Hotels built for families, not merely open to them
Almost every hotel says children are welcome. Far fewer are built for them. The difference is felt at seven in the evening, when one parent eats alone because the other is upstairs with a sleeping toddler, or at a pool where the shallow end is a single step. A real family hotel has a kids club with trained staff and fixed hours, suites with a separate bedroom and a door that closes, and childcare that can be booked for an evening rather than hinted at.
Look past the word family on the website and ask for specifics. What age groups does the club take, and is it open every day of your stay or only in high season? Is the babysitter a member of staff or an outside agency, and how far ahead must you book? Does the family suite have two proper rooms, and is the balcony secured? The answers separate a family hotel from a hotel with a high chair.
Family hotels: hotels with this advantage
No hotel carries all of these keys. Remove one and try again.
Questions readers ask
From what age does the kids club take children?
It varies more than parents expect. Many clubs start at four and want children out of nappies, some take babies with a nanny, others only school age children. Each hotel page lists the age bands, because a club from four is no help with a toddler.
Is childcare available in the evening?
At our family hotels, yes, either through the club's late hours or a bookable babysitter. We say which of the two it is, whether the sitter is hotel staff, and how much notice is needed, as same day requests are rarely possible in high season.
Are family hotels noisy for guests without children?
Good ones use zoning: a family pool and an adult pool, early dinner sittings, suites grouped in one wing. Where a hotel does that well we mention it, and where the whole house is given over to families we say so, so you can choose with open eyes.
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