Traveling with all the kid gear is tough enough.  Finding a quick, affordable solution to jet-lagged hunger - especially with multiple appetites - is added misery.  Instead of late-night room service, or a plastic packet of blah, we've found another solution that has worked for us everywhere we've been so far: if possible, find a hotel room or apartment with a small, ensuite kitchen. 

What it (sometimes) removes from the charm, a kitchen adds in peace-of-mind, as well as savings.  Real Simple recently noted, "Even if you have to pay a bit more for the accommodations, you’ll easily save money by not taking your family out for breakfast ($5 a person), lunch ($10), and dinner ($15)."

The Hotel Henri IV in Paris was one of my favorites - its closet kitchen was amazing in terms of how much was packed into a small space.  We were able to warm up a snack, store drinks (many rooms have mini-fridges now), sanitize sippee cups and bottles, and make lunches to take with us.

In Zweifall, Germany, the hotel with a kitchen (it's a small town) was the Hotel Zum Walde.  Part of my desire for convenience is what landed us in the "Top Naturist Hotel" in Germany during a record heat wave, but there will be more on that later…

In New Zealand, we took our kitchen with us part of the time, with an RV.  The Holiday Camp in Haihei's cabins also came with kitchens - and created the setting for one of the best cousins-cook-in and card tournament ever.

And while we weren't staying there with our daughter, my all-time favorite hotel room, the two-room suite at Ladera in St. Lucia, also had a kitchen (and a 12-person dining table for entertaining guests to boot).  We lucked into it (ten years ago) by skipping a third hotel on our honeymoon and extending our stay by a day - would we like to stay in a premium suite?  But of course.  Especially if the premium suite comes with an unobstructed view of the rainforest and ocean - from everywhere, including the kitchen, and the loo.  (The kitchen was really just an afterthought - but if someone (ahem) suddenly wins the lottery and wants to take me back there, I'd cook in it, no problem).

Extended stay hotels throughout the US also have kitchens for business travelers - and family hostels also have kitchen resources available. Those are rarely ensuite, but -hey- it's often a great opportunity to meet your fellow travelers.

Short-term rental apartments, condos, and cottages are also a boon for the kitchen-bound.  Every beach-area, and many winter-sports areas have plenty of both, at a range of prices.

One of the top reasons to use that kitchen? Outings to the corner grocery store and the local farmers' markets, opportunities to connect with the shop owners, a chance to roll out your high-school French/German/Spanish, and a chance at stuff (mmm KINDER EGGS, mmmm Nutella) on the shelves that's not the norm at home.