From ice-cream-flavored spa treatments to
Barbie-themed rooms, Priyanka Shewakramani reports on hotels and resorts going
the extra mile to keep families entertained.
After all, if you spend your vacation worrying the kids
will smash the crystal vase in your suite, you probably shouldn’t be there.
When it comes to family holidays, choosing
the right hotel can make or break a trip. After all, if you spend your vacation
worrying the kids will smash the crystal vase in your suite, you probably
shouldn’t be there.
These days, however, there’s no need to
sacrifice luxury just because you have the brood in tow. Many of the world’s
best hotels now offer innovative programmes to keep children happy and
entertained. Parents of teenagers will be relieved to hear that older kids are
finally being catered to as well.
So whether you want to treat your kids to a
fun spa treatment, a private Justin Beiber performance or a swim with dolphins,
here’s our guide to the best child-friendly features out there - and the hotels
that offer them.
Kid’s clubs
Ritz-Carlton
hotels
From basic day-care to children’s camps
offering elaborate all-day activities, the range of hotel kid’s clubs currently
on offer is nothing short of diverse. The Ritz-Carlton hotels’ (www.ritzcarlton.com) Ritz Kids programme
has a great range of activities related to the culture of the destination. The
Ritz-Carlton Golf and Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica offers classes in Patios, the
local language, while at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua in Maui, kids can learn
underwater photography and snorkeling. At the Four Seasons hotel (www.fourseasons.com) the Kids For All
Seasons programme also focuses on local culture, with activities including
Polynesian water sports in Bora Bora and hula classes in Hawaii. One&Only
Resort’ (www.oneandonlyresorts.com)
KidsOnly club is known for its excellent kids cooking schools, and The
One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives KidsOnly also has a separate dining area, a
clubhouse and a children’s swimming pool. Westin Hotels & Resorts (www.starwoodhotels.com) offer the
Westin Kids Club Discovery Room, where kids can watch films, play games or
participate in scheduled activities. And at the Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa (www.hyatt.com) there;s a wide range of indoor
and outdoor activities, from water sports to pottery classes. Trident Hotels (www.tridenthotels.com) offer Kids’Clubs
at their properties in Agra. Jaipur and Udaipur, with games, movies.
PlayStations, a splash pool and an entertainment manager who dreams up
activities for children. And at MalaMala game reserve (www.malamala.com) in Kruger National Park,
South Africa, rangers teach kids under 12 bush survival skills, from tracking
animals to building a fire. In Dubai, Jumeirah Beach Hotel (www.jumeirah.com) has Sinbad’s Kids Club,
which has a children’s pool, rock climbing wall and 24-hour babysitting
service. Sovena Kiri by Six Senses’ (www.sixsense.com)
Thailand property has a kids’ club named the Den – a manta ray-shaped playhouse
with rooms for art, fashion and music.
Kids
For All Seasons programme also focuses on local culture, with activities
including Polynesian water sports in Bora Bora and hula classes in Hawaii
The
One&Only Reethi Rah, Maldives KidsOnly also has a separate dining area, a
clubhouse and a children’s swimming pool
Malamala
hotel
Teen clubs
What better way to keep your
13-18-year-olds entertained – and give the rest of the family a well-earned
break – than by packing them off to a space tailor-made for teenagers? Of the
properties currently offering teen-specific facilities, Atlantis leads the way
with its clubs at the atlantis The Palm, Dubai and Atlantis Paradise Island,
Bahamas (www.atlantis.com). At Club Rush
at Atlantis The Palm, there’s a bar serving mocktails, a movie theater, and Internet
café, a gaming zone with Wii and Xbox, and a disco-style entertainment lounge.
Crush, the teen club at Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas, covers a vast
14,000sq ft, with an Internet lounge, gaming area and a nightclub. The club has
hosted live performances by teen superstars like Justin Beiber and Miley Cyrus.
A more wholesome experience is on offer at The Hercules Teen Club at Almyra (www.almyra.com) in Cyprus. Though the club has
a teen zone with video games, it encourages kids to get outdoors and
participate in surfing lessons, scuba diving and waterskiing.
