Family Holidays tailored treatments for different ages, with
Anne Semonin facials for teens and pedis for little ones, while Domes of Elounda in Crete has a creative kids spa menu including watermelon facials, tutti frutti massages and French plaits. And what of kids clubs and the more
traditional approach to family holidays in resorts? It seems they are alive and kicking still, but
having to offer increasingly sophisticated facilities is the norm now. Take Costa Navarino in the Greek Peloponnese – not only does it have its own waterpark and kids club, but there’s the Navarino Natura Hall, which is all about the environment and kids can even sleep over in a mini hotel inside the club, giving their parents an entire night off. Ski is another area where great strides have been made for families. Companies such as Amazon Creek offer tailormade, bespoke itineraries with elegant rustic properties in Chamonix that come with private chef, chauffeur driven car and outdoor hot tubs. Sleeping up to 10 they are perfect for families and multi-gen getaways with vast living areas, cinema room and spa. School holiday packages include family husky sledging and a nanny for up to 30 hours.
My generation The multi-generational getaway is a persistent trend in family travel, most strongly seen in the cruise and villa sectors buoyed by affluent grandparents having the cash to take their offspring and their little ones away. The added benefit to parents is that
they get another pair of hands to babysit. Holland America Line continues to welcome
more multi-generation groups each year. Throughout the fleet as well as onboard its newest ship, Koningsdam, which launches in April, children can enjoy Club HAL. The kids club provides supervised, age-specific activities for kids ages 3-12. Younger cruisers (ages 3-7) can enjoy the soft play and slides, as well as creative activities at the art tables and movies on a big- screen TV. Sample activities include kids’ Olympics, candy bar bingo, arts and crafts, pyjama parties and storytelling. Another growing trend in luxury family travel
is for serviced villas and ‘residences’ which have really taken off among top-end hotel groups such as Aman and Four Seasons; hotel groups have also upped their game overall on kids programming. Ritz-Carlton’s Ritz Kids programme was
created for children aged 4-12 as part of an exclusive partnership with Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Ocean Futures Society. Meanwhile across many of Ritz-Carlton’s city properties one of the options is “in-room camping” on the Ritz Kids Night Safari including Hong Kong, Macau, Chengdu, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo and many of the US properties such as Orlando, Dove Mountain, Bachelor Gulch and New York. And across the Ritz-Carlton Reserves – where spacious villas are especially attractive for families – kids are also a focus, such as Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico where the programme includes Being an Archaeologist for a Day. Meanwhile, Rocco Forte hotels has launched the super-stylish Families R Forte, offering a family focused experience at its 10 European hotels. Divided into RBabies (0-3), RKids (4-12) and RTeens (13-16), the five-star treatment begins at check-in where
children will be gifted with animal toy with a different character for each hotel. For example, at the Charles Hotel in Munich, kids will meet ‘Charly the Lion’. They also receive a reading book, a kids passport and comment card, Kids City Tips and Teddy Turndown. The trend is clearly worldwide – and the
unexpected hit as far as destinations are concerned is the Maldives. Once the territory of divers and
honeymooners, family travel has taken off as resorts make a concerted effort to court this market with family villas, kids programmes, babysitting, kids menus and ocean-themed educational programmes. Soneva Fushi has unveiled its incredible new
Children’s Den, an imaginative playground for kids aged four right up to teens with a 14-metre tunnel clad in roots and branches with hidden surprises, an 8-metre pirate ship, a Mocktail bar, kitchen for cooking classes, two pools, library and even a Lego room. Children can also visit the DJ corner to become resident DJ for the Den’s pool parties. Shangri-La Villingili Resort and Spa Maldives
has created an Island Safari setting young visitors the task of finding the Big Five sea creatures such as dolphin and black tip reef sharks; the Small Five land creatures such as flying fox and hermit crab; learning some of the local Dhivehi language; and teaching them how to make the island greener. James Weaver, managing director, Lusso,
says: “Alongside the family favourites of the Caribbean, Florida and Mauritius we are enjoying increased demand for family holidays to the Maldives. This is partly due to the increase in the number of two-bedroom accommodation options now available on an increasing number of islands.” He adds how more island resorts now
recognise the importance of providing excellent children’s facilities, such as Niyama which has a stand-out kids club.
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