Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, Costa Rica

Oozing luxury and chic in the most stunning of settings, the Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, on the country's western coast four hours from the capital San José, will knock you out through its views alone. But the rooms are pretty special too - and they come in a flexible array of family-friendly configurations.

Younger children and teenagers alike are well catered for with complimentary kids' clubs, activity programs and games rooms, and watersports opportunities are plentiful. There's also a lovely spa where teens get treatments of their own. But it's the attentive staff who really make it into the paradise it is.

At certain times of year, guests can book a Taste the Stars dinner combining molecular gastronomy with the chance to gaze through a high-powered telescope in the company of an astronomy guide (think luminescent cocktails and chocolate mango asteroids on the spaced-themed menu). More down-to-earth (but still excellent) are the Italian restaurant with its terrace and the burger shack, among several dining options.