A family vacation does not mean discerning parents need to do away with luxury accommodations. World-class resorts have smartly developed kids programs to keep the little ones entertained while providing their parents with much needed R&R of their own.
Here are ten luxury hotels with amazing kids programs where guests will easily create family vacations to remember.
The Cloister at Sea Island – Sea Island, GA
Sea Island’s Camp Cloister is fun-filled with activities for the kids, like baking classes, archery lessons, themed dinner night, baby sea turtle viewing, fishing, nature walking, swimming, scavenger hunts and storytelling.
There are also endless activities for teens like sailing, paddle boarding, swimming in the ocean or the pool, beach volleyball and more. Teens 15 through 18 years old will also enjoy Waterfront Lounge, Sea Island’s haven made just for teens where they can watch the game, play pool or shuffleboard and meet other teens from different destinations.
Grand Summit Hotel at Mount Snow Resort – West Dover, VT
Grand Summit Hotel is owned by the Mount Snow ski resort making all ski school programs very conveniently located. A full day of ski school is offered to kids ages three (Cub Camp), found through six (Snow Camp) and seven through 14 (Mountain Camp for skiing, Mountain Riders for snowboarders). Non-skiers can enjoy snowshoeing and tubing.
In warmer months, there is Adams Farm, a working seven-generation farm with seasonal activities and agricultural experiences. Kids can enjoy feeding the farm animals, wagon rides, sleigh rides, paintball, and with many other seasonal special events. There is also bowling, fishing, boating, miniature golf and more.
Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Wailea, HI
The Grand Wailea kid and teen program, Camp Grande is a supervised children’s program for kids ages five to 12 years old. The program is held at The Rock, a 20,000 square foot facility that also houses Ohana Hale – the gaming lounge with countless video games and The Spot – a lounge for teens 13 through 17. At The Rock, kids can find activities like fresh orchid lei making, hula lessons, video games, the Lego wall and much more. There are also a whale-shaped outdoor wading pool, a play kitchen and tool set, a private movie theater, snack bar, craft room and a full-sized soda fountain. The game room offers foosball, ping-pong, pool and an arcade.
Hawks Cay Resort – Duck Key, FL
Hawks Cay Resort offers kids’ activities for young ones five to 17 years old. Camp Hawk at Hawks Cay Resort is for children five through 12 years old offers activities like nature hikes, scavenger hunts, swimming in the resort’s two pools, snorkeling and kayaking in the resort’s saltwater lagoon, and feeding tarpon from the marina’s dock.
Teens (ages 12 through 17) can play basketball, volleyball and kickball. They can also hit the ocean and kiteboard, kayak, snorkel and fish. For teens looking to just unwind, the five pools are perfect for laying out and video games in the play area are where they can make new friends.
Hotel Del Coronado – Coronado, CA
At the DelVentures activity center at Hotel Del Coronado, children four through 12 years old can enjoy beach-themed activities and play rooms, underwater murals, funhouse mirror and more. Exciting 1-hour activities and 3-hour evening adventures are popular with this age group, The free adventure pack provided at check-in includes a treasure map and compass to use to explore the property and uncover the hidden clues, leading kids to a “treasure” at the end.
The resort also has a space dedicated to teens ages 13 to 17 – VIBZ, a hip lounge with computers, karaoke and foosball tables. Teens over 14 years old can also visit the spa for special massages and facials.
Summertime activities for the whole family include dive-in movie nights, surf camps and family s’mores night.
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa – Santa Ana Pueblo, NM
Hyatt Regency Tamaya takes great care to develop its children’s program with local culture and flavor. The 500-acre property is located on part of a Native American Pueblo and provides kids three to 12 years old the opportunity to experience the art and history of this culture within prearranged activities at Camp Hyatt. Camp Hyatt works with National Geographic Kids to construct eco-friendly and locally inspired activities.
The Stables at Tamaya, where over half of the horses at are rescue animals from the Tamaya Horse Rehabilitation Program, is another popular place with kids. The stables offer free pony rides to kids three through eight years old and lead-arounds for children ages four through eight.
Langham Huntington – Pasadena, CA
Modestly priced at $30, The Langham Huntington Kids Program offers kids 12 years old and under a teddy bear backpack filled with goodies like a special kids’ craft from Little Junebugs, Langham newsletter which includes family-friendly dining and activities in the area, free kids’ dinner in The Terrace restaurant (must dine with an adult who orders an entrée from dinner menu and a complimentary Langham chocolate bar from the Flavours of Langham Luxury Gift Boutique.
There is also the Imagine Tea, designed for kids and featuring junior performers from the famed Magic Castle who do close-up magic while the kids dine on a specialty tea menu of sandwiches and fun desserts, accompanied by pink lemonade, milk and a selection of fruit-infused, caffeine-free teas.
Mohonk Mountain House – New Paltz, NY
The Mohonk Mountain House, a National Historic Landmark resort, is nestled in the private woods of the Hudson River Valley. The resort’s castle-like appearance is sure to fascinate kids and parents alike and the kids’ program is built in a way that puts children in touch with nature and area wildlife through a variety of outdoor activities. Mohonk accepts children two years and older and the full-day program is available from mid-June through Labor Day for kids two to 12 years old. Activities range from nature hikes, to pony rides, to swimming and boat rides.
There are also activities for kids from seven to 12 years old that include learning rock scrambling, tennis and golf clinics and sporting events and tournaments. The Teen Lounge accommodates teens from 13 to 17 years old and entails listening to music, watching movies, playing video games and simply hanging out. In the winter, children can take ice-skating lessons, go snow tubing or snow shoeing.
The Resort at Paws Up, Greenough, MT
At The Resort at Paws Up, families will get reacquainted, reconnected and revitalized. The resort offers activities ranging from horseback riding, fly-fishing, river rafting, paintball wars and chuck wagon riding. Families can stay on luxurious homes with wrap-around porches or plush family tents outfitted with separate sleeping quarters for the children and full bathrooms with heated floors. The property has a newly added perk of complimentary kids club – Kids Corps of Discovery, an immersion program that “replaces screen time with serene time” for children. Age-appropriate itineraries are available for toddlers, teens and tweens.
The Ritz-Carlton Naples – Naples, FL
Ritz Kids at The Ritz Carlton Naples is a nature center with 11 aquariums and touch tanks (home to eels, baby alligators, sharks, and jellyfish), a laboratory and a computer room. The program, available to children from five to 12 years old, is a place where kids can learn about and discover nature in a colorful, living eco-sanctuary.
The full and half day program provides hands-on discovery activities in the Nature’s Wonders facility that use a science-based curriculum and kid-sized lab featuring microscopes and visual stimuli like preserved reptile skeletons—all the tools to help a budding marine biologist explore a new world.
Happy travels!
Veronique
Veronique Deblois is a travel industry veteran who’s currently employed by Hilton. The views and contents of this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer. I wasn’t compensated for writing about this subject.