TWEENIES (9-12)

Congratulations on reaching a magic moment. Your kids don’t yet hate you, but they can finally cope with more than sandcastle building and a quick paddle. Step forward the Dolomites, an Alpine wedge of northern Italy that is fast becoming the country’s action capital, spurred on by its role in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

The region is undoubtedly great for winter sports, but kids might prefer it in summer. By June, the snow has subsided, giving visitors the chance to try cycling, horse-riding and rock-climbing. Add plenty of pasta and some surprisingly family-friendly hotels and you have a great holiday for more adventurous tweens.

Since the Olympic announcement, an explosion of new hotels has opened up to cater to anticipated demand. Mandarin Oriental will soon have one in the town of Cortina.

But our top pick for families is an old favourite. At first glance, the Adler Spa Resort Dolomiti seems an unlikely destination with kids in tow. A crenellated pile among the gingerbread houses of Ortisei, it has more than its fair share of robe-wearing treatment seekers.

However, what works for them (halfboard packages, free e-bikes, guided hikes and an outdoor pool surrounded by parkland), works brilliantly for children too. As well as family suites with two bedrooms, there is a free kids’ club should you want some time alone with the hotel’s salt grottoes and saunas. Inghams (01483 319635; inghams.co.uk) offers a week half-board for a family of four in the summer holidays from £2,599pp including flights.

Elsewhere…

IN SUMMER

There is a decidedly French slant to the kids’ club at Château Les Carrasses (00 33 4 6700 0067; lescarrasses.com) in Languedoc, where the apartments and houses have been fashioned from an old winery. Expect little winegrowers’ and fruit pickers’ workshops and a new mini farm where they can collect eggs and feed the pygmy goats. It costs from £2,600 for a family of four staying in a two-bedroom property.

IN OCTOBER HALF TERM

As the home of K-Pop, as well as a new Robot and AI Museum, South Korea should be a long-haul crowd-pleaser. The Dragon Trip’s action-packed K-Pop Tour (020 8064 1907; dragontrip.com) includes dance classes, music-video making and exploring Busan, the hometown of two members of K-Pop supergroup BTS. It costs from £1,349pp excluding flights.

EASY ESCAPE

Let them roam free at Brook Meadow (01858 880886; brookmeadow.co.uk), a boho campsite with Airstreams and double-decker tents in the Leicestershire countryside. From £102 for two nights for a family of four.

iThe hills are alive: hiking in the Dolomites is a hit with ‘adventurous tweens’