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Let’s face it – travelling with young children can be a daunting task, but choosing the right hotel makes all the difference.
As the mum of a relentlessly active and inquisitive 18-month-old, trying to make a holiday feel like a holiday rather than an Ironman is about finding the places that will kindly take her off my hands for a bit.
Here are 23 exceptional hotels that offer kids clubs specifically designed to cater to under-fours, ensuring new parents can truly switch off – safe in the knowledge that their little ones are also having big adventures.
Hotels with baby clubs in the UK
Calcot & Spa, Cotswolds
Kids’ club age minimum: From newborn
A stay at dreamy family haven Calcot & Spa includes four hours of free childcare daily at the Playbarn, a lofty space filled with enough toys and games to entertain an army of mini guests, including an excellent fancy dress collection.
Your only task is to head straight to the spa and soak in the fireside hot tub with a glass of champagne. Kids tea is laid on every day at 5pm, with a baby buffet to avoid hangry meltdowns while waiting for mains to arrive, plus bibs and Doddl cutlery, so you can cross those off your packing list.
Rooms from £344 a night. Book it here
Gleneagles, Perthshire
Kids’ club age minimum: From two-and-a-half years
Heaven for wee ones, Gleneagles’ Little Glen crèche comes complete with a toy campfire and tents, a mini railway carriage, play stables with hobby horses an indoor treehouse and slide.
The iconic Scottish hotel, set on an 850-acre estate, has just celebrated its 100th anniversary and is still very much at the top of its game, housing beautifully curated suites, two-Michelin-starred restaurant Andrew Fairlie and a fabulous spa.
Rooms from £575 per night. Book it here
Another Place, Ullswater
Kids’ club age minimum: From six months
If you’re looking for the chance to reconnect with your partner, head to Another Place on the shores of Ullswater in the Lake District. Drop little ones at the Ofsted-registered Kids’ Zone with oodles of books and wooden toys to amuse them while you get out on the lake for an open-water swim or stand-up paddleboard session, relax with a couple’s massage or soak in the outdoor hot tub.
Come back for pre-dinner cocktails by the fire before sinking into a squishy sofa for dinner in The Living Space.
Rooms from £270 a night on a B&B basis. Book it here
Hotels with baby clubs in Europe
Parklane, Cyprus
Kids’ club age minimum: From four months
Run by the brilliant luxury tour operator Scott Dunn, The Explorer Kids’ Club at Parklane is one of Europe’s largest, housed in a fairytale two-storey pink castle. It’s stocked with stylish wooden toys by Little Dutch and Scandibørn, and there’s a low-lit nap room with cots and toddler beds. Photo updates are sent to parents throughout the day for peace of mind as you stretch out by the glorious adults-only pool and enjoy a rare chance to top up those Vitamin D levels.
Scott Dunn offers a week at Parklane, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Limassol, from £9,950 based on a family of four travelling, including two Explorers Kids Club places, return flights from the UK and private transfers.
Feuerstein Nature Family Resort, South Tyrol, Italy
Kids’ club age minimum: From newborn
Cocooned in the Italian Alps, Feuerstein Nature Family Resort has been designed in harmony with its surroundings, including a mountain spa where parents can unwind with saunas, pools and soothing treatments. Little ones, meanwhile, can toddle off to the Baby & Mini Room, featuring a walk-in dollhouse, race-track with wooden vehicles and polenta pit. Family rooms have wonderful views of the peaks and are decked out in calming natural materials such as wood, stone and wool.
Rooms from £230 a night. Book it here
The Peligoni Club, Greece
Kids’ club age minimum: From four months
There are not one, but two crèche locations at legendary family-friendly hotspot The Peligoni Club on the postcard-perfect island of Zakynthos, where little ones can run around boho-chic indoor-outdoor play areas and get some shut eye in a star-covered sleep zone. Music time, garden treasure hunts and sandpit fun are all on the menu; and there’s plenty of entertainment for adults too out on the sparkling Ionian Sea, including kayaking, windsurfing and paddleboarding.
Accommodation ranges from £810 - £23,500 for a week’s stay. Book it here
Hôtel Royal Evian Resort, France
Kids’ club age minimum: From four months
Echoing its setting on the serene shores of Lake Garda, the Baby Club at Evian Resort’s Hôtel Royal is a calm space where tiny imaginations are nurtured through modelling, painting, sensory games and musical activities. The historic palace hotel – famed for hosting stars of Hollywood’s golden age such as Rita Hayworth and Greta Garbo — is a wonder for adults too, with magnificent ceiling frescoes, 19th-century furniture, and panoramic lake views.
Rooms from £455 a night on a B&B basis. Book it here
Borgo Egnazia, Italy
Kids’ club age minimum: From three years
The charming, flower-filled resort of Borgo Egnazia is designed to resemble a traditional Apulian village but with contemporary luxuries including Michelin-starred Mediterranean restaurant Due Camini, four swimming pools and a seriously good Vair spa. Little guests should make a beeline for the Trullalleri Kids Club, a magical world of colour, craft and cooking, while down on Maria’s farm they can meet resident puppies, horses and donkeys.
Rooms from £357 a night on a B&B basis. Book it here
Phāea Blue, Crete
Kids’ club age minimum: From three years
A testament to timeless Cretan hospitality, Phāea Blue is set in lush gardens lined with olive, pine and cypress trees and is the island’s only luxury boutique hotel right on the beach.
A palette of blues and whites runs throughout, from the 42 bungalows and suites to the oceanfront taverna, The Blue Door, which was once a fisherman’s house, and the cheery kids club, where Greek mythology, traditional dancing and doll-making are the order of the day.
Rooms from £335 a night. Book it here
Domes Zeen Chania, Crete
Kids’ club age minimum: From four months
Formerly an adults-only hotel, Domes Zeen Chania retains sophisticated interiors by Berlin design studio Lambs and Lions with accents of stone, wood and rattan, and a sleek, black-tiled pool. Today, children are given a warm welcome at the crèche and kids club, whose Kiepos eco-conscious concept will see them planting, decorating and learning all about veggies, insects and flowers. Parents can also immerse themselves in nature at the open air Soma Spa.
Rooms from £205 a night on a B&B basis. Book it here
Vila Vita Parc, Portugal
Kids’ club age minimum: From one year
Set amid Vila Vita Parc’s 54-acre estate in the Algarve — dotted with date palms, bougainvillea and jasmine — is Natalie’s Crèche, a spacious and bright nursery with a dedicated sleeping room for those still a slave to naptime. While your kids are happily distracted, why not enjoy a leisurely lunch in one of the resort’s eight restaurants or a treatment in the Sisley Paris spa, before strolling along the private beach — a sweep of golden sand surrounded by dramatic cliffs.
Rooms from £255 a night. Book it here
Terre Blanche, Provence, France
Kids’ club age minimum: From two years
The idyllic escape of Terre Blanche in the hills of Provence features an exceptional kids club, Le Royaume des Enfants. Parents can rest assured their little ones are in safe hands while they indulge in the hotel’s award-winning spa with beauty rituals by Kos Paris and Valmont, two Michelin-starred restaurants and an 18-hole golf course.
Activities include horse riding, perfume making in Grasse and a visit to Le Château d’Esclans vineyard aka the home of Whispering Angel.
Rooms from £454 a night. Book it here
Read more: The best Greek island hotels
Sani Club, Halkidiki, Greece
Kids’ club age minimum: From six months
Blue seas and big skies greet families at the sprawling Sani Resort on the Kassandra peninsula, comprised of a number of hotels including the newly-renovated Sani Club, nestled in olive groves at the end of the bay and the only one to offer private pools in some rooms. You’ll have all the alone time you could wish for after signing up to The Crèche, which offers a nutritious menu created by baby and children’s food expert and author Annabel Karmel.
Rooms from £250 a night on a half-board basis. Book it here
Anassa, Cyprus
Kids’ club age minimum: From four months
Soak up the delights of Cyprus at Anassa, where 166 elegant rooms and suites with interior accents of blue and white cascade down the hillside through flower-filled gardens to a pristine beach.
Even the youngest babies are looked after at the Mythos Kids Club so you can visit the tranquil Thalasso spa with saunas, steam baths and Tata Harper treatments, or enjoy long lunches set to the strains of piano or harp music on the olive-tree terrace at Helios.
Rooms from £308 a night on a B&B basis. Book it here
Lujo Hotel Bodrum, Turkey
Kids’ club age minimum: From three years
The sparkling Güvercinlik Bay on the Bodrum peninsula is home to Lujo Hotel, where sleek, modern design seamlessly blends into the natural landscape. The expansive Kijo Club is a wonderland for children, with a theatre, science lab and Lego room, plus mini water park. While youngsters are immersed in their world of play, lounge by one of the larger pools, chill in the luxurious spa or dine at one of eight restaurants, showcasing cuisines rom Asian to Italian and Anatolian.
Rooms from £755 a night on an all-inclusive basis. Book it here
Naturhotel Forsthofgut, Austria
Kids’ club age minimum: From two years
Scenic mountain hikes and gourmet alpine cuisine float your boat? Check in to Austria’s Naturhotel Forsthofgut in the picturesque Leogang region. Tradition takes a back seat to style at this chic property, decked out with polished concrete floors and glassed-in fireplaces. As well as Rocky’s Club there’s a farm for children to visit, where they can befriend sheep, ponies, alpacas and more. A dedicated family dining room and kid-friendly food options make mealtimes a breeze.
Rooms from £520 a night on a B&B basis. Book it here
Ikos Porto Petro, Mallorca
Kids’ club age minimum: From six months
Ikos Porto Petro is the renowned family-friendly group’s majestic Mallorcan outpost and a mecca for parents seeking some me-time. Infants are looked after at the crèche so you can make the most of the ultra all-inclusive offering, where a raft of activities is included in the room rate as well as food and drink.
Try your hand at beach volleyball, paddleboarding or al fresco yoga before a siesta in the understated suites, decorated in neutral tones, natural wood and stone, straw and wicker.
Rooms from £555 a night on an all-inclusive basis. Book it here
Daios Cove, Crete
Kids’ club age minimum: From four months
Painted in pink, blue and green, the crèche at Daios Cove marries soft mats and sensory toys with a nap area and a secure garden where little ones can enjoy the fresh air under the watchful eye of the team.
Meanwhile, why not book a table at the glamourous Ocean restaurant and bar, to sample seafood dishes under a collection of art curated by the Saatchi Gallery, and sip signature cocktails created by top Greek mixologists The Clumsies.
Rooms from £352 a night. Book it here
Hotels with baby clubs in the rest of the world
Six Senses Laamu, Maldives
Kids’ club age minimum: From three years
If you think that the Maldives is just for couples, then you’d be mistaken – the incredible Six Senses Laamu, just a short seaplane ride from Malé, which puts family fun high on its priority list.
Book a two-bedroom villa with pool for the epitome of beachfront living, featuring a panoramic upper deck, outdoor bathtub and dining area offering wonderful vistas of the turquoise lagoon. Kids will have the time of their lives at The Den, with movies, junior baking plus arts and crafts.
Rooms from £824 on a B&B basis. Book it here
Read more: The best hotels in the Maldives for all budgets
LUX* Grand Baie, Mauritius
Kids’ club age minimum: From three years
Modern boutique resort LUX* Grand Baie on Mauritius’ northern coast ticks all the boxes for a luxurious island stay, from breezy beach villas decorated with local artwork to its rooftop infinity pool where piña coladas flow all day long.
At the colourful kids club, PLAY, you’ll find art stations stocked with a plethora of craft materials, a fantastic book collection and cosy reading nooks to curl up in, plus a music corner with instruments for children to create their own holiday soundtrack.
Rooms from £400 a night on a B&B basis. Book it here
Niyama Private Island, Maldives
Kids’ club age minimum: From one year
Maldives with a toddler? More than possible, thanks to Scott Dunn’s Explorers Kids Club at Niyama Private Island, centred around a playground, trampoline and splash park. With time on your hands opt for an Ayurvedic treatment in the Drift Spa, dive in to the gin-clear waters to swim alongside manta rays, dine up in the jungle canopy at Nest or kayak to a deserted beach, before returning to your overwater villa to watch the sunset with a cocktail.
Scott Dunn offers a week at NIYAMA Private Island, Maldives from £15,950 based on a family of four travelling, including two Explorers Kids Club places, return flights from the UK and private transfers. Book it here
Carlisle Bay, Antigua
Kids’ club age minimum: From two years
Sink into powdery white sands at characterful Caribbean hideaway Carlisle Bay, where the beach villas are no more than ten steps from the glittering azure sea.
The superb Cool Beginners club, with a dedicated wading pool and playground, has an exciting and extensive programme for little adventurers – think seashell art, water balloon games and lizard hunts. Tiny tummies will love the daily kids’ tea buffet, served free of charge in a relaxed pool-side setting at Ottimo.
Rooms from £528 a night on a B&B basis. Book it here
Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Kids’ club age minimum: From 10 months
Mandarin Oriental’s opulent Abu Dhabi outpost boats the aptly-named Kids Palace, where tots can check in to the Fatima & Friends zone, a nurturing space featuring a purpose-built toy kitchen, shape-maze wall and cosy tent. The three-storey club also has a restaurant, Flutter Bites, leaving you to enjoy the hotel’s many grown-up dining options in peace, from Michelin-starred Italian at Talea by Antonio Guida to Stawfire’s Japanese cuisine.
Rooms from £245 a night. Book it here
