On Valentine’s Day, some people want lists of hotels for making babies. But for parents, the opposite is more likely to be true. These hotels are for them.
Every February, as if required by law, there appears a wide trough of lists eager to tell you about “sexy” hotels where you can guzzle champagne and push the headboards to the limit. For the silent majority — the hardworking parents of the world for whom a bed is mostly just a place of respite and replenishment — we’ve got something more appropriate.
The luxurious hotels below are great places for taking your babies. They’ve got kids clubs, sitters, and menus filled with family-friendly activities. They’re pretty romantic too, located in some of Europe and North America’s most desirable destinations. So while your little ones are off on their own adventures, you can do whatever it is that adults do when they get some time alone.
Just go easy on the headboard.
Borgo Egnazia
Savelletri di Fasano, Italy
Borgo Egnazia is designed to resemble the traditional Pugliese village, a cluster of low stone buildings and villas connected by narrow walkways, earning full marks for local color. Against this enchanting backdrop the Trullalleri Kids Club entertains children from 7 months to 7 years, teaching them Puglia’s local traditions in a fun, and fully hands-on manner.
Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
Lake Louise, Canada
The railway hotels of the Canadian Rockies are famous for their grand scale, improbable luxury, and their stunning natural surroundings — and among them perhaps none is so well-known as the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. The hotel’s Adventure Camp is no slouch either, letting kids indulge in everything from campfires and s’mores to apple roasting and arts and crafts.
Resort at Paws Up
Greenough, MT, USA
Backcountry living in the Montana Rockies never felt quite so luxe. Deep in the heart of the American West, the Resort at Paws Up is for the traveler who wants a wilderness escape to include all the comforts of civilization. For kids, there’s the Corps of Discovery, where they can try their hand at archery, rustic cooking, sapphire hunting and much more.
Martinhal Sagres Family Resort
Sagres, Portugal
Martinhal contains multitudes; an ambitious offering of varied guest-room styles with the facilities and amenities of a massive luxury resort, and a place particularly well-suited to families traveling with young children. In fact there are so many diversions for kids, it almost feels like the resort was designed by some hotelier Willy Wonka.
Esperanza
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Esperanza is located at the tip of the Baja Peninsula, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez. The setting is spectacular and the resort itself is luxurious and exclusive — and highly family friendly. Piñata parties and Mexican bingo are just the tip of the iceberg of what’s available for children, which includes the delightful Tortuguitas Kids Club.
Blackberry Farm
Walland, TN, USA
What’s Blackberry Farm? Picture this: 4200 acres of wildflower-strewn land nestled at the foothills of the Tennessee Smokies, 44 rooms of feather beds and English country antiques, a regime of family-friendly activities like iced tea picnics, horseback riding, tennis, fishing, and fireside dining, plus babysitting services and a kids club called Camp Blackberry.
Verdura Golf & Spa Resort
Sciacca, Italy
While the olive country of Mediterranean Italy may not immediately recall the links at St. Andrews, it is a stunning setting for a golf-focused, boutique-style luxury resort. For younger, non-golfing guests, there’s Verdùland, where kids can play a whole host of others sports, as well as learn cooking, science, crafting, and culture.
One&Only Mandarina
Lo de Marcos, Mexico
An hour up the coast from Puerto Vallarta, the spectacular One&Only Mandarina combines eco-lodge sensitivity, boutique-hotel good looks, and luxury-hotel comforts and facilities in a tranquil setting amid 80 acres of coastal rainforest. One&Only’s KidsOnly program gets your kiddos up close to it all, with treehouse playgrounds, butterfly farms, and a bunch more.
Terre Blanche
Tourrettes, France
From a certain perspective, Terre Blanche looks like another picturesque Provençal village. Look a little closer, however, and the resort turns out to be anything but rustic, with fully modern amenities, well-appointed suites and villas, and a kids club that has a nature and biodiversity focus and even hosts activities and excursions for older children up to the age of 18.
Carmel Valley Ranch
Carmel, CA, USA
Carmel Valley Ranch is nothing short of idyllic, and the hotel makes sure you take it all in from its hundred-plus suites. Private decks, offering far-ranging views of the estate, are universal, and tubs and fireplaces come in quite handy on cool coastal nights. Then there’s the River Ranch, Adventure Den, and Game Lawn — just a few of the activities your children will enjoy.
The Mark Hotel
New York City, NY, USA
The Mark is a classic, timeless, posh Upper East Side hotel that goes out of its way to make little guests comfortable in the Big Apple. Custom-designed Maclaren strollers are available, toys are provided from a local toy store, an “In-Suite Slumber Party” is exactly what it sounds like, and special tours of the Met can be arranged for anyone between the ages of 10 and 13.
Eden Roc Cap Cana
Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Sprawling beaches and private pools define Eden Roc, but so too do dedicated areas for children. The coolest is an artificial lagoon complete with a massive treehouse-style activity center with video games, a mini-spa — manicures, pedicures, hairstyling — and snacks. Separate, supervised swimming areas for kids abound as well.
Mark Fedeli is the hotel marketing and editorial director for Tablet and Michelin Guide. He’s been with Tablet since 2006, and he thinks you should subscribe to our newsletter.