This European hotel has just been named the best in the world for families (2023)

Officially the best family hotel in the world, as proclaimed in TripAdvisor’s annual Travellers’ Choice Awards in 2023, Ikos Andalusia is the famously child-friendly brand’s Spanish edition (it has multiple properties all over Greece, including in Corfu and Halkidiki). Devoted fans of summer holidays in Spain will be pleased to discover that another outpost will open in June 2023, in Mallorca.

At the Andalusia resort, which is near Marbella, guests can enjoy all-inclusive at its most luxurious, and adults are as well-catered to as the kids. For the latter, there are tennis, football and swimming academies, a kids’ club (officially the ‘Heroes Village’) and a playground, to name just a few of the family-friendly facilities. For the former, there are Teslas to borrow for drives through the scenic surroundings, nine restaurants to work though and 300 types of wine to choose from.

Puente Romano in Marbella is one of Spain’s ultimate family-friendly mega-resorts, offering an entire village-worth of fun for all the family. This includes more restaurants and bars than you’d need in a week, spanning a Nobu, a Coya outpost for ceviche fans, a Cipriani for pizza and pasta lovers, a steakhouse and the laid-back Chiringuito, with a DJ spinning tracks in time for sunset.

Families can enjoy the botanical gardens, tennis courts and banana boat. Kids will also be kept busy with watersports, and by meeting the resident bunny rabbits, hanging out in the treehouse and honing their tennis skills.

Iberostar Royal Andalus is the perfect Spain hotel for active families, since the resort offers everything from watersports and cycling to a golf course and tennis courts. You’ll also be able to spend your days cycling through the Cádiz Province countryside – the surroundings include the Route of the White Villages, which is as scenic as it sounds.

The hotel is in Chiclana de la Frontera, with trails that start from its doorstep. Guests can keep fit with Pilates, water aerobics and Zumba on the beach as well.

The original luxury Marbella hotel, Marbella Club was once the holiday finca of a party-loving prince. Over the years, the historic hideaway has welcomed guests such as Grace Kelly and Cary Grant, and people continue to flock today, lured by its promise of holiday heaven – in the form of secluded villas in the grounds, a seafood shack on the shore, stables, a pier and an 18-hole golf course.

There’s also a beach club and a super spa for yet more relaxation, along with, of course, a superb kids’ club, where your little ones can learn to make perfume and scented candles with ingredients from the herb garden, master some cookery skills, make use of the pottery wheel and easels, and throw some shapes in the dance studio.

Finca Cortesin is one of the finest hotels in Spain and, luckily for families, it’s rather well-equipped to cater to younger guests, too. The landscaped gardens span a whopping 23,000 square metres, plus there are four pools, both padel and tennis courts, and a spa for indulgent Thai treatments.

There’s a breezy beach club for the grown-ups to enjoy while the kids are playing in the dedicated children’s club. The resort features traditional Andalusian architecture, with high-ceilinged suites set around a set of courtyards.

Six Senses hotels are always a great choice for families and the group’s relatively new Ibiza outpost, which opened in time for the summer season in 2021, is no exception. It’s on Xarraca Bay on the island’s northern coast, with restaurants and bars serving produce plucked straight from the resort’s farm and gardens.

In keeping with the island’s famous dedication to sunset, there are beach caves on the waterfront perfectly positioned to enjoy it; other accommodation options include townhouses and mansions should you need more space.

On a golf-mad resort near Girona, Camiral is an especially good family hotel for kids with keen golfers for parents. But it’s not just those hoping to tee off that will be at home here, since the resort offers a stellar line-up of activities.

At the kids’ club, children can enjoy treasure hunts, crafts, archery and board games. Then there are hiking trails, tennis and padel courts, zip-lining, an outdoor escape room and an in-house biologist sharing wisdom about the local birds, bees and resident tortoises. Naturally though, there’s a golf academy, ready to spot and hone any budding talent.

Guests at Anantara Villa Padierna Palace, between Marbella and Estepona, can enjoy far more than the almost-guaranteed Andalusian sunshine, since the resort offers six restaurants and bars, three golf courses, a beach club, a kids’ club and a 2,000-square-metre spa with Roman-style baths, a hammam and peaceful gardens.

Activities for adventure-seeking families include tennis, croquet and horse-riding, excursions on e-bikes through the Andalusian countryside, sailing trips with yoga and meditation on board, surfing and canyoning.

The Ritz-Carlton group excels with its kids’ clubs – and the RitzKids at Abama in Tenerife is the biggest one in Europe no less. Behind the resort’s pretty pink façade are seven pools, a spa and a gym with a terrace to make working out that little bit easier.

The palatial resort is also renowned for its gastronomy, with several Michelin-starred restaurants on-site; especially good news for anyone who appreciates Japanese (or indeed Basque) fine-dining.

Over in Mallorca, St Regis Mardavall is perfectly placed between the mountains and the Mediterranean, with terracotta buildings, suites with sea-facing terraces and a spa with a lengthy treatment menu. The resort is also home to a Michelin-starred restaurant.

The island has the perfect combination of charming towns and villages, buzzy marinas, beautiful mountains and, of course, dreamy beaches, which is why it’s a perennial favourite of summer-holidaying Brits.