Eight of the hottest hotels that cater for families
The right hotel facilities can make all the difference to a family holiday. These sunshine-break properties have plenty of enticements for younger travellers (and a few for the elders too)
Holidays are a chance for children to play, to explore new environments, and to learn about the world around them. These five hotels, just opened or newly added to operators’ programmes, are ideal for keeping families entertained, whether it be with nature play, kids’ clubs, aquatic fun or access to the world’s greatest theme parks. And for children who are ready to be stretched that wee bit further, we suggest three hotels that can teach them life skills in a safe holiday environment.
PLATINUM EXPERIENCE IN TURKEY
New for 2023, easyJet Holidays has added the Botanik Platinum in Alanya, a family-hotel with an incredible 10 swimming pools to choose between. It’s an exclusive area within the Botanik Hotel & Resort, one which easyJet Holidays describes as a “cut above the rest”.
As well as interconnecting family rooms, there’s a kids’ club, a playground and a mini amusement park for children with a swing ride and a choo choo train. New easyJet routes from Belfast and Edinburgh to Antalya will expand the accessibility of this beachfront hotel.
Book it: EasyJet Holidays offers seven nights at Botanik Platinum on an All-Inclusive Plus basis from £1,085pp for a family of four including transfers and flights departing 29 July; easyjetholidays.com
AQUA PARK IN BULGARIA
Voya Beach Resort opens in May in St Vlas in Bulgaria, a short distance from Sunny Beach. An aqua park with five rides, three outdoor pools and access to Bulgaria’s longest beach means water babies will be in their element here. There’s also a games room, a movie theatre, an animation programme, creative activities and a daily mini disco. Voyager Kids Club is divided into two age groups, four to seven and seven to 12.
An ultra all-inclusive offering will ease parents’ worries about end-of-holiday bills. Most of the 350 rooms have sea views, with superior rooms sleeping up to five.
Book it: Jet2holidays offers seven nights’ all-inclusive at Voya Beach Resort, from £659pp, based on two adults and one pre-schooler sharing, departing from Manchester on 1 May including transfers; jet2holidays.com
PLAYTIME IN THE MALDIVES
Oblu Xperience Ailafushi, which opened in May 2022, is an easy 15-minute speedboat transfer from the airport. It has a playful design and a buzzing vibe, fuelled by football games, beach volleyball, live bands and a resident DJ.
In two-bedroom, two-bathroom family suites, bunk bed rooms have a story book theme. A multi-level kids’ club has its own pool and buffet area, gaming stations and karaoke room.
Nikki Hain, product manager, Premier Holidays, says: “In the Maldivian language of Dhivehi, ‘aila’ means family and ‘fushi’ is island, and you’d be hard pressed to find anywhere in the Maldives more welcoming for younger travellers. The families we’ve sent there have already given overwhelmingly positive feedback.”
Book it: Premier Holidays has nine nights all-inclusive for two adults, one child and one infant under two, from £7,269 including Emirates flights from Stansted (other airports available at a supplement) and speedboat transfers; premierholidays.co.uk
NATURE PLAY IN CRETE
St Nicolas Bay near Agios Nikolaos reopens this month after a renovation, which added attributes including four new family suites with private pools. Also new are a 7,000 square metre nature play area and a teenagers’ club with PlayStation, music bar and video wall.
For adults, there’s the Poseiden Spa and a semi-open-air gym. The five restaurants source food from local producers, and every Wednesday the hotel hosts a visit to a food market followed by a cooking class.
Book it: Sovereign offers seven nights’ half-board at St Nicolas Bay from £1,990pp, based on two adults and two children sharing, with flights departing from Stansted on 6 August and private transfers included; sovereign.com
THRILLS IN ORLANDO
The Drury Plaza Orlando opened in December 2022, and with parking, breakfast and food every evening from 5.30pm-7.30pm all included in the room rate, this offers good value for families. What’s more there are no resort fees to pay, which can often be a hidden cost for many families in Florida.
As an official Walt Disney World Resort partner hotel, guests can enjoy 30-minute early entry into the theme parks plus a free shuttle service.
Anna-Maria Janssen, head of product and commercial, Ocean Florida says: “With five people in a standard room plus a games/arcade room, heated outdoor pool and kids splash zone, we predict this will be one of our top sellers for 2023 and beyond.”
Book it: Ocean Florida offers seven nights at the Drury Plaza in Easter 2024 from £1,299pp including flights plus complimentary tickets to four of Orlando’s top experiences; ocean-florida.co.uk/agents
Teaching children life skills
Survival skills
Sani Resorts’ Bear Grylls Survival Academy has been made complimentary for all guests this year. It offers the chance for families to connect with nature and develop survival skills, such as shelter and fire building, within a stunning private ecological reserve; sani-resort.com
Triathlon training
For sporty children, the Campus at Quinta do Lago in Portugal has regular camps including tennis, swimming and triathlon training. The programme is designed to teach little ones to push themselves and develop strength, endurance and balance from a young age; thecampusqdl.com
Diving into the blue
Windjammer Landing’s underwater breathwork programme is open for children aged 10 and older. The wellness and diving teams at the resort have created a unique experience that includes multiple breathing exercises on the boat before a sunrise dive in calm waters; windjammer-landing.com
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Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
