Junior: November 2010

Anantara Si Kao Resort & Spa, Thailand

With the Andaman Sea on one side and tropical jungle on the other, Anantara Si Kao is already one up on your average beach resort. Add luxury trimmings (Ayurvedic spa, restaurants, glorious pools for little and large swimmers), plus a few extras (private-island beach club, 60-foot yacht) and you’ve got the makings of a perfect holiday. The relatively undeveloped Trang province offers plenty of back-to-nature outings, including sea-kayaking in Had Chao Mai National Park and breathtaking boat rides through the enchantingly named Emerald Cave. But if your idea of getting away from it all includes a healthy dose of me-time, the Dugong Club will take care of your children with a host of edifying pastimes, from kite-making to Thai language lessons. Meanwhile, lap up the sun beneath super-sized cocktail umbrellas and let the gentle breeze unruffled your feathers.­

198–199 Moo 5, Had Pak Meng-Changlang Road, Changlang Beach, Maifad, Sikao, Trang 92150, Thailand. Tel: 006 67250 5888. Prices from £246 per night. Extra beds for older children cost £38 per night, including breakfast.

The Carneros Inn, California

With its eco-friendly charm, warm welcome and clever combination of cottages, cowhide and Le Corbusier chaises, this thoroughly modern farm-style resort makes the most of hearth and homestead: wood-burning fires and al fresco showers on your porch provide frontier romance with views of Napa's famous vineyards. This child-friendly hotel's concierge will contact you before you arrive to find out what sort of things you'd like to do, so finding activities to keep you and your children entertained is a breeze – whether it's cheese-making, taking art classes, relaxing in the private gardens or exploring the Napa Valley on a scenic bike ride. Alternatively, you can unwind at the fantastic hydrotherapy spa with nature-inspired treatments, such as a Huicha Creek Bath, as well as enjoying a private yoga class or simply head down to one of the region’s world famous wineries to enjoy a glass of California’s finest.

4048 Sonoma Highway, Napa, CA 94559. Tel: 001 707 299 4900
Prices from £290 per night. No charge for children up to age 17.

Karma Kandara, Bali

Like the nest of a spectacularly exotic sea eagle, Karma Kandara's 46 villas teeter excitingly on the cliff edges of Bali's Bukit Peninsula, with private infinity pools jutting out into the horizon. This may not be especially relaxing if you have a tiny tearaway toddler, but you can leave unattended over-twos in the Karma Kids Club, where they'll be entertained with Balinese puppetry, mask-making and beach larks. They'll also love the funicular ride down to Karma's private Greek-style Nammos Beach Club, where they can race along the crescent of white sand or snorkel in the tranquil lagoon. Villa kitchens are Smeg-fitted, restaurants are gourmet and the freeform swimming pools inviting. For high-octane addicts, helicopters, speedboats and jeeps can ferry you to 11th-century temples and exhilarating surf spots, or, for a spiritual high, pay a visit to Pura Luhur, one of Bali’s most sacred temples.

Jalan Villa Kandara Banjar Wijaya Kusuma Ungasan, Bali, 80362 Indonesia
Prices from £693 per nightfor a Luxury Pool Villa (sleeping four adults), excluding 21 per cent tax and service charge. Cots are free; extra beds cost £48 per night.

 

Jnane Tamsna, Morocco

Just beyond the pleasing chaos of the medina, Meryamm Loum-Martin's spellbinding Moroccan retreat is bursting with produce and scented plants. Justly name-dropped as one of Marrakech's most stylish stays, this laid-back boutique bolthole in the Palmeraie provides riad-style accommodation and a Maroc-chic taste of the exotic – house chef Bahija's cookery lessons are not to be missed, with all meals made from organic ingredients grown on site. Children are given the same A-list welcome as adults: staff can provide everything from henna tattooists and botany lessons to acrobats and camel or calèche rides. For those who stay a week, a special 'performance day' is arranged at the end: your child will tell you what they've learnt about plants, bake you a cake and- with the help of a magician- even pull off a few impressive tricks.

Douar Abiad, La Palmeraie, Marrakech, Morocco.
Prices from €206 per night, including breakfast, soft drinks and laundry. Under-14s from €144 per night. Cots and extra beds are freely available.

 

Calcot Manor, The Cotswolds

This beautifully restored farming hamlet is one of the finest proffs that a relaxing UK break is possible with small children in tow, as it is equipped with an arsenal of facilities designed to delight parents and distract kids. Parents can zone out in the outdoor pool after a Guinot facial, while toddlers can zoom around the Ofsted-registered Playzone crèche; and older children can hone their Wii skills in the games-packed Mez room. Calcot's 220 acres offer plenty of ways to burn off pub lunches at its Gumstool inn with cycling trails (bikes with child seats are available free), tennis courts and, in summer, a maize maze. Thoughtfully designed family suites – complete with teddy- and toy-dotted children's bedrooms – are housed in a converted barn overlooking a flower-filled courtyard, so the only sound reception will hear from your children are via the baby-listening service…

Near Tetbury, Gloucestershire GL8 8YJ
Prices from £240 per person, including breakfast. Half-board from £30. Children staying in parents' rooms cost £30 a night.

 

Kurland, South Africa

Kurland is the stuff of holiday fantasies. In reach of Plettenberg Bay's beaches, mountains and forested national parkland, this fairytale family home on a vast and beautiful private estate has buckets of character, a never-be-bored menu of things to do, inspiring staff and adorable children's rooms. The gardens are mature and rambling, the polo pitch hosts matches every day during the season, the Cape Dutch architecture is stylish 1940s and the interiors mix colonial country chic with contemporary comforts. What's the catch? Deciding what to do during your stay: pony rides, quad-biking, facial in the spa, dip in the pool, whale-watching flight, vineyard visit, garden stroll, yoga session, forest-canopy tour, an elephant trek… Ah well, you’ll just have to stay a bit longer.

The Crags 6602, Nature's Valley, South Africa.
Prices from £283 per night, including breakfast. Under fives stay free in parents’ suites; five- to 12-year-olds, from £48, 13- to 16-year-olds from £91.