Valentine's Day: Family Breaks With or Without or For the Kids?

Whoever said Valentine’s Day had to be about couples and romantic tête-à-têtes? Sure, it’s important for all parents to carve some ‘us’ time away from the chaos of family life. But the annual celebration of love can also be seen as a chance to make time for ALL of your loved ones.

For when really don’t want to be away from the kids, or your circumstances dictate that you spend Valentine’s Day with them, here’s a rundown of our favourite places to go, plus a couple of suggestions for those who’ll be child-free.

Luxury Family Hotels

Five country houses oozing style combined with a family-friendly ethos, Britain’s Luxury Family Hotels promise parents ‘the best of both worlds’ – bring them for an overnight stay and you can sneak down for a candelit meal while the baby-listening service takes over. At Fowey Hall in Cornwall, for instance, there’s a Valentine’s package including 3 nights for 2 on a limited number of rooms; that’s in addition to use of the OFSTED registered crèche (allowing parents to sneak off to the spa) and indoor pool.

At Moonfleet Manor in Dorset, meanwhile, a nanny will whisk the kids away to the crèche to make Valentine’s cards and other crafts while you pop off to the treatment suite for a massage à deux, followed by a sybaritic afternoon tea still clad in your bathrobes. And nannies at Woolley Grange in Wiltshire will collect the kids for a morning session in Woolley Bears Den, leaving you to enjoy a room-service champagne breakfast.
 
See our guide for more on Luxury Family Hotels.

---

The Grove

Another TTF favourite, Hertfordshire’s The Grove doesn’t offer a particular family angle on its Valentine’s package, but you could customise it to take advantage of the hotel’s superb facilities – which include an OFSTED registered crèche with its own kids’ pool, a fabulous spa, babysitting and, in addition to child-friendly restaurants and room service, the highly romantic Colette’s restaurant.

See our guide for more on The Grove.

---

London Theatre Break

Here’s one for which you do have to leave the kids behind, or at least for a couple of hours: on 14th February the performance of ‘Dirty Dancing’ at London’s Aldwych Theatre is a special Valentine's Day Charity Gala, with proceeds going to 95.8 Capital FM’s Help a London Child charity. The latter offers support and opportunities and raises funds for the capitals’ disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people. Find out ticket information and prices. Guests get special Valentine’s gift bags.

Make a donatation to London Help a Child, or put a fun spin on donating by adopting a London landmark.
 
Another great place to stay in London is The Athenaeum, a family-friendly option (there’s even a special pop art themed ‘Family Apartment’) on Piccadilly. Whether you bring the kids or not, there’s always a range of weekend, dining and spa offers, and if anyone offers to treat you for Valentine’s Day, send them in the direction of the hotel’s online gift store, where they can buy you a voucher for a decadent Ladurée afternoon tea or a pampering treatment. For more on the Athenaeum, see our guide. Read about Dea Birkett's family break at The Athenaeum family apartment.

For more on London, see our guide.

Lastly, right by the theatre, One Aldwych is another favourite, with two Valentine’s weekend packages, the more expensive one featuring two spa treatments. Surprisingly, perhaps, for such an oasis of style, One Aldwych is also very family friendly, with a swimming pool, gifts, bathrobes and slippers for kids, children’s menus (including room service), and a concierge who will happily arrange tickets for nearby shows such as ‘The Lion King’.