The best luxury family holidays are not simply five-star hotels that tolerate children. They are places where everyone gets the holiday they wanted: a kids’ club the children ask to go back to, room to spread out, and a flight that doesn’t wreck the first two days. For British families the catch is timing, because most of us travel in the same school-holiday weeks.
So this guide matches each school holiday to the destinations our Travel Designers recommend most for families, with flight times and a resort or two with a genuinely good kids’ club.
The quick answer
- February half-term and Christmas: Dubai, the Maldives and the Caribbean are in their dry, sunny season.
- Easter: Dubai before the heat builds, Florida, or the Caribbean at the end of its dry season.
- Summer: the Mediterranean for short flights, Mauritius for mild winter sun, or a South African safari in the dry season.
- October half-term: Dubai as the heat eases, Mauritius in spring, or a malaria-free safari in the Eastern Cape.
- Shortest jet lag: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Mauritius and South Africa are only two to four hours ahead of the UK.
What makes a family holiday luxury?
With children, luxury is less about marble bathrooms and more about the things that make the days run smoothly. The best family friendly luxury hotels get four things right.
Space to spread out
Connecting rooms, a family suite with a separate children’s bedroom, or a villa with its own pool changes everything: the children get their own space and you get an evening on the terrace after bedtime. Connecting rooms are limited, so request them early.
Kids’ clubs by age
Most kids’ clubs take children from around three or four to eleven or twelve, and under-fours usually need a parent or babysitter with them. The best resorts also have a separate space or programme for teenagers, so check the age bands against your own children.
Babysitting and nannies
Babysitting is widely available at luxury resorts, usually for an extra charge and booked in advance. A few go further: Sandy Lane in Barbados offers certified babysitting and nanny services, and at Kwandwe in South Africa child-minding is complimentary with prior arrangement.
Flight times and time zones
Seven hours direct with a small time difference is very different from twelve hours and a connection. Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Mauritius and South Africa are only a few hours ahead of the UK, so children adjust quickly. Florida and the Caribbean are behind, which means early wake-ups for the first few days.
Luxury family destinations at a glance
Flight times are approximate for direct flights from London where they exist. Time differences are for the UK winter; in British Summer Time, places that don’t change their clocks (the Gulf, Mauritius, the Maldives, Thailand and South Africa) are one hour closer, and the Caribbean is one hour further behind.
| Destination | Flight time from London | Time difference (UK winter) | Best school holidays | Kids’ club highlight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mauritius | About 12 hours, direct | 4 hours ahead | Summer, October half-term, Christmas | T-Club for 4 to 11s at Shangri-La Le Touessrok |
| Dubai | About 7 hours, direct | 4 hours ahead | February and October half-terms, Easter, Christmas | Atlantis Explorers Club for 4 to 12s |
| Abu Dhabi | About 7 hours, direct | 4 hours ahead | February and October half-terms, Easter, Christmas | Kids and Teens Club at Jumeirah Saadiyat Island |
| Maldives | About 10.5 hours, direct | 5 hours ahead | February half-term, Easter, Christmas | Family-focused islands with large kids’ clubs and two-bedroom beach villas |
| Thailand | About 11.5 to 12 hours direct to Bangkok, then a short flight | 7 hours ahead | Christmas, February half-term, Easter; summer on Koh Samui | Beach resorts in Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui with kids’ clubs and family villas |
| Barbados and Antigua | About 8.5 to 9 hours, direct | 4 hours behind | February half-term, Easter, Christmas | The Treehouse Club at Sandy Lane |
| South Africa (safari) | About 11 hours to Johannesburg, plus a connection | 2 hours ahead | Easter, summer, October half-term | Children’s safari activities at Kwandwe |
| Florida (Orlando) | About 9 to 10 hours, direct | 5 hours behind | Easter, October half-term | Kids for All Seasons for 4 to 12s |
| Mediterranean | About 2.5 to 4 hours, direct | 1 to 2 hours ahead | Easter, summer, October half-term | Kids’ and teens’ clubs for 4 to 17s at the Ikos resorts |
Where to go in each school holiday
Term dates vary between schools and between the UK’s nations, but the main holidays fall in roughly the same weeks each year.
| School holiday | Our top picks | Why |
|---|---|---|
| February half-term | Dubai, the Maldives, the Caribbean | Dry, sunny season in all three; Dubai is warm rather than hot |
| Easter | Dubai, Florida, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean | Dubai before the summer heat, Florida’s parks in spring, late dry season in the Caribbean |
| Summer | The Mediterranean, Mauritius, South African safari | Short flights to Europe; mild, dry winter weather in Mauritius and on safari |
| October half-term | Dubai, Mauritius, Eastern Cape safari, Florida | The Gulf heat eases, spring in Mauritius and South Africa |
| Christmas and New Year | The Caribbean, the Maldives, Dubai, Mauritius | Peak winter sun; book a year ahead for the best villas |
Mauritius
Mauritius is one of the most rounded family destinations in the world. The lagoons inside the reef are calm and shallow, so younger children can paddle and snorkel, and there is plenty beyond the beach, from the Black River Gorges to catamaran days. English is widely spoken, and the island is only four hours ahead of the UK in winter.
It also works in more school holidays than most long-haul beaches. The southern winter, from June to September, is cooler and drier, ideal for the summer holidays; October half-term falls in spring, and Christmas is hot. The most humid months are in the new year, at the height of the cyclone season. See our guide to when to go to Mauritius, and which coast for the detail, or browse our Mauritius holidays.
Flight time: about 12 hours direct from London.
Where we’d stay: Shangri-La Le Touessrok, on the east coast, has the T-Club for children aged 4 to 11 and a separate club for teenagers aged 12 to 17, with the kids’ club free for children staying at the resort. One&Only Le Saint Géran, on its own peninsula at Poste de Flacq, has the KidsOnly club for younger children and multi-bedroom private villas for families who want more space.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi
For a shorter flight with reliable sun, the UAE is hard to beat. Dubai and Abu Dhabi are about seven hours from London, so even a week feels like a proper holiday. From late autumn to spring the weather is warm and dry, covering both half-terms, Easter and Christmas. Summer heat is intense, and we don’t recommend it for families.
The appeal is variety: beach mornings, water-park afternoons, an evening in the desert. Abu Dhabi’s Yas Island has Ferrari World, Warner Bros. World and Yas Waterworld, while Saadiyat Island is calmer, with long beaches and the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Dubai is easy to pair with the Maldives or Mauritius on a Dubai and Mauritius twin-centre holiday. Our UAE holidays page has more ideas.
Flight time: about 7 hours direct to Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
Where we’d stay: Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai has the Atlantis Explorers Club for children aged 4 to 12, plus the Aquaventure water park on the doorstep. Jumeirah Beach Hotel, beside the Burj Al Arab, relaunched its kids’ club for 4 to 12s. In Abu Dhabi, Jumeirah at Saadiyat Island Resort has a Kids and Teens Club with supervised activities from beach games to movie nights.
The Maldives
The Maldives is not only for honeymooners. Families love the simplicity: no driving, no queues and a house reef a few steps from the villa. The key is choosing the right island, because some resorts are designed around couples and others around families. Our guide to choosing a Maldives island and resort explains the differences.
The drier northeast monsoon season, roughly December to April, lines up neatly with Christmas, February half-term and Easter; May to October brings more chance of rain. For a month-by-month view, see the best time to visit the Maldives.
Flight time: about 10.5 hours direct to Malé, then a seaplane or speedboat.
What to look for: a resort with a proper kids’ club rather than a playroom, two-bedroom beach villas so the children can step straight onto the sand, a shallow lagoon for paddling and a house reef that is easy to snorkel from the beach. Some islands are built around families, with large clubs, family pools and children’s menus; others are quiet and adults-focused, so the choice of island matters more than the star rating. Our guide is the Maldives good for families? covers ages, seaplanes and which atolls suit children best, and your Travel Designer will match the resort to your children’s ages.
The Caribbean
The Caribbean has two big advantages for British families: direct flights of under nine hours to Barbados and Antigua, and English as the first language. The dry season, from December to April, covers Christmas, February half-term and Easter. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, so we are more selective about summer and October. Read more on our Barbados holidays and Antigua holidays pages.
Flight time: about 8.5 to 9 hours direct to Barbados or Antigua.
Where we’d stay: Sandy Lane in Barbados is a family classic. The Treehouse Club is free for resident guests and welcomes children aged 3 and over, with a Toddler Corner and a teen programme, and the hotel offers certified babysitting and nanny services. In Antigua, Curtain Bluff has the Cee Bee Kids Camp for children aged 3 to 10, and plenty of watersports for older children.
A malaria-free safari in South Africa
A safari is the holiday children remember for life, and South Africa’s malaria-free reserves remove the biggest worry for parents. Two areas stand out. Madikwe Game Reserve, in North West Province on the border with Botswana, is home to the Big Five and to African wild dogs, and is malaria-free. In the Eastern Cape, private reserves such as Kwandwe, about two hours’ drive from Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), offer Big Five game viewing.
South Africa is only two hours ahead of the UK in winter, so there is no real jet lag. The southern winter, from June to August, brings cold early mornings on game drives and clear, sunny days; Easter and October half-term are lovely too. Pair a few nights on safari with the beach or Cape Town: see our South Africa holidays and our ideas for safari and beach holidays.
Flight time: about 11 hours direct to Johannesburg, or a little longer to Cape Town, then a short connecting flight.
Where we’d stay: Kwandwe Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape covers 30,000 hectares and is exceptionally good with families. Ecca Lodge, Uplands Homestead, Melton Manor and Fort House all welcome children of all ages, and families in the private villas and Ecca Lodge’s private-vehicle suites can set their own game-drive times with no minimum age. There are child-focused safari activities, and child-minding is complimentary with prior arrangement.
Thailand
Thailand gives families a lot for one long flight: beaches, elephants, island-hopping by longtail boat and food that most children take to quickly. The luxury beach resorts in Phuket, Krabi and Koh Samui have kids’ clubs, family villas with their own pools and calm, shallow bays for younger swimmers. Start with a couple of nights in Bangkok, or fly straight on to the beach.
Timing depends on the coast. The Andaman side (Phuket and Krabi) is at its driest from November to April, which suits Christmas, February half-term and Easter. Koh Samui, in the Gulf of Thailand, has a different pattern and is a good choice for the summer holidays, when the Andaman coast is in its wet season. See our Thailand holidays for ideas.
Flight time: about 11.5 to 12 hours direct to Bangkok, then a short flight to the islands. Thailand is seven hours ahead of the UK in winter and six in summer.
Florida and Orlando
For many children, Orlando is the ultimate holiday. The luxury version is about how you do the parks: a resort close by, a pool to retreat to in the afternoon heat, and a plan that doesn’t cram everything into one week. Easter and October half-term are the best school holidays to go; summer is hot, humid and busy. Add a few days on the Gulf Coast or in the Florida Keys to finish with a beach. See our North America and Caribbean holidays.
Flight time: about 9 to 10 hours direct to Orlando.
Where we’d stay: Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort sits within the Disney resort area. Its Kids for All Seasons club is complimentary for children aged 4 to 12, The Hideout gives older children their own space with video games and billiards, and the five-acre Explorer Island water park has a lazy river, water slides and a splash zone.
The Mediterranean
For younger children, or anyone who wants a short flight, the Mediterranean is the obvious answer: two and a half to four hours from London, with reliable summer weather. Easter and October half-term are often the sweet spots, warm but calmer than August.
Greece and the Ikos resorts
Greece is one of the easiest luxury family holidays from the UK, and the Ikos resorts are the reason many families go back. Their all-inclusive goes well beyond the buffet: à la carte restaurants with menus created by Michelin-starred chefs, wines from more than 100 labels, branded spirits, and a complimentary Dine Out evening at a local restaurant. For children there is a crèche from six months, the Heroes Kids Club for 4 to 12s and Just4Teens for older children, so parents get time to themselves without paying for a club by the hour. Babysitting is available at an extra charge.
The Greek resorts are in Halkidiki, Corfu, Kos and Crete. For families we often suggest Ikos Olivia in Halkidiki or Ikos Aria on Kos, and in Spain Ikos Andalusia on the Costa del Sol. See our Greece holidays for more of the islands.
For the rest of our favourite European family resorts, see our guide to the best family resorts in Europe.
Flight time: about 2.5 to 4 hours direct, depending on the destination.
Where we’d stay: one of the Ikos resorts for all-inclusive with real food and good clubs, or a resort from our Europe family guide for a villa with its own pool.
Planning tips from our Travel Designers
- Book early. Family villas and connecting rooms go first; for Christmas and February half-term, a year ahead is not too early.
- Consider two centres. A few nights in Dubai breaks up the journey to the Maldives or Mauritius.
- Look at the offers. See our Mauritius offers, Dubai offers and latest special offers.
- Book with protection. Booking flights and hotels together as a package with an ATOL-protected agency means you are covered if something goes wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Where is best for a luxury family holiday?
It depends on when you can travel. For February half-term and Christmas, Dubai, the Maldives and the Caribbean are in their sunniest season. For the summer holidays, Mauritius and a South African safari are in their dry winter season, and the Mediterranean is the best short-haul choice.
Where is good for a family holiday in February half-term?
Dubai is warm rather than hot and only about seven hours away. The Maldives and the Caribbean are in their dry season, with direct flights of around 10.5 hours and 8.5 to 9 hours respectively.
Which long-haul destinations have the least jet lag from the UK?
Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Mauritius are four hours ahead of the UK in winter and three in summer, and South Africa is two hours ahead in winter and one in summer, so children adjust quickly.
Is there a malaria-free safari for families?
Yes. In South Africa, Madikwe Game Reserve in North West Province and private reserves in the Eastern Cape, such as Kwandwe, are malaria-free and have the Big Five. Always check the latest health advice for your trip.
What age do kids’ clubs take children?
Most resort kids’ clubs take children from around three or four up to eleven or twelve. Under-fours usually need a parent or babysitter with them, and the best family resorts also have separate programmes or spaces for teenagers.
Are the Ikos resorts good for families?
Yes. Ikos all-inclusive includes à la carte restaurants, wine and branded spirits, and the kids’ and teens’ clubs take children from 4 to 17, with a crèche for babies from six months. Babysitting costs extra. The resorts are in Halkidiki, Corfu, Kos, Crete, Andalusia and Majorca.
When should I book a luxury family holiday?
As early as you can. Family villas, connecting rooms and good flight times are limited in the school holidays, so for Christmas, February half-term and the summer we recommend booking up to a year ahead.
Plan your family holiday with us
Our Travel Designers have planned family holidays for every age, from first long-haul trips with toddlers to safaris with teenagers. Tell us your school dates, your children’s ages and what everyone wants from the holiday, and we will find the right destination, resort and room.
Keep planning
- Best luxury family resorts in Europe
- Mauritius holidays
- Ikos resorts
- Is the Maldives good for families?
- Thailand holidays
- Maldives holidays
- Dubai and Abu Dhabi holidays
- Luxury beach holidays
- Latest special offers
Updated November 2026. Flight times are approximate and some routes are seasonal. Kids’ club ages, opening times and services are set by each resort and can change; your Travel Designer will confirm the details for your dates.
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