The tanned team at i-escape’s Kids Collection have come up with a Bucket and Spade List of 20 fun activities all discerning pre-schoolers should try. It’s live on their website now.
To tie in with all things ‘sandy’ and because you lot are very special, Nadine (Editor of the Kids Collection) has chosen her ‘5 Best Seaside Hotels’ below.
As she is one of the select team at i-escape she has first hand experience of knowing the best places where all nippers (especially the U-5’s) can play happily for hours and hours on the beach.
Think …. sand building forts & castles/ F-type Jag cars designed by Dad (this is quality time right!?), whilst Mum listens to her Sony yellow water proof walk-man (one for the retro readers!) and reads more than 4 pages of The Goldfinch. It is possible, especially if you take the loom bands for the girls. Enjoy. xo
1. Ammos Hotel, near Chania, Crete, Greece
Perfect for families with smaller kids is this friendly hotel set right on a safe shallow sandy beach, perfect for building sandcastles (no.1 on their Bucket and Spade List). It has a kids pool as well as playroom complete with Wendy House. Children’s meals are available in the restaurant, which serves home-made Greek food, and all Suites and Studios have small kitchenettes for simple meals.
Stay at this coastal-chic apart-hotel for a truly stunning seaside holiday. All the baby and toddler paraphernalia you could wish for is supplied and babysitting is available on request. Kids will be in their element with the trampoline, playground and well-equipped playroom. The sandy beach at the end of the lane has great rock pools (no.2). Should the weather turn inclement there’s even a heated indoor pool!
3. Med-Inn, Bodrum Peninsula, Turkey
This laid-back seaside hotel has both a private beach and private jetty, as well as verdant Mediterranean gardens and large swimming pool. Suites are spacious, there’s a kids menu available and children under 6 stay for free. There are plenty of opportunities to take a boat trip (no.19), whether on a traditional Turkish sail-powered, or by ferry to Rhodes or Kos
4. Hotel Martinhal, Sagres, Algarve, Portugal
One of the jewels in the Kids Collection, this designer kid-friendly hotel has everything you could possibly want on a family holiday. Its set in a National Park, with stylish connecting rooms, oodles of facilities including 4 pools, tennis courts, masses of baby equipment, and, pleasingly, all extra beds and cots are free (including breakfast). From the wealth of activities on offer, pre-schoolers may want to join in the treasure hunts (no.20) organised by the Kids Club (one of four, each dedicated to a different age range, and there’s a fully staffed creche too).
5. Palmizana, Sveti Klement Island, nr Hvar, Croatia
What a superb place to bring kids of all ages, even the grown up ones will really appreciate staying at this Bohemian hideaway on a car-free island so you can run around carefree. The beach is shallow, there are extensive gardens, and there’s a range of accommodation to suit all family sizes. This is a also prime spot for ticking off no.14 (paddling a kayak/canoe with your parents) as kayaks are available to hire nearby.
And, as they are good friends, they wanted me to share the love that they are running a Twitter competition to win £50 in i-escape vouchers towards your next family holiday by sharing photos of your own mini-adventurers using the hashtag
#iescapebucket
Here’s mine from last week! Good luck everyone. xo
Sandcastle Image credit : Arron & George (Artist)
Creative Bus Stop 