Where to Take Your Family: 7 Properties That Get Kids Right

by Tiffany Figueiredo

Many hotels claim to welcome families. Fewer have thought seriously about what that means beyond a pool with a shallow end. This list highlights the ones that have: properties where the children’s programming has real content, where kids are doing something that matters and where parents can hand them over for a morning without a second thought.

01. Forte Village, Sardinia

The European family resort all others get compared to. Sports academies run with Real Madrid coaches, Ettore Messina basketball and Patrick Rafter’s former coach on tennis. Kids leave having learned something specific.

02. Cheval Blanc Courchevel, France

For a family ski week without compromise. Le Carrousel for younger children, Le Paddock for teens, ski-in/ski-out at the Jardin Alpin with a dedicated service team that has your gear ready on the slope each morning. Only 36 rooms means it never feels like a ski factory.

03. Gleneagles, Perthshire

The Scottish estate my clients rave about. Mini Land Rover off-roading, falconry, gundog handling, fly-fishing, archery, all taught by the same instructors who train the adults. Pair with three nights in Edinburgh for a true taste of Scotland.

04. Soneva Fushi, Maldives

Marine biologists running coral restoration and turtle monitoring, the Soneva Academy for guests 12 and up, and a no-shoes, no-tech ethos. The Den is the largest kids’ club in South Asia, but the real program is outside it.

05. andBeyond Phinda, KwaZulu-Natal

Malaria-free Big Five reserve, family suites built for the way families share space and the WILDchild program for ages 3 to 12. It’s the right answer for a first-time family safari and easy to combine with Cape Town on either end.

06. Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal

For Europe without the August crush. Junior winemaking, gardening with the resident team, river activities like boating and kayaking. Adults get the Douro; kids get a real curriculum.

07. The Brando, Tetiaroa, French Polynesia.

A private island Marlon Brando bought in the 1960s, now a working scientific research station. Kids participate in lagoon biology, coral surveys and bird counts run by the Tetiaroa Society. The educational programming is the reason to go, not a consolation prize.

If any of these are now on your list, I can tell you exactly which one fits your family.

Get in touch and let’s figure it out.