From Rome, Ben and Claire pointed the car towards France, with a flight booked from Marseille and their son’s sixth birthday just days away. Here’s how they built him a real celebration a very long way from home.
We left Rome with Marseille in mind, a flight booked for the 31st of August meant we had four days to fill on the way. It also meant our first job was a long one, a five to six hour drive towards Genoa, so the final stretch into France wouldn’t feel as heavy. The kids handled it brilliantly, spirits were high with our son’s birthday only days away, and we ended up pushing further than planned, all the way onto the French Riviera, settling on somewhere between Monaco and Nice.
What he actually asked for
Celebrating a birthday while travelling is never simple. We’d already done one, Ben’s, in Croatia, where having my parents and nephew visiting made it easier to build a real birthday feel. This time it was just the four of us, and I really wanted it to feel special for him, even without the usual family and friends around.
So a couple of days out, I asked him directly what he wanted. He had a clear list: a hotel with a swimming pool, a grassy area to play football with Ben, mini golf, and a birthday cake, though he did ask, hopefully, whether a Hot Wheels cake might be possible in France. I’d already gently prepared him that it was unlikely, but promised him a cake regardless.
The groundwork we’d already laid
Some of this wasn’t entirely last-minute. Weeks earlier in Poland, while the kids played at a park outside a shopping centre, I’d slipped into a toy shop and picked up a few Hot Wheels cars and a Lego set, he’s completely into both. Ben’s parents were visiting us in Poland at the time too, so I asked them to bring balloons and birthday candles when they came. Cards were already packed in our case from before we left, and when my mum visited us in Croatia, she brought an envelope stuffed with cards from the wider family. By the time his birthday actually arrived, we already had presents, cards, candles and balloons ready and waiting, no last-minute scrambling required.
The hotel hunt, and a tearful moment on the drive
Finding somewhere that ticked every box on his list wasn’t straightforward. I spent a chunk of the drive searching along the coastline, widening the search as we moved further from Italy. I’d found one option near Genoa that looked promising, but by the time I went back to book it, the room had gone. I’ll admit it got to me more than it probably should have, I started crying in the car. I wanted so badly to make this feel special for him, knowing it wasn’t going to look like the birthday he’d have had at home with everyone around him, and losing that option felt like losing the chance to get it right.
I pulled myself together and kept looking. Not long after, I found somewhere between Monaco and Nice that looked completely perfect: a huge pool with a fountain feature, direct access down to the beach, mini golf on site, a children’s playground, and big grassy areas for football. A family room with bunk beds for the kids sealed it. Every single thing on his list, ticked.
Settling in
We arrived in the evening, around 9pm, our son buzzing with excitement to explore, but we kept it simple, a quick bite and bed, wanting everyone rested for the day ahead. With no plans for our first full day, we let the kids fully enjoy the resort itself, a pool day, a walk, a round of mini golf, time at the park. A relaxed, unhurried day before the birthday itself.
The cake mission
The hotel couldn’t help with a cake when I asked at reception, so on the morning of his birthday, I set off into the nearby town with our daughter to find one, about fifteen minutes’ walk away. The first couple of patisseries had nothing bigger than individual cakes. After about half an hour of walking, we finally found one, a large sponge base piled high with raspberries, strawberries and blueberries, glazed on top, with a chocolate pattern around the edge. Very French, nothing like the iced, decorated cakes he’d expect at home, but exactly the kind of thing he loves, and it looked every bit as special as anything from a shop back home. I picked up a small individual chocolate cake too, for his number six candle to go in as the centrepiece, with the rest scattered through the sponge. I explained through Google Translate that it was for a little boy’s birthday, and the lady packaged it up beautifully, even slipping a few extra candles in for us.
The surprise
Back at the hotel, we didn’t want to give the surprise away too soon, so the cake waited while we all spent a few hours in the pool together, inflatables out, everyone jumping in. When the kids wanted a snack later, I slipped away to reception with Ben covering for five minutes, collected the cake, and set it up on a balcony area by the pool, candles lit with a lighter borrowed from the receptionist. I called Ben and told him to start walking up with the kids. As they came up the steps, we all sang happy birthday, badge and all, still pinned to his top from the morning. He loved every bit of it, ate his slice of the big cake and his entire individual one on the spot.
Winding down
More pool time and more play in the park followed, then showers and getting ready for dinner in town. The kids both went for steak and fries, Claire had salmon, Ben matched the kids with steak. We’d mentioned it was his birthday to the restaurant, and they brought out a bowl of sweets for him at the end of the meal, a lovely, unexpected touch. When we asked how he wanted to finish the night, his answer was simple: movie night, all four of us piled on the bed, a film on Netflix, and nothing else required.
By every measure that actually mattered to a five-year-old, a pool, football, mini golf, cake, cards, and his whole family close around him, it was everything he’d asked for.
Closing out the Riviera
Our last full day was a quiet one, more pool and beach time, exactly the pace we wanted after the birthday itself. We finished the evening with takeaway food eaten right by the beach, a simple way to close out that stretch of the trip.
The next morning, we had breakfast and set off for Marseille, an early flight the following day meant we needed to be at the airport by around 5am. Since we couldn’t check into our final accommodation until 3pm anyway, we built in a couple of stops along the coast. First was Cannes, where we found the marina, had coffee, and let the kids explore, there’s a carousel right by the water there they loved, complete with little Vespas and a Lamborghini to “drive.” Further down the coast, we stopped in Saint-Tropez for ice cream, another marina, another half hour wander, before the final stretch to Marseille.
We arrived that evening, grabbed some quick food to eat back at the room, and kept things simple, a basic place near the airport, chosen purely for the early start ahead, straight to bed after eating.
Across our three days on the French Riviera, we averaged around £95 a day.
What else is possible when a birthday doesn’t have to look like the one you’d planned to still feel exactly right?
FAQ
Is it hard to celebrate a birthday while travelling full-time? It takes more planning than at home, working out gifts and cards in advance, finding somewhere that fits what your child actually wants, but it’s absolutely possible to make it feel just as special.
How far in advance should you plan gifts while travelling? We picked up presents weeks ahead, whenever we happened to find something suitable, rather than waiting until close to the date. It meant nothing was left to chance at the last minute.
What if you can’t find exactly the cake your child wants? Focus on what they’ll actually love rather than matching what’s available at home. A local bakery’s version, chosen with their tastes in mind, can mean just as much as the cake you’d have picked back home.
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