A summer holiday is a good chance to recharge your batteries, but only if the facilities for your children are up to scratch. Some companies have learnt that the way to keep parents happy is to make sure the children are happy and well cared for. Here's a selection of travel companies that offer child-friendly hotels all over the world. Sometimes childcare is included in the cost of the holiday. Sometimes it's an added extra. Be sure to check this out before booking. Kids' clubs for school age children may only run in school holidays.
All prices were checked with the companies in April 2004, but do remember to double-check prices and facilities when you make your booking enquiry. Let us know if you have tried other holiday companies that we could add to our list by using our Contact Us page.
Airtours www.mytravel.com
Airtours offer Superfamily First holidays to destinations in Majorca, Menorca, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, Cyprus, Corfu, Lanzarote, Costa del Sol, Costa Brava and Ibiza. Superfamily First holidays are tailored to families with younger children and they offer children's clubs at selected airports for three to eight year olds with Little Tikes toys, TV/videos and free fun packs when they're on the plane.
Childcare and facilities:
Crèche
Age range: under threes
Cost: varies
Children are cared for by experienced NNEB or equivalent crèche leaders for up to three hours per session. Ratio of one nanny to three toddlers. The crèche is open for six hours per day on six days per week.
Dolphins Club
Age range: three to five years.
Cost: varies
Combines physical play with creative challenge based around a Club House with themed sessions. Child to adult ratio of 15:1 and children's club leaders are experienced and well qualified.
The Sharks Club
Age range: six to 10 years.
Cost: varies
Tailored to the needs of the older child with themed activity sessions such as Aerokidz, where all latest chart music is played, to championship frisbee competitions. Free fun pack including a t-shirt for children's club members.
Evening childcare sessions are also run for babies and children up to 10 years old, with the crèche run for two hours each evening on six evenings per week, booked and payable locally at around £3.50 per hour. On two evenings per week there are organised children's suppers with low-level buffets and fun and games. Baby equipment can be pre booked. It includes baby monitors, sterilisers, highchairs and paddling pool,baby baths, potty seats and bottle warmers.
Prices from :
14 nights at a 2 star apartment at a Sunrise Village in Menorca for a family of four travelling in September costs from £920.
British Airways Holidays www.baholidays.co.uk
Destinations include Africa, the Caribbean, Florida and the Far East with hotel, villa, apartment, catered, self-catering, all-inclusive and fly drive holidays. They offer child stay free places and reduced prices for children, with children under two years travelling to Florida free.
Childcare and facilities:
Some hotels are listed as "family friendly" with children's clubs, crèches. Most have kids' clubs are for children from four to 12 years and are free of charge, with some crèches available for babies - for which there may be a charge locally.
Prices:
Seven nights all inclusive (incl meals, drinks, watersports, scheduled flights, transfers etc) at the four-star Almond Beach Club, Barbados costs £1,535 per adult, £289 for the first child (cost of flight only) and £709 for the second child. This is based on a superior room which sleeps two adults and two children. Under twos pay £95 only. Facilities include a dedicated children's activity centre for 4-12 year olds, a crèche/babysitting service (charged locally) and three children's pools.
Club Med www.clubmed.co.uk
Winter sun destinations in over 36 countries. Children's clubs are available in around 33 Club Med villages worldwide and children are welcome at other villages without children's clubs.
Childcare and facilities:
Baby Club Med
Age range: takes babies from four months up to twenty three months. Available in six villages.
Cost: £136 per week per child
Petit Club Med
Age range: takes children from two up to four years.
Available in 27 villages
Cost: £136 per week per child
Mini Club Med
Age range: four to 13 years.
Available in 33 villages
Cost: included in holiday price
Junior Club Med
Age range: 13 plus.
Available in 51 villages
Cost: included in holiday price
Prices from:
Club Med Athenia in Greece start from £379 per adult per week. Child prices from £55 for a 0-1 year old, £188 for a 2-3 yar old and £222 for a 4-11 year old.
Club Med Ibiza in Spain start from £515 per adult per week. Children 0-1 year old £62, 2-3 year old £268 and 4-11 £330.
Cosmos www.cosmos-holidays.co.uk
Destinations include Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Gambia, Goa, Greece, Italy, Jamaica, Kenya, Maldives, Mauritius, Morocco, Portugal, Red Sea, mainland Spain, Sri Lanka and Turkey offering hotels, apartments, villas, self-catering and all inclusive holidays. Free places and reduced prices for children and teenagers are available at many properties. There are also special offers for one-parent families.
Childcare and facilities:
Babybugs
Age range: one to two year olds
Cost: for three sessions is £18 (12 sessons £45).
Starbugs
Age range: three-six age year olds.
Cost: included in holiday price
Cosmic
Age range : seven-11s year olds
Cost: included in holiday price
The B@se
Age range: teenagers for teenagers.
Cost: included in holiday price
Prices from :
A week's stay at the Apartments Colina da Lapa in the Algarve which has the full range of Planet Kids Clubs costs from £409 per adult, £99 for the first child and £129 for the second child on self-catering basis during April.
Crystal Holidays - Premier France
Brochure can be downloaded from the website. www.crystalholidays.co.uk
Crystal offers a selection of accommodation in France including villas with pools, apartment, hotels and holiday parcs.
Childcare and facilities:
Pepi Penguin Club
Age range: 6 months to 10 years
Available at : the villa domaine of Beaumont 3km from Agde near to the Languedoc coast. The Club runs from May until September.
Cost: 3 full days is £90, 6 half days is £90 and 6 full days £150: all per child.
There is an infant supplement of £25 per week for babies aged 6-24 months.
Drinks and snacks are included but not lunch.
First Choice www.firstchoice.co.uk
First Choice offers a wide variety of destinations for families with a total of 47 properties with childcare in 14 different countries.
Children's clubs:
Tweety's Creche
Age range: 15 months up to 3 years
Cost: Six 90-minute sessions cost £35 and 12 sessions (two-week holiday) cost £70
The Bugs Bunny Club
Age range: 3-5 and 6-8 years.
Cost: included in holiday price
Junior Wavelength
Age range: 9-11 year olds.
Cost: included in holiday price
Prices from :
Online prices from £834 for a family of four staying 7 nights on self catering at the Familyplus Planos Bay, in Zante (Greece) in October.
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts www.hyatt.com
Hyatt have around 207 hotels worldwide. Child care is offered at 18 hotels across the USA, the Caribbean and Hawaii, as well as at selected resorts worldwide.
Children's Clubs:
Creche
Age range: six weeks to three years. Available in some resorts.
Price: varies
Camp Hyatt
Age range: three to 12 years
Price : varies.
As an example Camp Hyatt Children's Club at Beaver Creek costs approx £3 per hour session, around £25 for half day (9am-noon) and approx. £87 for full day including all meals (9am to 10pm).
All Camp Hyatt activities include learning about the flora, fauna and cultural background to the area they are in. At the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa in the USA, children learn to ski and how to make Native American head-dresses and teepees. They also listen to tales of the mountain wilderness from a storyteller, learn about the native legends of cowboys and explore the bear caves.
Prices:
Two adults and two children under 18 (sharing their parent's room) can stay at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa, USA, from around £87 per night (on a room only basis). Adjoining rooms for children are available from around £43.60 per room per night. (Prices plus tax).
Mark Warner www.markwarner.co.uk
There are nine locations around the Mediterranean and Aegean offering water sports as well as tennis, aerobics, volleyball, archery and so on. Mark Warner Ski has thirteen World Class Chalethotels with adult and child ski schools in eight resorts.
Children's clubs:
Baby Club
Age range: four months up to year
Cost: £230 a week
Toddler Club
Age range: one to three years
Cost: included in holiday
Mini Club
Age range: three to five years
Cost: included in holiday
Junior Club
Age range: six to 12 years
Cost: included in holiday
Indy Club
Age range: 14-17 years
Cost: included in holiday
It is advisable to pre-book places as demand is often high. Other child-friendly features include travel cots, high chairs, potties, baby baths, bottle sterilising facilities and full milk and fruit and vegetable purees at meal times. Nappies, formula milk and processed baby foods are available to buy in the resorts. Baby listening is available between 8pm and midnight with a nanny touring rooms to check on babies. Baby-sitting can be arranged and the cost is €12 per hour.
Prices from :
A week's stay at the Lakitira Beach Resort, Kos, Greece costs from £490 per adult during October based on two sharing. Children aged two to 12 years sharing parent's room pay from £294 each in October. Children under two pay £100 per week accommodation cost. This price includes return flights, transfers, accommodation, most watersports with tuition, freeplay tennis, aerobics, volleyball, canoeing and children's clubs from 2 to 17 year olds.
Neilson Active Holidays www.neilson.com
Tel: 0870 333 3356
Fax: 0870 9099089
email: sales@neilson.com
Neilson offers summer, winter and all year round active holidays. Their "sun" holidays feature flotilla sailing, windsurfing, dinghy sailing, diving, mountain biking and walking to destinations in Greece, Turkey, Spain, Croatia, the Caribbean and the Alps, while the "snow" holidays operate from 65 resorts in 11 countries in Europe, Canada and north America.
Children's clubs:
Summer destinations
Children's clubs are available from the ages of four months up to 13 years at destinations in Greece, Turkey and Spain and Grenada.
Starfish Club
Age range: four months to two years
Cost £150 per week plus the £25 holiday cost per child.
Sea Urchins
Age range: two-five years old
Cost: included in holiday cost
Surfbusters
Age range: five-13 years
Cost: included in holiday cost
Hot Shots
Age range: 8 to 13 year olds
Cost: included in holiday cost
Other child-friendly features include off-road three-wheel pushchairs (available at some resorts), baby kits to hire (£50 will get you baby equipment including fridge/microwave in the room, bottle steriliser, changing mat and supply of ECO nappies for the duration of holiday). Highchairs and cots can also be hired for £5 a week each and sunsuits and ECO nappies are available to buy.
Winter destinations
Children's clubs are available in four resorts in France, Norway and Austria. Snowbusters
Age range: five to 11
Cost £45 per week.
These clubs are aimed at families with children learning to ski. The clubs will offer a pick-up and drop-off service for child ski school, supervise and provide lunch (if required) for £45 per child per week. If the children are just in ski school for the morning or afternoon - activities will be arranged for the free session so that parents can continue their own lessons or free skiing. In addition, a kid's apres-ski programme will be available so that the grown ups can enjoy a drink or two after skiing as well.
Prices:
A Villa Flotilla Holiday - one week shore-based staying at Athos Hotel, Nidri, and one week flotilla sailing and living aboard a yacht in Greece. Prices start at £575 per person based on four sharing a yacht for a two-week flotilla holiday during low season (may exclude half term, June, September and October departures). Children under 14 get a 15-20 per cent discount and under twos pay £25 per week.
Powder Byrne www.powderbyrne.com
Destinations cover both summer and skiing holidays. Summer destinations include Cyprus, Crete, Elba, Mallorca, Provence and the Algarve. Ski Resorts include Megeve, Courcheval, Klosters.
Children's clubs
Crèche
Age Range : for babies from six months to three years
Cost: £200 per child per week during school holidays and free at other times (£200 for winter resorts at all times).
Scallywags and Scallywags Plus Club (summer)
Age range: four to nine years
Cost: free
Activities include swimming, treasure hunts, tennis and some indoor activities. (Yeti Club at Ski Resorts, £300 per child per week).
The Zone (summer)
Age range: 10 to 14 years
Cost: £140 per week including lunch. (SnoZone at Ski Resorts, £280 per child per week
Activities include sailing, windsurfing, golf, horse riding and snorkelling with tuition from trained staff or local instructors.
Prices:
Summer prices start from around £4,542 for a family of four - two adults/two children sharing a family suite on a bed and breakfast basis at the five star Hotel Vila Vita Parc in Portugal during May half-term. The price includes accommodation, flights and transfers, one child in Scallywags club and one in the Crèche and Powder Byrne service.
Skytours www.thomson-holidays.com
Skytours offers family-friendly holidays with Kidzone kids clubs for 3-12 year olds in various resorts across the Mediterranean. There are single parent offers, with free child places and "extended family" offers (for up to four children). Free child places in selected hotels and apartments.
Prices from : £686 for 2 adults and 2 children sharing a one bedroom apartment on a self-catering basis at the 3S rated Festamar Apartments in the Costa Brava, for 7 nights in May 2004.
Sunsail www.sunsail.com
Sunsail has seven Watersports Beach Clubs in Greece and Turkey and a year-round centre on the Caribbean island of Antigua. Worldwide sailing holidays are available in 39 cruising areas including the Mediterranean, Caribbean, USA and the Indian/Pacific Oceans.
For adults, sailing and windsurfing is free all day, and Day Yachts are available at all of Sunsail's Mediterranean Clubs. All Clubs have swimming pools and BodyZone beauty therapy and massage is available at all seven clubs. Club Marverde in Turkey has a BodyZone gym and four clubs also have fitness rooms.
Children's clubs:.
Minnows Club
Age range: four months to two years old
Cost: £195 per child per week.
Staffed by qualified nannies
Snappers
Age range: for two-four year olds
Cost: free
Staffed by qualified nannies
Sea Urchins
Age range: five to seven years
Cost: free
Staffed by trained activity assistants
Gybers
Age range: eight to 12 years
Cost: free
Beach Team
Age range: 13-16 year olds
Cost: free of charge
Activities for older children are led by activity assistants include sailing, tennis, canoeing, team games and quizzes. A free "baby listening" service is available for anyone who's booked on a half
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