1/10 Seashells Resort at Suncrest – Malta ★★★★
Seashells Resort at Suncrest is a four-star seafront hotel situated by buzzy Qawra waterfront, with its many restaurants, bars and watersports facilities. Malta National Aquarium is also just a short walk away. The 450 rooms are contemporary and fresh. Families can choose from two room types; economy and sea view, with separate lounge. Both have two bedrooms and a balcony. The resort has five restaurants and two bars for dining and drinking. Outdoors, there are three swimming pools including a kids’ pool with waterslide and play area. The resort runs a series of activities for children over summer for four to 12-year-olds. Inside, guests can enjoy the spa with Hamman and indoor pool, gym and squash court. Kids can let off steam at the play area.
2/10 Grecotel Lux Me Daphnila Bay Dassia – Corfu ★★★★★
Daphnila Bay Dassia perches on the coast overlooking Dassia Bay and the Ionian Sea. It’s an idyllic spot with Blue Flag Beach, spacious grounds and pine-filled gardens. Family accommodation is plentiful and kids stay free plus the resort puts on a complimentary daily mini-buffet of fresh and healthy food for children. The Mini Club (four to 12 years) has an indoor and outdoor play area, playground, sandpit and paddling pool. Greco Teens makes sure teenagers are kept happy with watersports, hip hop dancing, parties and beach volleyball. New parents can take advantage of GrecoBaby, and pre-order all needed baby equipment before arrival. The resort offers many activities from aerobics to dancing lessons, yoga to folklore dance shows. Family shows and a children’s disco are a highlight for kids at the hotel’s Amphitheater.
3/10 Calheta Beach – Madeira ★★★★
Four-star Savoy Calheta Beach is an all-inclusive family resort with large lagoon-style swimming pools, dreamy spa with Turkish bath, indoor pool and sauna, and direct beach access to Praia da Calheta. Kids get their own pool, games room and club with daily activities and playroom. Behind the hotel lie Madeira’s mountains, so all 153 modern rooms come with either sea or mountain views. There are two restaurants and three bars at Calheta Beach. The neighbouring marina also has plenty of choice for a day or evening out of the resort. Other activities families may like to take advantage of during a stay at Calheta Beach include a Madeira cooking class, hiking tour of the region or Portuguese lessons.
4/10 Beach Rotana Hotel & Towers – Abu Dhabi ★★★★★
Award-winning Beach Rotana Hotel & Towers is a huge five-star resort with its own private beach in Abu Dhabi. Its central location in the city gives easy access to Abu Dhabi Mall and all its restaurants. Yas Island with its fun theme parks is also very close by. Luxury accommodation comes with city or waterside views, living areas and whirlpool baths. Dining is also high-end with 12 restaurants to choose from including an over-water seafood option. There are plenty of laid-back cafes and bars too. The resort will look after children in its kids’ club. Youngsters also get to play in the playground, family pool and soft play area, and the hotel beach club is home to an array of water sports and games for all the family to enjoy. Sports fans will also appreciate the three all-weather floodlit courts and high-tech gym with personal training sessions and classes.
5/10 Amathus Beach Hotel – Rhodes ★★★★★
Five-star Amathus Beach Hotel has been renovated for 2019 with new luxury rooms. The resort is set on the peaceful Ixia Beach in Rhodes, with sweeping views across the Aegean Sea. Facilities at Amathus include three restaurants, four bars, excellent spa with Jacuzzi, heated pool, sauna, Hamman and hydrotherapy circuit, three outdoor pools, one indoor pool, tennis court, table tennis, giant chess, mini market and wellness centre with fitness classes and gym. There’s a playground and children’s pool to keep kids occupied plus many water sports, magic shows and games and activities organised at The Pelican Kids Club. New parents can take advantage of the babysitting service.
6/10 Mövenpick Resort & Marine Spa Sousse – Tunisia ★★★★★
Mövenpick Resort & Marine Spa is a luxury five-star resort with its own private stretch of sandy beach on the Gulf of Hammamet, while the bustling Sousse Medina is just two miles away for a fun family day out. Family rooms have connecting bedrooms and a range of thoughtful touches for kids, including children’s channels on TV, special toddler-sized pillows, night lights, child-proof plugs and toilet rings. The resort features five restaurants and six bars for dining, where children can choose from healthy kids’ menus and those under the age of six eat for free. The Little Birds Club provide childcare during the day, leaving parents to work out in the gym, take a dip in a lagoon-style outdoor pool or chill out in the super marine spa with indoor saltwater pool and highly-trained therapists. Evening babysitting is also available.
7/10 Hotel Constantinou Bros Athena Beach – Paphos ★★★★
Constantinou Bros Athena Beach Hotel is a large beachfront hotel close to the pretty harbour in Kato Paphos. All rooms have spacious balconies with sea or garden views plus luxury bathrooms. Grounds lead directly onto the beach, and the extensive gardens are available for families to enjoy. The hotel’s Elixir Spa boasts a sauna, steam room and gym plus a range of relaxing treatments. There are three outdoor pools, one indoor pool, indoor and outdoor Jacuzzis plus two children’s pools, one with waterslide. Kids also benefit from a playground and mini golf site. A kids club is available during the summer months and Constantinou Bros Athena Beach Hotel also arranges activities and games several times a week for children of all ages.
8/10 Suite Hotel Atlantis Fuerteventura Resort – Canary Islands ★★★★
Families will love this four-star all-inclusive resort next to the stunning sand dunes of Corralejo in Fuerteventura. The resort has eight swimming pools including a splash pool for babies and a children’s pool. The tropic and activity pools are also suitable for younger visitors. Fun water games are often held at the activity pool such as aqua aerobics and water polo. The resort also runs the ‘Dolphin Swim School’. There are three kids clubs to suit different ages. The mini club looks after four to six year olds and Atlantini Kids Club caters for six to 12 year olds, and there’s no shortage of novel entertainment from swimming with mermaids to planting a vegetable garden. Teens can kick back in the Atlantis Teen Lounge, which is filled with computer games, videos and DVDs on a big screen. Families can also take advantage of the huge range of activities on offer at Suite Hotel Atlantis Fuerteventura. There’s surfing, mountain biking, tennis coaching, beach volleyball, sailing and quad biking.
9/10 Panama Jack Resorts Gran Caribe – Cancun ★★★★
Four-star Panama Jacks Resorts Cancun is an all-inclusive family-friendly resort with all-suite accommodation. Some suites are beachfront or infinity pool swim-up. This lively resort has daily activities for all the family to enjoy from beachfront yoga to live music performances. The mini-golf and water park with pirate ship and castle will please young and old too, as will the many swimming pools and 13 restaurants. Kids are well cared for in the mini club with ball pit and pool, leaving parents to spend a worry-free afternoon relaxing in the Aura spa or in one of the beachside cabanas. Kids also can enjoy movie nights by the beach and magic shows.
10/10 Roc Costa Park – Costa Del Sol ★★★★
Roc Costa Park in the Costa del Sol is one mile from Playamar Beach in Torremolinos and a short drive from Aqualand Torremolinos water park and Tivoli World theme park. This modern four-star hotel has 253 bright rooms with balconies. Family rooms are available with extra space and pull-out sofa beds. Entertainment at Roc Costa Park includes live music and shows, tennis court, two outdoor freshwater pools, organised land and water sports like squash, diving, horse riding and windsurfing, three bars and a buffet restaurant. Kids get their own programme of activities plus mini golf, games room and splash pool with slides and jets.