Family holidays: The Big Break - UK Hotels for Larger Families

While I’m big fan of the great British mini-break, fancy hotels are no fun when you have three kids in tow – more often than not, my husband and I end up in two separate rooms, splitting the kids between us. Hardly the stuff of romance…

That said, since the launch of Butlins’ larger-than-life Ocean Hotel, a slew of savvy hoteliers has started to cater for families with more than the average 2.4 kids. For instance, many of the rooms at Swinton Park in Masham, north Yorkshire, can easily sleep five, and there’s also the Turret suite in the hotel’s ivy-crested tower,
 for the full-on Rapunzel experience. Mini-visitors are welcomed with colouring packs, teddies and handmade cookies, while grown-ups get complimentary decanters of gin or whisky and pleasantly generous Jo Malone smellies. Suites start at £280 per night including breakfast, with extra children’s Z-beds £35.

If your little urchins are more of the seaside variety, try north Devon’s Woolacombe Bay Hotel. This sprawling family hotel right on the beach is ideal for an old-fashioned bucket-and-spade break, with two pools, an adventure playground, a crèche and a kids’ club. The ‘communicating’ (interconnecting) rooms are a great option for larger families, easily sleeping five and allow parents some, ahem, privacy. Family rooms start at £80 per adult per night, including breakfast; children are charged at £20 per night (seasonal variations apply).

For those willing to splurge on a mini-break in London, the Athenaeum is a five-star hotel and adjoining apartments with a dedicated kids’ concierge. From hand-delivering milk and cookies at bedtime to sourcing tickets to their favourite show, they’ll spoil your children rotten. Let’s hope they don’t get used to it – the penthouse suite for five starts at £2000 per night including the concierge.
 
If you have to juggle the whims of toddlers with the fads of teenagers, the stylish Elms in Worcestershire is a haven for all ages, with large rooms for five and family suites that can sleep up to six very comfortably. There’s table football, air hockey and X-box for older kids, while the Bears Den crèche keeps the younger ones happy. A deluxe room with breakfast for two adults and up to four children starts at £225 per night.
Lastly, for a weekend where the wild things are, try Beechfield House in Wiltshire, within roaring distance of Longleat Safari Park. The large family rooms, sleeping five comfortably, start at £170 per night including breakfast for all.