Choosing the best family resort for your next summer holiday feels like a big deal. Holidays in Europe feel increasingly expensive. Last year GoCompare discovered that the cost of a package holiday in the school holidays had increased 18% per person since 2022. When you factor in the cost of flights for two adults and at least one child, plus transfers, a two-week family holiday in Europe can represent a big financial commitment (and if you're still making your mind up, don't forget to check out our guide to the best family hotels in the UK).
As well as the cost, there are lots of things to think about when planning a family holiday - do you want to go self catering, full board, or somewhere in between? Is a resort or a hotel better for you, or an apartment where you have more than one room in the evenings when the children have gone to bed? Maybe a pool is essential for you - or is it more important for your family that you’re in walking distance from the beach? And if your kids are small, do you really want to do a fortnight without access to a playground, or would you prefer to be somewhere with swings, slides and climbing frames on hand to tire them out?
For travel writer and mum of three Helen Ochyra, the layout of the accommodation on offer is a key consideration. ‘With three (or more) kids it all comes down to the room. I always have to look at whether the hotel has family rooms that can sleep more than four people. There are often fire regulations or similar that prevent five people from sharing one room, and in my experience interconnecting rooms can never be 100% guaranteed. Car hire is also a challenge (we currently need three car seats in the back) so I tend to choose hotels we can walk to everything from to avoid hiring a vehicle – a return transfer to the airport may look expensive but it’s rarely as much as a hire car for a family of five.’
It’s also worth considering food and catering options. If you’ve gone for full or half board, then you’ll want to make sure there are enough things on the menu that everyone will eat (most places will do kids menus, and many family-focused resorts even offer up pureed food for babies) but if your child has allergies or particularly tricky feeding needs, then this will be something else to consider. Finally, how much paraphernalia will you have to bring with you? Most places will provide a travel cot and high chair, but some will do one better and provide rooms fully equipped with baby changing facilities, bottle steamers and kid’s plates, cuts and cutlery.
We’ve kept all these things in mind when reviewing these European family resorts. We’ve also thought about how far away they are from the airport, where you can fly in from, and what sort of entertainment and childcare is available for children. Could this be the first ever family holiday where you get to go out for a meal just the two of you? Well, we can all dream…
The best family resorts in Europe 2024...
www.booking.com
The one for... knackered parents
Pros
- Great for children all ages, from young babies to teens
- Great range of restaurants and the fussiest of eaters are catered for
- The resort is stylish and chic
- Amazing service
Cons
- Can be expensive, especially outside of term time
- The on-site shop is pricey
- The resort can be hilly, which can be tricky with buggies or small children
| Nearest airport: | Faro |
| Transfer time from airport: | <br>90 minutes |
| Price from: | <br>£134 a night for a four-bed villa |
| Price in high season: | From £869 a night for a two-bed garden house (correct as of this year, prices will vary subject to availability) |
| Restaurants and catering: | Three indoor restaurants, plus the Josper grill takeaway and pool bar. Self-catering accommodation also available. |
| Pool: | Three adult and two toddler pools, all heated, one unheated adult pool |
| Beach access | Private, child-friendly beach club on resort, which leads to a public, sandy beach. |
| Kid's club: | Aged 6 months - 14 years, advance booking essential |
| Others: | Multiple playgrounds on site, babysitting service available upon request. |
| Current offers: | The extended family and baby's first holiday packages. |
- We absolutely loved Martinhal Sagres - it was without a doubt the best week of our year. The kids haven’t stopped talking about what a fantastic time they had since we got back. We met so many families who have come back year after year, and we can see why. The resort is brilliantly set up for children of all ages - our two and four year olds had a blast, but there’s so much for older kids and teenagers. Their thing is that they’re a resort for families rather than just children. The decor is classy rather than garish (but always wipe clean), the resort is spaced out enough that there’s always the opportunity for find a quiet (child-free) spot if you manage a trip to the Kid’s Club (we had a 50/50 success rate, our youngest child point-blank refused to go), and one evening, you might even find yourself having a luxe meal, with sea views, and actually having a conversation with your partner while your children happily play with some lego nearby. It’s certainly not the cheapest resort, but if you’re up for self catering (and visiting the nearby town) or can visit outside of school holidays, then It doesn’t need to bust the bank.
In terms of accommodation, you can either stay in the hotel or in one of the self-catering houses or apartments on the resort. As well as their terrace and beach rooms, the hotel also offers a smaller number of suites and interconnected rooms for larger families. We stayed in one of the Bay houses on the resort, which had two bedrooms and a separate living space and kitchen upstairs - which was perfect for us, it meant we had a place to go and kick back while the toddler was having his nap, and also meant we didn’t have to go to sleep in the evenings as soon as the children did. It also gave us the flexibility to eat in the apartment on some occasions, which is great if you want to keep to a budget.
How we reviewed these resorts:
We visited with some of the hardest-to-please guests out there, our children! But we also asked our audience on The Juggle - Grazia’s parenting platform - what they wanted to know most about a family resort before deciding whether to book. We had hundreds of responses, and there were some things that many different parents wanted to know about. So, when we reviewed our resorts we thought about the following things:
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How far away it is from the airport
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Whether there’s a separate space for the grown ups after the children have gone to bed at night.
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Whether there are catering options that are suitable for children - including those with allergies.
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Whether they have pools, play areas and access to a beach
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Whether they offer a kid’s club and other childcare services
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Whether they have any specific offers or deals on that you can take advantage of
Frequently asked questions:
What’s the difference between half board and full board? Which is better when you’ve got children?
‘For picky kids (i.e. most toddlers), a buffet is a dream,’ says Helen, who has three children under five. ‘You can let them munch their way through a full baguette with a side of jelly or grab a fistful of ham and a bowl of yoghurt rather than having to order half the items on a pricey a la carte menu in the hope of them cobbling together enough food to make up a meal.’
‘With older kids, though, or just those who are less fussy, eating out in a different country is a joy and as soon as my kids graduate from the fussy phase I’ll be booking B&B and heading out for our other meals. In my experience restaurants in hotels are never the best or most authentic places to eat, so even if it’s a little more expensive I would always go for meals in local restaurants (and always ask the staff where they eat while you’re there).’
Is it better to book your flight separately or do it with your accommodation as a package?
‘If you’re booking last minute, it’s always worth looking at packages – with unused capacity needing to be sold, you could get a bargain,’ explains Helen. ‘Additionally, when booking a package you benefit from ABTA protection, which means more chance of getting your money back if things go wrong.’
‘If I’m going on a beach holiday I often book a package with someone like Tui or Jet2, which means getting transfers thrown in as well, but for a city break or anything more complicated I would most often book the separate elements myself – you generally get more choice that way and can personalise your trip.’