The best luxury family friendly hotels in Europe

Ask any seasoned (and discerning) parent, and they’ll tell you that a bona fide holiday is a hotel that has smoothed over all the lumps and bumps of holidaying en famille, without sacrificing on style or the luxurious little touches. It’s a sweet spot that only a few hotels have managed. From Mediterranean white-washed resorts that whip out monitors, bottles and cots before the Bugaboo has rolled through its doors to Aegean gems with superlative Kids’ Clubs and tennis academies for the older lot, we’ve done the hard work for you, rounding up the best family-friendly hotels in Europe

The gold standard of chic family-friendly holidays in Greece, Sani Resorts comprises five different properties, all scattered like a string of pearls across Halkidiki’s pretty Kassandra peninsula. Sani Beach is the entry level hotel, Porto Sani tends to pull in the majority of the baby and toddler brigade, and Sani Dunes has recently relinquished its adult-only status, keeping things chic with clear adult-only patches of the hotel and beach. Aside from the milky-hued sand, the cream-on-cream luxxy interiors and fresh lunch-when-you-like seafood, SANI’s main draw is its superb kid’s clubs and fairly-priced crèches.Tots as young as four months can check in while parents flop onto a massage bed to decompress or simply snatch forty winks on the beach

And there are no plastic chairs, no unsightly megapools or sticky highchairs in sight. SANI has worked diligently to ensure interiors remain sharp, empty chunky sun beds are prolific and parents don’t have to downgrade on food or facilities for the sole crime of having offspring. The resort has been described by loyalists as’ parent ‘paradise’ for its Babe Watch team, entertaining tots on the beach, its Annabel Karmel led healthy-but-hearty menus (think spag bol with ‘hidden veg’) and its Melissa Club and Teen club for the older lot – tennis sailing, cycling, workshops and watersports. There’s even a Rafael Nadal Tennis and Bear Grylls Academy – just book early before the rest of Wandsworth’s families decamp here for summer

From: £180 p/night

In the spirit of Rocco Forte (and Italy in general), children are effortlessly worked into the clipped country club tapestry and activities at Verdura – as they would be in any polished family villa. Spanning acres of verdant landscape dotted in lemon trees and manicured lawns, Verdura lies one hour from the Sicilian capital of Palermo, making for an easy transfer with little ones. Parents can sip glasses of Etna white and sample the garden-to-plate antipasti by the pool while their broods get messy in cooking classes, scientific experiments and various sports at the impressive Kid’s Club. Older children love the summer football academy and golf sessions on the rolling courses, and Verdura also excels at group activities such as cycling through the pine-studded grounds, knocking a ball about on the courts or exploring the resort’s own stretch of sun-drenched coastline

From: £342 p/night

You can drop any all-inclusive snobbery at the palm-framed doors of Ikos Andalusia – an unlikely contender for this list (‘Andalusia’ is used rather sparingly for Marbella). Yes, it’s no reimagined Mediterranean fishing village or bougainvillaea-smothered bolthole, but Ikos Andalusia has mastered the family-friendly formula while hanging onto those luxury touches. These range from not needing to empty the dishwasher for a week (the restaurants spanning multiple cuisines are unbelievably child-friendly) to pampering afternoons in Ikos Andalusia’s cavernous spa with volcanic stone rituals and facials kneading Anne Semolin potions into tired skin. Rooms are decked with smart Stokke cots, bottle sterilisers, baby baths and monitors for the tinies – and most claim a sea view, with sun-trap terraces to sprawl out on with tinkling glasses of rosé while tots nod off. We recommend stretching a little for the Deluxe Suites peering over the beach – mainly as this ‘VIP’ category comes with a keycard to the beach cabanas, the resort’s chicest bar and a nifty Whatsapp concierge service – need a warm bottle of milk pronto? No problem. You’ll rarely hear the phrase, ‘I’m bored’ from the older kids and teenagers jumping into kayaks, jet skies or onto the pitch for the hotel’s football academy

From: £250 p/night

One of the greatest perks of travelling with smalls has to be smugly dodging school holidays. Cyprus’ gloriously long summers dial up the smug factor, and Almyra Hotel rises to all the family-friendly hype. Located close to the lively (and often rowdy) Paphos, Almyra is a stylish sanctuary of olive-tree studded gardens which slope down towards a seriously good looking beach. The Kids’ Club has thought everything through, from making the most of the balmy weather with a string of outdoorsy activities to special sleep zones for tinies and workshops that cater well to different ages. Meanwhile, parents can bolt to the adult’s-only pool (cleverly at the very opposite end of the beachfront to the animated kid’s pool) to book into the spa for a herby, oily massage or a zen yoga rooftop session with a salty breeze washing in from the sea. The Baby Go Lightly service is a winner for parents wishing to forget the faff of packing baby paraphernalia – it all arrives magically in their room. Those with slightly older children will be grateful for Almyra’s proximity to Paphos, shaking things up with a snoop around the boutiques, a history trip to the ruins of Dionysos or a change of scene for supper. All-in-all Almyra is one of those rare hotels that speaks to chic, discerning parents, couples without children and, well, children, in one breath – a real feat

From: £212 p/night 

Before even beginning to dig into Daios Cove’s family-friendly caché, this Cretian resort is heart-thumpingly beautiful, with its sandy, cubic-rooms choreographed (amphitheatre-style) around the other worldly Vathi Bay. The aesthetic veers more towards grown-up pared-down luxury than your average family-friendly joint, with a warren of herb-lined paths leading to a heavenly sandy beach. Restaurants show off the coast’s bounty, with freshly-caught grilled fish, those olive drizzled Greek salads and a children’s menu that doesn’t drift too far into chicken-nuggets-and-chips territory. Unusually, the under-12’s Scott Dunn Explorers Kids Club starts from 4 months upwards – music to the ears of parents with tinies who either have to book in a pricey babysitter for a walk along the beach together, or juggle the tot (essentially experiencing two separate holidays). Here, toddlers are psyched up for treasure hunts or gentle beach games, while the more grown-up children can oscillate between the high-energy watersports and techy games centre. Crete’s generously long summers allow for Easter Holidays or even October half term trips, when the weather typically remains deliciously warm though the sun is more bearable for little ones. It’s worth booking villas for their private salt-water pools (no limits on overzealous splashing) or heading to the children’s pool with sprogs, and we’d also recommend the premium all-inclusive option for unlimited smoothies, cocktails, ice creams… which can quickly add up with a week’s stay

From: £547 p/night

Wellness sits front and centre at Six Senses Kaplankaya in Bodrum (Six Senses’ hallmark), and the resort has miraculously woven children into this zen picture, though we’d say it’s one for the older lot. Kids’ Clubs may deliver on the expected swimming, cooking and crafty sessions, but they also offer meditation sessions, ‘hikes’ into the surrounding pine-studded landscape and even yoga classes for sprogs to master their downward dogs. Children can learn about mitigating their impact on the environment, participating in it themselves with reusable water bottles, and can benefit from the same nourishing grub as their parents at a string of restaurants serving everything from hearty Turkish classics and mezze boards to herby salads plucked from the Mediterranean gardens. Coastal-chic family villas and suites peer over a quiet, sandy cove, and parents can reconnect with their broods in the impressive spa, where no wellness stone is left unturned and no treatment falls short of outstanding

From: £291 p/night

Few hotels can match Maxx Royal Belek Golf Resort for its family-friendly facilities. Not only does this vast and upscale beachfront hotel flaunt its Maxxiland (featuring different Kids Clubs from 1-teens), it also offers a fun outdoor adventure park filled with climbing walls, Dinoland with life size replicas of dinosaurs in a wood, and an aquapark with all sort of shoots and slides. Plush family suites are choreographed around the needs of those with young children, and parents are spoiled for choice on how to spend their time while the sprogs are docked at Maxxiland, jamming in its music room or channelling their inner thespian at the mini theatre. They can zonk out alongside the adult-only pool, practice their swing on the resort’s world-class 18-hole golf course or book in for that surf lesson that ‘the children chapter’ put on hold. The grown up kids are hardly forgotten, with football academies, indoor laser games and a mini disco. And despite the rather blocky aesthetic with all the all-inclusive trappings, the staff here appear trained in the art of relieving frazzled parents – warm bottles of milk, specific weaning mush or teenage requests can’t possibly phase the Maxx Royal lot

From: £280 p/night

As one of the smartest hotels on the list, La Residencia Belmond in Mallorca’s postcard-pretty Deia attracts a deep pocketed lot, with broods fluent in seafood menus and yachty jargon (and still unacquainted with aqua parks). A private nanny service bookable for guests’ stay would attest, along with children’s pottery workshops and tennis coaching sessions (perfecting that spin). The crowd here is one of discreet, tasteful wealth, where children generally possess a compendium of manners and, if they ask nicely, can accompany one of the hotel’s own donkeys (and Belmond team) on a stroll through the surrounding crunchy grass and citrus groves. Families can share their thoughts on the various pieces of contemporary art lining the walls and no child seems to drawer the short straw where luxury is concerned – they enjoy the same crispy sheets, fluffy pillows and step-ahead-of-you service as their parents. Saying that, it’s well worth parents-of-tots booking a babysitter for El Olivo’s mind-boggling tasting menu,  whose candle-lit terrace embodies all notions of romance, but even more so when a sentence can be finished

From: £449 p/night

The 25-minute airport transfer news elicits a sigh of relief from parents preparing to lug their bags and broods on an early flight bound for the quieter side of the Balearics party isle. 7Pines‘ village-like sprawl of cubic villas is enveloped by a pine-forest on Ibiza’s west coast near San Antonio. Views from the clifftop suites (you’re on all-suite territory here) stretch across a twinkling Mediterranean to the island of Es Vedrà and the enticing blonde beaches of Cala Codolar are within walking distance. Of the three pools, one is dedicated to families and 4-14 year olds forget they even own a set of parents at Kio House of Kids, where creative workshops are already in full swing by quarter past ten each day (many of which incorporate the hotel’s environmental drive, such as sculpture using materials cleaned up along the shore). There are of course the football, the pingpong and board games, whatever it takes to keep the sprogs entertained while well-deserving parents are scrubbed, wrapped and warmed with volcanic stones in the Pure Seven Spa. And for adventures en famille, the historic walls of Dalt Vila await, or chartered boat trips to little islets and hidden coves aboard one of 7Pines’ own yachts. Add in the quad bike epics, dramatic hikes through Torre Rovida and even diving sessions from cliffs and it’s clear that 7Pines has the activity edge over other family-friendly hotels in Europe, without the parents themselves feeling short changed

From: £297 p/night

Here’s the more alluring, less shots-and-neon-strip side to Zante, where the island retains its unsullied charm and dignity. Here, on the northeast fringes of the island, family-run The Peligoni Club sits above a sequinned Ionian, with a separate scatter of cottages and villas an easy shutting ride away, all with knockout sea views and access to fragrant, pine-shaded gardens. Like any country club-on-sea, the vibe here is definitively social, with children forging friendships aboard their sailing boat, during windsurfing lessons or on the tennis courts. As evening sits in and the fairy lights twinkle, families intermingle at long banqueting style tables for supper – someone will know someone, or at least now they do. Open from May until October, this members-only club is also a fantastic spot for the under fours, with a Sharky & George-led creche (read: first-class entertainment for sprogs), as well as ‘The Rascals’ option for 4-5s: a new full time childcare option this year with activities from mini Olympics to junk jewellery making classes. Those with smalls (and experience travelling abroad with them) will yelp with joy at the Petit Peligoni service: curating all the baby and toddler clobber to hire during a stay, avoiding the four-bags-in-the-hold madness at the airport.  

£1450 p/week for accommodation, including B&B’s, cottages or private villas with individual pools 

First things first, this Cypriot hotel is chic enough for grown ups to enjoy downtime, whilst their children (from as young as 4 months +) are happily docked in the fantastic Kids Club. The resort is a pretty maze of tropical gardens, lagoon-like pools and sunny spots, cooled off with freshly shaken cocktails. Fanning out along the generously sunny Cypriot coastline (not far from the ancient city-kingdom of Amathous) Parklane Limassol remains family-friendly, despite chic, subdued interiors and serious five-star touches. And whilst the family time activities and hotel layout make for special memories, the Scott Dunn-run Explorers Kid Club (4 months to 11 years), now Europe’s largest, makes for an actual holiday. Tots as young as four months are well-looked after here, in age-specific groups and with the smartest, forward-thinking facilities. Little ones can go down for their afternoon nap in dedicated sleep rooms, while toddlers and under 4s are encouraged to play in the shade, and make the most of the salty, pine-infused air, with a string of activities organised by the enthusiastic group leaders. Whether it’s team games, scrambling up a pirate ship splash pool or becoming familiar with a diddy tennis racket, the activities available to tinies at Parklane are a reminder that happy, engaged children makes for happy parents, particularly when they’ve had a few hours of peace in the knockout Kalloni spa

From: £180 p/night

Think cream on cream, plush modern luxury, that somehow invites sticky fingers into its stylish embrace. Families with older children now docked in school love this hotel for its long, generous summers (half term stints here are completely doable, with plenty of sunshine). Envisage a scatter of cubic white houses, all edging down a slope until they meet a sea whose shade (a surreal, twinkly blue) feels too exotic for Europe. The Kid’s Club takes full advantage of the coastal setting, with activities (including crafty ones) often spilling onto the beach and in the shady, pine-dotted grounds. Frazzled parents can make a beeline for the Thalassa Spa for a well-deserved pamper and a chance to use the various steam rooms, saunas and pools without a small child clinging to their arm. Aside from the fun (and tasteful) evening entertainment, and the convivial weekly beach barbecues, the real joy of this hotel is lounging on its private beach, particularly if tots are still in the bucket and spade zone – requesting they build their 11th sandcastle under the parasol shade as you order drinks to your sunbed

From: £370 p/night

MarBella, Mar-Bella Collection original, is an all-inclusive Corfu resort with spoiling, memorable family holidays the only objective from the get go. Following a recent spruce, the facilities are better than ever, and offer a raft of facilities that will send young children into a spin of rapture. The first, of course, is the Anemelia Aqua Park, with its outdoor whirlpool, infinity pool and, crucially, a poolside bar for thirsty parents. And while aqua parks may feel far removed from all notions of luxury, MarBella, Mar-Bella Collection jovially adds all those tot-friendly facilities into the formula, while keeping rooms fresh and elevated, and excursions tastefully local-led and cultural. Families can head to the Governor in Venetian-style Corfu town for olive oil tasting, before the kids beg to head back to the aqua park. The slightly older lot can lean into games of table tennis, snorkelling, kayaking and a raft of fun watersports in the premium all-inclusive offering. The Grasshoppers Kids Club takes children from as young as four months to 4 years, buying parents time for a yoga session, spa trip or simply a precious moment together in the sunshine

From: £232 p/night

Located on the slightly cooler Greek mainland, near quiet Parga, Elix peers over the flawless beach of Karavostasi and feels worlds away from any resort circus. Woven into the pine-studded landscape, the hotel sits atop a hill, with heavenly views of the Ionian coastline and the prevailing sense that you’re wrapped in nature. Active families, au fait with docking the toddler on the back of a bike or in the backpack, will love the scenic walks along unsullied coast, through the evocative fields of Perdika and cycling through the soft, sun-baked countryside. Arguably one for the older sprogs, the Grasshoppers Adventure Club starts from four, and is incredibly outdoor-focused, with boat trips to sand cities, sailing lessons and snorkelling. This is one for families passionate about nature and wildlife, and keen to use their downtime to explore the sun-kissed countryside and gulp in all that fresh coastal air

From: £269 p/night

It’s fine to be a resort snob. You’ve tasted the sweet nectar of beautiful boutique hotels that feel like a chic friend’s European home, and you’re not keen to switch lanes to faux villages and sprawling buffets. But a week or so floating through Borgo Egnazia sun-dappled courtyards, snoozing in its honey stone rooms layered in linen, and wallowing in its glassy pools, and you may wish to reconsider. This Puglian hotel’s ambition to emulate an ancient masseria, was to build it from scratch using reclaimed local tufa stone – the sort that appears to have lived a life, with reassuring wrinkles and a powdery-like texture. Every inch of this 40-acre estate feels glossy-magazine ready, with bougainvillaea twisting alongside soaring arches, olive trees dotting piazzas and uplit bathrooms chiselled into that heavenly reclaimed stone. There’s little wipe clean about it. And yet, Borgo Egnazia is one of Europe’s most family-friendly hotels. How do they do it? With a superlative Kid’s Club, The Trullalleri (3-7), where crafts are anchored in Puglian tradition, and little ones can try their hand at nonna-style cooking, jewellery-making and even educational visits to the estate’s farm. Babysitting is easily organised here, and highly recommended, even for just one night at the adult-only fine dining haunt, though the family-friendly restaurant serves up fussy-friendly plates throughout the day – and children are known to quickly locate the cute gelateria truck

From: £289 p/night

Here’s a hotel that works brilliantly for the slightly older lot – ones that have just left toddlerdom, but are not quite big enough for the watersports malarkey, and still need plenty of handholding in the Kids Club. Named after the deer that have roamed the island for centuries, LUXME Dama Dama in Rhodes is a newcomer to the Greek family hotel scene, and was designed from its inception with young families in mind. For one, the dreamlike coastline it clings to will lure the screen fiends outside, with its powder-soft sand and sparkly, bright blue water. But the thing to know about LUXME Dama Dama is that plenty of the family-friendly aspects are already included in the rate, whether that’s the rooms (children up to 12 stay in selected rooms for free), the kid’s menus and various activities such as fun family disco. Those with tinies will love the GrecoBaby option, where parents can book all the baby paraphernalia, to save lugging it all onto the flight. The pool scene here veers towards more family-friendly than boutique hotel, with lazy rivers, and vast inviting pools that all seem to merge into the blue, Aegean haze. A recently opened Beach Club is choreographed around family downtime, with parents able to keep an eye on children in the play area as they recline on loungers and reacquaint themselves with an afternoon mojito

From: £162 p/night

Up in the cool, pine-shaded hills of Provence, Terre Blanche keeps young children well away from the unbearable heat and tourist-thronged streets of the Cote d’Azur. 750-acres of manicured grounds, pools and golf courses unfurl in what feels like a clipped country club, just without the formalities. Parents whose children need more than just your basic Kid’s Club will rejoice when they spot the splash-friendly kid’s pool, archery, tennis, even beekeeping on offer at Terre Blanche’s first-rate Kid’s Club. Posing as a sort of summer camp, this isn’t where you dock your sprogs for colouring and head for a massage (though the latter is highly recommended at the resort’s bells-and-whistles spa), this is where children come to meet friends, farm animals, learn about wildlife and then regroup with parents and siblings for poolside pizza at Le Tousco. A real perk of this resort for families is the villa layout, with most suites and villas dotted in the grounds spilling onto generous terraces and balconies – a real luxury for parents with monitors and al fresco rosé aspirations. Or simply for enjoying an in-room supper à deux, without the babysitter fee

From: £405 p/night

Sardinia’s really having a moment, with a flurry of luxury hotels opening on Costa Smeralda this year. But for families wanting to steer clear of eggshell territory while soaking in Sardinia’s wild beauty, Forte Village is the place to drop their bags. Spread across a gently tamed 100 acres of gardens that meet a pristine blonde beach, the resort comprises a mind-boggling five 5-star hotels, three 4-star, and a handful of private villas. Everything seems to twist towards the ethereal Cerulean water and guests staying at whateverwhich hotel seem to coalesce around the photogenic, great main pool. The children’s sports clubs here are top-drawer, with Real Madrid coaches offering footie tips to potential future stars, and even the tots are able to get stuck into the sporting fun, with various outdoor games designed for little ones at the Kid’s Club. And parents should dedicate at least one night to the glass-fronted seafood restaurant, suspended over the emerald water with ravishing sunset views – best enjoyed away from the sprogs who are snoozing under the watchful eye of a babysitter

From: £573 p/night

Gazing across the Adriatic, clocking the pretty Elaphiti Islands and the sequin-like water stretching on to meet them, Sun Gardens’ location is eye-wateringly pretty. As is often the case with Croatia, families who first come here are blown away by its beauty, wondering why they wasted so many years on Costa del wherever antics. And for those who suffer resort cabin fever, Dubrovnik’s Old Town and its historic, Venetian oomph is only a short drive away. Back at base, the Marco Polo Kids Club is sliced into four age groups. The Babies Club (12 months – 3) is a pared down, calm spot overseen by nursery-style carers and fitted with cots for proper nap times. The Explorers Mini Club (3-6) engages in more of the summer sporting clubs and academies the hotel is renowned for, as well as getting creative and crafty while their parents are sampling the spa menu. It’s worth noting that the stone sundeck that dips its toes into the sea isn’t particularly child-friendly (without any fence) but a natural pebble beach close to the hotel soon solves that problem – and you’ll be hard pressed to pull them away from the Lemonia Pool

From: £128 p/night

This Austrian hotel looks worlds away from any visuals associated with family travel. The design-forward, Scandi-style cabins dotted around steaming pools reads as adult territory. Wrong. This is one of a new breed of family-friendly hotels, where interiors, layout and rhythms are not too far removed from those of pre-children yore, though a right-on kids club solves the spa issue, and spacious family suites ensures you’re not on top of one another. The Rocky’s Club is what every parents wishes London nurseries were – FREE, a ‘french-fry-free zone’ with delicious, healthy food, and open seven days per week. Children from two onwards pile in here for art classes in a dedicated studio, to rear around the forest playground and journey through the miniGUT with the fun, engaging class leaders. Parents escaping for a long weekend avoid being caught out with the usual 5-days a week kid’s club rule, ensuring there’s plenty of time to enjoy the old wood saunas, steam baths and onsens (then all together in the waldSPA family section once the sprogs are collected from Rocky’s)

From: £410 p/night

While warmly welcoming families, Six Senses Douro Valley appeals to parents who can’t stomach the waterslides and swarms of splashing children. It’s for those reluctant to wave goodbye to pre-baby luxuries, who’d rather raise sprogs on a visual diet of rolling vineyards, valleys that sweep dramatically into rivers, and contemporary art than chips, soft play and soggy sun loungers. Or, for those with tinies yet to embrace the eye-sore realm of aquaparks, it could just be a last hurrah before they are forced to. Amid an unequivocally grown-up scene of wine tasting and downtime in the hotel’s extraordinary spa, somehow, the clever team at Six Senses have woven children into the hotel’s chic interiors and Zen spaces. Whether stretching out in a tot yoga class, whipping up local specialities with a cooking workshop, finger painting or even enjoying a spa treatment, children are given the same pampering and well-being fairy dust as their parents (while also giving their makers time off to sample the wine and holistic spa menu)

From: £864 p/night