In Reply to: would you leave 13 & 3yo alone in room? posted by stephjoy on Thursday, 16. July 2009 at 16:18 Bali Time:
if your step-daughter babysits at home and as you say "is more than capable of preparing her little sister for bed, reading a story & getting her off to sleep" she's not going to believe the babysitter is only there for your 3 yo.
No i wouldn't leave a child alone in a hotel room.
Maybe it's time to speak to your step-daughter? Tell her you're in a foreign country and the sitter is there in case of any emergency - hospital etc. (They may not have time to wait for you to arrive from a restaurant) Tell her the sitter will be good company and might give her some good shopping tips ;)