Hi em4emma ... these previous topics may provide you with some useful info and advice about travelling with a baby:

http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=111185
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=56411
http://www.holidaytruths.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=28897

But as they are general discussions, and not specifically about the Costa Blanca, they won't include advice on "things to see, places to go".

David

Hi, thanks for the links. Lots of useful info for travelling with a little one in general.

Was hoping there may be someone out there who has recent experience of hiring equipment such as travel cots, pushchairs etc in Benidorm.

Anyone??!? Can't believe everyone carts all their own stuff there and back!!!

I would think it's easier to take your own buggy,that way you'll know what you need to go with it,sunshade,bag etc,also your baby will be familiar with it and you will know that its comfortable and clean.You may find its really handy to have at the airport too.if not you will have to carry your baby all the time until you get to the hotel.The buggy doesn't go on the plane until you are nearly at the door of the plane and it will come through with the luggage on the carousel when you get off. Wherever you are staying should be able to provide a cot for your baby,you my have to pay a little for it though.
If staying in a hotel I would take a travel kettle so that you can boil her bottled water,we did that for our son all the time,he was on formula at the time and we used to fill his bottles with boiled,bottled water and then add formula when needed,doesn't have to be kept in the fridge then so easy to take out and about.We took a small tub of formula out with us.Hope this helps a bit.

agree totally with advice already given.. take buggy for an easy transit thru the airport and somewhere to hang your bag, feed baby, etc..
and either take travel kettle or just used bottled water that you can use at room temperature, most bottled water is fine for babies. (although at 18 months she will be on cows milk? you can get long life milk in little tiny cartons which is really handy in packs of three with a straw in the Mercadona supermarket. its UHT but most babies dont mind.

Hi, thanks for all the advice. Think we're a bit clearer on some things now.
My husband has decided he would rather take our backpack carrier rather than a pushchair, so trying to get a response out of the airlines involved as to whether we could take this as our "free" single piece of infant equipment, but not getting much response so far!

bonkers. a day at the beach he will have enough to carry and buggy is somewhere safe to leave them to sleep/rest etc while you enjoy your lunch etc. if yours is bulky invest in second hand umbrella style cheapy one and dump it on the way home.

I wouldn't have dreamt of going on holiday without a buggy when my son was little,the airport alone will be a nightmare. Your hubby won't be able to sit down comfortably, your daughter won't be able to fall asleep comfortably in a back pack and it will cost nearly as much to hire a buggy over there as it would cost to buy a new one here.

Having some experience of using such carriers on family walking holidays, I would have thought that any of the backpack carriers that are comfy enough for him to carry an 18 month old in all the time as well as comfy enough for your daughter to put up with being in it for any length of time is going to be more trouble than its worth because of its size and the fact that the good ones will probably be too big for carry-on baggage and like a rucksack will have to be put in a special bag before they'll put it in the hold because of the danger of the straps and waist belt etc catching on the carousel etc. Also, if he has her in the backpack carrier and can't, therefore, have all the clutter required for a family being out and about or even on a beach all day in a backpack - guess who's going to have to carry all that?

Take the advice of people like Oscarben and Cocopops who've been there and got the T-shirt - they really do know from experience what they are talking about and if they say 'take the buggy' I'd be telling him that he can have the carrier if you can have the buggy for when it's your turn to relieve his aching back!

SM

Definatly need to take a lightweight pushchair! They sleep in the day by the pool in it, on the beach, of an evening next to the dinning table or out at a bar. I would never have managed without mine! As the weathers warmer they tend to sleep more often and it's so comfy for them and for your husband! There's no way on a night out he is going to be able to keep an eighteen month old happy on his back for most of the night!

I would definitely buy a small lightweight buggy to take with you. Your little one can fall asleep nicely in it during an evening walk. You can buy a small easy fold buggy cheap enough.

Something like this
http://www.mothercare.com/Mothercare-Jive-Stroller-Jungle-Family/dp/B004H231EY?ie=UTF8&ref=sr_1_5&nodeId=44333031&sr=1-5&qid=1328638667&pf_rd_r=0EXDDP9DTAG1NY9BCM87&pf_rd_m=A2LBKNDJ2KZUGQ&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=44333031&pf_rd_p=231490867&pf_rd_s=related-tab-3-5

You definitely need a lightweight umbrella type buggy. We used to go out in the evenings and eat whilst baby slept in the buggy next to us.Then we could stroll around whilst he was asleep.We hung the changing bag off the handles and had a clip on umbrella plus we took the rain cover. An 18month old is no lightweight !

can anyone help? average prices for a cot to hire in a hotel in spain?

As far as I know cots are free if you request one when you book the hotel.

yes should be free,
best to book in advance

em4emma wrote:

Hi, thanks for the links. Lots of useful info for travelling with a little one in general.

Was hoping there may be someone out there who has recent experience of hiring equipment such as travel cots, pushchairs etc in Benidorm.

Anyone??!? Can't believe everyone carts all their own stuff there and back!!!

Its been a while (our youngest is 24) but we took him to Ibiza when he was 3 months old. We bought a basic pushchair from a charity shop which we put in the plane hold. We left it behind when we left (in fact the apartment manager found a home for it with someone she knew). We carried a few disposable nappies in the hand luggage and packed a dozen terry ones in the suitcase. Obviously at that age feeding wasn't a problem and Mrs H carried it with her at all times
We took my old golf umbrella strapped to the pushchair and used that as a sunshade both on the chair and on the beach. Again that was donated at the end of the holiday. Again Sports Direct will sell you an umbrella for less than a fiver.

You can pick up a basic pushchair new these days for 10 to 15 quid at Tescos.

We chose self catering as this seemed the best option regarding catering arrangements. The apartments provided a cot free of charge.