How to manage expectations of guests on holiday vs our 'normal' schedule

We have a continuous stream of guests from November to April, since we moved to Dubai a little over a year ago.

We really do love having family and friends to stay, most of them are really easy and do their own thing and very appreciative of the free accommodation, meals and booze and spending time catching up with us.

However we have guests at the moment, (or I should say 'had'), friends of my DH, who basically have tried to commander my maid. They have 2 little ones, so I know it's not much of a holiday with kids, and it's nice to be able to take a break. But they do not have to cook, all their meals are handed up to them, their laundry is done, they eat and get up from the table and don't have to lift a finger in the kitchen. When my kids are not at school they are entertaining their little ones. They can leave the kids and disappear upstairs and know/expect that either myself, my hubby or the maid will keep an eye on them. So they are having a little bit of a break from the kids and routine, but I agree it's not a kid/stress free holiday.

One of my kids is down with a horrible bug at the moment, raging fevers and I have not slept in 3 nights, and of course absent from school. In the midst of this, our guests asked me if our maid could babysit for them so they can go out in the evening.. I stuttered about our Maid and me having an early start for school and as I am not sleeping I need her to be available for me during the day, as a result I didn't think evening babysitting would work during the week. They asked if I could get one of her friends to babysit, (which we did last weekend when all four of us went out, our maid and her friend babysat all the kids) I explained why that would not work during the week.

Then they suggested they get a babysitting agency, and I told them I did not want to be sitting in my TV room with a stranger, that once my kids go to bed I really cherish those 2 hours between 8 and 10pm, when I can chat with hubby, guests or just veg in front of the TV. So they got all offended and have moved out into a hotel.

I feel awful for my husband, although he is not upset at all, just says they are high maintenance and if they wanted to go out in the evenings than they should have stayed in a hotel in the first place. The thing is they told me that they would never leave their little ones with a hotel babysitter, so it's not like they are only 'grounded' because of our home situation.

So I was just wondering, how do those of you with young school going kids handle guests who are on holiday, rather than those who come specifically to visit you.

PS sorry for long saga !
<em>edited by MDL on 17/01/2012</em>