Beach babes

Want to take your ‘freshie’ overseas? Wondering which destinations, hotels and resorts cater to kids under 18 months? emma castle goes on the hunt for Asia Pacific’s best baby-friendly options.

Travelling with a baby involves a lot of stuff, from prams and travel cots to baby carriers and baths. It’s enough to make even the most dedicated travel addict reconsider. Fortunately, a lot of hoteliers have cottoned on to this and introduced a range of options to make life easier for new parents.

So where can you take your littlest ones without any of the anxiety and hassle? Some destinations go out of their way to cater to babies. Read on for some of the best.

Fiji

The short-haul flight to Fiji and overall baby craziness of the locals make this the perfect place to take your tots.

Located in the Mamanuca Islands, Mana Island Resort & Spa offers a plenitude of facilities and activities for bouncing bubs, particularly at the Meimei Centre, a crèche for little ones under three years. Guests who stay five consecutive nights or more receive five hours of complimentary babysitting. Treasure Island Resort nurtures its ‘Little Treasures’, as evident by the babysitting facilities, as well as the strollers available for rent at the boutique.

Jean-michel Cousteau Resort also includes a dawn-to-dusk nanny service in the tariff. The exclusive nanny service is available daily from 8.30am to 6.30pm for each child under six years of age, with one dedicated nanny per bure from 6.30pm to 9pm.

Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort on the Coral Coast and Radisson Blu Resort on Denarau Island both offer nanny services on a pay-for-use basis, as well as cots, high chairs and baths. Outrigger also sells baby formula, nappies and baby food in its general store.

Castaway Island provides a babysitting service that is available at all hours for a nominal charge per hour, paid directly to the babysitter and booked through reception. Nappies and formula are available for sale, and the kitchen is happy to make baby purées fresh on request. manafiji.com treasureisland-fiji.com fijiresort.com outrigger.com radissonblu.com castawayfiji.com

Bali

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is an expert at looking after babies with special extras for little guests available at all of its hotels. Mövenpick Resort & Spa Jimbaran Bay will happily supply baby gear (cots, high chairs, et cetera), but if you would like to stay somewhere that doesn’t offer this level of service, there are a number of reputable nannying, equipment hire and airport transfer services that can arrange everything for you.

Choose between being picked up at Arrivals by someone waiting with a pram, or have everything delivered to your hotel or resort. The range of products on offer includes travel cots, car seats, booster seats, strollers, prams, high chairs, bathtubs, safety bed rails, safety gates, baby monitors and toys. Travel cots come complete with a baby care bedding package that includes bottom and top sheets, blanket and mosquito nets .

Many of these services also hire out and install pool fences for private villas where there is no other form of safety barrier, as well as offering babysitting and nannying services for an additional fee.

The award-winning, all-inclusive Club Med Bali is another winner for new families. The resort has partnered with Bugaboo prams, adding to a long list of services already included for little ones. Now, in addition to existing in-room Baby Welcome amenities – including cots, baby baths and bottle

warmers – guests of Club Med Bali will now have access to a number of Bugaboo’s stylish prams including the Cameleon3 Kite Limited Edition, a versatile and easy-to-use pram that adapts to various terrains. movenpick.com clubmed.com.au

Thailand

Sunwing Kamala Beach and Sunwing Bangtao Beach, both in Phuket, have the perfect space for your newest arrival: the Happy Baby Studio. The rooms are located on the ground level with an enclosed terrace and gate that can be locked. The rooms take two adults and two children under 12 years, and are specially equipped with a baby cot, high chair, stroller, nursing mat, baby resting chair, Bumbo Baby Sitter, children’s crockery and cutlery, baby bathtub, non-slip bath mat, stool in the bathroom, plastic potty, safety drawer locks as well as sun beds on the terrace.

Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort also offers fee-for-service babysitting for children younger than four years from 8am to 6pm, and evening hours on request. You need to reserve this ahead of time. outrigger.com sunwingkamala.com sunwingphuket.com

Maldives

Most people think of the Maldives as a honeymoon destination but what about all those honeymoon babies?

Good news: Soneva Jani and Soneva Fushi both offer babysitting services, with the maximum booking lasting no longer than four hours at a time with a maximum of eight hours in a day.

The new Fairmont Maldives – Sirru Fen Fushi, having opened on 1 April, offers babysitting services in both the kids’ club, which has a designated baby-sleeping area, as well as in your villa. soneva.com fairmont.com/maldives

Singapore

Singapore is not just home to the mythical Merlion; it’s also one of the safest, cleanest and most baby-friendly transit destinations. Why not break up long-haul trips by stopping over? The MRT public rail system goes to and from Changi Airport, meaning no need for baby seats in cabs, but taxis can be arranged with baby seats.

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa can provide a cot on request, as well as babysitting and nanny services via a thirdparty contractor. The resort also offers a baby bath and child-friendly bathroom amenities including toys, a temperature tester and bubble bath to its VIP guests. sofitel-singapore-sentosa.com