Family Holidays: Best Dads’ Breaks

by Rhonda Carrier

All dads are different: huntin’, shootin’ and fishin’ appeal to many, but others are much happier being pummelled or scrubbed in a treatment room, or learning to cook à la Gordon Ramsay. And for every frazzled dad in need of a little ‘me’ time, there’s another whose priority is to spend more quality time with the kids, whether it’s watching footie or whittling wood. We’ve sifted through the competition to bring you some of the most enticing fathers’ break ideas in the UK and Europe.

Action Stations, Eurocamp, France
Although not exclusively the preserve of dads, Eurocamp’s PGL-run Action Stations program for ages 7+, offered at two of its parks, in Picardy and the Dordogne, are great for father-and-son bonding. Activities include archery, zip-wire riding and trapeze, with family passes available. See our feature on a family holiday at La Croix du Vieux Pont in Picardy including PGL activities.

Almyra, Cyprus
For pampering-loving dads, there can be few better destinations than this super-family-friendly hotel with its holistic spa offering facials, scrubs and hand and feet treatments designed especially for men, plus several couples' treatments to enjoy with Mum (the kids’ clubs will meanwhile occupy youngsters 6 months–16). But it’s not all about relaxing: guest can dive, play golf, kite-surf, rock-climb, mountain-bike, pony-trek and parasail, as well as visiting vineyards and monasteries, sailing around secluded bays, and taking a jeep safari deep into the verdant Troodos mountains.
The Almyra’s sister hotel, the Anassa, also offers tailored men’s treatments, childcare including a new Teen Centre from 2011, and access to some of the island’s best luxury watersports facilities in the Akamas Marine Reserve, plus jeep safaris, rock-climbing, mountain-biking and hill-trekking. 

Automobile Road-Trip, Germany
On the 125th anniversary of Carl Benz’s being granted a patent for his horseless coach and its petrol engine, marking the beginning of the motorized age, what better father-and-son road-trip than a tour of some of the country’s top car-related sights? Begin in Stuttgart, home to the Mercedes-Benz Museum, Porsche Museum, and Meilenwerk (an exhibition hall with classic cars from the 1920–70s), then follow the Bertha Benz Memorial Route to the Hockenheim-Ring race track, which offers ‘insider tours’, a museum, and – for dads – the chance to do a few laps of the famous circuit. Then it’s on to Ladenburg and the Automuseum Dr Carl Benz and the House of the Benz Family, to Sinsheim for the Auto & Technik Museum, and to Neckarsulm for an Audi R8 factory tour. The Mövenpick Hotel Stuttgart Messe offers a 50% discount on a second room for kids.

Beer Safari, Suffolk
Combine a family holiday in gorgeous East Anglia with this exploration of what goes into great beer and how it is brewed. With an expert guide, participants can visit a hop farm, a malting barley farm and an award-winning brewery, Adnams of Southwold, to taste various beers to see how the use of different hop varieties or types of malt create distinctive styles. The day ends with dinner at The Anchor at Walberswick, where you learn how to pair beer with food.

Bluestone, Wales
This ‘National Park Resort’ in Pembrokeshire, offering accommodation in chic timber lodges and activities for all ages, is a great place to bring Dad, whether to see the classic cars on show at nearby Picton Castle, treat him to a relaxing session in the spa, or challenge him on the high-ropes course. The Father’s Day package includes accommodation for four in a two-bedroom cottage, a welcome hamper for Dad, and a three-course Father's Day Sunday lunch on Sunday.

Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona, Spain
Always a good bet for a family city break, with wonderful food, decent beaches, fabulous shopping and a big themepark nearby, Port Aventura, Barcelona is a particular thrill for footie-lovers, who can make a pilgrimage to the legendary Camp Nou stadium. The latter offers tours as well as a museum modernised in the past couple of years. You might even to get tickets to an FC Barcelona match – one shortcut is to book a package with the likes of Thomas Cook Sport.

Center Parcs, Various UK Locations
Center Parcs' four forest-set holiday villages are good spots for family breaks combining together time with a little space for oneself – for dads, that latter might be fishing, taking a men’s treatment at the Aqua Sana Spa, undertaking a sports/fitness session, or spending time with Mum (childcare is provided at the kids’ clubs and crèche). See our feature on a dads’ break at Center Parcs Elveden, The Daddy of All Weekends.

Cottages 4 U, Various Locations
Perfect for a DIY family break pretty much anywhere you choose, these hand-picked self-catering properties across the country include the Old Reading Room at Thimbleby, Yorkshire. Sleeping 5–7, it’s handy for the spa-town of Harrogate with its famous Turkish baths, recently restored to their Victorian Art Deco splendour, where dads can enjoy gentlemen-only sessions and men’s treatments including ‘Time for men’, with a facial based on a cocktail of citrus, sake, olive leaf, eashave, trace elements and Birch sap followed by a  'Chi-Zen' back massage.

The Elms, Worcester
A member of TakeTheFamily favourite Luxury Family Hotels, this Queen Anne mansion in rural Worcestershire is offering a two-night Father’s Day break including dinner for two (baby-listening is available), a dads’ chill-out zone on Sunday morning, and a Father’s Day Sunday lunch with a glass of bubbly and gift for Dad. Dads can also book a traditional cut-throat wet shave in the state-of-the art spa. Children stay free, and the use of the Bears’ Den Crèche is included in rates.

Fatigue Fighting Package, Lifehouse, Essex

This contemporary day and stay spa in Thorpe-le-Soken east of Colchester is offering a two-night Father's Day retreat for sleep-deprived new dads throughout June 2011, including a two-hour Oriental Bathing Experience (comprising a foot ritual, body exfoliation and oil and hot stone massage followed by a rest in a sleep pod), an hour-long G&T facial, a choice of a gentleman’s wet cut or a half-hour Foot Fixx treatment, and a 30-minute Playtime personal training session in the 130-acre grounds or state-of-the-art gym. Dads also get a welcome drink, pre-dinner aperitif on the second night, and a meet-and-greet service from Thorpe-le-Soken station or valet car-parking.

Gentleman’s Relish, Ashburton Cookery School, Devon
Those on a family holiday in Devon might think of packing Dad off for the weekend to attend this course aiming to give men more confidence in the kitchen through learning to create such dishes as matured Devon sirloin steak with green peppercorn sauce, fat chips, baked field mushroom and roasted tomato; roast dinner with all the trimmings; and bread and butter pudding with a Grand Marnier glaze and clotted cream. You stay in a historic townhouse within Ashburton on the edge of Dartmoor National Park.

Gentlemen's Tonic, London
No father-and-son trip to the British capital (or to Hong Kong) is complete without a double hair appointment at this luxury barber and grooming salon in Mayfair, with concessions in Selfridges and Gieves & Hawkes tailors on Savile Row, all blending tradition (wood, leather and marble decor) with modern touches (hi-tech music consoles and LCD screens). Other treatments include wet shaves, facials, full body scrubs, and a wide range of massages. Close by, The Athenaeum, one of our favourite family-friendly London hotels, will appeal to whisky-loving dads with its bespoke whisky tastings with a dedicated sommelier. Father's Day sees a whisky and cheese pairing experience created by the sommelier and cheese expert Alex James, or a whisky tasting followed by nine holes of golf on the Kyle Phillips-designed championship course.

European F1 Grand Prix, Spain
One of many sports-based packages offered by Sport Abroad, a visit to the European F1 Grand Prix in Valencia is a fabulous treat for dads with a passion for fast cars and sunshine. Cars rarely leave the waterfront on the harbourside track and pass through the historic fishmarket of one of Spain’s most vibrant cities. Accommodation is in the Expo Hotel, with triples and interconnecting rooms and a 12th-floor open-air pool.

Feversham Arms, Yorkshire
This luxury Yorkshire Moors hotel with its all-year outdoor pool is offering A Father’s Day Spa Experience including a ‘hunting, shooting and fishing’ mineral mud and massage treatment, use of the heat facilities (a hot tub, aromatherapy room, ice cave and saunarium), and a light ‘Spatisserie’ meal, plus the option to stay overnight. There’s also a special Father’s Day afternoon tea accompanied by a pianist – if you bring kids, under-5s eat free. See also our feature on a Parent’s Break at the Feversham Arms.

Go Wild in the Woods, West Sussex
Perfect for father-and-son( bonding, these bushcraft weekends run by Woodland Skills aim to combine adventure and fun with learning in a lovely wooded setting. Dads get to hang out with their boys (ages 6–14), play games, learn basic camp craft skills such as fire-lighting, shelter-making and whittling, and spend the night in comfortable yurts.
See also our features Separate Family Holidays, including a dad-and-son camping and bushcraft trip, and Best Places to Learn Survival Skills.

James Bond Thames RIB Experience, London
By popular demand, these sightseeing speedboats on the Thames now all include a commentary with facts about espionage and the history of the Secret Service, accompanied by the James Bond theme music. Other outings for lovers of the spy movies include London Taxi Tours of film locations. Extend the theme by staying at Duke’s Hotel, where Ian Fleming often wrote and in the bar of which he coined the ‘shaken not stirred’ phrase. This Mayfair hotel’s family package includes soft toys and books, slippers, Playstations, and a children’s menu, and babysitting is available.

La Manga Club, Andalucia, Spain
This vast southern Spanish resort is a paradise for sports-mad dads in particular, who can play golf on three 18-hole championship courses, or else tennis, cricket, football, rugby and much more besides. Meanwhile, sports-mad kids (from as young as three for some activities) can be at the golf, tennis, cricket or dance academies, or at the AC Milan Junior Camp for ages 6–17. There’s even a Golfer’s Tonic treatment on offer at the well-reputed spa.

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