Explore family-friendly holidays
Holidaying with Children, BUT DON’T want TO SACRIFICE ADULT COMFORTS? THE Best uk Hotels Keep Kids and grown-ups Happy. THINK CHIC ROOMS, stylish spas, GREAT FOOD AND Fun Activities FOR THE underage Crew...
for seaside vibes Watergate Bay, Cornwall
GROWN-UPS LOVE the location – on a two-mile stretch of beach, where you’ll find contemporary rooms with a relaxed seaside vibe. Try kite-surfing, surfing and stand-up paddleboarding, then relax in the infinity pool and Finnish sauna that’s perched out on the deck. There’s also yoga and a spa.
KIDS LOVE the Kids’ Zone (0-7 years) offering arts and crafts, games and themed activities, while the XA Club (8-12 years) does woodwork and tin-can cookery.
EAT There are children’s menus (from chicken burgers to carrot rolls) at two hotel restaurants including The Beach Hut. Right next door is Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall, also with a kids’ menu.
LOWDOWN Double rooms from £185pn; a family suite (four beds and space for a cot) from £295. watergatebay.co.uk
for homegrown luxe Beaverbrook, Surrey
GROWN-UPS LOVE booking into The Garden House, more relaxed than the opulent main house. Rooms are romantic, floral and fun, with plump beds and roll-top baths. With the children at large in the 470-acre grounds (under the watchful eye of the childcare hosts), head to the spa.
KIDS LOVE den-building, night safaris, crazy golf and treasure hunts at the kids’ club (4-12 years). Together you can explore the fort hidden among the trees, borrow bikes and, on rainy days, cosy up in the cinema room for a family-friendly film.
EAT Family-friendly dinners are served in The Garden House restaurant.
LOWDOWN Double rooms in The Garden House from £239pn, including breakfast. Rooms sleep two adults, with extra beds available for children from £60pn. beaverbrook.co.uk
for spa indulgence Calcot Hotel & Spa, Gloucestershire
GROWN-UPS LOVE the spa, tucked away in a quiet corner. Choose from the menu of indulgent treatments or enjoy a glass of fizz in the hot tub. Take your pick from the indoor pool, steam room, sauna and gym, and Segway trails or horse riding.
KIDS LOVE everything from nature trails and cycling, to baking sessions, moviewatching and Xbox challenges. Calcot manages to offer all things to all ages, with the childcare team keeping them safe; there’s also an Ofsted-registered crèche.
EAT The hotel’s laid-back Gumstool Inn serves up homely pub grub.
LOWDOWN Family pad (two adults, two children) B&B plus High Tea for the kids and up to four hours per child per day crèche/ Play Barn use, from £354pn. calcot.co
for going wild Bovey Castle, Dartmoor
GROWN-UPS LOVE the sweeping mahogany staircases and marble fireplaces. Feeling active? How about making your own sloe gin or cocktails with the hotel’s mixologist or go off-road driving. Or, just unwind in the ESPA Spa or by the pool.
KIDS LOVE dreamy and extensive grounds, with family activities ranging from croquet and tennis, to egg collecting and ferret handling. There are two age-based kids’ clubs with activities ranging from camp-fire building to apple pressing.
EAT Smith’s Brasserie has a kids’ menu.
LOWDOWN A night’s B&B in a Junior State Room (two adults and two children sharing) costs from £342 per room. Call Bovey Castle on
01647 445 007 or visit boveycastle.com
for water babies Another Place, The Lake, Lake District
GROWN-UPS LOVE the stunning views offered by this hotel’s location on the shores of Ullswater. Go sailing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and wild swimming. On land, hike, cycle or ride a horse – then dip into the glass-fronted indoor ‘infinity’ pool. Afterwards, relax tired muscles in the hot tub and sauna, and indulge in a spa treatment.
KIDS LOVE the Kids’ Zone, for children aged 6 months to 12 years, with activities such as bush craft and orienteering. Plus there are family activities like raft-building.
EAT Early buffet supper is available from 5pm. In the Living Space restaurant, the children’s menu includes pizza.
LOWDOWN Double rooms from £180pn and family suites from £295pn (four beds and space for a cot). another.place
for chesil beach chic Moonfleet Manor, Dorset
GROWN-UPS LOVE the comfy-chic rooms at this Georgian manor house on the Jurassic coastline, not far from Chesil Beach. Play tennis, swim in one of the three indoor heated swimming pools and chill out in the sauna and spa. Two hours’ free childcare in the hotel’s Ofsted-registered crèche (five months to eight years) comes with the nightly price of the room.
KIDS LOVE fossil-hunting and rockpooling. There’s also a trampoline, sandpit and climbing frame, plus indoor soft-play.
EAT High tea is served from 5pm or families can dine together from 6pm.
LOWDOWN Double rooms from £119pn. Children up to the age of four are free of charge. luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk
for sunday lie-ins Woolley Grange, Wiltshire
GROWN-UPS LOVE Sunday service at this stylish yet relaxed 17th-century manor house. On Sunday mornings (and selected weekdays for babies/toddlers) children are collected from rooms at 8am and taken for a special breakfast, leaving parents in bed. You also enjoy two hours’ free childcare at the hotel’s Ofsted-registered crèche (five months to eight years) per night booked.
KIDS LOVE collecting eggs, exploring the garden, nature trails, crafty activities and cooking, plus pool and football tables.
EAT Ingredients come straight from the kitchen garden. High tea is served from 5pm or families can dine from 6pm.
LOWDOWN A small family double room starts from £119pn. luxuryfamilyhotels.co.uk