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It’s a family affair

n Family biking in Austria

n Water parkfun at BeachesTurks & Caicos

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As I sipped a chilled Portuguese wine fromthe terrace of As Dunas Restaurant, Iwatched with contentment as my eight-year-old daughter, Scarlett, and son Finlay,five, bounced and whooped with delight onthe springy trampoline that lay just below

the restaurant, surrounded by a child’s dream of asandpit and, beyond, rolling sand dunes and impressivestretch of beach leading to the fishing town of Sagres.

I realised that this was one of the least stressful holi-days we’d ever taken where everyone was getting to dowhat they liked.

We had checked into Martinhal(www.martinhal.com), a new resort in south-westPortugal, just south of Cape St Vincent, the Land’s Endof Europe. Martinhal is one of a growing breed of hotels,

aiming to put family first without compromising onstyle. Our two-storey beach house wouldn’t have lookedout of place in the pages of Elle Decoration. It camewith a state-of-the-art kitchen so that we could self-caterif we wanted – a big plus with kids.

We used the Raposinhos Kids Club and I even tookScarlett to the wonderful Finisterra Spa for a parent andchild half-hour massage.

There’s plenty of choice when it comes to high-endresorts rolling out the red carpet for kids. The Cipriani(www.cipriani.com) in Venice has opened a SmileKids Club and staff will bend over backwards to takeyour youngsters fishing on the lagoon or help themdiscover the mysteries of the Doges Palace.

Or how about Crillon Le Brave(www.crillonlebrave.com) in Provence, where they’ll

seasonal focus n summer with the kids

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Finding somewhere to take the kids on holiday when schools finish forsummer that keeps them happy and doesn’t break the bank can be taxing.Mum-of-two Jane Anderson offers some suggestions whatever your budget

l Look out for free attractions onwww.enjoyengland.com.

l Use voucher sites such aswww.vouchercodes.co.uk for printable cheapmeal vouchers and check out Groupon, Crowdity,Living Social and KGB Deals for special offers.

l Book public transport in advance and look fordeals, such as 50% off entry to attractions whenyou travel by train. For details, go towww.daysoutguide.co.uk.

l Take packed lunches as many places provide picnicareas.

l Check out parking charges and any other additionalcharges before you get to your intended

destination, so you don’tget stung.l Check out annualpasses. Many of thecountry’s top attractionsoffer yearly tickets which

are worth investing in if you plan to visit more thanonce.

l Download the free Official Enjoy England iPhoneapp, with over 1,000 ideas and places to visit inEngland including free ones. Personalise your searchaccording to indoor or outdoor activities.

l Give your kids a daily pocket money allowance sothat they’re not constantly nagging for more treats!

uk summer family holiday tips

n On the beachat Martinhal

n Hen party at theDandelion Hideaway

n Look for attraction entrydeals with rail travel

Martinhal

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even teach your child French (plus you can catch theEurostar all the way to Avignon) or Niyama(www.niyama.com) in the Maldives, where kids under15 stay for free?

Yet you don’t have to go five-star this summer to havethe perfect family holiday. My kids have been equallyhappy glamping at Dandelion Hideaway (www.thedan-delionhideaway.co.uk) near Leicester, with the addeddelights of a goat farm to explore and ponies to groom,or exploring the delights of the Isle of Wight by a pinkVW campervan called Penelope(www.isleofwightcampers.co.uk). In fact, the wholecamping on wheels trend is set to take off big time withcompanies such as Wicked Campers(www.wickedcampers.co.uk) offering mobile holi-days across Europe in their cool vans.

value for moneyCamping in general still holds much appeal for familiesas it’s fabulous value for money and standards haverisen immeasurably over the last 10 years. Choosecorrectly and it’s a great way of experiencing a chi-chidestination for a fraction of the price.

Venue Holidays offers economical summer campingin a fully-equipped Espace tent at Camping les PinsParasols at Frejus on the snazzy Cote d’Azur. Keycamp(www.keycamp.co.uk) has campsites just outside ofParis which are a great base for exploring the expensiveFrench capital and Disneyland Paris. Some featureKeycamp’s fabulous new treehouses, which kids adore.Canvas Holidays (www.canvasholidays.co.uk) hasexpanded its “mini campers” programme to include 11new campsites ideal for families travelling with under-fours. For older children, there’s a host of activities frombody zorbing to spy-themed sessions.

When it comes to family holidays, the major concernfor parents is price. As Claire Wilson, mum and manag-ing director of The Adventure Company(www.adventurecompany.co.uk) says: “The untoldstory of the average family holiday is the parental guess-work that goes into working out how much everything isgoing to cost and how much they’ll need to spend enter-taining the kids when they get there.”

“Inevitably there are always day trips or theme parksthat the children get wooed by and it’s all too easy to spendmore than anticipated on hidden extras in the heat of themoment. It’s exactly for this reason that The AdventureCompany details exactly what’s included in our holidays.”

Wilson’s hot tip for 2012 is Turkey. “Offering muchmore than just the beaches that it is perhaps best knownfor, Turkey is proving an increasingly popular short-hauldestination for adventurous families,” she adds.

gear upWhen you travel with young children, itcan seem like you have to take everythingbut the kitchen sink with you on holiday.However, there are some forward thinkingresorts that will pre-order baby andtoddler gear for your arrival. Almyra Resort (www.almyra.com) in

Cyprus has a Baby Go Lightly scheme, forexample. Or you could check out The LittleConcierge Company(www.thelittleconcierge.co.uk), whichwill deliver nappies, milk, food and toiletriesto holiday destinations all over the world. Classic Collection Holidays

(www.classic-collection.co.uk) is givingcomplimentary inflatable BubbleBum carbooster seats, worth £29.99, to allchildren aged from two to 11 years oldwho are booked to travel with thecompany.

“When itcomes tofamilyholidays, themajorconcern forparents isprice”

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nsn BubbleBum car booster seats

n Trying out archery at Butlins

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“Its combination of great weather, fascinating cultureand fantastic value, particularly thanks to being outsideof the Eurozone, has led to family bookings increasingby 59% over the last four years. Our trips take in Istan-bul, historic Ephesus, the hot springs of Pamukkale, thebeautiful beaches in Kas and the underground cities andlunar landscapes of Cappadocia, with activities rangingfrom a gullet cruise, snorkelling and kayaking in theMediterranean to horse-riding, mountain biking andeven stargazing amidst the spectacular mountains.”

all-inclusivesIf you want a truly exotic adventure, Vietnam is moreaccessible than ever now that Vietnam Airlines is flyingdirect from Gatwick. Travelbag(www.travelbag.co.uk) is offering 10 nights at thefour-star Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa, stayingon a B&B basis from £2,999 for a family of four (twoadults and two children) including flights, for travelbetween June 13 and September 30 this year.A great way to save money is to link up with another

family and share a villa or a chalet. The AdventureCompany offers savings of £50 per person when six tonine people travel together. And if you manage to get 10together, one person goes free. Eastern Europe is another good choice for

budget-conscious family holidays. Explore Montenegro (www.exploremontenegro.com) offers off-the-beaten-track villas and Balkan Holidays (www.balkanholidays.co.uk) has all-inclusive resorts that give great value for money.All-inclusives are a great way of making sure you

don’t have any nasty surprises at the end of your holiday

with additional charges and there is more and morechoice for families. The Caribbean was the original place to find all-inclu-

sives and Beaches Resorts (www.beaches.com) leads theway with four resorts in Jamaica and the Turks & Caicos.Sesame Street characters entertain kids and family suiteshave special bedrooms for young guests with nautical-themed bunk beds and Xbox games consoles. At St James’s Club Antigua, go during peak holiday

times and kids enjoy storytelling weeks with Puffinchildren’s authors and illustrators including Adam Stowerand Rachel Bright. Bookings are via Virgin Holidays(www.virginholidays.co.uk), with a week’s all-inclusiveholiday for a family of four with flights costing from £4,999.The family all-inclusive is moving beyond the

Caribbean. Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa (www.jebalali-international.com) is the first resort in Dubai to offerall-inclusive and has been awarded the World’s LeadingFamily Resort honour at the World Travel Awards. Thereare more than 80 activities from mini-golf to camel riding.

activity holidaysActive holidays are a good option for easily-boredteens. Freewheel’s (www.freewheelholidays.com)cycling holidays in Europe offer low cycling distances,safe roads, separate cycling tracks and plenty of otheractivities on rest days. Young cyclists in particular enjoya great sense of achievement on completing routes orthere are tag-along bikes for really little ones. A nine-night holiday in Austria, called Into the Valley of theAlps, starts in the Hohe Tauern National Park. Rest daysinclude summer skiing, tobogganing, hiking, rafting andcable car trips up the mountains. Prices start at £719 per

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seasonal focus n summer with the kids

sporty familyholidaysLearning to play a sport is a great experiencefor kids. The Aphrodite Hills Tennis Academy(www.aphroditehills.com) in Cyprus hasteamed up with the Annabel Croft TennisAcademy for the first time this year to offerchild and adult tennis training until October2012. Football fanatics will love the new

Buccament Bay Resort(www.buccamentbay.com) in St Vincent.Visit during summer half term (June 2-9)when Liverpool FC Football Academy GroupCoaching will be running group footballcoaching sessions in resort with RodolfoBorrell, Liverpool FC reserve team manager,for five to18-year-olds.Forte Village Resort

(www.fortevillageresort.com) in Sardiniahas launched a new Cricket Academy andalso runs a Chelsea Soccer Schoolthroughout the summer.

Spanish sport and leisure resort La MangaClub (www.lamangaclub.com) offersyoungsters the chance to learn from the bestwith its Lee Westwood Golf Academy,offering two week-long courses this summer,from August 6-10 and 13-17, and a Milan

Junior Camp with Italian football giants ACMilan, from July 8-14. It also has its own junior club and

academies for golf, tennis, cricket, rugby,football and dance, and is offering free juniorclubs places to children staying this summer.

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n Golfer LeeWestwood andfans at LaManga Club

n BeWILDerwood boat trip

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Kids love a good garden to explore and, this year, RHS Garden Rosemoor(www.rhs.org.uk/gardens/rosemoor) in the TorridgeValley in North Devon has brought children’s illustrator,Quentin Blake’s book, The Green Ship, to life in thegarden. Kids can clamber all over the ship and parentswill love reading them the story. An exhibition of Blake’sfantastic illustrations runs from May 26 to August 27. Families can stay in one of three lovely cottages at

Wansley Barton (www.wansleybarton.co.uk), set onan organic sheep farm just a few miles away from Rose-moor with an indoor pool, free fishing, play area andpony rides from around £750 for up to five during thesummer holidays.

adult and £539 per child, excluding flights.PGL (www.pgl.co.uk) is known for its school trips

and activity and adventure holidays for youngsters andteens, but it also offers a selection of family active holi-days in 13 locations in the UK and France.There are activities galore both outdoors and indoors

at the four UK villages of Center Parcs (www.centerparcs.co.uk), all set in forest locations.Work has started on a fifth park in Woburn Forest,which will open in spring 2014. Butlins (www.butlins.com) offers family fun and

activities at three seaside locations in the UK – BognorRegis, Minehead and Skegness. Bognor Regis is gaininga new £25 million Wave Hotel and Apartments in thesummer, featuring interconnecting family rooms andtwo and three-bedroom self-catering apartments, while anew outdoor splash zone opens at Skegness in June. And of course, where would family holidays be

without theme parks? Head to Orlando for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (www.harrypotterworldorlando.com) at UniversalOrlando Resort, which also includes Universal Studiosand the Islands of Adventure park. You can also takeyour pick of central Florida’s many other attractions,from Mickey Mouse and co at Walt Disney World andShamu and marine friends at SeaWorld Orlando to thelatest family theme park – LEGOLAND Florida. It isgeared towards children between the ages of two and 12and offers more than 50 rides, shows and attractions.Buy your theme park and other attraction tickets in

advance from Attractions Tickets Direct (www.attraction-tickets-direct.co.uk), the UK’slargest Florida attraction ticket broker. You can alsocheck out www.visitorlando.com for great informa-tion on Orlando theme park discounts.

treehousesIf you prefer theme parks close to home, you can takein the new WB Studio Tour London – The Making ofHarry Potter (www.wbstudiotour.co.uk). And kidswho love LEGOLAND can try out the newLEGOLAND Windsor Hotel(www.legolandholidays.co.uk), with pirate, kingdomor adventure-themed rooms all with interactive chal-lenges for kids. Families can literally roll out of bed intothe park, where the new attraction for this year is theStar Wars Miniland.You can also stay on site at Alton Towers Resort

(www.altontowers.com), which has two hotels along-side the Staffordshire theme park, in a safari-themedhotel at Chessington World of Adventures (www.chessington.com) and at Drayton Manor Hotel,which opened next to Drayton Manor theme park(www.draytonmanor.co.uk) in Tamworth last summer. BeWILDerwood (www.bewilderwood.co.uk) is a

superb “Curious Treehouse Adventure Park” near Wroxhamin Norfolk, perfect for younger kids who love make-believe,climbing rope bridges and exploring treehouses. There areseveral storytelling sessions a day. New this year is Mildred’sMusical Puppet Parade, from July 23-28 and the CuriousCrocklebog Capers, from August 25-27.

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Travel writer Jane Anderson specialises in family travel andis the author of Brittany with Kids and Dorset, New Forest &Isle of Wight with Kids, both published by Footprint TravelGuides.

family holiday facts

useful websitesl I-escape has a new kids collection

featuring over 700 hotels and self-catering properties around the world:www.i-escape.com/kids.

l Family travel expert William Gray hasput together his top 101 familyholidays atwww.101familyholidays.co.uk.

l Check out high-end baby and toddler-friendlyself catering at www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk.

l Powder Byrne (www.powderbyrne.com) offers fabulous crèchesand kids programmes in its luxury family summer holidays.

l The recently-relaunched Luxury Family Hotels(www.luxuryfamilyhotels.com), previously part of the collapsedvon Essen group, offers upmarket family holidays in eight UK hotels.

l For true adventurers, see Wild Frontiers’ new “Wild Child” options,at www.wildfrontiers.co.uk/wild-world/wild-child.

n Kayaking in Turkey

n Center Parcsouting

n LEGOLANDWindsor Hotel

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