Parents craving a proper rest in the sun this summer already know ‘holidays with kids’ and ‘relaxation’ are often mutually exclusive terms.
Thankfully, recent decades have seen a clutch of luxury brands, including Ikos, One&Only and Sani, emerge – and perfecting the high-end family resort holiday is their mission.
Blissfully appointed mini-towns in some of Europe’s sweetest spots from the Algarve to Greece, Sicily and the Balearics, they come with private beaches, endless pools, Michelin-starred dining, world-class spas and, crucially, dawn-till-dusk (and often beyond) fun for tots to teens.
The catch, of course, is that these ‘thought-of-everything’ hideaways aren’t always easy on the wallet. However, if this is the year you invest in a summer stay to wow every member of your brood, then these are the cream of the crop.
GLITZY MAKEOVER… SANI RESORT, HALKIDIKI, GREECE
With decades of experience, Sani Resort, on Greece’s Kassandra peninsula within the Halkidiki region, knows what families want and need. Five luxe hotels are spread across 1,000 acres along 7 km of sparkling Aegean coast.
This summer, there’s a new shoreline promenade and one of the residences, the Sani Club, has had a glitzy makeover. The entertainment is reassuringly professional: Spanish 22-time Grand Slam winner Rafael Nadal designed the tennis lessons; Chelsea FC is involved with the footie instruction; and an activity programme bearing Bear Grylls’ name offers tips on wilderness survival (handy for places slightly more treacherous than Sani Resort).
Luxe factor: Guests can charter yachts from Sani’s marina and water-ski.
Book it: Seven nights’ half-board in a family suite at Sani Beach costs from £2,889 pp, based on July departures and including flights; price for a family of four is from £11,556 (tui.co.uk).
SEASIDE SECRET… ONE&ONLY PORTONOVI, MONTENEGRO
Already ticked off the Med’s more obvious seaside idylls? Montenegro’s sultry riviera, a glamorous collision of fjord-like scenery and rising mountains, is where you should head next.
Vistas don’t come much prettier than at One&Only Portonovi in Boka Bay; the exclusive holiday brand only sets up in drop-dead gorgeous locations.
There’s fine architecture to admire here, while younger guests will love the KidsOnly or teen-friendly One Tribe clubs – raft building, film nights and sports tournaments are all offered.
Luxe factor: Arrive like James Bond on a speedboat transfer.
Book it: Four nights’ B&B from £3,342 pp, for summer departures; or from £13,368 for a family of four (oneandonlyresorts.com/portonovi). Fly to Tivat from £310 pp in July (easyjet.com).
LA DOLCE VITA… BORGO EGNAZIA, PUGLIA, ITALY
A sumptuous shrine to Puglia’s best assets – pasta and Primitivo from the gods, cobalt skies, olive groves and a genuine warmth for families – 45-acre Borgo Egnazia delivers la dolce vita in five-star style, and who can resist that?
Certainly not the Beckhams, nor the Bransons, who’ve both reposed in this honey-hued Adriatic village at the top of Italy’s heel. There are beautiful pools, kids’ clubs to woo every age group, the San Domenico golf club, the Vair Spa, and a piazza that’s perfect for dancing (after drinking that Primitivo).
Luxe factor: You can borrow a vintage soft-top car and get lost in the countryside.
Book it: Four nights’ B&B in a two-bed family house sleeping four from £7,680, based on August stays (borgoegnazia.com). Fly to Bari in peak season from £150 (easyjet.com).
SPORTY HEAVEN… PINE CLIFFS RESORT, ALGARVE, PORTUGAL
The view of Portugal’s Praia da Falesia beach from Pine Cliffs’ lofty vantage point is show stopping. This opulent resort, which majors on golf but has plenty more to offer, sits on 177 acres in the southern Algarve.
Accommodation is in hotel suites, apartments or villas, while children have their own themed village, Porto Pirata, to roam around.
You can find parents honing their backhand at Annabel Croft’s Tennis Academy or in the Serenity Spa.
Dinner? There are 15 restaurants to choose from.
Luxe factor: Families can learn to bake pastel de natas (custard tarts) at the onsite cookery school.
Book it: Seven nights’ self-catering for four in a two-bed townhouse from £3,651, based on August departures (pinecliffs.com). Fly to Faro in August from £260 (wizzair.com).
ACTIVITIES GALORE… FORTE VILLAGE, SARDINIA
Founded in the early 1970s by Lord Charles Forte, an Englishman with Italian heritage, this 116-acre piece of paradise on Sardinia’s south coast never rests on its laurels.
Alongside activities such as bowling, Barbie-themed fun and a Real Madrid football clinic for budding Mbappes, new for 2025 is a nature park, film-making, science and fencing academies.
Families can choose from eight plush hotels plus villas and suites – plus no fewer than 21 restaurants. In the Acquaforte Spa, don’t miss the brand new ocean-view sauna.
Luxe factor: Window shop for couture at the resort’s swish Piazza Luisa.
Book it: Family bungalows from £967 a night half-board, sleeping a family of four, based on summer departures (fortevillageresort.com). Fly to Cagliari from about £200 in high season (ryanair.com).
TESLA HIRE INCLUDED … IKOS ANDALUSIA, SPAIN
At its five Greek and two Spanish resorts, the Ikos brand, launched in 2015, has raised the concept of ‘all inclusive’ to new heights.
Included is everything from drinks around the pool to Tesla hire and menus created by Michelin-starred chefs.
Ikos Andalusia on the Costa del Sol has sleek buildings, a strong wellness focus and dreamy dining. Kids are kept busy all day long with clubs (for ages four to 17) offering everything from paddleboarding to theatre shows.
Luxe factor: 30 minutes free beachcare for kids aged four-plus, so parents can swim.
Book it: Four nights’ all-inclusive from £1,747 pp, based on July departures; or from £6,988 pp for a family of four (ikosresorts.com). Fly to Malaga from £280 in July (ba.com).
PLUSH COUNTRY ESTATE… VERDURA RESORT, SICILY
Verdura, from discerning British hotelier Rocco Forte, feels more like staying on the estate of a wealthy relative than at a tourist resort.
It spans nearly 600 acres and has multiple restaurants and bars, its own sands, a gargantuan spa and three golf courses.
Time dinner right at trattoria Liola, perched next to a centuries-old watchtower, and you’ll find yourself devouring antipasti as the sun sinks.
Kids’ clubs are free for children over three; they get their own pool, football pitch and plenty of space for arts and crafts.
Luxe factor: Mini bathrobes and cuddly toys in the rooms.
Book it: One week full-board from £12,663 for a family of four, based on August departures and including flights and transfers (kuoni.co.uk).
SPAS AND BEACHES… SIX SENSES KAPLANKAYA, BODRUM, TURKEY
Organic produce from local farms, a 10,000 sq m spa and private beaches are all in the offing at this outpost of the Six Senses brand in Bodrum.
There are 141 rooms and suites, many with infinity pools and stellar views – plus villas for larger groups.
There’s lots to thrill ankle-biters too, including an Earth Lab club, dance classes and cookery lessons.
Luxe factor: A donkey tour for families ends with brunch in a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant.
Book it: Seven nights from £7,895 B&B, for a family of four, based on August departures and including flights (ba.com).
BOHO IN SPAIN… NOBU HOTEL IBIZA BAY, IBIZA
Awash with shallow-water coves and laid-back towns, Ibiza is, if you swerve the party spots, an inspired pick for a summer family getaway.
Nobu – yes, the posh sushi restaurant brand – has created a 152-room boutique resort in Ibiza Bay that is part country club, part shore-side stunner.
Staying true to the White Isle’s avant-garde heart, it teaches ‘little bohos’ basket weaving and eco-friendly crafts – plus you can spin tunes like island megastar David Guetta at the DJ workshop.
Luxe factor: Book a poolside cabana and order sashimi.
Book it: Four nights from £3,208 pp including a £84-a-day dining credit and transfers, for August departures; or from £12,832 for a family of four (nobuhotelibizabay.com). Fly to Ibiza from £200 in August (jet2.com).
GREEK CHIC… DAIOS COVE, CRETE
It isn’t hard to see why the returning guest rate at this five-star retreat in Agios Nikolaos on Crete’s north-east coast is high.
A chic but low-key collection of light and airy rooms, suites and villas, the resort has a secluded cove at Vathi. The beach shelves gently so it’s great for splashing toddlers.
The childcare, led by the UK’s Worldwide Kids Co, is top notch too, offering a lifeline to parents in need of some R&R. Dining has a Cretan flavour: simple and delicious.
Luxe factor: Top Athens mixologists The Clumsies devised the cocktail menu.
Book it: One week for four in a deluxe junior suite from £5,152 all-inclusive (daioscovecrete.com). Fly to Heraklion from around £350 in August (easyjet.com).
LUXURY FOR LESS… MAZAGAN BEACH & GOLF RESORT, MOROCCO
A great-value peak-season option, the Mazagan Beach & Golf Resort near coastal UNESCO World Heritage Site El Jadida, comes from Kerzner International, which is behind the One&Only group. And they certainly know what makes a luxury family getaway.
An hour west of Casablanca, this beach retreat is switched on to what kids love; there’s a farm with goats, chickens and other animals, pottery painting and even a family spa treatment in the hammam.
Prices start from a reasonable £60pp per night, even in August.
Luxe factor: Try camp-fire dining at the Al Firma Berber tent.
Book it: One night’s B&B in a family room sleeping four from £228 in the summer holidays (mazaganbeachresort.com). Fly to Casablanca from £375 in August (royalairmaroc.com).
CANARIES DELIGHT… RITZ-CARLTON ABAMA, TENERIFE
Who doesn’t wanna be a Ritz Kid? Youngsters holidaying at the Abama, on Tenerife’s south coast, can enrol into the Ritz Kids club, where karaoke, stargazing and koi carp-feeding are all on offer.
There are 462 rooms and suites sited across 400 acres of grounds, with spectacular panoramas over both the Atlantic and Tenerife’s soaring Mount Tiede.
A stretch of Abama Beach, accessed by funicular, is reserved solely for guests too.
Dining ranges from pool-side nibbles to gourmet tasting menus.
Luxe factor: Michelin-star Korean-American chef Akira Back has a restaurant here.
Book it: Five nights’ full-board from £943 pp in August, including flights; or from £3,772 for a family of four (kenwood travel.co.uk).
