Hotels and campsites in Europe

Hotels and campsites in Europe

Hotels in Canary Islands

Lanzarote is a brilliant destination for young kids, with attractions aplenty and funky towns set into beautiful deserty scenery that will satisfy parents’ lust for the exotic, all within a four-hour flight. It’s easy to drive around exploring otherworldly landscapes, epic beaches, seawater swimming pools, the volcanic Timanfaya national park, César Manrique’s incredible Bond villain homes and his underground caves development Jameos del Agua, with cafe, gardens, pools and auditorium. And there are dozens of easy places to eat – early. One fab place to stay is Casa Tomaren, handily in the centre of the island, consisting of eight villas around a tropical sunken garden with pool and astro turf. The big buffet breakfasts feature cakes, eggs to order and particularly delicious croissants. Its grounds have plenty to interest toddlers – buddha statues, roaming cats and cacti – and massages and yoga are available. The only hitch is the lack of baths, which may cause tears if your tot is a shower-refusenik.
• Studio villa (sleeps 2) from €113 a night, 2-bedroom villa (sleeps 4) €236, tomaren.es. Or try Lanzarote Retreats’ fab eco-friendly, self-catering hideaways on the beach at Arrieta, with a choice of cottages, yurts and villas. Travel cots or foldingbeds and baby/toddler equipment are supplied, there’s a solar-heated pool and kids’ play area, and they can help collect eggs. One week from €700

Hotels in Greece

This could be the perfect retreat for stressed parents who need spoiling. For a start, it’s in lovely Greece, but there’s no need to endure a ferry journey, as it’s on the mainland, with low-cost flights to Thessaloniki, 80 minutes away. With a juice bar beside the (heated) pool, open-air spa, calm beach, treehouses, hammocks, playground, restaurants or meals on demand, and secret coves to explore by boat, it makes for a super-relaxed break.
• Doubles from €88; junior suite (sleeps 4) from €138 a night, family suite €272

Hotel Les Orangeries, near Poitiers, France

In the heart of Lussac-les-Châteaux, and not far from Poitiers and the Futuroscope theme park, Les Orangeries is a relaxed, country-style hotel that’s great for families. Cots and high chairs are supplied, there’s a lovely swimming pool (with floats and pool toys) and it’s very tolerant at mealtimes – the restaurant is quite chi-chi, but there are often all-generational groups of French families dining. The beautiful gardens offer lots of space for children to run around, hammocks to swing on, a pétanque pitch and a covered area (open at the sides) with vintage French toys and modern rocking horses. Ask for a room at the back so you’re away from the road. The owner will conduct tours of the vast vegetable gardens and she’s lovely with children (letting them pick raspberries to eat, for example).
• Doubles from €85, breakfast extra, suite (sleeps 5) from €165

Casa Vicentina, Algarve, Portugal

For a back-to-nature feel, family-run Casa Vicentina near Odeceixe beach in the Algarve is perfect. Built with ecological materials, it’s in a protected park area on a natural lake next to the swimming pool and the vast grounds are full of cork and pine groves. The feel is rustic and laid-back: there’s lots of space and a playground with swings and slides. Breakfast is a plentiful buffet – and bikes are supplied free of charge so you can pop to the beach or cafes and restaurants. Accommodation is in brightly decorated rooms or larger suites complete with kitchenette.
• Rooms from €75

Fairy Chimney Inn, Cappadocia, Turkey

Older kids will love the fairytale landscape of Cappadocia and the excitement of staying in a cave hotel. Carved out of the rock, the Fairy Chimney Inn used to be part of a cave monastery. Its rooms are beautiful and homely, with traditional decor and the odd nod to the modern world (there’s Wi-Fi and underfloor heating). Its owned by Gülcan and Andus, a chef and an anthropologist, so you’re guaranteed good food and great local insight. All rooms have terraces or courtyards overlooking the extraordinary landscape and there’s great horse riding, hot springs and hiking on the doorstep.
• Rooms from €55 B&B, plus €11 per child

Otro Mundo, Andalucía, SpainThe futuristic geodomes at Otro Mundo, a campsite in the Andalucía countryside, offer an outdoors experience with a comfy place to curl up at night (with solar-heated showers and proper beds). In the heart of the Sierra del Segura, it’s a great place for kids, with plenty to do – besides the large natural pool there are guided walks to discover cave paintings, photography courses, yoga and movie nights with films projected on to a stone wall. The two domes sit in their own plots with room for extra tents, but there’s a big communal kitchen, too, and group meals.
• Geodome (sleeps 5) from €62 a night through Canopy and Stars,

Hotels and campsites in Italy

Casa San Gabriel is a small hilltop farmstead where three self-catering cottages (sleeping between two and six) share a swimming pool, playground and barbecue. There’s added excitement for young guests in the family of alpacas kept on site. Plus points for parents include the short journey from Perugia airport (25 minutes), the view to Assisi (a 30-minute drive away), the chance to sample the house wine and olive oil, and weekly pizza nights. There are several water, wildlife and activity parks nearby, and slightly further afield a Pinocchio theme park.
• A week at Il Fienile cottage (sleeps 4-6) costs from €650, B&B (low season only) from €95

Hotels and campsites in France

Lac de Clarens has forest and cabins on one shore and dazzling white sand dotted with parasols on the other. The 25 simple chalets sleep from two to eight, have a terrace overlooking the lake, TV and Wi-Fi. There’s a floating, inflatable assault course, a climbing and zipwire trail over the water, pedalos for hire and a roped-off area for swimming. There’s also a kiosk selling frites, ice-creams and drinks. Towards the nearby town of Casteljaloux are a casino, golf course and thermal spa.
• Chalets from €260 a week