From as early as I can remember with Little IA, I shared our many adventures when travelling with kids. As a result, I tend to get asked often where to take children on holiday, but there is no single answer that applies regardless of the child, the season, or what the family actually wants from the trip. What I have instead, after years of exploring, is a small collection of places that have earned a permanent spot in our rotation, each for a completely different reason.
Here is what our family loved and why.
Gleneagles, Scotland - for the family that wants outdoor adventure, nature and huge variety
Gleneagles is the stay I send people to when they ask what every member of the family can enjoy looks like in practice, not just on paper. The activity list alone justifies the trip - kids off-roading, archery, falconry, a substantial kids club, curated picnics that are straight out of a Pinterest dream board set up just for your family in the middle of the mountains, a Barbara Sturm spa after a long busy day and a selection of over 7 restaurants so your kids never get bored.
And the breakfast. I am not exaggerating when I say I still think about it four years later. A whole dedicated kids’ breakfast section, thoughtfully done and impressive for a parent who has sat through one too many sad buffet spreads elsewhere. It remains one of the best breakfasts I have experienced at any hotel, anywhere.
This is the property for families who want a proper, multi-generational Scottish countryside stay where every detail, from the milk and cookies waiting for your kids in the room after check-in, has clearly been considered with children specifically in mind.
Travel tip: pack light layers regardless of season - the grounds invite a lot of outdoor time and Scottish weather rarely commits to one temperature for a full day (expect rain!). A durable, mini sized ergonomic backpack earns its keep here across the extensive grounds, ours barely left the kids backs.
The Alpina, Gstaad - for breathtaking scenery and a more grown-up pace, with enough for both children and parents to genuinely enjoy
The Alpina is one of the most visually stunning properties we have stayed at as a family. The outdoor heated pool set against the mountains, the range of exceptional F&B options, the hiking, beekeeping, the parks and daily excursions that go well beyond the standard kids club.
The kids club itself is smaller and more intimate than some of the larger family resorts, which suits some children better than others. What compensates is a genuinely gorgeous private cinema and the sense that the excursions on offer are curated rather than generic. Winter, in particular, is when this property comes into its own. Walking distance from the town, fondue at Le Petit Chalet is not to be missed.
This is the stay for families who want scenery and substance over sheer scale of children’s facilities, and who don’t mind a slightly more grown-up pace with enough woven in for the children to genuinely look forward to each day. The six senses spa is spectacular and a real plus point for parents - plus the camps on offer during the summer (Boomerang, JFK, Le Rosey) are amongst some of the best globally, for kids seeking adventure and forming friendships with children from every corner of the world.
Travel tip: with the altitude and the cold, layering matters more than volume. A good insulated lunch box and snack box combination saves you from overpriced mountain-side cafés between excursions, particularly useful on hiking or park days when lunch isn’t a fixed sit-down affair.
Kavya, Nepal - for families ready for genuine adventure, raw and unpolished
Kavya is not for every family, and that is exactly its appeal. Positioned for children five and up, it is built around real adventure: trekking through jungle, waterfall spotting, visits to local villages and monasteries. The setting itself, perched on a cliffside overlooking the Himalayas is quite literally one of the most incredible views I’ve seen in my lifetime.
There is a strong wellness component running through the property, which gives it a dual identity: deeply family-oriented during the day, with genuine adult unwind time available for couples who want it. It strikes a balance that is harder to find than it should be, adventure for the children, recovery for the parents.
This is the stay for families with children old enough to engage properly with adventure travel, who want something that feels earned rather than simply provided and something more wholesome and raw rather than manicured, perfect and curated.
Travel tip: the terrain is genuinely active, so footwear and hydration matter more here than at almost any other property on this list. A spritz-bottle that survives a backpack and a jungle trek is not a luxury here - it’s a requirement, given how much you overheat from the treks.
Beaverbrook, Surrey - for the family that wants the details done beautifully and the glorious British countryside escape
Beaverbrook sets itself apart through detail work that genuinely makes you smile. Children’s rooms designed around classic authors, complete with bunk beds that feel like an actual destination rather than an afterthought. A private cinema. In winter, an ice rink on the grounds that turns a weekend away into something closer to an event. The most incredible playground built out of logs in the forest.
This is the stay for families who want every small touch considered. The restaurants around the property are excellent - I personally loved the farm restaurant, the cozy British diner for dinner and the pizza at the spa restaurant was excellent. Beaverbrook is a world famous golf-course so for all the golfers, it’s a great destination.
Travel tip: seasonal visits are worth planning around - Christmas at Beaverbrook, with the ice rink running, is a different and better experience than the rest of the year. A good lunch box and snack box combination is handy for the longer outdoor stretches between meals.
Lakes by Yoo - for families who actually want to spend the holiday together, not be entertained around each other
This one works differently to everything else on the list. You rent one of the houses on the lake and the experience is built around doing things yourselves rather than having them done for you. There are one or two cafés on site, but the design intention is clear: this is for families who want to cook together, spend unstructured time together, do long leisurely forest walks to discover the grounds and exist on the lake rather than be programmed through a schedule of activities.
The views are genuinely breathtaking, and there is something quietly valuable about a stay that asks more of you as a family rather than less. It is the opposite of a fully serviced resort, deliberately.
This is the stay for families craving real bonding time, who don’t need to be entertained to enjoy a holiday together.
Travel tip: Lakes by Yoo can be a lot of work if you’re not fully organised. We packed tonnes of games and snacks and each child was equipped with things to keep them entertain. In these situations a sturdy backpack with all their food and games was a must.
JOALI Maldives - for the holiday that needs to feel effortless
JOALI is, in my view, one of the most beautiful and luxurious resorts in the Maldives and it sits firmly among my personal top picks there. The kids club is genuinely excellent, and the food and beverage programme across the resort is some of the best we have encountered as a family anywhere.
This is the property for when you want the full resort experience to simply work, without having to manage logistics, plan activities, or compromise on either the adult or the children’s experience. Everything is handled, and handled exceptionally well.
This is the stay for families who want pure, uncomplicated luxury with genuinely excellent provision for children built in from the ground up.
Travel tip: you’ll spend most of the day by the pool, around the kids clubs, or doing excursions and so our Swim Bag allows for a change of clothes plus additional space for snacks and a water bottle.
What ties these together, despite how different they are, is that none of them treat children as an afterthought to the adult experience, and none of them treat the adult experience as something to be sacrificed for the children’s. That balance is rarer than it should be, and it’s the thing I’m actually looking for every time I book somewhere new.
With love,
Roshni
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