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These Luxury Resorts Will Make Your Family Vacation the Best Ever
Luxury Travel For The Whole Family
You don't have to choose between having a luxurious vacation and spending quality time with your family. A growing number of high-end resorts around the world are expanding their kids' programming and making great efforts to design a destination that appeals to travelers of all ages. The quality and number of family-friendly luxury resorts is booming, but a handful stand out as our faves for their unique niches. Here are 10 of our favorite places to travel in style with the kids, from foodie getaways to educational desert explorations to family ski trips.
Got your own top family facility? See the results for 10Best readers' favorite family resorts here.Photo courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch
Luxury Disney Vacation: Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes, Fla.
Inject some relaxation and sophistication into your next Disney World vacation and stay at the Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes, located just 15 minutes from Disney territory. You won't find any characters or themes here, just hundreds of acres of open space, a golf course, a veggie garden, hammocks, a whiskey bar and a top-notch spa for mom and dad. Plus, a playground, pool, educational programming, a candy and cookie bar and a playroom for kids. Bonus: Access to a lazy river, free transportation to Magic Kingdom, and one of the top restaurants in Orlando, Highball and Harvest. Grande Lakes is perfectly balanced for all members of the fam.
Photo courtesy of Aimee Heckel
Culture In The Desert: Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa, N.M.
There’s no other resort quite like the Hyatt’s Tamaya Resort & Spa, about 45 minutes south of Santa Fe located on the Santa Ana Pueblo reservation near the Rio Grande. Every detail here is strongly influenced by Native American culture and history, from the building design and decor to its on-site cultural museum to the round, walled style of the “kiva pool.” Go horseback riding on rescued horses, ride bikes on the miles of paths through a thick forest of cottonwoods, go hiking and splash down the slide into one of three pools. At night, relax under the stars while listening to family-friendly stories told by one of three storytellers left in the state. This resort fuses luxury with nature, exploration, history, education and heart.
Photo courtesy of Aimee Heckel
Beachy Wellness: The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Fla.
If you’re looking for a beachfront vacation with a strong connection to nature and healthy living, the Resort at Longboat Key Club on Florida’s West Coast has more than 400 acres for your family to explore. Enjoy nature with the Children’s Beach Walk & Turtle Talk, farm-to-table meals and paddle boarding on the Sarasota Gulf. Teach your kids about health with meditation and the Journey to Wellness package, with unlimited fitness classes, personal training, massage, activities (golf, tennis, kayaking and more), and even meetings with an on-site nutritionist. Total health meets total relaxation.
Photo courtesy of Longboat Key Club
Family Foodie Fun: JW Marriott El Convento Cusco, Peru
Food can be a great way for families to bond and share, which is why a luxury, food-centric vacation is one of our favorite family getaways, and what better location than the gastronomic paradise of Peru? The JW Marriott El Convento Cusco offers a special family foodie package. Kids can learn quinoa cookie-baking with the executive chef (as well as learn some Quechua, the language of the Inca), whereas the adult kitchen action is a little more complex. Make ceviche and lomo saltado, and even sign up for mixology classes. Then relax at the on-site bar and two property restaurants, including Pirqa Restaurant – considered one of Cusco’s top dining establishments.
Photo courtesy of JW Marriott El Convento Cusco
Shopping, Spas and Sophistication: Beverly Wilshire Beverly Hills, A Four Seasons Hotel, Calif.
The Beverly Wilshire is known as one of L.A.’s poshest destinations (and it regularly draws A-list celebs), but this Four Seasons hotel perched at the top of Rodeo Drive goes great lengths to embrace guests of all ages. Kids get a personalized Hollywood star cookie upon arrival and can sign up for their own treatments in the world-class spa (complete with mini robes). Rooms can be child-proofed and stocked with infant supplies. The concierge can make you a personalized family activity guide, or request babysitting if you need adult time. Of course, this ideal location on Rodeo means plenty of shopping within walking distance.
Photo courtesy of Beverly Wilshire
Ski Mountain Getaway: Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Colo.
One of the top luxury resorts in the world is tucked into the stunning Colorado mountains in a ski town called Avon. The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch boasts its own on-site ski lift, but it’s got much more: snowshoe hikes, an on-site photographer for family pics, an arcade room, and fun features like a hot cocoa bar, S’mores and board games. Kids sleep in a mini teepee in your room, and everyone can relax together when the spa opens up its dreamy rock grotto for family night. The Ritz Kids program, led by a naturalist, gets kids ice skating or hiking while mom and dad ski and spa the day away.
Photo courtesy of Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch
Wild Water Adventures: Colony Club, Barbados
Explore the wonders of the water at the Colony Club in Barbados. The resort caters to kids of all ages – from infant furniture to kid buffets and early-meal options – but where it really stands out is with its unique water activities. Sign up for this AAA Four-Diamond resort’s Bait to Plate program, where families and the hotel chef set out on a fishing tour on a private boat in search of fish to cook right at the table. Or go even deeper and sign up for a family-friendly submarine tour, fully submerged under water. Back at the resort, splash in the lagoon-style pools, take banana boat rides and go water skiing.
Photo courtesy of Colony Club
Colorful Kiddie Wonderland: Half Moon, A RockResort, Jamaica
From some vantage points, Half Moon in Jamaica appears to be a luxurious resort designed for children, where parents can come along, too. This unique resort features a giant colorful village and play area, plus various supervised themed huts for different activities. But it’s more than just fun; Half Moon’s programming is educational, too. The whole family can enjoy riding bikes, swimming with dolphins, playing mini golf, riding horses and exploring the 400-plus acre grounds.
Photo courtesy of Half Moon, A Rock Resort
Inspiring and Artistic: Palmetto Bluff, S.C.
Palmetto Bluff in South Carolina is an art exhibit, in and of itself, with sculptures scattered throughout the stunningly landscaped property, and incredible tree houses. The intention is to preserve and enhance the natural splendor, which also provides a great backdrop to family-friendly music and creative programming. Listen to jazz music or bluegrass concerts and enjoy Mother Nature’s creations and stunning views, too. For lodging, you’re sure to find your family’s fit, from cottages to vacation homes – all with stunning details, Southern style and luxurious charm.
Photo courtesy of Palmetto Bluff
Simple and Sweet: Calaway Gardens, Ga.
Get out into the simple beauty of nature with your family at Callaway Gardens in Georgia. This resort is considered one of the finest family excursions in the state, as it’s stretched out across 14,000 acres and spans multiple gardens in the Appalachian foothills. Pick from four different lodging options that include luxurious, private (waterfront or golf course) properties; stay in the deluxe accommodations with rich linens and top-notch details throughout, always surrounded by nature. The resort offers special family packages and every outdoor adventure imaginable, from bike rides to ziplines to activities in the large butterfly habitat.
Photo courtesy of Callaway Gardens
About Aimee Heckel
Aimee Heckel’s passion for storytelling has brought her around the world as a journalist, writing award-winning articles about Haiti and Uganda. Aimee studied international journalism at the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and she majored in journalism and German at Colorado State University. When she's not covering Colorado for Fodor’s Travel Guides and writing for SpaTravelGal.com, she travels and volunteers for Think Humanity, her family's nonprofit that helps refugees in Africa. Heckel also blogs for HuffPost Weird News and writes feature stories, a fashion column and fitness column for the Boulder Daily Camera in Colorado.
Read more about Aimee Heckel here.
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