Once you’ve stayed at a hotel with a stellar kids club, it’s hard to travel anywhere else without one. With the right engaging activities, arts-and-craft projects, cultural education programs and enthusiastic counselors, well-traveled kids can and will frolic for hours while their adults, well, adult.
Here are 10 luxury hotels that boast exceptional kids clubs, with offerings ranging from horsemanship to gardening to Spanish lessons and more.
Brush Creek Ranch in Wyoming is where celebrities and elite travelers flock to connect with mother nature and — for several hours a day — disconnect from their parenting responsibilities. Their unparalleled Li’l Wranglers program incorporates a vast variety of exciting activities carefully tailored to each kid. One of the most striking parts about the program is that The Lil’ Wranglers club passionately introduces children to dude-ranch culture and truly opens their minds to the concept of the American Wild West. Think: horsemanship, ranch ecology, organic baking, goat play, country music, folk art and more. This is truly one of the best, most thoughtful kids clubs in the world, set within an unspeakably paradisiacal environment.
At the luxurious waterfront Cape Cod hotel the Wequassett Resort & Golf Club in Harwich, Massachusetts, an award-winning children’s center offers educational, innovative and whimsical programming for children ages 4-12. The center is equipped with an array of video gaming systems (hard yes from the kids), high-level crafts and an outdoor amphitheater for children to put on plays and performances to showcase to their new friends and well-relaxed parents. Additionally, the outside area features a nautical-themed pirate ship playground with a splash park, ball pit, slides and picnic area.
The Kids For All Seasons kids club program at the Four Seasons Resort Nevis is known to be one of Four Seasons’ best places ever for kids. In general, Nevis is a magical place for the young and the young at heart. But with this clubhouse, the island takes on a whole new level of parental joy and chillness. Their well-orchestrated, high-level programming ranges from cultural to environmental to educational; but mostly, it’s just plain fun for the kiddos. With an indoor rock-climbing wall, a movie screening room and snacks right off the beach, this hotel just screams happy family.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the independence of Grenada, making it an ideal time to visit Mount Cinnamon Resort & Club, an authentic and super-special Caribbean boutique hotel with 36 hillside suites and villas above Grand Anse Beach in Grenada. But most relevantly, Mount Cinnamon has a complimentary Kids Club for 3-12-year-olds. Unlike some of the more standard kids clubs, Mount Cinnamon offers a variety of sports and instruction, including football and cricket lessons from staff at the resort who used to play for local Grenadian teams. Other options include chocolate-truffle-making for kids and garden “pick and taste” lessons. A truly authentic experience for the little world travelers.
At the One&Only Mandarina, nestled within an intimate and chic coastal community and set upon a rare undeveloped stretch of coastline along the Riviera Nayarit in Mexico, in-the-know families are obsessed with the kids’ programming. Their fabulous KidsOnly club has children immersed in rugged nature and adventure, with a spectacular 42,000-square-foot fantasy jungle featuring an outdoor amphitheater, butterfly sanctuary, cinema, game room and nature trails ready for exploration. On top of that, the resort has miles of nature trails winding through flatlands and rainforest, as well as whale-watching, surfing, snorkeling and ziplining.
At the Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya — where guests can escape reality with a secluded beachfront, lush vegetation and wild nature everywhere — there’s also the terrific Kimbo Kids Club, a complimentary service for children ages 4 and up. The Kimbo Kids Club teaches children about meditation, yoga and the Spanish language. There’s also a host of kid-friendly offerings, including an eco-cruise around the Mayakoba lagoon, pinata-making lessons, water games and Mexican candy tasting.
If you want the high-end Andaz experience but are looking at Costa Rica, their Peninsula Papagayo property offers the Cambi Day Club and Camp Jaguar for teens, both of which are focused on the discovery of Costa Rica’s natural wonders by offering fun-filled explorations tailored for mini adventurers. We’re talking nature meditation, pottery painting, treasure hunts, color therapy, recycled turtle arts and crafts, and more.
If Portugal is on the wish list, the stunning Martinhal Family Hotels & Resorts is increasingly famous for its family-friendly programming. Truly, if any brand goes above and beyond for parents with kids of all ages, it's Martinhal, with a collection of four luxury boutique hotels and resorts in Portugal, from the center of Lisbon at Martinhal Chiado to the South West Algarve at Martinhal Sagres. At each of their hotels, Martinhal offers dedicated kids menus, including baby menus. Martinhal also has a "baby concierge" service across the properties that helps guests prearrange their stay with lifesavers like door protectors, potties, bottle sterilizers and safety gates, all free of charge. All Martinhal hotels are designed with baby-proofed furnishings — think Portuguese cork coffee tables with soft rounded edges to avoid bumps, step stools in the bathrooms and highchairs placed in the apartments. The kids clubs are meticulously designed and complete with interactive sensory toys and child care professionals who provide ultraprofessional day care so parents can enjoy their gorgeous surroundings and vibrant culture.
Just the mention of Sardina, and a sleep-deprived, stressed-out parent drifts into extreme daydream mode. Fortunately, at the Abi d’Oru Beach Hotel & Spa, families can visit with their kids and get exactly la bella vita escape they’re dreaming of. Because as the parents enjoy the beach and the food and spritzes, for the kids, there are splash pads, a pool, playgrounds and, most important, a recently renovated indoor/outdoor "Bee Happy" kids club. The club includes time in the water, Italian cooking classes and gardening with local Sardinian flowers and plants.
Out east, the famously woozy and dreamy Gurney’s is the ideal choice for families looking for a magical Hamptons experience. Their kids club is open during holiday weekends during the school year and daily through the peak summer season. There, kids can enjoy crafts, time at the beach and an indoor pool, and guided entertainment. Activities include crafts such as lava-lamp decorating, culinary activities like cookie decorating, and field days. The kids club also features "Kids Night Out" activities and family-friendly movie nights supervised by staff, along with “Dive in Movie” nights at the Seawater Pool.
From this writer's POV, there has never been a kids club as successful as the Jungle Jam Kids Club at The Shore Club Turks & Caicos. For one, the hotel is impossibly chic while still evoking those low-key Caribbean vibes you desperately crave. For the kids, the club is hopping, with a daily combination of nature, discovery and exploration exclusive to Caribbean culture, as well as physical activities, crafts and creative play all day long. This is where lifelong friendships are made, shells collected and kites flown, with kids beaming with joy at the end of the day. It will keep you returning from year to year, as a wonderful family tradition, as long as you coordinate with the kids’ new besties and their families to come join you.