'I never thought I'd be caught dead on this type of holiday, now I'm recommending it to everyone'.

My dream holiday involves room service, an infinity pool and thousand-thread-count sheets. 

In this dream, the only time I exert myself is to move between a lounge beside the pool to the pool and back again, and perhaps to pick up a cocktail. 

If I have ever been described as "high maintenance", it's only because I like to purchase a coffee from both of the cafés within a one-block radius of my CBD apartment every morning (look, they both have something different to offer, and actually, I don't have to defend myself for my unwavering support of local small businesses!). 

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I am, in short, a fan of creature comfort. 

Which is why I didn't particularly expect to find myself feeding pigs on a farm half an hour past Mudgee and calling it a "holiday".

I really didn't expect that it would be the best holiday I've been on in a long time. 

How did I end up there, I hear you asking?

Well, the problem with my dream holiday is that I am a parent of two toddlers, and nothing about that holiday makes sense with children… at all. In the past, when I've tried to find a taste of luxury with my kids in tow, I've inevitably ended up entertaining two bored boys while sitting in a playground — which, as I'm sure you'll appreciate, is something I can do at home for a fraction of the cost (and with one of my two favourite coffees in hand, thanks). 

So this time, I decided to do something a little bit different. Rather than book the type of holiday I would want and try to shoehorn in some kid-friendly activities, we booked four nights at Ba Mack Farm Stay.

If there's one thing I could guess about a farm stay in advance, it's that it would be all kid-friendly activities. 

And let me tell you — when it came to farm activities, none of us left disappointed.

I'm talking riding horses, feeding chickens and ducks, jumping on trampolines, splashing in muddy puddles, learning how to brush a pony; the works. I knew from the outset that my boys would love it, and I was absolutely right.

My older son had his first ever horse ride (I nearly sobbed with pride), while my youngest preferred to yell at the sheep and snack from the pig slop bucket (which, I should add, was totally unnecessary, because we were given an unbelievably enormous breakfast basket each morning). 

Image: Supplied.

What I wasn't expecting was how much I would love it there, too. I've always been a huge animal lover, but the unexpected joy I got from giving a bottle to day-old lambs Pancake and Percival took even me by surprise.

Being woken up at sunrise (it was a holiday, but I still have toddlers) to see the horses grazing out our bedroom window was… incredible.

Image: Supplied.

And spending our days outside, getting our hands dirty, learning new things together and playing with animals — well, it honestly doesn't really get better. The night we arrived, there was a sheep standing on the porch of our cottage.

A sheep! On our porch!

You simply do not get that kind of service at the Hilton. 

Add in Farmer Julie's homemade scones (which she generously got my three-year-old involved in baking) and you could hardly blame us for not wanting to leave. 

But, while I happily give up 5-star hotels and tropical weather for a long weekend on a farm, there's one thing I absolutely refuse to forgo, and that is wine. Being only twenty-five minutes from some of NSW's best wineries, I couldn't pass up the opportunity for a picnic at Lowe Estate and lunch at Pipeclay Pumphouse on the Robert Stein vineyard — both followed by a wine tasting because… of course. 

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If you're travelling with kids, Lowe Estate is a 10/10 option, while Pipeclay Pumphouse, as a more upmarket restaurant, is perhaps better enjoyed by adults only. (Kudos to the gorgeous staff who were able to whip up two emergency bowls of ice cream with chocolate sauce so the grown-ups could finish our mains. That is what I call service.) 

Finishing a day on the farm with a glass of wine from a local winery, snacking on local cheese and listening to my thoroughly exhausted yet thoroughly happy boys play in the background — the whole thing was actually, unexpectedly, relaxing — and not a pool lounger in sight. 

Image: Supplied.

More parents have asked me for the details of this trip than any other I've ever taken, which just speaks to what I already knew: parents are 1000% across the type of holiday which will be a hit with kids, and this is one of those types of holiday. 

Honestly, if they're not asking me for the details, I'm pushing them on them anyway. They can thank me later.

Want more kid-friendly travel ideas? Here are three reads worth bookmarking:

• 'We've done Japan twice as a family. This is the guide I wish I had the first time.'

• Everyone's raving about this festival near Brisbane and yep, it's kid-friendly.

• 'I've cracked the code for a relaxing yet kid-friendly holiday on a budget.'

Feature image: Supplied.