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Country Kids Resort, France: A Family-Friendly Review

How best to describe Country Kids Resort? A luxury family holiday? Technically, yes, but it’s also entirely different, and oh-so-much more. This isn’t the awkwardly swish, ultra-modern, marble-everywhere resort we’ve come to associate with luxury travel. Instead, the luxury lies in something altogether rarer to find once you become parents: the luxury of not having to think

Not because you’re not spending any time with the kids, but because somebody has quietly removed the constant background admin that usually follows everywhere you go. The fridge is stocked before you arrive. The stair gates, bed guards and swim nappies are already waiting. Your week is planned for you (activities arranged, tickets booked) – both individually, and as a family unit. All you need to do? Chat with your heavenly hosts, so they really get to know you and your personal preferences, before magically crafting the weekly agenda of your dreams

Because this is the thing about many family holidays: even the lovely ones can still feel exhausting. Mentally juggling snacks, fielding relentless ‘what are we doing now’ questions, and taking it in turns to supervise the kids. It’s often less ‘restorative break’ and more ‘same parenting, sunnier location’. Country Kids Resort rewrites that script entirely – from taking care of all your food fancies to childcare whenever you need it. And that is how it delivers the holy grail of family holidays: a break where everyone feels totally looked after

By Becky Pennison-Bates & Jemma Pennison-Bates

Your most asked questions, answered

What is Country Kids Resort, and why is it popular with families?

Country Kids Resort is an all inclusive family resort in the South of France, made up of traditional French cottages set within secure, car-free countryside grounds. But unlike larger family resorts, everything here feels intentionally intimate and deeply personal. Its popularity comes down to one simple truth: it removes almost all of the stress points that usually accompany travelling with children.

Before you even arrive, all the practical family essentials have already been thought of, and once there, the entire week is totally tailored to your personal preferences (both parents and children), with a mix of individual activities specifically selected for each guest, as well as curated experiences to enjoy together

There’s also a warmth to the place that’s difficult to manufacture. The hosts immediately get to know everyone personally, children are warmly welcomed but not overwhelmed, and the atmosphere feels like staying with long-lost (authentically French) relatives who are absolutely thrilled you’re there

What makes Country Kids Resort great for kids?

Country Kids Resort is essentially a countryside dream for children

Each morning begins with a ride on Farmer Syl’s tractor, taking it in turns to sit up front. Everyone heads down to feed and care for the pigs, goats, rabbits, horses and chickens in a way that’s hands-on and not just for show. Beyond that, children’s days revolve around treasure hunts, science experiments, pizza making, forest adventures, dance parties, water games and endless outdoor play (and that list is far from exhaustive)

But here’s the important bit. Rather than feeling like standard holiday childcare, Country Kids operates more like a brilliantly run, unbelievably intimate activity camp with genuinely warm, highly involved staff who quickly build close relationships with the children. They’ll effortlessly change their approach according to your little one’s individual needs (like grown up, holiday best friends), and children can drop in and out whenever they like

Outside, the grounds are packed with things to enjoy together, including heated pools, a little waterslide, zipline, swings, bikes & scooters, football goals, mini golf, a giant sandpit and possibly the biggest trampoline I’ve ever seen

What stood out most for us was how instantly comfortable our children became. Even our youngest, who usually prefers to remain physically attached to me, disappeared happily into the kids club by day two

What makes Country Kids Resort great for adults?

While the children are undeniably having the time of their lives, Country Kids Resort feels equally designed around exhausted parents quietly exhaling for the first time in months

Adults can choose from activities like wine tasting, golf, yoga, massages and private tennis lessons, plus there’s also an adults-only pool tucked away, and a gym

And then there’s the next level stuff – evening babysitting is included on two nights during the week, when parents head out for dinner at local restaurants (booked for them of course, based on their favourite foods). Laundry is quietly handled (plus there’s washers & dryers in the cottages as well) – there’s even a wine cellar to explore and taste test at your leisure

One of our favourite afternoons, while the children were at kids club, all the adult guests gathered together for cassoulet and chocolate mousse. Somehow, we ended up sitting talking for nearly three uninterrupted hours – when is the last time you can remember that happening?! As parents of small children, it felt borderline revolutionary

Where is Country Kids Resort?

Country Kids Resort is located in the South of France, surrounded by rolling countryside, tiny villages and winding rural roads that feel unmistakably French – like stepping into a postcard perhaps. The setting is peaceful and secluded enough to feel like a genuine escape, while still being accessible for families travelling from the UK

What makes the location particularly appealing for families is the sense of freedom it creates. The gated, car-free grounds allow children to roam safely and independently in a way that feels increasingly rare on modern holidays

When is the best time to visit Country Kids Resort?

Country Kids Resort is beautiful from late spring through to early autumn, when the grounds, pools and outdoor activities really come into their own

Spring and early summer are especially lovely if you prefer slightly cooler temperatures for exploring, and quieter surroundings with vivid green countryside views

Peak summer brings hotter weather and a more sociable atmosphere around the pools, barbecues and evening events, while never feeling overwhelmingly busy thanks to the resort’s intimate size

What is included at Country Kids Resort?

When Country Kids Resort says its ‘absolutely everything included’, they mean it – in a way you very rarely come across

Meals throughout the week are covered, including breakfasts, lunches, themed dinners and children’s teas, alongside a huge amount of childcare (spanning the kids club and evening babysitting), and individual & family activities from spa treatments to private tennis lessons, days out and professional family photoshoots (each family member gets to choose 8 from a wide selection)

Practical family essentials are another huge part of what’s included. Cottages come fully stocked with things like stair gates, potties, bed guards, highchairs, bath toys, kids crockery and swim nappies, as well as a fridge and larder full of snacks (we challenge you to think of something you can’t find)

There’s also laundry collection during the week, daily animal feeding experiences and a constant help-yourself supply of drinks and snacks around the resort – including a ‘shop’ you can pop into and grab whatever you fancy (only without the check-out step) and a freely-available wine cellar to explore

Accommodation

Traditional French cottages that genuinely feel like home

The cottages at Country Kids Resort instantly set the tone for the sort of holiday this is going to be. We’re not talking impersonal, ultra-modern hotel minimalism, but warm, traditional French family homes filled with quirk & character alongside thoughtful practical touches

We arrived two personalised Country Kids hats waiting for our boys on the side, alongside Easter eggs, toys laid out on a soft rug and a fully stocked fridge filled with milk, juice, ham, cheese and countless pantry essentials. It felt less like checking into a hotel and more like arriving at a particularly organised relative’s countryside estate

The balance between charm and practicality is what really makes the cottages work. There are proper children’s bedrooms with storage space so you’re not living out of suitcases for a week, comfortable sofas large enough for family film nights, huge baths filled with bath toys and mini robes, plus thoughtful little details everywhere you look: kids crockery, Bumbo seats, potties, nappy bins, cotton pads, swim nappies… the list is endless

Our boys settled in almost instantly. In fact, our youngest happily played with the train set on the rug chatting away to himself while we unpacked, which felt borderline miraculous after a day of travel

Childcare & Kid's Entertainment

Less kids club, more tailored activity camp

If the cottages are what make family life easy at Country Kids Resort, the childcare is what elevates it into an actual break for parents

The kids club isn’t transactional or inflexible in the way some holiday childcare can be, but instead feels warm, individually adapted and incredibly hands on, with staff who very quickly get to know all the children, their little personalities, and their likes and dislikes

Days revolve around proper activities rather than simply supervised play, spanning treasure hunts, science experiments, bug hunts, pizza making, forest adventures, music sessions, dance parties, face painting & water games – it’s honestly almost endless. Nothing needs to be booked in advance, children can simply dip in and out as they wish – though based on personal experience, the appetite to ‘dip out’ was quite low (the first and only time we stuck our heads in, our eldest clocked us and exclaimed ‘what are YOU doing here?’). It really does become their special, safe place

The animal feeding each morning we loved. All piling onto a tractor together, we headed down to feed the pigs, goats, rabbits and chickens, also collecting eggs – surely the most wholesome way to start any day?

And the family fun continues, with a heated pool with child-safe gates & slide, a separate splash pool, swings, football goals, bikes, scooters, mini golf, climbing frame, zipline, giant sandpit, trampoline… Put it this way, you aren’t going to run out of things to do. The only problem is, nowhere else will quite compare

Wining & Dining

Family dining without the usual resort restaurant stress

The food at Country Kids Resort strikes a very clever balance between genuinely high quality and deeply comforting

Breakfasts are generous and relaxed, with pastries, fresh fruit, cereals, yoghurts, hot cooked options and excellent coffee all served communally each morning. Children drift in and out fresh from trampoline sessions while staff quietly remember everyone’s preferences

Lunches are similarly easy going, with adults selecting dishes from a daily menu, to enjoy delivered to wherever they are around the grounds. Children usually eat together at kids club, staying happily occupied from morning right through to evening in our experience!

At around 5.30pm, kids tea kicks off – where adults are reunited with their little ones, hearing all about the day’s adventures while enjoying a glass of wine as the kids tuck in

And then dinner for adults has a real sense of occasion. Throughout the week there are themed evenings (we loved the tapas night) and long communal dinners, all paired seamlessly with childcare arrangements

The level of personal attention is what really elevates everything. To give just one example – after overhearing our son mention his temporary obsession with sardines, the team quietly sourced him a tin specially for breakfast the next morning. It’s that sort of place

Adult Appeal

Because parents deserve a little looking after as well

Country Kids Resort is one of the only family holidays we’ve experienced where adult enjoyment doesn’t feel squeezed awkwardly around the edges of keeping children entertained. Here, it is absolutely of equal importance, and is the most time we’ve spent together as a couple since our two boys were born

As every family member chooses their activities individually, one parent might opt for a round of golf or private tennis lesson, while another plumps for yoga or a massage. But crucially, there’s then lots you can also pick to enjoy together – think wine tastings, family photo shoots or even just the simple stuff. A dip in the adult-only pool, or a chat over a bottle of wine from the cellar

Then there’s the evening babysitting. We’d actually never used a babysitter before (thanks to my mum, an angel-in-human-form at home) , but the level of care and thoroughness made us feel completely comfortable leaving the boys while we headed out for dinner. Questions like ‘would you like us to bathe them or not?’ and ‘tell us their usual nighttime routine and we’ll follow it to a T’

What Country Kids Resort understands brilliantly is that parents don’t just need occasional, 30 minute breaks. To properly recharge, they need the mental load lifted entirely for a little while

Our Verdict

Maybe I’m greedy when it comes to family holidays, but I don’t want to choose between quality time with my children and actually relaxing myself. I think in an ideal world, most parents would agree

Nor do I want to choose between authenticity and convenience, or between charming family-run hospitality and genuinely high quality food

So thank the lord for Country Kids Resort, which somehow manages to bridge all of those things simultaneously

It delivers the practical ease people often seek from larger luxury resorts, and shows you, there is another option. One that feels personal instead of performative, intimate instead of flashy, and above all else, memorable. Our boys adored every second, particularly the kids club staff who somehow managed to feel more like extended family by the end of our stay. And as parents, we left feeling restored in a way we hadn’t expected.

Just for a week, somebody else totally took the mental load off our shoulders. And honestly? That may be the greatest luxury of all

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