JOIN THE CLUB

If you’re a parent you’ll know (and appreciate) the value of a kids’ club or a resort that goes out of its way to support families. But these golden places aren’t always easy to find; Jo Gardner rounds up some of the best family-friendly properties around.

Half Moon
Montego Bay, Jamaica

“At Half Moon, kids are treated like VIPs” says the website which goes on to describe how, instead of dedicating an individual area to children, the resort has created an entire village. Inspired by Jamaican folklore, the Anancy Children’s Village is a larger-than-average outdoor-indoor space where three to 12-year-olds can play, create and meet new people; babies and tots are looked after by professional nannies inside the village itself to give parents full peace of mind (and allow families with two children of different ages to be in the same place).

If your children are mad about horse riding – or eager to give it a go – book a session at the Half Moon Equestrian Centre. The centre offers a Pony Park ride for six year-olds and under – where gentle trots through swathes of parkland to spots rabbits, goats and donkeys are the order of the day – a Rookie's Roundup for riders over six who are just starting out, and a Turf & Surf experience for children over 10 who can gallop along the resort’s seven mile stretch of pristine private beach before being led into the warm Caribbean sea to swim with their horse. The stuff of dreams, surely?

Hard Rock Hotel
Tenerife, Spain

Got a budding rock star in the family? Take them to The Hard Rock Hotel in Tenerife for a music experience they’ll never forget. This music-themed property has three kids’ clubs catering for children of all ages: parents of babes should take their offspring to Lullaby, where professional staff will be on hand from 9am until 9pm with music-related activities. Want to go out for the evening? Book the Baby Club and be a rock star yourself (by staying out until midnight for a change!).

Four to nine-year-olds can be entertained at the Roxity Kids’ Club where they get to dress up and sing like their favourite rock star - if they are good enough they can join a talent show and sing on a real stage. Teenagers should slump off to Teen Spirit (sound familiar?) to play Guitar Hero, learn how to become a DJ, join in a hip hop workshop or take part in an MC class. With all this going on, we guarantee you won’t hear the words “I’m bored” during your entire stay (and that’s surely music to your ears).

Rixos The Palm Dubai Hotel & Suites
Dubai, Middle East

Rixos The Palm Dubai Hotel & Suites brings children's entertainment to a new level with the launch of the all-new Rixy Kids’ Club. The club features everything from Sushi-making and waterslides and performance art to movies; it even boasts the first dedicated children’s amphitheatre in the UAE.

Parents with under four’s are invited to recharge at the Toddler Town’s Baby Chamber, an air-conditioned changing room where mothers can freshen up and feed their babies in private.

Rixy Club’s vibrant Junior Town hosts a series of art and science sessions for the creatively inclined; water-lovers can head outside and slide down several colourful waterslides or swim in the club’s own outdoor shaded pool. Rixinema is here, too, a children’s movie theatre streaming popular animated films, with colourful beanbags to relax on.

If that’s not enough, budding athletes can head to the Kids Sports Academy where a full programme of sport-related activities is scheduled. It seems you can palm your child off just about anywhere at The Palm (and we say hurrah to that).

Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai
Hoi An, Vietnam

The kids’ club at Four Seasons The Nam Hai is so large it occupies its own standalone building surrounded by enclosed grounds. More like a mini resort than a club, it has its own pool and multiple indoor/outdoor play areas; English speaking staff welcome children aged four to 12 on a daily basis.

Smaller children can splash about in an egg-shaped wading pool, relax on a mini poolside loungers, wiggle through worm tubes in the gardens or build sandcastles in the shaded sand area; inside, there’s a mini-kitchenette, aquarium and a dolls’ houses for imaginative play; a gaming area focusing on dance and movement; and a dedicated craft corner.

Activities for older children range from fruit carving, lantern making and kite flying to tennis lessons, water gun fights and stilt walking. Children can even help the gardeners in the on-site herb and vegetable farm.  Those not wishing to head to the kids’ club can show off their cooking skills at The Nam Hai Junior Cooking Academy, learn how to sail or try casting traditional fishing nets.

Elysium
Paphos, Cyprus

While worn-out parents will admit that a kids’ clubs is a better invention than the telephone, they are too expensive for many. At Elysium, the Angel’s Kids’ Club is free to all guests between April and October and over the Easter, Christmas and New Year periods – the best Christmas present ever, perhaps? Not only that but you don’t have to pre-book – simply turn up and your child will be taken care of, fed and entertained until you return.

Catering for children aged three to 12, Angel’s Kids’ Club features a variety of creative and interactive activities organised by qualified childcare professionals, including face painting and t-shirt designing. When sitting down gets too much, the club has a newly-installed two-storey soft-play area and an interactive floor game.

Parents with children of four months to 35 months can use the Angels Creche which is chargeable per morning or afternoon. The hotel also has a video games room and an outdoor play area, provides a babysitting service, offers swimming lessons and has children’s menus in the restaurants.