The 32 Best Family-Friendly Hotels in Europe
Done well, a family vacation can quickly become the most special time of the year—the week you reflect on in December and use to inspire your next trip. The best family-friendly hotels in Europe really get it right, catering to parents and children in equal measure and proving the travel scene's evolution from the old days of primary-colored plastic slides and long lines for the breakfast buffet.
It's true that planning a holiday with children can feel daunting, and making choices for the masses is a big responsibility, but finding what works for you is the key to a successful stay. Whether it's an all-the-bells-and-whistles resort with excursions for teens and five different restaurants on site, or a family-run boutique that welcome babies as if they're one of their own, there's a family-friendly hotel in Europe that promises a wonderful, memorable home away from home.
This edit is a curation of reviews by parents who know what it's like to go abroad with children and teens, and can recognize what makes one of the best family-friendly hotels in Europe worthy of its title. Read on, then plan a stay.
Pine Cliffs Hotel, a Luxury Collection Resort, AlgarvehotelPine Cliffs Hotel, a Luxury Collection Resort
Algarve, Portugal
Nestled along the cliffs on the Algarve’s southern coast is Pine Cliffs Resort, a tranquil retreat spread across 178 acres of shady forest grounds with a chic and loyal family following. It’s peppered with elements of ease—like its close proximity to Faro Airport and host of creative child-friendly activities—but forgoes any traditional “resort” cliche. Forget buffet breakfast lines, pool lounger battles, and overcrowded beaches, this is a place to go and actually feel relaxed.
Guests can choose between the property’s traditional whitewashed villas, which are surrounded by lush gardens and hand-painted hidden fountains, and the modern self-catering apartments which sit in the heart of the action. There are eight swimming pools and 15 restaurants and bars to work your way around, so if seeing it all is your MO, this is the place to be. Babysitting services are available, and cots, bottle warmers, and baby bathtubs are offered at check-in. The nine-hole cliff-top golf course and Serenity Spa mean there’s something specifically for parents who want to do more than lounge in the sun while the children spend time at the Scott Dunn Explorers Kids Club—the largest of its kind in the Algarve. The beach is a steep elevator ride away (never fear, there’s a stroller stand en route) and the 7,000-square-foot pirate playground “Porto Pirata” offers a daily schedule of treasure hunts and animal activities. If that wasn’t enough, little ones can choose between cooking, mini golf, tennis, padel, water sports, and a nature adventure park to get involved in. –Jessica Rach
hotelLe Barn
$Rambouillet, France
It’s a spicy, stroller-treacherous train ride for families from Mont Saint-Michel to Rambouillet (a car transfer is recommended for the uneasy traveler), but glide out of Paris’s elegant Haussmann thickets some 45 minutes and you’ll reach the Parisian-approved rural bolthole, Le Barn. This bucolic idyll of freshly baked baguettes and mist-strewn meadows manages to create the allure of a friend’s tastefully rustic, easy-going farmhouse—the more sticky mitts, the merrier.
While this may strike as utterly un-Parisian, try the remarkably affable waiters and hotel team, who can take the temperature of any internally stressed parent and conjure solutions—in our case, an early in-room supper for grizzly tots. A cluster of renovated barns, new, Montana-style cabin-like structures (with adjoining family rooms) and an old watercolor mill are enveloped by the Rambouillet Forest and fields grazed by horses that roll on to meet the Chevreuse Valley. The scene could easily be sketched into a children’s storybook—pony rides through the oaks and pine (book these in advance), bike excursions (complimentary), and endless Gallic country plaisirs (petanque, pottery, fishing, boating—the list goes on). Families descend for breakfast in disheveled conviction for wafer-thin crepes, thick toast lathered in orchard jams, and perfectly boiled eggs. Restaurant La Serre’s seasonal menus sit comfortingly close to French traditions (with a refreshing absence of global palate pleasers), while afternoon home-baked cakes and hot chocolate help break up the day for families, who typically eat these by the lounge’s traditional ceramic stove or in a sun-drenched conservatory that spills onto a wisteria-topped terrace. Here, Le Barn brings in children’s entertainment over weekends while parents collect themselves over a cocktail and alfresco supper. It’s the ultimate way to round off a trip to Paris—or ditch the city hotels entirely, tick off a few museums, then bolt for Bonelles. You may even squeeze a few rounds of petanque in before dark. –Rosalyn Wikeley
hotelHacienda Na Xamena, Ibiza
$$$Ibiza, Spain
I knew Hacienda Na Xamena in Ibiza welcomed families, but it’s the kind of hotel that doesn’t shout about it and, as such, I didn’t expect to find so much communal space designed with children and teens in mind. This is somewhere families will love if they favor spending time together over splitting up and dropping the children at a kids' club for the week. Facilities feel like a natural addition to the property’s offering as opposed to being shouty and add-on, and there's a real sense of togetherness about how the guests are spending their time. Increasingly, I find dedicated hotel kids’ clubs are celebrated but shut away, hidden and completely separate from the main pool. Haxienda Na Xamena, on the other hand, integrates multigenerational entertainment into the rest of the experience, and I love it.
The family-run element of the hotel feels apparent in a way only a parent could recognize. The open-plan space, soft play section for tinies, and pool table for teens is combined and inviting. It’s open 24 hours and at any given point during my stay, there was someone making the most of it. There’s a small pool suited to little legs set in the shade—and an indoor pool, too, if the heat gets too much—but most guests just congregate around the main one and no one is made to feel unwelcome. This is an opportunity for families to come together in a way that’s wonderfully unstructured—exactly as a vacation should be. I traveled without my clan when I visited, but I was mentally making notes and plotting how and when we could return en masse. –Sarah Leigh Bannerman
Courtesy Four SeasonshotelFour Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens
$$ |
Gold List 2020, 2026 
Hot List 2020 
Readers' Choice Awards 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025Athens, Greece
A heli’s hum signals the touchdown of guests arriving from some nearby islands (Mykonos and Spetses are the popular choices) and legions of bespoke LV suitcases and purring Ferraris tags hint at some of the hotel’s clientele. It may be one of smartest hotels in Greece, yet children are greeted with open arms—it is a 50/ 50 mix between families and adults seeking a whipsmart urban resort. Spacious bungalow offer family living with a plunge pool, kitchen, and multiple rooms. Otherwise, clans can share a studio overlooking the olive-tree lined pool and yacht-studded bay. Egg baths, organic The Botanist and the Chemist toiletries, and a cascade of sweet treats (from a white chocolate caryatid to cones of M&Ms) greet new arrivals, along with a drawing set, kids toys, and (upon request) baby cribs with kids shampoo and baby slippers. But for most, it is straight to the pool. From June the sea is a dream—reached by a sandy beach or steps.
The breakfast buffet is expansive, with plenty of healthy choices such as quinoa salads alongside a make your own pistachio butter machine and homemade yogurts with fresh mango. The kids' club is compact but very popular—here activities range from theater mime workshop to ancient Greek storytelling. However, the extracurricular activities are where the hotel excels. After a daily tennis lesson at the immaculate clay courts, my four-year-old would return to her poolside ice cream perch while my eldest partook in a comic book workshop, coming up with a brilliant two-page drawing under the watchful eye of a professional cartoonist. With more time we would’ve taken a day trip to Hydra, but with school looming the holiday concluded with a dinner of fresh mezze and salt cooked turbot at beachside taverna 37. –Jemima Sissons
Rosewood Castiglion del BoscohotelRosewood Castiglion del Bosco
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022Tuscany, Italy
This beautifully maintained 800-year-old estate is set within the UNESCO-listed Val d’Orcia Natural Park—a 5,000-acre, enticing space ideal for little legs to get utterly worn out in, toddling between the dreamy Cypress trees, ancient little church, and sparkling infinity pool. The recently refurbished Rosewood Explorers Kids’ Club offers quite possibly the most varied range of locally-inspired activities in the region, including pizza-, pasta-, and biscuit-making; salt and dough art; harvesting in the kitchen garden; coffee-composting; flower-arranging; birdhouse building; Italian classes; painting; pottery; movie nights and more (those younger than three must be accompanied by an adult, and babysitting can be arranged). It even has a sustainability-focused initiative to help educate “the next generation of earth's stewards” (to truly minimize parent guilt).
Outside this child-zone, kids are made to feel equally welcome in the two excellent restaurants: the Osteria La Canonica trattoria, and the Michelin-star Ristorante Campo del Drago. Children’s meals are served to order in both, as well as on the extensive Brunello di Montalcino wine-tasting tour (complete with crayons, coloring pads, and mini platters). Come winter, a small Christmas market pops up, along with Santa’s secret retreat and an ice skating rink. Parents can pick to stay in one of the 11 villas, some with heated pools, for extra space. –Becky Lucas
Courtesy Hillside Beach ClubhotelHillside Beach Club
Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2021Fethiye, Turkey
On a private cove of white sand, lapped by turquoise water and bookended by pine-forested cliffs, Hillside Beach Club is a completely dreamy beach hideaway designed with families in mind. Suites have adjoining rooms with shared terraces; there are six restaurants and bars, three beaches (one adults-only), and two spas. The whole spot is utterly sublime, but the stand-out is the innovative roster of workshops and events for children and adults, among them BFI screenings, drumming workshops, silk painting, jazz yoga, live music on the beach and on a floating stage, while three kids' clubs offer entertainment as diverse as DJing sessions for tweens, piano lessons for primary schoolers, plus sailing, diving, e-biking, and tennis. A great option for only children who can meet new friends easily. Fethiye and all its outdoorsy diversions (hiking, paragliding, diving, ruins) are nearby. —Laura Fowler
hotelAlmyra
Paphos, Cyprus
Paphos city and its melee may be moments from Almyra, but you’ll be hard-pressed to drag yourself from the hotel’s family comforts. Every age group is catered for, from the five freshwater pools—including one for kids, heated and partially shaded by a beautiful olive tree, and one sleek adults’-only option, some distance away—to tennis and swimming lessons for the easily bored, and the mighty, multi-spaced kids’ club. Split into groups from four months to teens, it guarantees the most attention-grabbing activities—from rather impressive art projects to exploring the nearby harbor and castle. It comes armed with everything a young human could possibly need, including the space-saving Baby Go Lightly service (also on offer at Anassa, which is owned by the same family), enabling you to pre-order most paraphernalia ahead of time, from car seats to swim diapers.
Parents can therefore shoot off stress-free to the adults’-only wellness spa for a spot of sage-smudging, meditation, and massage. You actually want to spend time all together? Book an experience: maybe picking and pressing olive oil, or trekking to where Aphrodite met Adonis. The ultimate highlight here, however, is the food. From heavenly sushi and miso cod at cool Japanese-Mediterranean fusion spot Notios, to super-fresh fish and salads served with a serenade at beachside Cypriot restaurant Ouzeri, all dishes are wonderfully distant from chicken nuggets. Somehow this reasonably priced family-owned hotel manages to be laid-back enough for rambunctious crews, yet smart enough for grown-ups searching for a real escape. —B.L.
Sakis PapadopouloshotelPorto Zante Villas & Spa
$$$ | Gold List 2020, 2024 Readers' Choice Awards 2022, 2023, 2025Zakynthos, Greece
The promise of a villa that has all the bells and whistles of a family-friendly hotel is pretty irresistible. The space, yes, the privacy too, but also the bed-making in your wake, the sweeping up of toys and trails of crumbs. So it’s surprising that this tucked-away spot on Zakynthos’s green east coast, with its nine houses on a hillside above an immaculate bay, remains so under the radar. This is not driftwood, sun-faded, rustic Greece. Rooms are decked out in Armani Casa and Bang & Olufsen, with Bulgari soaps and lotions (and special kids’ versions) in the bathrooms, while outside teak sunbeds shaded by zingy, canary-yellow umbrellas surround each pool (stocked with a menagerie of inflatables plus baby pool seats and armbands). It’s the kind of supremely well-thought-out place that means for once there isn’t more luggage than people traveling. Cots, baby gates, strollers, highchairs are already there. Down on the beach are buckets, shovels, diggers, and wheelbarrows, with pedal boats, paddle boards, and sea canoes on standby for the energetic.
The kids’ club is filled with craft materials and table-football games, and offers treasure hunts, mini Zumba classes, and smoothie-and-dance parties. In the evening, the lovely Vasiliki Bekioti can babysit while you slip down paths lined with bougainvillea and giant geranium to Maya, the Asian restaurant with a terrace that juts out over the Ionian. But a restaurant that comes to you is much easier. Course after course can be set up at a white-linen-covered table under the pergola, the baby monitor still in range as you sip buttery Greek Chardonnay. Everything is seamless, in part because the owner is a perfectionist. Are the tempura oysters at Maya just-so crisp? Is the Roots Rakomelo, a honeyed digestif that tastes of Christmas, served at the ideal temperature? Is the sand on the beach swept in perpendicular lines? The answer here appears always to be yes. —B.L.
Courtesy Puente Romano Beach ResorthotelPuente Romano Beach Resort
Readers' Choice Awards 2021Marbella, Spain
Wander out to the balcony around sunrise and beyond the bougainvillea and ceiba flowers rustling in the breeze you’ll hear the Mediterranean rolling in. Built like a traditional Andalucian village with whitewashed walls, sky-blue ceramic tiles, and winding terra-cotta pathways, Puente Romano opened in the late 1970s just down the Golden Mile from its older sister, The Marbella Club. And after a series of refurbishments and embellishments—including a Six Senses spa, Nobu outpost, and turbo-charged tennis club where Novak Djokovic’s coaches Pepe Imaz and Marko Djokovic give lessons to guests—it may even have the edge now. While most of southern Spain’s smartest stays shout about their seclusion, this hotel is firmly rooted as a local hub—there will be a gang of cocktail-sipping marbellís at Ibiza offshoot El Chiringuito, weekending madrileño couples strolling on the silver-sand beach, and Valencian children trotting to cooking classes in the dynamic kids’ club. It is a busy machine of a place veiled as a laidback hangout.
Dawn beach yoga gives way to lazy breakfasts of mushroom omelettes, just-cut jamón, and freshly squeezed orange juice at Bali-feel Sea Grill before a dip in one of the pools. The spa gets booked up for its CBD-oil massages, as do martial-arts sessions in the recently revamped gym (the wellness and fitness program is ever-changing). In the evening, as the sky swirls dusty pink, everyone gathers by the first-century Roman bridge at buzzy La Plaza. Punchy chili-coconut mojitos do the rounds; superstar Dani García’s team delivers wood-fired tapas and succulent steaks; and Nobu chef Eleni Manousou works magic with market-fresh produce in spinach and miso salads or spicy salmon maki. The sun-baked Costa del Sol sometimes gets short shrift, but for an all-singing, all-dancing, everything-at-your-fingertips break, this is about as reliable as it gets.
Courtesy Sani ResorthotelPorto Sani
$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025Halkidiki, Greece
While Sani Resort as a whole, with its stellar reputation, is a fail-safe option for exhausted parents any time between May and October (and even better for those with under-fours who can avoid school holidays), picking which part of the sprawling set-up to stay in is trickier. Our focus is on Porto Sani, tucked away in the lush manicured grounds like a secret hangout. What it lacks in beach frontage it more than makes up for with bobbing-boat views and finger-clicking-quick access to the shops and restaurants of the marina. There was a recent refurb—rooms now channel a stripped-back, sun-bleached palette with pale duck-egg blues, abstract seascapes on the walls, and hessian and rattan making an appearance in the sitting rooms. And while that all sounds nerve-rackingly easy for children to trash, this is actually one of the most family-friendly parts of the complex.
Kids go wild for the looping, lagoon-like swimming pools; there is a mass of choice when it comes to rooms (suites, extra bedrooms, interconnecting, with a garden, with a pool); and Annabel Karmel makes a starry appearance on all the menus. The gelateria is a 30-second scoot away, as is a brilliant supermarket for picking up any forgotten essentials—although you’ll find practically everything you need in your room. There is a kind of village vibe here, with children forming little tribes, ordering their own juices from the bar, plotting and planning to go into the kids' club at the same time. It’s hard to ask for more than that. Be sure to pre-book dinner reservations before you even get on the plane. It sounds nuts, but if you want that sunset slot at gorgeous sushi restaurant Katsu or at the pretty taverna Ouzerie in Sani Club, you need to be on the ball.
Rupert PeacehotelOne&Only Portonovi
$$$ | Hot List 2022Portonovi, Montenegro
Mountains, pine forests, and preserved medieval villages ring the sumptuous, fjord-like Bay of Kotor. More recently, slick super-yacht marinas have been popping up along the shore. The latest is Portonovi Village, home to the first European outpost of the glossy One&Only marque that is more often seen on the beaches of Mauritius and the Maldives. It has pulled out all the stops here. Children start the day devouring doughnuts at breakfast before joining the melee at KidsOnly, a club for treasure hunts and telescope making, science labs, and stick-raft building.
Parents lurk by the pool in Chanel beachwear, ordering Veuve Clicquot by 11 a.m. The most health-conscious focus on recalibration in the heavyweight Chenot Espace, which offers medical-grade diagnostics and transformative treatments from wellness pioneer Henri Chenot. Sabia turns out the best Italian dishes this side of the Adriatic—don’t skip pizza-making in the kitchen. In summer, the kids’ club is open for movie nights on request, meaning parents can slip off to sushi suppers at the Tapasake Club. It’s not often that indulgence can be this family-friendly. —Fiona Kerr
Andronis ArcadiahotelAndronis Arcadia
Santorini, Greece
Much of the whitewashed hotels on Santorini are confined to honeymoon-worthy adults-only stays, which is why Andronis Arcadia—one of five Andronis properties on the island—is a real find for families. There's no scrimping regarding swoon-worthy good looks—suites here retain the island's authenticity, with bright-white-meets-earthy-neutral interiors composed as if they've been carved out of the rock itself. With only suites and villas, there's room for the whole crew—the largest villa sleeps up to 12. All open out onto private infinity pools. There are three more sweeping pools on the property (including one for kids) to choose from, each cascading down the caldera and offering a unique perspective. Activities for tinies are in keeping with the hotel's nature-loving ethos—yoga, family cooking classes, and a kids' club with a considered focus on holistic learning. Dining options include the Pacman Sunset Restaurant, where the sushi menu is a standout, and the Beef Bar, which, as the name suggests, specializes in carnivorous street food, plus a decent selection of vegetarian options. The staff here are what really brings the magic to life, though. Ever accommodating, knowledgeable, and passionate about making your stay peaceful and personal. —Tanya Fernandes
Rocco Forte HotelshotelVerdura Resort, Sicily
Readers' Choice Awards 2019, 2020, 2025Sicily, Italy
An evergreen beachside hangout, this hotel was a labor of love for Rocco Forte and his sister Olga Polizzi when it opened more than a decade ago on the southwest coast of Sicily. The huge estate, between the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento and the fishing village of Sciacca, remains as slick as ever. Its architecture, a pared-back, modernist affair, has stood the test of time, the whitewashed buildings sitting strong in the rugged landscape dotted with olive groves and fragrant citrus trees. New are 20 Hollywood Hills–style villas with private pools, and while they might look terribly grown-up, with earthy tones of terra-cotta and ochre and handcrafted ceramics, they come decked out with night lights, safety plugs, baby bathtubs, and other crucial paraphernalia. The whole place is subtly but deftly geared towards the smaller members of the family.
Fussy eaters won’t have anything to complain about, feasting on spaghetti al pomodoro on colorful plates at Liolà trattoria. Food miles are minimal—the fish at all four restaurants is fresh from the sea. Extra energy is burnt off in the sports clubs, where professionals train in everything from football to windsurfing, on the tennis courts, dive-bombing into the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and cycling around the 568-acre grounds, which are flat enough to navigate with a stroller. The kids' club is full of singing-and-dancing Sicilian Mary Poppins organizing fun and games. Toddlers can take naps in a cool sleep room while parents have theirs under the umbrellas on the sandy beach or on a treatment bed in the state-of-the-art spa. Chic, easy to get to, and high-octane, this may be where Diane von Furstenberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Bradley Cooper come to attend Google Camp, but it’s also a laid-back refuge for those looking for some vitamin D-fueled downtime and to feel the sea breeze on the whole family’s skin.
Insider Tip: Carve out at least a few wellness-focused hours—the spa is quietly up there with the very best in Italy. Alongside serious results-driven programs, Rocco’s daughter Irene Forte has created a menu of facials using her own natural skincare line made with olive oil, nuts, and herbs grown on Verdura’s farm.
Courtesy Leading Hotels of the WorldhotelAirelles Château de la Messardière
$$$ | Readers' Choice Awards 2021, 2022, 2024Saint-Tropez, France
The hedonistic charms in this part of France are particularly famous, and this glorious Saint-Tropez hotel offers the perfect invitation to flop beneath olive trees amid the soothing peace of a 12.5-acre estate away from the main event. The fairy-tale château, from the group behind Le Grand Contrôle in Versailles, is all turrets and cupolas with a sun-blazed ochre façade.
The suites spoil with sea or pool views, homewares from French brands such as Bernadaud, and citrus products from Parisian perfumer Blaise Mautin. Creative dining panders to every tantrum and tiredness level, including Italian in Palladio and pan-Asian at Nobu-partnered Matsuhisa (kudos for the DJ and itinerant magician). Seafood and cocktails with lavender, thyme, and other local herbs seduce guests in the superlative beach club on A-lister Plage de Pampelonne. But where are all les enfants? Having a ball at the kids’ club, a palatial villa with activity rooms (Lego kingdom, arcade games, art studio, pottery workshop, cinema, you name it), trampolines, tennis courts, a treehouse, pirate-ship playground, and outdoor pool.
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George Fakaros/Santa Marina, a Luxury Collection Resort, MykonoshotelSanta Marina, a Luxury Collection Resort, Mykonos
$$$ | Gold List 2023 Readers' Choice Awards 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025Mykonos, Greece
Remember announcing pre-parenthood that having children wouldn’t change your holidays? This could be as close as you’ll ever get to realizing that statement without actually leaving the little ones at home. Looking out from the deck of the bar across the water, the DJ’s house music playing discreetly in the background, it feels like you might just have beaten the system. The hotel sums up Greek chic. A family-run classic hideout, it was treated to a full refurbishment a few years ago by the owner, Christiana Papageorgiou. Out went the traditional taupe and in came coral artwork, bamboo furniture, basket lamps, and vintage-style traveling trunks. Unlike the town’s party beaches and narrow streets, it is not short on space. Tiny tantrums are easily hidden; there is room to run around. Vast rattan day beds with hoods are great for lunchtime snoozes under super-size beach towels. Lunch is served as early as you want, and there’s a constant stream of fruit smoothies and ice cream by the pool.
Forget bringing the stroller: there is an elevator to all levels of the estate, which is cut rather impressively into the rocks. There is also a sleek boat that zips around the island to the beach clubs, so no time is wasted on winding roads in Greek taxis. Not that there is any reason to leave. This is the only private stretch of sand on Mykonos, and it’s all yours. Beach attendants are incredibly friendly and attentive, despite the obligatory dark glasses and swagger, and there is no shortage of sunbeds, front row or otherwise. The scene-y Buddha-Bar attracts plenty of private yachters coming ashore, so parents more accustomed to spooning lobster spaghetti into kids’ mouths can still get a small hit of the party vibe.
Eleonora D'AngeloVilla Sant'Andrea, A Belmond Hotel
Taormina Mare, Sicily
Once the coastal home of a Cornish engineer, this white-washed, terra-cotta-roofed villa traces the curve of Taormina’s Bay of Mazzarò and embodies an elegant, old money Mediterrania. Less hotel, the stylish interiors echo its past life as a comfortable family home, with local art lining the walls, upholstered sofas softening the marble floors, and uplit shelves deftly displaying coffee table books, antiques, and seaside trinkets. All rooms (cleverly stocked with children’s games and toys) enjoy views of the bay, though parents should book ahead to nab the family suites, with separate rooms for kids and terraces decked with sun loungers (to recline on while tots nap). Room decor feels upmarket coastal, with rattan, lobster-basket-esque lamp shades, milky colors, and mahogany dressers sitting alongside midcentury cabinets. There’s a refined nostalgia that weaves its way through all the contemporary touches, and reaches its peak on the pine-shaded terraces, where children can scarf spaghetti and just-caught fish before winding down to the fine shingle beach, armed with a Belmond bucket and shovel.
Parents can enjoy some undisturbed beach time, or a tasty beef carpaccio and seafood linguini lunch, at Sant’Andrea restaurant while their beloveds are painting pottery in the kids' club (for ages four through 12) or being led down like ducklings to the beach for treasure hunts. There are specific family pool windows to lower shoulders with any excessive splashing, and children will enjoy listening to the jazz band and live singers easing guests into the evening. The hotel’s main restaurant can feel quiet and grown-up in the evening (it doesn't open until 7:30 p.m.) so it’s worth considering a nearby restaurant or an early tots supper on the terrace at Bar Sant’Andrea’s Brace Grill. Book a babysitter in advance to dive into the hotel’s exquisite menus (hands free) and experimental wine list (including Etna’s finest underwater wines). –R.W.
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Courtesy Cullinan BelekCullinan Balek
Antalya, Turkey
Cullinan Belek is quite the construction; it feels positively Herculean in its sheer clunk and chunk. The shiniest, glitziest lobby, all squeaky marble, will see you and your travel-weary brood bedazzled as you’re fetched Champagne, hibiscus tea, chocolate-dipped strawberries, and homemade macarons. Yes, it’s a big-bananas, all-inclusive kind of place. Still, it cleverly manages to retain a sense of style and intimacy with your own duo of personal assistants (ask for Ayse and Deniz) who ensure your stay runs as smoothly as honey.
Kids will go mad for the easy-breezy swim-up rooms, rolling from their beds onto a floatie in seconds. There’s so much to do here, and quite frankly, it’s impossible to get bored: 13 swimming pools, a waterpark with 13 slides, tennis and basketball courts, a bowling alley and an arcade, not to mention a 36-hole golf course. The sheer size and openness are an adventure without it being in the least bit hard to negotiate, which is important when you’re rocking around with snoozing babies in strollers. Days whirl by in a flurry but are best spent lying horizontal in a linen-draped cabana on the private beach as your butler fetches you one more bellini, and the little ones gorge on unlimited ice cream and zonk out after a morning at the sprawling Upupa Kids Club with soft play, a pottery room, cinema, and outdoor playground. Meanwhile, the 11 restaurants are sparkling and sophisticated—you’ll pay extra for the a la carte, but the Beef Grill Club and teppanyaki at Nori Asian are not to be missed. When you can make a break for it, book a soul-soothing Balinese massage in the spa. Prepared to be dragged away. —Annabelle Spranklen
Henrique SerucaPraia do Canal
Aljezur, Portugal
You’ll find Praia do Canal where the drama of the Atlantic pounds limestone cliffs and surfers dot the waves. This is Portugal’s wild west coast, and the resort sits just inland on its own 500 acres, in a protected spot with space for exploring. Praia do Canal’s particular beauty lies in its privileged sense of space. There are paths to follow through the forest; bicycles to ride down bumpy tracks to a pebbled beach; and expanses of verdant lawns beyond the seemingly never-ending infinity pool.
The subtle kasbah aesthetic that pervades the airy, modern, and somewhat minimalist rooms is a nod to the Algarve’s Moorish heritage. Two-bedroom family suites lead to lawns inset with private pools so parents can keep a close eye on splashing children. Regional dishes such as codfish and chickpea purée and veal with sweet-potato chips blend vague familiarity with new tastes for young palates (or, there’s always wood-fired pizzas), while local products are to the fore for parents: cheeses from Odemira, Serpa, and Evora; the black pork of Barrancos and Estremoz; fish from the sea at the end of the gardens.
Cocktails made with fruit from a strawberry tree at the Medronho Bar and an Elemis-stocked spa with glass walls that appear to melt into the leafy landscape complete the parent-pleasing picture.
Heinz Troll/MarBella ElixhotelElix, Mar-Bella Collection
$ | Hot List 2022 Readers' Choice Awards 2022, 2023Igoumenitsa, Greece
You should choose to arrive at Elix by private boat transfer from Corfu. Even the surliest adolescent will be exhilarated by the Mediterranean breeze, the coves, caves, and secluded beaches. Like a hidden Bond villain’s lair, the hotel, which opened in 2021, emerges from the pine-covered hillside, with a funicular running down to the cream-colored sands of Karavostasi beach. In another life, this was a favorite hangout of German campers. Today, it’s one of the best beach hotels in Europe, home to inviting sunbeds and a slick beach restaurant and bar, Azure.
Helping to cut down the list of what to pack when traveling with a baby, the hotel provides strollers and baby monitors, plus has a well-stocked shop and heated and shaded children’s pool. The hotel draws on its surroundings, with complimentary sailing and snorkeling around underwater meadows, hiking, yoga, and mountain biking on land. A London creative events company organizes everything from star gazing to Greek mythology games for children come summer. Choose from nine family-room options, some with panoramic private pools or two level—all of them, like the rest of the hotel, comfortable but super chic; beachy but beautifully pared back. –B.L.
HEINZ TROLLhotelIkos Andalusia
Readers' Choice Awards 2023Estepona, Spain
As you cycle along the boardwalk that leads to Estepona, it’s fun to peek over walls at the other hotels and villas—a Malibu-like jumble of architectural styles that track Marbella’s evolution. Ikos arrived in 2021 with a fresh approach and an aquatic symmetry—buildings are set on either side of four main swimming pools, leading down to the beach—that would have the designers of the Alhambra tipping their hat. Dolphin inflatables and pool-side rosé appear throughout the day, the newsletter perused—aqua aerobics at 9 a.m., perhaps, with football for teens before lunch.
This is the brand’s first hotel outside Greece, but it’s the sleekest, an Ibizan-style chiringuito writ large in white walls, rattan, and straw lampshades. Ikos’s great idea was to redefine the all-inclusive concept for those who’d never normally consider it. Room service and bottles of Taittinger are covered, as is a round of golf if desired, and there’s an urban buzz to the many restaurants, mostly devised by Michelin-grade chefs (try the Spanish and Greek first), and bars (cocktails by Shoreditch-based Marian Beke). What’s more, guests are encouraged to connect with the region. A day’s Mini Cooper rental is thrown in and the all-inclusive perks are extended to local restaurants, meaning you never feel hemmed in. The only downside is the Melissa Odabash kaftans in the pool shop are not included.
Damir Fabijanić/Courtesy Maslina ResorthotelMaslina Resort
$$ | Hot List 2021Stari Grad, Croatia
One of last year’s most interesting but under-the-radar openings in the Med is Maslina, a hideout on the rocky coastline of Hvar. Not one of Dubrovnik’s grandes dames, or the more barefoot, lo-fi hotels that dot the islands, but something in between. The positioning is high end, high level, high expectations, but with a 21st-century spin and sustainability at the forefront. From a distance, the low-rise wood-clad buildings are barely distinguishable from the earthy green of the Aleppo pine and olive trees—natural building materials were integral to architect Tomislav Alujević’s design. Inside, everything is open and minimal: sheer linen curtains divide the lobby and library, and a huge slab of Brać stone makes up the reception desk. Interiors don’t distract from the sea outside; the hypnotically blue swipe of Adriatic is glimpsed through every window. It’s this water you will be drawn to for snorkeling, kayaking, and exploring the many swimming spots.
For those happier on dry land, the kids’ club hosts cooking classes and climbing-wall sessions, plus farm tours and tree planting. During the day, everyone pads around in their swimsuits, wandering up from sunbathing decks or the saltwater pool for a long lunch. There are cycling and trekking routes through lavender fields, as well as wine and olive-oil tastings at nearby producers, but if you’d rather stay horizontal, the spa treatments incorporating sound healing and reiki are very good. Come nightfall, the vibe turns sultry; cocktails served in golden glasses, dinner by candlelight. If you’re staying in one of the villas, definitely book the babysitter and room service for the children. —Anja Mutic
Courtesy Craveiral FarmhouseCraveiral Farmhouse
Alentejo, Portugal
Eight years in the making, this project—a self-sustaining quinta set in the dusty hills of Odemira in the Alentejo—has finally come to fruition. The founding trio, Pedro Franca Pinto, João Canilho, and Luís Capinha, owners of gorgeous Casa Amora guesthouse in Lisbon, became fixated with the idea of communal living; of forging a place where families could get up close to nature and experience the workings of a modern-day farm—and their rambling, village-like set-up offers exactly that. Whitewashed houses are clustered around courtyards, with simple wooden terraces for watching fiery sunsets; inside, they’re light and bright, with jolts of color (a mustard armchair, a navy Hästens bed frame) and slate kitchens for stashing eggs fresh from the hen coop.
Rooms are just a bicycle-pedal from the main house, with its curving walls that offer shelter from the Atlantic breeze and a huge pool where children can splash and parents can snooze on loungers. Interiors are cool and contemporary: beneath undulating ceilings are Nordic-style tables, on which breakfasts of charcuterie and soft cheeses, lemon cake and sun-sweetened nectarines are served next to the open fireplace. The buttery suede sofas are less forgiving of sticky fingers, but once the kids are in bed, it’s a great spot for a nightcap, in reach of the help-yourself bar and some very drinkable honey liqueur. Supper is pulled straight from the vegetable patch and whipped up by Portuguese grandmothers: chilled melon and garlic soup, black pork with tangy tomato bread, rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon. Even the Vicentino Alvarinho, from the nearby winery, is a love affair with local living. As is the cork that lines the sauna— the sleek concrete spa is a beauty, with a hammam lit by burnished copper lanterns—and the logs that carpet the entrance. Sustainability runs through Craveiral’s veins: rainwater is collected and filtered; old trees become fuel for wood-burning stoves. A stay here is delightful—a place where children can ride horses by day, and then sleep with nothing but a billowing curtain between them and the great outdoors.
Courtesy Eagles ResortEagles Villas at Eagles Resort
Halkidiki, Greece
Wouldn’t it be lovely to read more than 10 minutes of your book on vacation, or cool off in the Aegean Sea with your partner, while your kids are having a ridiculous amount of fun without you? Located on the third peninsula of Halkidiki, in mainland Greece, a manageable 90-minute transfer from the airport, family-owned Eagles Villas is the answer to frazzled parents’ prayers. It’s not just down to the private pools, shallow beach, and thoughtful in-room extras (cute mini bathrobes and bubbles for the huge standalone bathtubs) but also for the Scott Dunn Explorers Kids Club.
You’ll know you’re onto a good thing from the moment you arrive—a canary-yellow rash vest, smart forest-green backpack, hat, and water bottle are waiting for your children in the villa. Wander down the hill to the Explorers Club base and you’ll find a light-filled room full of every wooden toy imaginable, with cozy corners for babies ages four months and above, and other spaces for toddlers to teens (officially, children can be booked in up until the age of 12). Cue days crammed with fun—bug hunts in the gardens, messy play and painting, sandcastle building sessions on the beach, and swimming pool joy, with picture updates sent through on WhatsApp (if you wish). As for you? Well, the infinity pool is quite the spot to take in sweeping views across the sea. Or the beach, with its gentle waves, is a place where you could lose hours simply floating on your back, enjoying rare peace and quiet. After a few hours apart, you can reconvene at sunset for an evening meal virtually on the water at Armyra, one of the best fish restaurants in the region (get a lemon-doused grilled fish of the day to share). You’ll return home relaxed, and dare we say rested, knowing you’re onto a very good thing. –Hannah Summers
Courtesy Caserio Del MiradorCaserio del Mirador
Jalon, Spain
If you’re very lucky, once in your life you come across a hotel that is so special you want to keep it a closely guarded secret. Against a backdrop of the soaring Sierra Bernia mountains overlooking the winemaking town of Xaló lies this unpretentious country house, only an hour’s drive from the hubbub of Alicante. Totally off-grid, with 95% of its energy produced from solar panels, this is the antithesis of Spain’s sprawling resorts, where owners Sarah and Johnny welcome in you and your brood like long-lost friends. Caserio del Mirador does family holidays but on a slow, slow burn. Stylish and chic, yes, but totally unfussy. Wherever you are—chilling out under shady verandas as little ones scoot about in the sandpit or lounging poolside with an Aperol Spritz—there are acres of rugged wilderness rolling beneath you. Raid the honesty bar that is piled high with cold beers and ice cream as your kids help themselves to toys, dolls, and pool floats.
There are just six apartments and a stand-alone casita, all varying in size, some with extra bedrooms for little ones, all with mini kitchenettes and private terraces that frame views of sun-dappled hills and waving palm fronds, each filled with age-appropriate toys and books. Forget screen time; they’ll be too busy cuddling the bunnies, fetching eggs from the chickens, feeding pigs Peppa and Daisy, and riding Furia and Turrón, the Shetland ponies, or the real-life tractor that’s nestled under parched groves. Every morning, a breakfast hamper is delivered to your front door, the smell of just-baked croissants and sun-ripened fruit wafting through the window to the ambient trill of birdsong. There’s a daily kids’ tea (except Monday and Wednesdays) where even the fussiest of eaters will be tucking into just-caught calamari and Sarah’s famous Sunday paella, with hearty, locally-inspired home-cooked meals for the grown-ups once the kids hit the pillow. Laughter drifts through the warm Mediterranean breeze with a night sky bejeweled with a billion stars; this is the laid-back, free-range family vacation you’ve long been yearning for. –A.S.
George Fakaros/Autograph CollectionDomes Aulūs Zante
Zakynthos, Greece
The most family-friendly of the Domes hotels, a collection which includes 13 locations across Greece and Portugal, Domes Aulūs Zante opened in a protected turtle sanctuary on the island’s longest beach in summer 2022. Understated, slow-paced, and sustainability focused, it’s another of the Med’s new school of all-inclusive hotels, set within 230 acres of white-sand pine forest with earth-toned roomy suites that sleep up to six. The interactive kids’ club, inspired by the child-led Montessori and Reggio Emilia educational methods and open to four to 12 year olds, meets UK Ofsted standards and includes a beachside gazebo classroom and botanical eco garden where your “Turtle Scouts” can learn how to support the local reptile’s habitat. The whole family can go along on eco-friendly recycling excursions and trips to botanical gardens, or to meet the farmers and fishermen who supply the resort’s restaurants. And those after an even-more-exclusive stay can opt for its “Cool Living” section: its “hotel within a hotel” that includes suites in a private area with dedicated concierge services. —B.L.
Courtesy Phāea Cretan MaliaPhāea Cretan Malia
Crete, Greece
A considered boho revamp has given this classic Crete hotel on the north-east shore of the island a second wind. Opened by the Sbokou family in the 1980s—with low-rise buildings set in tropical gardens of banana trees, palms, and cacti—it is now drawing in a curious Euro crowd. On the private beach, Italian couples kick back and sunbathe, a bookish Parisian flicks through the latest Prix Goncourt-winning novel, and a group of Germans order a round of Negronis. Little ones come out of the kids’ club giggling before splashing into the river-like swimming pool, racing for the pink flamingo and crocodile inflatables. Teens hang out at The Place, with its hammock-strung outdoor cinema, where parents are kindly invited not to come. The modernist spaces were cleverly designed more than three decades ago—despite having 204 rooms, the property never feels overcrowded. Nature envelops it all: the many trees provide shade throughout the grounds and the grassy lawn makes everything smell cool and fresh even in the searing summer heat.
When Agapi and Costantza Sbokou undertook the complete renovation in 2019, they focused on sustainability and the Cretan soul of the place. Designer Vana Pernari opted for knocked-back tonal textures for the interiors with lots of ceramics, wood and stone, plus nature-inspired jungle green and Aegean blue alongside works by urban artists Thanassis and Dimitris Kretsis. Make a beeline for the deluxe family bungalows—with their built-in bunks and separate bedrooms for the grown-ups, they get snapped up early. At Mouries restaurant, the large open kitchen with a huge fireplace hosts cooking lessons using vegetables from the garden during the day and becomes a farm-to-table taverna after sunset. It’s lovely to feast on local flavors under the starry sky listening to the sound of the lyre. This is definitely an elegant new look for Malia.
Georg Roske/SonnwiesSonnwies
Bolzano, Italy
You sense a unique vibe at Sonnwies—an exclusively family-only wellness, ski, and farm hotel—when you first arrive. Perhaps it’s down to the mutual understanding shared by all the adults-with-hangers-on here. It’s a place for parents who want to enjoy the finer things in life no matter how many boundary-pushing blow-ups their toddlers or teens may have in store. You know, finer things such as the slopes of UNESCO World Heritage Site the Dolomites, organic fine dining and drinking, and luxurious but eco-friendly design. Fortunately, the many creative activities on offer in the phenomenal kids' and babies' clubs are likely to stop oncoming tantrums in their tracks, from pony rides and alpaca-patting to finding breakfast eggs at the little farm and taking part in productions in the huge theater. Access to a nearly 3,000-foot-long slope and lift comes included, with private ski lessons easily arranged for those aged two-and-a-half and up.
Besides the farm fare and soft-scoop ice cream on tap, Sonnwies’ very highest highlight is its five pools, including a shallow option with a cinema screen, speedy slides, and an indoor-outdoor heated pool from which steam dreamily wafts—ideally situated for swimmers to marvel at the snow-capped mountains nearby—or the firepit come nightfall. —B.L.
Nicola Neri/Courtesy of OasyhotelOasyhotel
Tuscany, Italy
“There will be wolves,” was all the incentive needed to stir enthusiasm in my perma-wired boys, aged 10 and 13, for a few nights at Oasyhotel, a new collection of sixteen Scandinavian-inspired wooden lodges perched 3,600 feet up a mountain in the Tuscan Apennines. As we sat around a campfire on our first evening, mesmerized by the crystal-clear sky, the wolves felt tantalizingly close, even if seeing these elusive animals in daylight is rare. Wolves spotted: zero, but the deep nature immersion had a magnetic pull regardless. The entire site is a World Wide Fund for Nature reserve, with regenerative principles at its core, so wildlife, including deer, wild boar, and foxes, roams free. But the real magic was the thrill of whizzing up and down mountain trails at speed: we were kitted out with electric bikes on arrival.
This former hunting estate is set in more than 2,470 acres of wildflower meadows, and beech and pine forests. We visited in deepest autumn, but in the summer a lake offers swimming, paddleboarding, and kayaking. For grateful parents, there is yoga and an on-site spa offering transportive massages. And for kids, the young and utterly charming staff brought a relaxed and fun energy, even during the swanky dinners in Le Felci, one of two restaurants. The ecological ethos extends to the food: 70% of the produce used at the hotel comes from the mountain, so breakfast included the estate’s own organic yogurts, cheeses, jams and juices, while dinners were mostly rich, hearty and meaty Tuscan dishes of pork, rabbit, and beef. The younger and pickier guests among us were plied with fantastic burgers, cotoletta cutlets, and fries on repeat. Less popular with my boys was a morning spent making caciotta cheese in the dairy (my idea of heaven), but feeding the farm’s Limousin cattle next door distracted them. It’s hard to imagine cows having this transfixing effect at home, but on the mountain, nature wove its magic. –Clare Coulson
Yotam Sandak/Courtesy of Kimpton Aysla MallorcaKimpton Aysla Mallorca
Mallorca, Spain
One of Aysla’s key attractions isn’t mentioned on the website or by the concierge. Each morning, on the golf driving range adjoining the Mallorca hotel, a teenager trundles a buggy up and down, arms outstretched to scoop up golf balls. The Pac-Man-esque diligence becomes a daily fixture for me and my son, watching from the balcony sunbeds. “Yes,” we agree, “that would be an excellent job to have.” We’re on the southern side of Mallorca here, but not directly on the coast; instead tucked away on a residential hillside enclave beloved of local families, with the busy sands of Santa Ponsa just five minutes away. Aysla is American group Kimpton’s debut opening in Spain, and the branding is subtle: designed by Mallorcan architect Guillermo Reynés, both the main hub (in the former hacienda-style golf club) and the clean-cut, modernist bedroom wing act as showcases for the island’s artisans.
Hammock chairs and bulbous ceramics here, geometric tiles and woven lampshades there, and a curiously feminine installation with layers of silk like an oyster shell sitting above the check-in desk. Outside, little paths wind past pomegranate and olive trees, punctuated by wicker seats and benches so that, at night, the garden resembles a fairy grotto. You can venture out on the hotel’s e-bikes to experience the cheap thrills of Santa Ponsa and the swanky marina at Puerto Portals, where there’s a quieter beach, but mainly this is a place to lie back and let the island do its thing. Aysla opened in fall 2022, and subsequent seasons have brough T-shirt-painting and ceramics sessions, along with a Mediterranean grill, though the Asian restaurant is great for sushi-curious teens (there are seats at the counter where we watch chefs slice tuna and stir-fry bibimbap). We’ve never been to a small hotel with so many pools—two outside and one inside—which we hop between like Burt Lancaster in The Swimmer, playing skimball and reading books in our cabana. Surprisingly for Mallorca, the island where modern tourism was invented, there are few other resorts open year-round, making this a no-brainer for quick-fix, out-of-season holidays. –Rick Jordan
Alexander Spatari/GettyBasecamp Amsterdam
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
This is where the cool Dutch crew pop to for a countryside blast, but amazingly it’s only a 30-minute cycle ride from the capital’s central Grachtengordel neighborhood. Another world appears at the outskirts of Amsterdam-West as the landscape changes from canals, bikes, and medieval architecture to green polders, ever-changing widescreen skies, and fresh breezes blowing in off the North Sea. At Basecamp Amsterdam, young families rent a cabin for the weekend to unwind. Children quickly clamber straight to the natural playground and forget that thing called the iPad ever existed while their parents sink glasses of wine on the sunny deck or nip between the barrel sauna and the dip bath overlooking the pond. Don’t come expecting the pizzazz of Soho Farmhouse—things are pretty relaxed but incredibly comfortable.
The forward-thinking, architect-designed free-standing cabins, made from sustainable European wood, sit on stilts and are linked by boardwalks. Interiors are stylishly pulled together by Studio Pistache, with a vintage Ligne Roset Togo sofa, exclusively designed fabrics, and merino-wool blankets. The family-friendly lodges include The Lighthouse, which has its own hot tub, The Barn, modeled on traditional farm buildings, and The Wikkel, partially constructed from cardboard. There is cabin service, which means it’s possible to order in for breakfast, lunch, and supper, or head over to The Daily shop, fully stocked with wine and food, for supplies to bake your own margheritas in the outdoor pizza ovens. But the hub of the place is the restaurant. Devised by Swiss chef Ralph Schelling, who has worked for big names such as Ferran Adrià and Heston Blumenthal, dishes are inspired by the produce from the organic vegetable fields. Yet there’s no need to dress for dinner. Kick back, relax, and no one will bat an eyelid at muddy boots under the table.
Deret YannLes Hortensias du Lac
Landes, France
Life is sweet on the shores of Lake Hossegor, a few hundred yards from the waves that draw surfers from around the world to this southwest corner. Both rugged and cool, the Landes region is usurping the nearby Basque Country in the hearts of Parisians. They come here with their children for August holidays to sidestep the chi-chi hotspots of Ile de Ré and Juan-les-Pins, to roam the countryside and have space to plant their umbrellas on the beach. Most families hole up in the wooden-shuttered houses between the lake and the sea, but they're also clambering for rooms here. This classic hotel, tucked into the pines, was taken over and transformed by the Domaines de Fontenille group: after a top-to-toe renovation it now looks like a kind of midcentury-modern Hamptons surf lodge. The restaurant, with its bulb-string-lit terrace, serves up a sunny menu of pan-fried squid, mussels, and hay-roasted chicken.
Bedrooms are light and bright, and downstairs whisky decanters and loose-covered sofas have made way for jute rugs on polished-concrete floors, decorative surfboards stacked in a corner, cane benches, and velvet footstools. It feels chic, but also somewhere for wet footprints coming in from the pool or sandy toes from the beach. And the real focus is the sea. The surf clubs that run along La Côte d’Argent offer lessons to everyone from first-timers to near-pros, and there are all sorts of surf competitions and festivals to watch, as well as paddle-boarding on the lake and yoga back at the hotel. A fresh way to tap into the salty-haired vibe of the area, but without the rental hassle of having to cook supper or make the beds.
Aurore Kervoern/GettyChâteau De Villiers-Le-Mahieu
Ile-de-France, France
The fairy-tale Château de Villiers-le-Mahieu looks on first appearance like any other obscenely romantic, 17th-century French country house: clipped yew trees, a glassy moat, and a portico with pretty turrets peeking out. But inside, the atmosphere is more hip house party with pops of kitsch—industrial-look lighting and wild wallpapers lend style.
Here, paying upfront and not sweating the small stuff is done the slick way, designed to appeal to Parisian families for whom it’s just an hour’s journey. Previous creator Guillaume Multrier has form with this variety of fun-luxe, opening the first Folie Douce après-ski hotel in 2019 in Chamonix, where acrobats twirl on rings in the lobby. Though it’s not quite so “extra” here, trampolines on the lawn demonstrate that a similar sense of merry-making pervades. But the focus is on unfussy pleasures: rowing on the moat and borrowing bicycles to explore nearby towns. At the pool, baskets of armbands are one of many thoughtful touches that act as analgesics on stressed parents. Food is of course a self-serve affair, but very nicely done with colorful salads, rich dauphinoise, and dorada sizzled on the barbecue out back. Then, as the shadows lengthen, grown-ups retreat to the pétanque pitch. Everything is chilled, and life is sweet.
This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller UK.
