If you’re tempted by a city break at Easter but the thought of spending four days dragging tired children around fills you with dread, Martinhal Lisbon Oriente is the answer. It’s essentially a pimped up (parent style) city hotel, with spacious, beautifully designed apartments, a heated indoor and outdoor pool, a proper Kids Club from six months and a huge family playroom. So you can spend the morning exploring Lisbon before heading back for a swim, some poolside downtime and, crucially, a bit of a breather. And the location is genius for families. You’re in the modern Parque das Nações, right by the river and just a short walk from Lisbon Oceanarium, the cable car and the Pavilion of Knowledge, with wide, flat promenades that are blissfully easier with a buggy than Lisbon’s famous hills and cobbles. Then when you fancy the old city, the metro gets you there in under 30 minutes

Need any more convincing? Take a read of our first-hand family friendly review 

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families who want to split their Easter break between sightseeing and swimming. Especially good if you’ve already ticked off Lisbon’s Old Town and can enjoy Parque das Nações, where everything is within easy walking distance. Think a lovely dose of spring sunshine rather than a full-blown sun holiday, which is exactly where those heated pools come in handy

Ask us for other options if: It’s your first Lisbon trip and you want to be right in the historic centre, with the city’s big sights and restaurants on your doorstep (if so, we’d point you towards sister hotel Martinhal Chiado)

Around £2,500 for a family of 4, 4 nights, B&B, flights, luggage & transfers included 

4* Capo Bay is a really clever Easter option if you want a proper beach holiday but don’t want to gamble everything on the weather. It sits right on beautiful Fig Tree Bay, with soft sand and that ridiculously clear turquoise water. The good news is that one of the outdoor pools is heated in March and April and the indoor lap pool (which is usually 16+) is also open to children at set times. There’s a small Kids Club for 4+, a little playground and, according to one of our team who recently visited, genuinely excellent food and lovely staff who go out of their way for children. And you’re not stuck at the hotel either: Protaras is right on the doorstep, with restaurants, shops and watersports, while Fig Tree Bay itself is perfect for a wander

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families who want a beautiful beach, brilliant food and a relaxed hotel you can actually walk out of, with Protaras’s restaurants, shops and entertainment just a couple of minutes away. A good Easter choice if you’re happy with spring sunshine rather than guaranteed beach weather, with a heated pool making swimming much less weather-dependent

Ask us for other options if: Your children need a big Kids’ Club to keep them busy all day, or you’re looking for waterslides, splash parks and a full-on resort programme

Around £3,800 for a family of 4, 7 nights, half board 

If you’re looking for the kind of Easter holiday where you look at the price and think, surely that can’t be right?, Kora Nivaria Beach is worth a look. You can get a two-bedroom apartment for under £700 for the week. It’s just 15 minutes from the airport, with the little village of Abades a short stroll away. The caveat is that Abades isn’t somewhere we’d send you for its food scene. There are a few local restaurants, but they’re not necessarily the ones you’d seek out, whereas El Médano, 15 minutes by car, is a different story, with a genuinely good choice of highly rated seafood, Spanish and Italian restaurants. There’s also a supermarket less than 100m from Kora, and with those fully equipped kitchens, self-catering is incredibly easy. Our advice? Hire a car and make Tenerife the holiday, because this is a surprisingly brilliant island for families. You can drive up to Teide, explore volcanic landscapes, find black-sand beaches and natural pools, visit mountain villages, go whale and dolphin spotting or head west to the Los Gigantes cliffs. Kora gives you somewhere lovely to come back to afterwards, with two pools, including a heated main pool, children’s swimming areas, soft play, indoor games and a free Kids Club from 4+

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families looking for a better bet for Easter sunshine without a hefty price tag. Also for those of you who get itchy feet staying in one place, want loads of space for their money and fancy turning Tenerife into the holiday rather than just sitting by the pool all week. With a heated pool for downtime and some of the island’s biggest hits within easy reach by car

Ask us for other options if: You want a pretty town, a great choice of restaurants within walking distance or a resort you can happily stay in all week without needing a car

Around £700 for a family of 4, 7 nights, hotel only 

If you’ve only got a few days of annual leave to play with this Easter, Club Med Magna Marbella is the sort of place that makes a four-night holiday feel genuinely worth it. It’s a big, colourful all-inclusive resort where pretty much everything is on tap from the moment you arrive, from childcare and kids’ activities to excellent food and plenty of grown-up stuff. It sits up in the Marbella hills, with views down towards the coast, but you can walk into the Old Town when you fancy a change of scene. And Easter is actually a pretty good time to go. Marbella averages around 17°C in March and 20°C in April, so you can absolutely get some lovely spring sunshine, but it’s worth knowing the big lagoon pool and family splash zone aren’t heated. The children’s paddling and shallow pools around Baby, Petit and Mini Club Med are heated and open from the beginning of April, though, so little ones aren’t left shivering. The water games area with slides and jets also opens in early April, but that one relies on the sun to heat it up.  Childcare is a huge part of the appeal here. There’s Baby Club from 4 months, at an extra cost, and free Mini Club from 4 years, plus programmes for older children and teens. So even on a short trip you can hand the kids over and actually use the spa, play padel, do a yoga class or simply sit down and eat your lunch while it’s still hot. Add the splash zone, circus school, zip line, mini golf and endless sports and you can see why you don’t need a packed itinerary

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families with babies and toddlers who want a genuinely easy Easter escape, with childcare from 4 months, heated shallow pools for little ones and enough going on for parents to feel like they’re actually on holiday too

Ask us for other options if: You’re after a small, peaceful hotel, boutique-style holiday. This is a big, buzzy, activity-packed resort and the outdoor pools may feel a little chilly at Easter

Around £4,480 for a family of 4, All Inclusive, 4 nights, flights, luggage & transfers included 

Thailand for £5,400 over Easter? Yep, really. For a family of four, that gets you seven nights at Amari Phuket on Bed & Breakfast, including flights. It’s a five-star resort with three pools, its own little beach, a Kids Club (3+) and some seriously good food, all tucked away on a quieter stretch of Patong while still being close enough to dip into the action. And this is where Thailand really earns its place on our Easter list. March and April are hot and sunny in Phuket, with temperatures around 30°C, so you’re far more likely to get the pool-and-beach holiday you had in mind than you are in much of Europe. Add in excellent dining, a spa and plenty to do without ever needing to leave the resort, and suddenly that £5.4k starts looking like pretty good value

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families who want reliable Easter sunshine and a proper taste of Thailand, without the price tag creeping into five figures

Ask us for other options if: You want your hotel to be flat, easy to navigate and sitting straight on a big, sandy beach. Amari is built into the hillside above a small, rocky beachfront, with the much bigger Patong Beach a five-minute walk away

Around £5,400 for a family of 4, 7 nights, B&B, flights, luggage & transfers included 

If you want Easter sunshine without the long-haul journey, Morocco is a very good shout for Easter, with temperatures reaching around 20-24°C in March and April. And Barceló Palmeraie is a particularly good-value way to do it, with seven nights all-inclusive for £3,400 for a family of four. Becky stayed here herself last year with a 4-month-old and 4-year-old and came away very impressed, particularly with the heated pool, which has a genius sloping entry for little ones, plus a separate shallow splash pool. Then there are pedal karts, a giant trampoline, mini golf, pedalos, tennis and a whole lot of peacocks wandering around like they own the place. Oh, and there’s actual desert right outside the hotel, so you can have a morning of pool pottering and an afternoon of feeling like you’ve accidentally wandered onto a film set

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families who want lovely warm Easter sunshine without a long-haul flight, with the option to dip into Marrakech’s souks, shopping and sightseeing when you fancy it, but plenty at the resort to make staying put feel like a very good idea too

Ask us for other options if: You’re expecting five-star luxury in the rooms or want a huge choice of food for a full week all-inclusive. The rooms are fairly basic and could do with an update, while the buffet is good it’s not a first class foodie destination. The Kids Club is small, and we found the language barrier meant we preferred to stay & play rather than leave the kids there for long stretches

Around £3,400 for a family of 4, All Inclusive, 7 nights, flights, luggage & transfers included 

If you’re looking for a lot of holiday for your circa £3k, this would be our pick for the second week of the Easter holidays. The reason? The hotel’s pools are heated from 1 April onwards. Hilton Dalaman is one of those resorts where you arrive and realise you probably don’t need to leave for the entire week. There’s a huge aquapark, a private sandy beach, Kids Club, teen club, a giant spa and enough restaurants and activities to keep everyone busy. It’s big, yes, but it’s the kind of big that works brilliantly for families who want everything in one place. And the setting is lovely too. It sits between the Aegean and the Dalaman River, surrounded by greenery, with the beach right in front of it. April isn’t guaranteed sunshine, with daytime temperatures around 19°C, but having heated pools and so much going on means you’re not putting all your Easter eggs in the weather basket

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families who like a bit of sunshine without the full-on summer scorch, with heated pools keeping swimming firmly on the agenda. Add in the waterpark, private beach, Kids Club, teen club, huge spa and endless activities and you’ve got a resort you could happily stay put in all week

Ask us for other options if: You prefer smaller, more boutique hotels or want an excuse to spend your holiday exploring outside the resort. This is very much a destination in itself

Around £3,200 for a family of 4, All Inclusive, 7 nights, flights, luggage & transfers included 

If the Easter Bunny feels like replacing chocolate with a theme park break the whole family will love, this is the one you want in your basket. A theme park with no rides? We know, on paper it sounds a little strange, but trust us on this one. You really have to experience Puy du Fou to get it. Becky came away saying it was the most wowed she’s ever been by a trip in her time as co-founder of Tiny Travelship. Think Hollywood-level shows with fireballs, Viking ships, chariot racing, hundreds of birds of prey swooping overhead and stages that quite literally transform before your eyes. And somehow, it’s actually more relaxing than a traditional theme park. There are no endless ride queues, the shows are generally 30-40 minutes, and between them you can wander through the villages, watch craftsmen at work, find playgrounds, or see farm animals. Then there are the hotels, which are an experience in themselves. You can choose from beautifully themed stays inside the park, and we’re talking far more grown-up than your average kids’ theme park hotel. Think beautiful interiors, atmospheric settings and somewhere you’ll actually want to hang out after the park closes

Need any more convincing? Take a read of our first-hand family friendly review 

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families of mixed ages looking for the magic of a theme park, but without the rides or endless queues, with huge live shows, immersive worlds and spectacular storytelling around every corner

Ask us for other options if: Your little one is three or under it’s worth waiting until they’re older, or if rides are a must. There aren’t any here, so we’d point you elsewhere

Around £600 for a family of 4, 3 nights, hotel only 

The clue is pretty much in the name here. Stella Palace Aqua Park Resort is effectively a waterpark with a hotel attached. But don’t let that fool you, because the hotel itself is actually MUCH nicer than you might expect. The food is genuinely good, the Kids Club has a very cool Scandi-chic look and feel, and the rooms give us a little bit of Domes vibes without the Domes price tag. There is one big Easter caveat though. The outdoor pools and waterpark aren’t heated, and Crete is sitting at around 17-19°C in late March, so we wouldn’t recommend this one for parents of little ones who need warm water, or families who feel the cold. For tweens and teens, though, this is a different story. The waterpark is the real star, with a huge mix of slides for different ages and thrill levels, plus a Teen Zone and plenty of other activities. And when you’ve had enough of watching them launch themselves down waterslides, you can escape for some grown-up time too. There’s a spa, treatments and an adults-only pool area, while the location gives you the option to swap the resort for some proper Crete sightseeing. Heraklion is around 25 minutes by car for the old town, waterfront and Archaeological Museum, while Knossos is roughly 30 minutes away

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families who want someone else to take care of the cooking, cleaning and entertainment schedule for a week. And particularly for parents of tweens and teens who won’t bat an eyelid at low teen weather or non-heated pools and will happily spend all day hurtling down waterslides

Ask us for other options if: Warm swimming pools are a non-negotiable at Easter

Around £3,200 for a family of 4, 7 nights, All Inclusive, flights, luggage & transfers included 

If you fancy a proper Easter getaway without getting on a plane, SeaSpace is one to consider. It’s part stylish hotel, part self-catering apartment, so you get your own kitchen, separate sleeping spaces and room to spread out, but also a brilliant heated indoor pool, shallow splash pool, games room, playground, padel courts, café and restaurant on site. Basically, all the freedom of an apartment without having to entertain the kids yourself from dawn till dusk. And then there’s the location. Porth Beach is just a few minutes’ stroll away, with soft sand, rock pools and gentle waves, while Newquay is close enough for surfing, ice creams & the aquarium. For Easter, we particularly like that you don’t need to cross your fingers for perfect weather. If Cornwall delivers, you can spend your days on the beach and exploring the coast; if it doesn’t, there’s a lovely warm pool, splash pool and plenty of indoor entertainment waiting back at base. It’s also a pretty solid setup for parents. There’s good coffee, cocktails, fitness classes and a hot tub to enjoy, so it feels like you’ve actually gone away rather than simply relocated your usual parenting routine to Cornwall

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families who want an Easter escape without the airport faff, with the Cornish coast on the doorstep and plenty at the hotel to keep everyone happy if the weather turns

Ask us for other options if: Guaranteed sunshine and warm outdoor swimming are top of your Easter wishlist

Around £1,400 for a family of 4, 4 nights, hotel only 

If you’re after a boutique Easter escape that feels completely different from your usual family resort, Domaine Limoune is a bit of a find (and one I visited myself last Easter). If you like intimate vibes with more than enough to keep your kids entertained (we’re talking playgrounds and a free Kids Club), without feeling like you’re in a family factory, just trust me on this one and book right away! Nestled next to the hotel is a Zoo. A pintsized paradise for animal lovers, there’s gazelle, meerkats, flamingo, parrots, turtles and llamas to meet. There’s also an ‘African reserve’ with gorgeous safari-style lodges that look out over a you-really-could-be-on-safari landscape dotted with gazelle, zebras and ostriches. There are some proper pinch me moments here. There are several pools surrounded by palms and orange trees, plus a spa, hammam and plenty of outdoor activities including horse riding, pony rides, cycling, tennis and padel. The main pools aren’t heated, but pack the kids’ wetsuits and, with that Moroccan sunshine, we doubt there’ll be many complaints. And the logistics are a dream for a short break. It’s only around 20 minutes from Agadir airport, so take a 7am flight and you could be sitting down to lunch before midday

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families who want warm Easter sunshine, boutique-hotel vibes and something a little different

Ask us for other options if: A heated pool is a non-negotiable for Easter, you want a big resort with lots of restaurants and facilities, or you’re looking for somewhere you could happily spend a full week (we’d say max 5 days is ideal here)

Around £2,500 for a family of 4, 4 nights, hotel only 

If you’re after a UK family escape that gives you all the freedom of a cottage holiday, with the facilities of a brilliant little resort, Flear Farm in Devon is a bit of a find (and another I visited myself over Easter last year). It’s a collection of gorgeous self-catering cottages, so you get your own space, kitchen and separate bedrooms, but alongside all the freedom of a cottage holiday, you also have more than enough going on that you don’t have to spend the whole time thinking up things to do. Think pygmy goats, ponies, alpacas, pigs and chickens to feed, plus a brilliant big playbarn with soft play, climbing frames, a trampoline, ride-ons and a two-storey Wendy House. There’s an outdoor playground, too, plus tennis and pitch-and-putt if you fancy getting everyone outside. The best bit? It’s all shared between just 12 cottages, so it feels lovely and intimate, and the children were making friends in no time. The honesty shop is a particularly handy touch, stocked with wine, snacks and chef-prepared frozen meals for those evenings when cooking is the last thing you fancy. You can even book a babysitter or private chef if you want to make a proper evening of it. And if you can tear yourselves away, you’ve got South Devon’s beaches and pretty coastal towns within easy reach. Salcombe is a lovely day out, especially if you take the sea tractor across to South Sands. Honestly, though, with so much to keep everyone happy on site, you might not get very far!

Need any more convincing? Take a read of our first-hand family friendly review 

Tiny Travelship Verdict

Best for: Families with younger children who love animals, outdoor adventures and having loads to do whatever the weather, without giving up the space and freedom of a cottage

Ask us for other options if: You’d rather be right by the beach. This is a countryside escape, and although there are gorgeous beaches and pretty coastal towns within reach, you’ll need your own wheels to explore them

Around £1,150 for a family of 4, 4 nights