Family-friendly holidays not to miss

Bermuda is a tiny archipelago of 181 islands where the colours dazzle: sapphire seas lap pink beaches and the buildings are painted in the kind of hues you’d find in a box of Lego. The water sports are top notch, with reefs and more than 300 wrecks to dive, and adrenaline highs are guaranteed by kitesurfing and flyboarding (a sort of pressure-jet hose meets seaborne skateboarding).

For the most luxe of stays, book the Rosewood Bermuda. Sprawling (in a very manicured way) over 240 coastal acres of the exclusive Tucker’s Point area, it has the largest private beach on the island. There are only 91 rooms and suites, so you’ll never have an unseemly fight for a sun-lounger – though, if pole position is your aim, stay in a room that comes with a poolside cabana. Supervised ‘Hangouts’ keep children from five to nine busy during the day, and there are kids’ movie nights on Fridays, freeing up parents for ‘us’ time.

DON’T MISS
The vast Royal Naval Dockyard museum hosts historical battle reenactments, and new Snorkel Park Beach Club serves up water sports, food and entertainment.

STAY
Book a stay at Rosewood Bermuda with British Airways Holidays.

The Balearic Islands attract millions of visitors every year, offering a hard-to-beat combination of beaches, history and a fabulous climate. Menorca, declared a Biosphere Reserve by Unesco, is the most family friendly of these Western Mediterranean havens, with an enormous number of pristine rocky coves and white sand beaches that slope gently into calm seas. You could happily spend a week splashing in the water or kayaking to a deserted beach but might be tempted out to enjoy a waterpark – the largest is the Splash Sur Menorca in Biniancolla – jeep safaris, visits to historic forts, lighthouses and over 1500 archaeological sites.

Stay in the east of the island overlooking Arenal d’en Castell beach at the Palladium Hotel. As well as a kids’ club and three pools (one just for children), you’ll be right next to a waterpark, so you can enjoy the rides without having the noise in your own backyard.

DON’T MISS
The Albufera des Grau Nature Reserve, where, among the olive groves, you can spot aquatic birds, birds of prey and many reptiles and amphibians, including tortoises and the Balearic wall lizard. 

STAY
Book a stay at the Palladium Hotel with British Airways Holidays.

The largest of the Ionian islands, but relatively quiet (despite a certain Captain and his mandolin), Kefalonia is a dramatic mix of verdant mountains and some of the best beaches in Greece. If your family gets itchy feet, hike Mount Ainos, a designated national park that’s home to wild horses and deer, or explore one of the many cave systems. The largest, Melissani, is home to a vast natural lake.

The Ionian Sea Hotel, Villas & Aqua Park is a friendly, family-run option that has a small water park on site and rooms for families of up to five. Kounopetra beach is a few minutes’ walk away, and its mineral-rich red sands are said to have restorative properties (tired parents, get your children to bury you in the sand).

DON’T MISS
Visiting the loggerhead turtles who pop up at Argostoli’s harbour to see if the fishermen have any tiddlers left over. You can also find the turtles on the beaches of the south coast, with Kaminia being a favourite.

STAY
Book a stay at Ionian Sea Hotel, Villas & Aqua Park. Rooms from £94 per night.