Britain’s 18 best family-friendly hotels

Hotel where children are positively welcomed? We’ve a guide to 18 of the best, plus more ideas for spas and Europe
You want a restful holiday in the UK this summer. You want to be with your family. which just happens to include children as well as adults. The problem is that the UK has never been noted for its child-friendly hotels.

So where can you relax, knowing that you won’t spend the whole time tensing up as fellow-guests glare at your children every time they speak above a whisper?

Here’s our selection of child-friendly hotels across the UK with plenty of activities for children and genuinely friendly staff.

SOUTH

1. The Seaview Hotel in the Isle of Wight is a seaside hotel on an island with hundreds of rock pools to explore, and near to a sports club with swimming pool, gym and tennis. Young children have high tea at 5pm. Fresh orange juice, porridge and kippers are on offer at breakfast: 17 rooms, doubles from £120, B&B.

2. If your children are sporty and full of energy, try Foxhills in Ottershaw, Surrey, which has tennis and golf lessons as well as a crèche and a Cub Club for 4-11s. A beauty salon has treatments for exhausted parents, and the restaurants offer with-or-without-the-kids dining. Online Business Travel Editor Mark Frary also reviews the hotel from a suit’s perspective. Two-night breaks, half-board, from £160 per adult; children sharing with parents pay £30 a night.

3. For parental glam and style, go to Chandler’s Cross in Herts where The Grove has a spa, several restaurants and a golf course, while your children are looked after in a suite of rooms with a crèche and nursery. An outdoor play area has a treehouse. Doubles from £250 a night, B&B, under-13s can have an adjoining room for 50 per cent.

WEST

4. Reviewer Michael Harvey and family check into Woolley Grange in Wiltshire, which has a staffed creche and was the first “country house hotel of its kind to openly welcome children.” Rooms from £240 including dinner, B&B – no charge for children sharing.

5. Do you want to try a place that’s a bit quirky but doesn’t pall for the children when the novelty wears off? The Evesham Hotel in Worcs has an Alice in Wonderland suite. But it also has slides, trampoline, indoor swimming pool, games room, croquet and a junior à la carte menu. A family suite costs from £170, with kids charged £2 per year of their life.

6. The Priory Inn in Tetbury, Gloucs has highchairs, toys, cots, changing facilities and special menus help families feel at home in this market-town hotel on the River Avon at Tetbury. Doubles from £99.

7. Currently AA Hotel of the Year, Calcot Manor in Gloucestershire is especially popular with families: there is a Playzone for children from newborn to 16 years-old packed with toys and computer games. The Conservatory restaurant provides healthy, well-balanced organic meals, while gastro-pub The Gumstool serves high-tea for children. The spa also caters for children, writes Alice Miles. A former English farmhouse, Calcot is surrounded by beautiful gardens and its own 220 acre-estate. From £195 per room per night.

Fun Hotels for Kids in Phoenix
Because of Phoenix’s scorching-hot weather, with an average temperature of 105 in July, the city’s resort hotels have lots of kid-pleasing water features. Some of them go beyond swimming pools to offer up mini water parks. Other common amenities include day-care programs for children and kid-oriented entertainment.
Arizona Biltmore Resort and Spa

Arizona Biltmore features 740 guest rooms and 78 villas occupying 39 acres of lush, green grounds. Most accommodations have full kitchens, a fireplace, large bathrooms, patios and multiple bedrooms. The front desk arranges baby-sitting through non-hotel agencies, upon recommendation, and the on-site Kids Korral supervises and entertains children ages 4 to 12 with activities ranging from golf to swimming to arts and crafts. Other organized activities at the hotel include hot air ballooning, lawn checkers and croquet, and the grounds also have a playground

Acqualina Resort & Spa on the Beach Miami Beach, FL

Families will appreciate the many specialized kids’ activities offered at this stylish resort. The fun and educational aquamarine program teaches kids about marine biology through a variety of beach and water activities, and the Kid’s Night Out program, a supervised evening of dinner, games, and movies lets Mom and Dad hit the town.

All-Star Sports, All-Star Music, and All-Star Movies Resorts Orlando, FL

The three All-Star resorts are great family-friendly budget options. Each hotel is decorated with Disney favorites (Toy Story characters at the Movies resort, Goofy at the Sports resort). Two swimming pools, a playground, and an arcade, plus food-court fare like pizza and burgers, are sure to keep kids happy; affordable room rates please parents.
Arizona Grand Resort Phoenix, AZ

Mom and Dad can spend the afternoon at the par-71 golf course, followed by a revitalizing massage or body treatment at the luxurious spa, while the kids spend the day at the Oasis water park. That’s right, the hotel’s water park (for guests only) includes a wave pool, a lazy river, and water slides that are sure to entertain for hours on end.

The Best Bahamas Family Resorts

Atlantis is the ultimate in Bahamas family resorts. It is located on Paradise Island and features a huge water park with slides, 20 pools, massive aquariums and a beautiful beach. The kids club for ages 3-12 has a culinary program, arts and crafts, game stations and pottery studio. Your toddlers and babies will be able to splash around in the wading pools, help feed the fish and create their own stuffed animal. Your teenagers will have a blast hanging out at their own nightclub complete with live dj. Atlantis rooms can accommodate a family of 4 (plus one toddler under). They also offer various suites and that can sleep a family of 5 all the way up to a large family of 8. Check Rates & Reviews

Comfort Suites is an affordable alternative to the Atlantis hotel. This property offers full access to the pools, water slides, kids clubs and restaurants at the Atlantis. They have family rooms that can sleep 4. Check Rates & Reviews

Sunrise Villas has one, two, three, four and five bedroom villas available on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. It is located on the beach and has several pools. Great for large families! Check Rates & Reviews

Our Lucaya is another one of the fun Bahamas family resorts. It is located on Grand Bahama Island. There is a kids club for ages 3-12 that offers cultural activities. There is a baby club for toddlers and babies under 3. There are 4 multilevel hotels here. They offer family suites that can sleep a family of 4. There is also an optional all inclusive package. Check Rates & Reviews

Wyndham is another great option for Bahamas family resorts. The rooms can sleep a family of 5. This Nassau hotel has a spiral water slide, pool and is located on Cable beach. There is a kids program here to keep the kids entertained. Check Rates & Reviews

Sheraton is a family friendly Bahamas hotel with locations in Nassau and Grand Bahama Island. Both resorts have pools and offers connecting rooms for the kids. They have excellent kids clubs. Check Rates & Reviews

Riu is one of the best all inclusive Bahamas family resorts. They have rooms that can sleep 2 adults and 2 kids. It is located on the beach on Paradise Island. There is a pool to cool off in-but no kids club. Check Rates & Reviews

Budget Bahamas Family Hotels

If you are looking for budget Bahamas family resorts then check out Orange Hill located in Nassau. This cheap accommodation offers rooms that can sleep 4. They offer free children under 12 in the same room. It is located on a hilltop a few steps from the beach. There are holiday apartments available with kitchens. It is located about 20 minutes from town. Check Rates & Reviews

Best Western is an inexpensive Bahamas hotel that offers free kids under 12. It is located on Paradise Island and it has 3 pools. The rooms have a mini fridge and microwave. Check Rates & Reviews

Towne Hotel is a cheap Nassau family hotel located just off Bay street in the town. It offers junior suites with 2 double beds and a mini fridge. There is a small pool and the beach is a few minutes walk away.

THE SOURCES

http://www.family-travel-scoop.com

http://www.fodors.com

http://www.timesonline.co.uk

Scotland is better than every for family holidays. There are loads of great adventures to be had with your kids and family accommodation and eating facilities keep getting better and better.

Kids holidays Scotland

Black Isle Wildlive & Country Park

1. Family hotels Scotland

Most larger hotels and many smaller hotels in Scotland are highly family friendly. Many welcome children with open arms. For smaller kids, most hotels will provide a travel cot and some will provide a baby listening service so that you can spend the evening in the bar or the restaurant but know your small child is sleeping soundly.In the restaurants you can expect to find a children’s meny, high chairs and children’s cutlery etc.
Hotels like the Isles of Glencoe and the Coylumbridge Hotel are known for being family friendly.

2. Compact Size

The relatively small size of Scotland makes it ideal for travelling with kids as they never have to spend too long in the car.

3. Take your time

If you’re stressed, the wee ones will be too. Holidays are meant to be relaxing, remember, so don’t put yourself under undue pressure and give yourself plenty of time to catch your plane, train or ferry. They may let you on the plane if you all burst into tears at the check-in desk, but it doesn’t always work. And research your route – late and lost isn’t good.

Cairngorms National Park

4. Make it fun

Make ‘getting there’ the highlight of the holiday and travel in style. Hiring a Harley Davidson isn’t particularly practical, but you could go Hogwart’s Express-style on a steam train (just pretend if you’re on non-steam) or go overnight on a romantic sleeper.

5. Smoke free Scotland

As of 26 March 2006 all enclosed public places in Scotland will be non-smoking so you will be able to go to a pub for lunch without your kids having to breathe second hand smoke.

The References

• http://www.visitscotland.com
• http://www.holidayscotland.org.uk

Kids’ summer camps provide entertaining adventures for children who attend and a vacation for parents who stay home. Summer camps can help kids pursue an interest, learn independence, make friends and participate in new activities. Although summer camps are usually for a week, they can last anywhere from one day to the entire summer in length.

Summer camps for kids

1. Wonders of Nature
For this event you might want to venture into insects, rodents, land formations, mosses, trees or birds. This type of event of has many options to choose from.

2. All Stars
For this event you would set up sporting games. Be if football, basketball, soccer, water balloons, Frisbee events and what ever other activities in the sporting them you can come up with.

3. Survivor
This is an event that could be set up on the television series “Survivor”. You can set up treasure hunts, obstacle courses or play a creative game on survival.

4. Splash
This event name could be for your water adventures. You could play water volley ball, canoeing, swimming competitions, diving competitions or snorkeling.

5. A Day In The Knight
This event could be geared to learning about knighthood. You could get out the turkey legs and maybe play some knight games.

6. American Idol

This event since it is so popular on television would be a great event for the participants. They could all have a singing competition and let the participants be the judges.

7. Art Summer Camp
Inspire future artists with an arts-and-crafts camp. It can be located anywhere, from a college to a ranch, as long as there is plenty of room for different projects. The camp may offer day programs only, or it may provide lodging and meals for overnight programs.

Basic activities might include introduction classes to drawing, shading, perspective, color, oil paint, water paint, acrylic paint, charcoal and chalk. Projects in craft classes may range from teaching children how to sculpt an alien from clay to making a mud-cloth painting or fancy paper.

8. Dance Summer Camp
Expose kids to many different styles and techniques at a dance camp that will help familiarize them with the wide world of dancing. Longer-term camps likely will provide small dorm rooms with bunk beds and personal bathrooms and offer cafeteria-style and occasional restaurant food.

Classes may include lessons in hip-hop, jazz, ballet and swing, or practice for a group performance. Other activities might include instruction in general nutrition, personal presentation, muscle stretching and dance history. Depending on the camp location, kids also may be able to attend a professional dance performance.

9. Science Summer Camp
Let kids explore the fun side of science with a hands-on, project-filled, general science camp. The college-based camp takes advantage of the empty campus and uses the dorms, bathrooms, cafeteria, gym, lawn and labs for the basic setting. Snacks may include astronaut-packaged meals and “Meals Ready to Eat,” or MREs, to allow kids to explore the science of food.

The References

• http://www.ehow.com
• http://ezinearticles.com