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seasonal focus n summer with the kids

seasonal focus n summer with the kids

n Hen party at the Dandelion Hideaway

The Dandelion Hideaway

It’s a family affair Finding somewhere to take the kids on holiday when schools finish for summer that keeps them happy and doesn’t break the bank can be taxing.

Mum-of-two Jane Anderson offers some suggestions whatever your budget s I sipped a chilled Portuguese wine from the terrace of As Dunas Restaurant, I watched with contentment as my eightyear-old daughter, Scarlett, and son Finlay, five, bounced and whooped with delight on the springy trampoline that lay just below the restaurant, surrounded by a child’s dream of a sandpit and, beyond, rolling sand dunes and impressive stretch of beach leading to the fishing town of Sagres.

I realised that this was one of the least stressful holidays we’d ever taken where everyone was getting to do what they liked.

We had checked into Martinhal (www.martinhal.com), a new resort in south-west Portugal, just south of Cape St Vincent, the Land’s End of Europe. Martinhal is one of a growing breed of hotels,

aiming to put family first without compromising on style. Our two-storey beach house wouldn’t have looked out of place in the pages of Elle Decoration. It came with a state-of-the-art kitchen so that we could self-cater if we wanted – a big plus with kids.

We used the Raposinhos Kids Club and I even took Scarlett to the wonderful Finisterra Spa for a parent and child half-hour massage.

There’s plenty of choice when it comes to high-end resorts rolling out the red carpet for kids. The Cipriani (www.cipriani.com) in Venice has opened a Smile Kids Club and staff will bend over backwards to take your youngsters fishing on the lagoon or help them discover the mysteries of the Doges Palace.

Or how about Crillon Le Brave (www.crillonlebrave.com) in Provence, where they’ll

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Water park fun at Beaches Turks & Caicos

Spring 2012

Beaches Resorts

Family biking in Austria

Freewheel Holidays

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n On the beach at Martinhal Martinhal

Spring 2012

l Look out for free attractions on www.enjoyengland.com. l Use voucher sites such as www.vouchercodes.co.uk for printable cheap meal vouchers and check out Groupon, Crowdity, Living Social and KGB Deals for special offers. l Book public transport in advance and look for deals, such as 50% off entry to attractions when you travel by train. For details, go to www.daysoutguide.co.uk. l Take packed lunches as many places provide picnic areas. l Check out parking charges and any other additional charges before you get to your intended

VisitEngland

uk summer family holiday tips destination, so you don’t get stung. l Check out annual passes. Many of the country’s top attractions n Look for attraction entry deals with rail travel offer yearly tickets which are worth investing in if you plan to visit more than once. l Download the free Official Enjoy England iPhone app, with over 1,000 ideas and places to visit in England including free ones. Personalise your search according to indoor or outdoor activities. l Give your kids a daily pocket money allowance so that they’re not constantly nagging for more treats!

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seasonal focus n summer with the kids

When you travel with young children, it can seem like you have to take everything but the kitchen sink with you on holiday.

However, there are some forward thinking resorts that will pre-order baby and toddler gear for your arrival.

Almyra Resort (www.almyra.com) in Cyprus has a Baby Go Lightly scheme, for example. Or you could check out The Little Concierge Company (www.thelittleconcierge.co.uk), which will deliver nappies, milk, food and toiletries to holiday destinations all over the world.

Classic Collection Holidays (www.classic-collection.co.uk) is giving complimentary inflatable BubbleBum car booster seats, worth £29.99, to all children aged from two to 11 years old who are booked to travel with the company.

“When it comes to family holidays, the major concern for parents is price”

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BubbleBum car booster seats

value for money

even teach your child French (plus you can catch the Eurostar all the way to Avignon) or Niyama (www.niyama.com) in the Maldives, where kids under 15 stay for free?

Yet you don’t have to go five-star this summer to have the perfect family holiday. My kids have been equally happy glamping at Dandelion Hideaway (www.thedandelionhideaway.co.uk) near Leicester, with the added delights of a goat farm to explore and ponies to groom, or exploring the delights of the Isle of Wight by a pink VW campervan called Penelope (www.isleofwightcampers.co.uk). In fact, the whole camping on wheels trend is set to take off big time with companies such as Wicked Campers (www.wickedcampers.co.uk) offering mobile holidays across Europe in their cool vans.

Trying out archery at Butlins

Butlins

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Classic Collection

gear up

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Camping in general still holds much appeal for families as it’s fabulous value for money and standards have risen immeasurably over the last 10 years. Choose correctly and it’s a great way of experiencing a chi-chi destination for a fraction of the price.

Venue Holidays offers economical summer camping in a fully-equipped Espace tent at Camping les Pins Parasols at Frejus on the snazzy Cote d’Azur. Keycamp (www.keycamp.co.uk) has campsites just outside of Paris which are a great base for exploring the expensive French capital and Disneyland Paris. Some feature Keycamp’s fabulous new treehouses, which kids adore.

Canvas Holidays (www.canvasholidays.co.uk) has expanded its “mini campers” programme to include 11 new campsites ideal for families travelling with underfours. For older children, there’s a host of activities from body zorbing to spy-themed sessions.

When it comes to family holidays, the major concern for parents is price. As Claire Wilson, mum and managing director of The Adventure Company (www.adventurecompany.co.uk) says: “The untold story of the average family holiday is the parental guesswork that goes into working out how much everything is going to cost and how much they’ll need to spend entertaining the kids when they get there.”

“Inevitably there are always day trips or theme parks that the children get wooed by and it’s all too easy to spend more than anticipated on hidden extras in the heat of the moment. It’s exactly for this reason that The Adventure Company details exactly what’s included in our holidays.”

Wilson’s hot tip for 2012 is Turkey. “Offering much more than just the beaches that it is perhaps best known for, Turkey is proving an increasingly popular short-haul destination for adventurous families,” she adds.

Spring 2012

seasonal focus n summer with the kids

La Manga Club

Learning to play a sport is a great experience for kids. The Aphrodite Hills Tennis Academy (www.aphroditehills.com) in Cyprus has teamed up with the Annabel Croft Tennis Academy for the first time this year to offer child and adult tennis training until October 2012.

Football fanatics will love the new Buccament Bay Resort (www.buccamentbay.com) in St Vincent.

Visit during summer half term (June 2-9) when Liverpool FC Football Academy Group Coaching will be running group football coaching sessions in resort with Rodolfo Borrell, Liverpool FC reserve team manager, for five to18-year-olds.

Forte Village Resort (www.fortevillageresort.com) in Sardinia has launched a new Cricket Academy and also runs a Chelsea Soccer School throughout the summer.

n Golfer Lee Westwood and fans at La Manga Club

Spanish sport and leisure resort La Manga Club (www.lamangaclub.com) offers youngsters the chance to learn from the best with its Lee Westwood Golf Academy, offering two week-long courses this summer, from August 6-10 and 13-17, and a Milan

“Its combination of great weather, fascinating culture and fantastic value, particularly thanks to being outside of the Eurozone, has led to family bookings increasing by 59% over the last four years. Our trips take in Istanbul, historic Ephesus, the hot springs of Pamukkale, the beautiful beaches in Kas and the underground cities and lunar landscapes of Cappadocia, with activities ranging from a gullet cruise, snorkelling and kayaking in the Mediterranean to horse-riding, mountain biking and even stargazing amidst the spectacular mountains.”

all-inclusives If you want a truly exotic adventure, Vietnam is more accessible than ever now that Vietnam Airlines is flying direct from Gatwick. Travelbag (www.travelbag.co.uk) is offering 10 nights at the four-star Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa, staying on a B&B basis from £2,999 for a family of four (two adults and two children) including flights, for travel between June 13 and September 30 this year.

A great way to save money is to link up with another family and share a villa or a chalet. The Adventure Company offers savings of £50 per person when six to nine people travel together. And if you manage to get 10 together, one person goes free.

Eastern Europe is another good choice for budget-conscious family holidays. Explore Montenegro (www.exploremontenegro.com) offers off-the-beaten-track villas and Balkan Holidays (www.balkanholidays.co.uk) has all-inclusive resorts that give great value for money.

All-inclusives are a great way of making sure you don’t have any nasty surprises at the end of your holiday

Spring 2012

Junior Camp with Italian football giants AC Milan, from July 8-14.

It also has its own junior club and academies for golf, tennis, cricket, rugby, football and dance, and is offering free junior clubs places to children staying this summer.

with additional charges and there is more and more choice for families.

The Caribbean was the original place to find all-inclusives and Beaches Resorts (www.beaches.com) leads the way with four resorts in Jamaica and the Turks & Caicos.

Sesame Street characters entertain kids and family suites have special bedrooms for young guests with nauticalthemed bunk beds and Xbox games consoles.

At St James’s Club Antigua, go during peak holiday times and kids enjoy storytelling weeks with Puffin children’s authors and illustrators including Adam Stower and Rachel Bright. Bookings are via Virgin Holidays (www.virginholidays.co.uk), with a week’s all-inclusive holiday for a family of four with flights costing from £4,999.

The family all-inclusive is moving beyond the Caribbean. Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa (www.jebalaliinternational.com) is the first resort in Dubai to offer all-inclusive and has been awarded the World’s Leading Family Resort honour at the World Travel Awards. There are more than 80 activities from mini-golf to camel riding.

activity holidays Active holidays are a good option for easily-bored teens. Freewheel’s (www.freewheelholidays.com) cycling holidays in Europe offer low cycling distances, safe roads, separate cycling tracks and plenty of other activities on rest days. Young cyclists in particular enjoy a great sense of achievement on completing routes or there are tag-along bikes for really little ones. A ninenight holiday in Austria, called Into the Valley of the Alps, starts in the Hohe Tauern National Park. Rest days include summer skiing, tobogganing, hiking, rafting and cable car trips up the mountains. Prices start at £719 per

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BeWILDerwood boat trip

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BeWILDerwood

sporty family holidays

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family holiday facts n Center Parcs outing l I-escape has a new kids collection featuring over 700 hotels and selfcatering properties around the world: www.i-escape.com/kids. l Family travel expert William Gray has put together his top 101 family holidays at www.101familyholidays.co.uk. l Check out high-end baby and toddler-friendly self catering at www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk. l Powder Byrne (www.powderbyrne.com) offers fabulous crèches and kids programmes in its luxury family summer holidays. l The recently-relaunched Luxury Family Hotels (www.luxuryfamilyhotels.com), previously part of the collapsed von Essen group, offers upmarket family holidays in eight UK hotels. l For true adventurers, see Wild Frontiers’ new “Wild Child” options, at www.wildfrontiers.co.uk/wild-world/wild-child.

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Kids love a good garden to explore and, this year, RHS Garden Rosemoor (www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor) in the Torridge Valley in North Devon has brought children’s illustrator, Quentin Blake’s book, The Green Ship, to life in the garden. Kids can clamber all over the ship and parents will love reading them the story. An exhibition of Blake’s fantastic illustrations runs from May 26 to August 27.

Families can stay in one of three lovely cottages at Wansley Barton (www.wansleybarton.co.uk), set on an organic sheep farm just a few miles away from Rosemoor with an indoor pool, free fishing, play area and pony rides from around £750 for up to five during the summer holidays.

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LEGOLAND Windsor Hotel

Travel writer Jane Anderson specialises in family travel and is the author of Brittany with Kids and Dorset, New Forest & Isle of Wight with Kids, both published by Footprint Travel Guides.

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Center Parcs

useful websites

treehouses If you prefer theme parks close to home, you can take in the new WB Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter (www.wbstudiotour.co.uk). And kids who love LEGOLAND can try out the new LEGOLAND Windsor Hotel (www.legolandholidays.co.uk), with pirate, kingdom or adventure-themed rooms all with interactive challenges for kids. Families can literally roll out of bed into the park, where the new attraction for this year is the Star Wars Miniland.

You can also stay on site at Alton Towers Resort (www.altontowers.com), which has two hotels alongside the Staffordshire theme park, in a safari-themed hotel at Chessington World of Adventures (www.chessington.com) and at Drayton Manor Hotel, which opened next to Drayton Manor theme park (www.draytonmanor.co.uk) in Tamworth last summer.

BeWILDerwood (www.bewilderwood.co.uk) is a superb “Curious Treehouse Adventure Park” near Wroxham in Norfolk, perfect for younger kids who love make-believe, climbing rope bridges and exploring treehouses. There are several storytelling sessions a day. New this year is Mildred’s Musical Puppet Parade, from July 23-28 and the Curious Crocklebog Capers, from August 25-27.

Kayaking in Turkey

LEGOLAND

adult and £539 per child, excluding flights.

PGL (www.pgl.co.uk) is known for its school trips and activity and adventure holidays for youngsters and teens, but it also offers a selection of family active holidays in 13 locations in the UK and France.

There are activities galore both outdoors and indoors at the four UK villages of Center Parcs (www.centerparcs.co.uk), all set in forest locations.

Work has started on a fifth park in Woburn Forest, which will open in spring 2014.

Butlins (www.butlins.com) offers family fun and activities at three seaside locations in the UK – Bognor Regis, Minehead and Skegness. Bognor Regis is gaining a new £25 million Wave Hotel and Apartments in the summer, featuring interconnecting family rooms and two and three-bedroom self-catering apartments, while a new outdoor splash zone opens at Skegness in June.

And of course, where would family holidays be without theme parks? Head to Orlando for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (www.harrypotterworldorlando.com) at Universal Orlando Resort, which also includes Universal Studios and the Islands of Adventure park. You can also take your pick of central Florida’s many other attractions, from Mickey Mouse and co at Walt Disney World and Shamu and marine friends at SeaWorld Orlando to the latest family theme park – LEGOLAND Florida. It is geared towards children between the ages of two and 12 and offers more than 50 rides, shows and attractions.

Buy your theme park and other attraction tickets in advance from Attractions Tickets Direct (www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk), the UK’s largest Florida attraction ticket broker. You can also check out www.visitorlando.com for great information on Orlando theme park discounts.

The Adventure Company

seasonal focus n summer with the kids