Family Hotels

Packing with kids gets easier the moment you reach the right property — the cot already in the room, the steriliser brought without asking, breakfast that runs late enough for the family schedule, a kids' menu that isn't an afterthought. Family-friendly claims in the boutique-luxury space are uneven: some hotels print "children welcome" and stop there. Our editors only add a property here when the family programme survives an actual visit with actual kids.
 
The edit reaches across continents. In the Stellenbosch winelands, Vergenoegd Löw runs a Cape Dutch wine farm where the daily parade of a thousand Indian Runner ducks doubles as the best free kids' show in the Cape; in the Tyrol, the Green SPA Resort Stanglwirt brings a full alpine family resort. The Athenaeum anchors a Green Park address for London family stays; in Bali, Kayumanis Jimbaran lays out private-pool villas built around privacy. Further afield, Velaa Private Island spreads villas across a Maldivian island, and Blue River pairs rainforest and hot springs at the foot of Costa Rica's Rincón de la Vieja.
 
Travel with children is messy, noisy and fun. The hotels here are ready for all three — without making you feel apologetic about it.