Thomas Byrne

Thomas Byrne writes about family travel for people who don't want to give up on good hotels once the children arrive. A father of two and a former hotel manager, he tests properties with a practical, unsentimental eye: is the family room actually big enough, can you get a decent dinner after bedtime, does the pool work for a toddler and a teenager at once? Thomas champions boutique and independent hotels and resorts that welcome children without turning into theme parks, and he's refreshingly frank about the ones that only pretend to. His features span the UK, Europe and further afield, with an emphasis on coast, countryside and the kind of place that suits three generations at once. Off the clock he's usually on a beach somewhere, refereeing.