower than in the Black Sea. The beauty of the landscapes of the Kaliningrad region is in no way inferior to the beauty of the Krasnodar Territory.

There are also disadvantages - when traveling here on a trip, you will have to cross the border, waste time on customs control. But by air, you can get there quickly and without any hassle.

Another drawback is the inconstancy of the weather and its perfect unpredictability.... It happens that the season here breaks down due to constant rains, and sometimes there is an incredible enduring heat for these places, when the thermometer reaches 30 degrees at the end of May and remains at this mark until the end of August. But the northern sun is quite gentle, it is not so painfully tolerated by young children.

Svetlogorsk and Zelenogradsk are best suited for family holidays. There are large beaches, sandy beaches. Many hotels offer free accommodation for preschoolers.

Site selection criteria

When choosing a vacation spot, there are many things to consider:

The remoteness of the resort. The farther you have to go or fly, the more the child will get tired, and acclimatization will be more difficult for him. Children from the northern regions should not go to the Black Sea or the Caucasus. Sudden changes in climate will not benefit your baby.
Infrastructure. It is very important that there is a hospital, clinic or medical office nearby, within walking distance from your intended place of rest, because children are unpredictable, they may need the help of a doctor at any time. Pay attention to the accessibility of the beach, how far to go to it, and also try to find out if there are grocery stores, cafes, pharmacies nearby.
Accommodations. What to choose - a hotel, a hostel or a rented private accommodation, it's up to you. But do not chase too much for cheapness. A child, especially a small one, needs a good rest at night, comfortable living conditions.

You can find accommodation from hostels to hotels on Ostrovok and Booking services.
If you need a tour with a flight, check out special services like OnlineTours: in one place you can see the offers of the largest tours. operators.

What months are preferable for a seaside holiday with small children?

You should not go with kids to the sea in the middle of the season. The sun is aggressive, the environment on the crowded beach is noisy and hectic. Moreover, in the middle of summer, a period of algae bloom begins on many Russian beaches, the water becomes dirty, muddy, and smells foul.

The best time is the end of May - the first half of June and the beginning of September (for the Black Sea) and June and the end of August (for the Baltic Sea).

In Crimea, you need to travel with caution at the end of June, there at this time there is a high risk of intestinal infections. And at the end of August, it is quite difficult to leave the peninsula, because the ferry is busy - on the eve of September 1, many families strive to return to their homeland. You can get stuck in an incredible traffic jam for several days.

Tips

When planning a vacation, consider the average length of the child's adaptation period. This complex biological immune process takes an average of 4-7 days, in infants it can last up to three weeks. Remember that the child will be able to benefit from the sea rest only after the end of the adaptation period. Therefore, feel free to add another week to it.
The child should receive the last vaccination according to the vaccination schedule no earlier than a month before the vacation at sea.
While on vacation, try to follow your baby's usual daily routine. The child should sleep, eat and walk at about the same time as at home. Then he will be able to rest well and usefully, like his parents.
Do not give your child at sea a lot of new and unusual food and local tap or spring water. This can cause serious digestive problems.

Thus, it is necessary to travel with a baby to the sea for 25-30 days, with other children - at least 14-18 days.