The best family beach holidays

A family holiday by the sea, with plenty of beach action; memories are made of this! Our Kids Collection has beachside hotels, apartments, villas and resorts to choose from worldwide. Here are some favourites.

There’s a reason resorts are so popular: they offer something for everyone in the family, from kids swimming pools to fine-dining restaurants. Consider this relaxed top-quality beach resort on Greece’s Halkidiki peninsula; an ideal one-stop-shop. Eagles Palace has a golden sandy beach with shallow warm waters, a large heated pool with smaller kids splash pool, a kids club with a varied activity programme for 4mo-13yr-olds April-October, plus all manner of watersports and a playground. For grown-ups there’s an upmarket restaurant and a lovely spa.

If you’re looking for more exotic climes, Thailand is a great choice: lush tropical vegetation, heavenly food and lovely beaches. Pimalai Resort and Spa on Koh Lanta is spread across 100 acres, cascading to a wonderful stretch of white sand. There are 2 fabulous infinity pools (one with adjacent Jacuzzi and kids pool), day care for toddlers, and a playroom, jungle spa, dive centre, and watersports.

Many families like to be self-contained on holiday and set their own pace. A beach rental provides freedom and flexibility – and privacy. Check out impressive circular 4-bedroom Pentire Penthouse, which looks out over surf-tastic Fistral beach on the North Cornish coast. Impeccably styled, the apartment has an 8-person hot tub on the terrace for sundowners, and board games for wet days.

One of the best beach villas we’ve seen in recent years is on Cape Town’s famous white-sand Clifton Beach. Inside there are 3 bedrooms, dreamy open-plan interiors, luxury touches and a superb kitchen. Uniquely, Clifton Beach Villa has a fun subterranean den with turntable and windows looking into the swimming pool.

A favourite boutique beach hotel which works terrifically well for families is the contemporary Praia Verde, set in protected pine forests close to a magnificent sandy beach in the less-developed eastern Algarve. All its suites have kitchenettes and sofabeds, there’s a free kids club in the summer holidays with a weekly events calendar, and a playground and playroom are on site, too.

This laid-back eco-beach hotel on Spain’s Costa Brava is on a secluded gently shelving golden beach. Hostal Empuries has a kids club on weekends year-round and all week in the summers. Hire paddle-boards and head along the coast for aquamarine coves, or walk 2.5km on the Dune Walkway to famous Sant Marti d’Empuries, the next beach along.

Elegant boutique Hotel Esencia on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, between Tulum and Playa del Carmen, is on a perfect beach lapped by turquoise seas. Babysitting is included in the rates; a separate heated kids pool with toys, cookery classes, and free yoga are laid on for children. You can swim with dolphins in nearby eco-archaeological park Xcaret.

Luxury is often defined by expensive fixtures and fittings, and price. We think luxury can also be defined by wonderful welcoming service, idyllic flowering gardens, freshly plucked fruit for breakfast, delicious dinners and close proximity to one of Europe’s most stunning beaches. Step forward great-value family-friendly Azur Hotel on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast.

Song Saa Private Island, a speedboat ride from the Cambodian mainland, is fringed by pristine beaches and warm shallow waters. Truly unique, it combines total luxury with cool eco-experiences (they created a reserve around the island) and sophisticated interiors (all villas have private decks and plunge pools). Kids enjoy educational treasure hunts along nature trails, plus pirate cruises, and the watersports centre.

For that Once In A Lifetime experience, this amazing tented eco-lodge can’t be beat. Strung along the dunes in remote West Australia, within a National Park, Sal Salis overlooks brilliant white beaches and the sparkling Indian Ocean. Offshore Ningaloo Reef teems with marine life. Guided snorkelling reveals reef sharks, turtles, tropical fish; beyond the breakers swim with whale sharks and humpbacks. Unforgettable!