Tag: island holiday

Categories
Beach

Mnemba Island Tanzania

Just 1.5km in circumference, this Indian Ocean gem is framed by soft white sand and sparkling turquoise waters and welcomes children of all ages.

Why go?

It’s the place to spend a relaxing break after you’ve gone on a safari in Tanzania: it’s just a 15 minute boat ride from the Zanzibar coast to Mnemba Island. Better still, this private island hideaway isn’t the exclusive reserve of honeymooners, but welcomes families with children of all ages.

We left our shoes in our case for the duration of our stay: there is something so wonderfully decadent about barefoot living.

Activities

On the island: Activities include snorkelling, diving, kayaking and fishing, and the island offers a safe and secure environment for children to play, whether that’s swimming in the sea, taking part in the island treasure hunt, playing footie on the beach or collecting shells along the seafront.

In the sea: Snorkelling is a real highlight, and the island’s dive masters are also masters at teaching children how to get used to the mask and searching for tropical fish. Here, kids can find clownfish (of Finding Nemo fame), angelfish, snake eels, starfish and some stunningly beautiful coral – and that was just on out first venture into the house reef. If you have children that love underwater wildlife, snorkelling will feature highly in your stay. We could hardly drag our daughter Molly out of the water. 

Boat trip: We also took a boat out to the southwest of the island and spotted a pod of dolphins. My top tip here: take your snorkelling gear with you. We dived off the boat and joined the beautiful and playful mammals as they swam around us, which was really very special and Molly didn’t stop squeaking with joy for days.

Accommodation

The beach bandas were a real rustic-lux combo and had a colonial feel to them: dark wood furniture and cream/white fabrics. Waking up to the sound of the water lapping just metres away, drinking tea in bed – bought to you by a personal butler – while looking out over the sparkling blue ocean is idyllic, and the perfect way to unwind after a safari trip, before heading home.

There are just 10 beach bandas, meaning there are never more than 25 guests on the island at any time, and the aforementioned butler will look after your every whim, including filling your mini bar with your preferred tipples. Laundry even disappears each morning and miraculously returns washed and pressed later in the day.

The lowdown

Price: Rates are from £506 per person, per night including all meals, drinks, laundry and activities (excludingscuba tuition). 

Book: Flights and accommodation can be booked through African Odysey at africaodyssey.com or andbeyond.com

Travel time: A flight from London to Zanzibar takes 10 hours and 15 minutes. It then takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to Mnemba Island.

How to get there: Emirates flies from London to Zanzibar International Airport; from £614 return. The lodge will collect you from the airport, where you will travel by boat to the island. Getting to the resort requires a little wading to shore, so be prepared if you have small children.

Categories
Greece

Mousses Villas, Lefkas

Private family villas nestled in the olive groves of the Greek island. A nirvana for parents.

Why go?

Run by the wonderfully maternal Eleni and her family, this complex of 10 small houses is beautifully situated in what was once the family’s olive grove. Each two-bedroom house has air-con and a private terrace. For something bigger, opt for Castor or Pollox; two brilliantly equipped neighbouring villas, which sleep six, each with its own garden and pool. Whichever you choose, all have direct access to Mousses’ large communal and toddler pools, bar and restaurant.

There’s an air-conditioned kids club (ages six months to 10 years) with UK-trained nannies. Strict child-to-staff ratios ensure safe supervision, babies and toddlers have their own crèche room and older kids enjoy everything from art classes to water-fights.

The lowdown

Price: Simply Travel offers seven-night holidays for a family of four; from £1,156 at Apollo, Mousses, or £1,738 at Villa Pollox. Price includes car hire and flights from London Gatwick to Preveza. 

Travel time: A flight from London to Preveza takes 3 hours and 15 minutes.  

 

Pictures by Abigail Flanagan.

Activites

The nearest beach, Gira, has a family-friendly shoreline where toddlers can paddle, and a taverna serving great calamari. Also nearby is the island’s capital, the colourful harbour town of Lefkada where caves, waterfalls and natural watertaps are waiting to be explored.

Lefkada is largely pedestrianised at night, but it’s ideal for young families and has numerous pavement cafés serving traditional Greek food such as souvlaki (skewered meats), gyros (meat-stuffed pitta) and crepes, as well as superb icecream parlours for that holiday essential, the way-past-bedtime sugar rush.  

Categories
Caribbean

St. James’s Club, Morgan Bay

St James’s Club, Morgan Bay aims to offer perfection in paradise. Suzanne Dent found her family well suited to luxury living in St Lucia.

Why go?

There are two kinds of holiday island it seems: one is the flat, floating pancake with miles of white sand, the other is the small, green mound ringed by lush, hilly coves. If, like me, you prefer the latter, and want mesmerising scenery on your family break, then St Lucia is the island for you.

 Overall, the St James’s Club Morgan Bay probably works best for families with older children, who can take full advantage of the variety of free watersports, but our three- and six-year-old both cried when we told them they were flying home!

The hotel is famously luxurious, but, as we’d never visited a place such as this before, we weren’t sure what that actually meant. We knew the rooms would be plush and high-end, but would it be tasteful? I was relieved, then, to arrive in our Ocean View family suite, which was simply lovely. The space had an inviting island feel, and its décor, which was a modern twist on blue-green and palm-tree coloured fabrics with dark furnishings, made us all feel comfortable. We parents even had a room of our own within the suite, with an actual door to separate us from the kids’ sofa sleeper in the lounge.

Activities

Something Simon and I realised about ourselves over breakfast one morning, was that simply being on holiday made us incredibly lazy. During the first few days of our stay, we found we couldn’t bring ourselves to do very much at all. Luckily, on any day at St James’s Club Morgan Bay, there are a huge number of activities and lessons, especially for itchy-footed children. 

After several mornings of playing in the pool with the kids, I escaped one day for a Pilates session, followed by a group tennis lesson. Simon, not to be outdone, was overjoyed to find four Hobie catamarans sitting on the beach. There are also water-skiing lessons, jet skis, paddle boats and – Ellie’s favorite – the banana-boat ride.

 

Food: St James’s Club Morgan Bay has no shortage of friendly staff members, who are great with children. Considering it is such a large resort, I was impressed to find waitresses that greeted our girls by their first names at breakfast after only a couple of days. And, whether it’s in the restaurants, at the bar or the watersports shack, there is always someone around to provide prompt service.

Actually getting a dinner reservation; well, that’s a whole different matter. On arrival, we were told that we would dine at The Palm that night, which is the largest, buffet-only restaurant, set back in the resort’s gardens. The next day, we set about securing a table in one of the other three restaurants, only to be told it would be at least three days before we could dine elsewhere. Once we were able to try them all, we could see why they were so popular. Our favourites were Bambou, which served Caribbean-Asian food overlooking the beach, and the very cool Morgan’s Pier, set out over the water. St James’s Club Morgan Bay intends to add another restaurant later this year. Future guests should find it much easier than we did to secure reservations.

Kids’ club

The recently renovated kids’ club, situated in a colourful bungalow, proved the perfect place to drop the children off for a couple of hours. On our second afternoon, Ellie announced she wanted to try it out, but three-year-old Charlotte took a little more convincing. But, upon realising Ellie returned from the club not only unharmed, but also with craftwork in hand and strawberry ice-cream around her mouth, she happily trotted off with her big sister the next day. This gave us parents some precious free time, which Simon and I spent lounging in the adults-only pool and enjoying the special couple’s massage at the spa.

The lowdown

Price: Virgin Holidays (0844 557 3859) offers seven-night, all-inclusive packages at the St James Club Morgan Bay, from £1,325 for a family of four in a one-bedroom suite, including flights and transfers.

Getting there: Flights take nine hours and the transfer from the airport is just under an hour.  

More information: morganbayresort.com

Categories
Maldives

The Maldives with Teens

Take your teens to the Maldives for a family holiday of relaxation and sunbathing, snorkelling and watersports.

Why go?

While the Maldives as a whole has an air of romance about it – some resorts are just in the market for honeymoon and romancing couples – if you’re travelling with older children, you can pick an island that is more focused on watersports and family activities.

Who’s it good for? Older children who love the water will love the Maldives: it’s full of watersports and underwater wildlife – great for keen scubadivers.

It’s also the perfect break if you’re looking for lots of relaxation and a feeling that you’re getting away from it all on an island hideaway – especially good in school holidays after a lot of exam stress.

Activities

Activities: Teenagers are hardly likely to be bored with a choice of swimming, snorkelling or learning to scuba dive around the beautiful coast and exploring the colourful underwater wildlife.

In recent years, some islands have begun conservation projects in which they actively encourage guests to participate, including assisting with turtle conservation and planting coral gardens.

Complimentary activities in the late afternoon are provided by some of the resorts, such as a cooking or a cocktail making class (virgin cocktails are part of the menu too). Many resorts also provide entertainment a few evenings a week that often turn into relaxed parties.

Food: Most islands serve buffet meals and offer half board or full board packages. It’s recommended you opt for one of these as teenagers enjoy the opportunity to mill around, choosing what they want and blending in with other guests. It also provides a chance for friendships to be struck up with other youngsters.

Where to stay

Accommodation in the Maldives tends to be villas more than hotel rooms. This means you’re much closer to the beach and living the island lifestyle, but make sure it is suitable for teenagers.

Family-friendly resort Bados Island Resort is great for children and young teenagers, and close to the capital of Malé. Prices start from £519 per night. Another family-friendly option, the luxury hotel Velaa, is just 45 minutes from Malé by sea-plane. A two-bedroom Beach Pool House starts from £2,064 a night.

Angsana Velavaru is an option for older teenagers and the furthest island in the atoll. Rooms start from US$430 (approx. £279) per night including breakfast (extra charges include a service charge and tax charge per person). We’d recommended the Deluxe Beachfront Pool Villa, Velavaru Villa, Angsana Villa or Sanctuary InOcean Pool Villa for families.

Kids’ clubs: Make sure your kids understand that there may not be lots of other teenagers around on your trip to The Maldives. Luckily, the resorts do bring all the kids together with their great kids’ clubs, which offer scuba diving, watersports, and beach games.

The lowdown

How to get there: British Airways flies from London Gatwick to Malé; from £818 return.

Travel time: A flight from London to Malé takes around 10 hours and 10 minutes.

Resorts can take everything from ten minutes to reach via speedboat to forty minutes on a seaplane from the capital, which you can organise when you book the resort.

Categories
Mauritius

The Residence, Mauritius

You won’t have to lift a finger with a butler to unpack your bags on arrival!

Activities

If you don’t want to stray too far from the resort, the concierge will arrange a private tour (car seat provided) to visit Grand Bassin, a sacred Hindu temple, the Trou aux Cerfs volcano, Flacq market or take a ride on the resort’s glass bottom boat.

Food: The food is influenced by Creole cuisine and there’s lots of fresh seafood as well as sumptuous evening buffets. There is a children’s menu and the chefs are happy to cook simple dishes, such as pasta, rice and omelettes for the young untrained palette.

A child-friendly tropical retreat

Why go? As new parents, a holiday in a tropical destination is just the ticket, and if you can face the 12-hour long flight with the kids to get there, The Residence luxury hotel in Mauritius is the perfect place to relax, be pampered, and catch up on some sleep!

Located in Belle Mare on the eastern coast of the island, this contemporary, colonial style hotel offers a slice of child-friendly paradise. With nearly a mile of powder soft sand and shallow turquoise waters, wobbly first steps will become confident strides as your little one discovers shimmering shells, birds and crabs. Chose from Colonial Suites or interconnecting rooms for families. A cot, baby bath and all the usual amenities, including a kettle for warming bottles can be provided.

Who is it good for? The Plantation Kids Club, for kids aged 3-12 years, provides a tropical indoor and outdoor play area as well as crafts, cookery, activities and evening entertainment. Babysitting and nanny services are also available for younger children (at an extra cost) should you fancy a romantic dinner, spa treatment or even need an extra pair of hands during the day.

The lowdown

Price: Turquoise Holidays (01494 678400) offers seven nights for two adults, two children (aged 3-11) from £4,599, including flights, interconnecting rooms and complimentary half board for children.

How to get there: Direct flights are available with British Airways and Air Mauritius from London Heathrow to Port Louis.

Travel time: 11 hours and 55 minutes.

Categories
Caribbean

Turks and Caicos island for Kids

Off the beaten track for UK families but well worth the effort, the Turks & Caicos are a chain of 40 eye-wateringly beautiful islands.

Why go?

Here you can stay put on the main island of Providenciales (Provo) with its incredible 12-mile Grace Bay Beach and full-on family resorts, many with condo-style rooms with kitchens, or head out to the Sister Islands where life slows down and quirky local culture emerges, while accommodation choices are privately owned B&Bs, old-fashioned beach resorts and eco lodges.

Families in search of the very best in Caribbean beach holidays and those with an adventurous streak will love it. It’s safe, friendly and accessible for families with plenty to see and do.

Activities

Whether it’s building sandcastles on the beach, learning to snorkel or scuba dive (the islands are home to the third largest barrier reef in the world), watch whales migrate off Salt Cay (February to April), enjoy eco-tours and historical sites or say hi to a real live conch.

The Turks & Caicos National Trust welcomes children at all its sites including Cheshire Hall Plantation on Provo, Wade’s Green Plantation at Kew on North Caicos, the Conch Bar Caves on Middle Caicos with its bat population and of course a trip to Little Water Cay to see the rare rock iguanas up close.

Reef Peepers glass bottom boat tours are fabulous for kids and if they’re feeling confident enough they can also snorkel. Or how about Undersea Explorer Tours, a semi-submarine lined with glass windows?

Accommodations

If you want an all singing-all dancing, all-inclusive family resort, Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa is the bee’s knees. Children will enjoy hours of fun at the Pirates Island Waterpark, featuring nine slides, a lazy river and thrilling surf simulator; the exclusive scuba programme; Sesame Street activities with Big Bird and the gang; gaming at the Xbox 360 Play Lounge, not to mention the state-of-the-art Scratch DJ Academy and ultra-cool Liquid teen night club. Seven nights all-inclusive at Beaches Turks & Caicos for a family of four costs from £7,269 with flights and transfers included.

Beaches’ Key West Luxury Village opened in May 2013 adding to the choice of accommodation.

The Gansvoort is a surprisingly family-friendly one for parents who enjoy a bit of design lux.

And if you want to up the ante to a private island resort, chi-chi Parrot Cay lays out the red carpet for kids. Two new two-bedroom beach houses are ideal for families of four. Family packages include excursions to Iguana Island and Sand Dollar Island, sailing and windsurfing lessons, family cooking class or castaway picnic.

If you want to get away from it all, book Pelican Beach Hotel right on North Caicos’ castaway beach at Whitby with just 10 modest rooms and great homemade food. Or an eco cottage at Blue Horizon Resort on remote Middle Caicos with stunning Mudjin Harbour on the doorstep is also ideal.

For self-catering there are 80 villas to rent across the islands such as Villa Mirabelle right on Sapodilla Bay in Provo. This hacienda style, five-bedroom villa has a private pool and lush garden right onto the beach.

The Lowdown

How to get there: British Airways flies every Sunday from London Heathrow with a stop over in the Bahamas from £951 return.

Travel time: A flight from London takes 12 hours. 

Top tip: Enjoy a twin-centre holiday to New York City and Turks & Caicos. JetBlue has daily service from New York JFK. Flight time 3 hours.

More information: turksandcaicostourism.com