The best family-friendly hotels in the UK that don’t compromise on luxury
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Travelling with children isn’t always easy. There’s the chaos of packing and the routine
changes, not to mention the impossible task of finding a slick hotel that actively welcomes small people alongside stylish rooms, wonderful food and razor-sharp service. Luckily, there’s a league of luxury contenders, you just need to know where to look. From London’s Mayfair to the Cotswolds and the Lake District, these are very best family-friendly hotels across the UK.
At a glance
- The best family friendly hotel in Scotland: Gleneagles
- The best family friendly hotel in the Cotswolds: Calcot & Spa, Tetbury
- The best family friendly hotel in London: The Lanesborough
- The best family friendly hotel near London: The Grove
- The best family friendly hotel in Devon: Fowlescombe Farm
- The best family friendly hotel in Dorset: Louma Farm and Retreat
- The best family friendly hotel with a swimming pool: Another Place, Lake District
- The best family friendly hotel in Cornwall: Fowey Hall Cornwall
- The best luxury family friend hotel: The Dorchester
The best family-friendly hotels in the UK
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1/15The Grove, Hertfordshire
Sometimes a smart country hotel beckons - and before you brush them off as not being the sort of place to bring your precious small people, listen up. Set within 300 acres of Hertfordshire parkland, The Grove somehow manages to pull off being polished yet not forgetting to keep kids entertained. Here, the adventures begin almost the minute you arrive. Young guests can clamber into Mini Landies and zip along woodland trails, while parents nip to the Sequoia Spa or tee off on the 18-hole golf course. The estate also offers bike rides, a play area tucked behind the walled garden, archery, axe-throwing and one thing that will particularly please parents - the OFSTED-registered Anouska’s Kids’ Club (ages 2–9), leaving grown-ups time to linger longer. In summer, there’s also an outdoor pool, a pop-up cinema and a shaded playground for smaller ones. The new cottage hideaways are perfect for families offering two or three bedrooms, with fireplaces and hot-tubs in the garden, while the spacious suites inside the historic Mansion are also brilliant for big broods. Mealtimes are fuss-free too, particularly the impressive buffet restaurant at The Glasshouse where you’ll need to tear them away from the chocolate fountain and decadent spread of puddings.
Jonathan Bond Photography2/15Louma, Dorset
From its own vineyard stretching towards glimmers of the Jurassic Coast to meadows dotted with pedigree horses, pigs and grazing sheep, Louma is a new-generation farm stay that feels rooted in the land yet quietly cosmopolitan. Interiors are warm and considered: soft, natural palettes layered with bold textiles and contemporary art, a nod to the South African heritage of its owners. It’s a rural wonderland for families and there’s ample to keep children happy, whether they’re grooming ponies, frolicking around the dedicated outdoor play area with climbing frames, swings and a sandpit or breezing through the woodland trails. As far as the parent-pleasing perks go, there’s sunrise yoga in a glass-walled barn, swims in the outdoor pool framed by vineyard rows, or tastings of Louma’s crisp, estate-grown wines. There are just 17 rooms scattered across the farmhouse, restored stables and snug shepherd’s huts, ensuring a sense of intimacy even with a full house. Meals, included in the stay, are a highlight: seasonal menus celebrate produce from the fields and nearby coast - think garden vegetables, locally landed fish and generous sharing platters, served with a relaxed, convivial spirit.
3/15Fowlescombe Farm, Devon
Tucked into the rolling South Hams hills, Fowlescombe Farm is the sort of bucolic bolthole that magically manages to be both serene and brilliantly family-friendly (yes, these can co-exist). This regenerative, 900-acre working farm in south Devon offers a slower, more grounded slice of rural life washed down with oodles of slick, Scandi aesthetic. Days here fall into a comforting rhythm of nature-soaked adventure: little ones can scamper off on farm tours to feed rare-breed pigs, collect eggs from the hens and make firm friends with the resident farm dogs, while older kids race about on wildflower-lined trails, helping harvest vegetables from the kitchen garden. Parents, meanwhile, can exhale. There are long, lazy farm-to-table feasts; think wood-fired sourdough pizzas, home-smoked trout and garden-picked salads and sunset suppers under canvas (or you can order a DIY supper kit and cook in your room, most have their own kitchens). Accommodation comes in the form of beautifully restored stone barns and suites, many with wood-burning stoves, deep bathtubs and views over fields teeming with wildlife. And when the urge for a seaside adventure strikes, golden Bigbury Beach, with its tidal island and rock pools, is just a short drive away. This is the sort of screen-free family trip you’ve long been yearning for.
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The Dorchester, London
If you want to live the life of luxury and take your children with you, look no further than The Dorchester. This grande dame of London hotels may seem too five star to welcome little mess makers amongst its guests, but that couldn't be further from the truth. At every turn, the team put on a welcome that exceeds all expectations, down to the teddies, rubber duck, bath products and necessities – nappy bin, changing mat, non slip bath mats and the like for younger babes.
A suite is the thing to book if you can, as then you have ample space to sprawl out as a family and toddlers will have hours of fun running around the rooms, hiding behind curtains and of course, jumping on the vast, squashy beds. The team at the Dorchester can arrange a babysitting service – day or night – from a trusted service so that you can enjoy the spa or various bars and restaurants on offer.
The room service menu caters to children, but the restaurants are very happy to have little ones at the table too, even The Grill by Tom Booton, where one mini me sat throughout an entire dinner, alternating between eating, colouring and watching shows on an iPad. But the cherry on the cake has to be the ultra-fancy spa at 45 Park Lane, where hotel guests can book in and which offers two child-friendly swimming slots a day.
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5/15Estelle Manor, Oxfordshire
This place might be a playground for the artful and ornate, with its lavish Jacobethan bones, heavily brocaded fabrics and contemporary art creating a swish country house bolthole but it also happens to be a heavenly match for families. There’s more than 3,000 acres of ambrosial countryside to roam, where pursuits range from tree walks to axe-throwing, archery and falconry.
While the teens are busy hanging out in The Den (where gaming, films and pool tables await), little ones can buzz around on the fleet of adorable pistachio mini Landies or try their hands at foraging with the hotel’s resident expert, plucking wild fruits and vegetables as they go. There’s also supervised adventure programmes in the school holidays - think den-building, bug hunts, woodland safaris and slingshot and catapult practise - meaning proper grown-up time is on the cards here, ideal when you want to indulge in Eynsham Baths, the 3,000 sq. metre adults-only Roman-inspired spa and its five thermal pools, hidden behind trees.
Parents are obsessed with the fairytale two-bedroomed Woodland Cottages, decked in Scandi sheepskin and with wood-burning stoves, where city slickers swap the humdrum of noisy cars for the tranquil chirping of birdsong. The food is a crowd-pleaser too, particularly at the all-day Brasserie, where dishes such as cheddar soufflés, beef wellington and creamy risottos will be gobbled up without so much of a fuss.
Michael Kelly6/15Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London
We heart this place. It’s a beast, a behemoth, it’s like arriving at the Acropolis; the sea of marble, the pillars, the doormen in red coats and top-hats conducting an orchestra of forever-flowing supercars along Knightsbridge, the big bonanza flower displays laid out right ahead. So far, so polished, not a place for children you’re thinking? Well, you couldn’t be more wrong.
Cruise in with your brood and you’re treated like rockstars; little beds decked out in balloons, almost toppling over with the sheer amount of presents scattered across them (books, cuddly toys, safari outfits, MiniMo panda slippers and bathrobes), tables laden with oven-fresh cookies and cupcakes. They’ll organise ‘Little Ranger’ adventures - ‘Royal Rangers’ can feed the horses at Hyde Park Barracks, ‘Sloane Rangers’ can scoot off for a kids’ personal shopping experience at Harvey Nichols while ‘Park Rangers’ set off for a treasure hunt on Hyde Park, which happens to be directly opposite the hotel. Then there’s in-room movie nights where butlers deliver bowls of popcorn and ice-cream sundaes, Home Alone-style, plus family swim times in the spa and as much hot chocolate as they can slurp.
You’ll want one of the sprawling Hyde Park suites, with green views from all the huge windows, separate bedrooms and Art Deco touches everywhere. Breakfast here is a family triumph too - a buffet brimming with pancakes, waffles and gold-leaf Madeleines, with a full mini English and caviar on the side, if they so desire. It is the Mandarin Oriental, after all.
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LARYSSA ERRATT7/15Beaverbrook, Surrey
Opening in 2017 in the former home of colourful press baron Lord Beaverbrook, this country-house hotel has become a getaway favourite. Set in 400 acres of Surrey countryside, Beaverbrook cleverly manages to retain its grandeur and elegance, while being delightfully eccentric. Designer Susie Atkinson is behind the beautifully chintzy, high-ceilinged rooms, all varying in style. Families love the Coach House Suites, all tongue and groove panelling, scalloped Matilda Goad lampshades and botanical Mimi Pickard headboards, with a separate sleeping area for children. It’s worth bagging one of the new zippy modern-meets-art-deco style suites inside The Village, built on the site of the old estate workers’ cottages, with private gardens, balconies or terraces. Sharky & George run the kids’ club during weekends and school holidays, with den-building, bug-hunting and night safaris on the agenda, plus there’s a woodland play area with a treehouse and slides galore to keep them busy. The hotel’s beaming staff can organise arts and crafts activities, board games and afternoon film screenings in the private cinema with warm popcorn too if the weather isn’t up to scratch. Grown-ups will want to make a beeline for the spa where there’s everything from massages and facials to oxygen therapy, osteopathy and an in-house naturopath. Head to Sir Frank’s Bar for a Spitfire Collins cocktail overlooking the Italianate gardens, followed by a top-notch dinner in either the Garden House Restaurant or the Japanese Grill.
WILL-PRYCE8/15The Peninsula, London
Freshly sprang, sharp and to the point, The Peninsula is terrifically sleek and for families, it’s hard not to know what not to get excited about. First off is the location, right in the heart of where you want to be, overlooking Wellington Arch and Hyde Park, a quick shimmy to Buckingham palace and the megastores of Knightsbridge. They’ll squeal at the brand green Rolls-Royce Phantoms lined up like soldiers outside the lobby, the roaring lion statuettes, the squeaky, vast lobby where tea stands are piled high with children’s afternoon tea favourites, between the columns, giant Murano chandeliers and hand-drawn de Gournay murals.
This is swanked-up family travel, even the entry-level rooms are big enough for families (if you need them to sleep in a separate space, the bigger-than-average dressing room works a dream or go for the roomy junior suites). They’ll shower them with treats - personalised bath bombs and ‘Once Upon a Foxx’ themed goodies, all inspired by two foxes that used to sleep in the hotel’s courtyard during its construction. There’s a secret cinema in the basement too that you can book out, candyfloss, popcorn and milkshakes, optional.
All rooms are soundproofed with black-out blinds and knockout bathrooms ready to hit the ‘spa’ button when you’ve shhh’d them off to sleep. Better still, make a break for it and book a babysitter while you tuck into the best Peking duck in London at the superflash, sexily lit, Canton Blue.
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9/15Four Seasons Hampshire
Nested in the Hampshire hills, just over an hour outside of London, Four Seasons Hampshire is all fields and cows and buttercups. And it's smart as a pin: Grade II-listed, a sort of country- trad-modern-glamour hybrid, where city-weary families turn up ready to be spoiled by the FS charm. There are subtle but very helpful child friendly touches everywhere–in-room treats galore (or Ella’s Kitchen pouches for under ones), complimentary food for under 5s, free swim nappies by the kids’ pool and they’ll even wash down your pram after a muddy walk. Children have their own all-singing, all dancing water wonderland called Sharkie’s Reef, there’s horse riding, falcons and owls, plus a kids’ club on weekends and school holidays. Meanwhile, there’s still plenty of grown-up sparkle to this place, where stylish rooms are washed in sage, with canary-yellow linen curtains and William Yeoward grapefruit sofas (go for the two-bed suites or interconnecting rooms) and a serene spa with a outdoor vitality pool that’s worth escaping to alone. Don’t miss top British grub at The Wild Carrot and cocktails at the clubby Sherlock Holmes-inspired bar.
GLEESONPAULINO10/15Gleneagles, Scotland
Best family friendly hotel in Scotland
There’s nowhere quite so spellbinding for the whole family than Gleneagles. This Perthshire hotel, set beneath the heather-filled Ochil Hills, is a deft recreation of jazz-age glamour, overhauled by the Hoxton’s Ennismore group in 2015. The very definition of indulgent fun, the bedrooms are classically beautiful, swathes of coral pinks and pistachio greens with antique furniture, all inspired by the mountains and meadows, rivers and lakes of the Perthshire countryside. There’s endless country pursuits on tap here–gundog training (with adorable spaniels and labs) fishing, clay shooting, falconry, and, of course, championship golf. Children are spoiled beyond measure, from off roading in mini Defenders to Shetland pony rides, tree-climbing and their own little dressing gowns in the room. Plus, there’s ‘The Little Den’ crèche for under 8s and its big sister, ‘The Den’ for 8-15-year olds, ideal for when you want some downtime. For the adults, the spa, the finest in Scotland, offers a broad range of treatments, whether that’s a glowing Dr. Barbara Sturm facial or chakra balancing ayurvedic ritual. Andrew Fairlie’s two-Michelin-star restaurant is worthy of a reservation as soon as you book alongside the buzzy-as-a-honeypot American Bar, where the shelves house some of the world’s rarest whiskies.
11/15The Lanesborough, London
What could be more of a treat than staying in the splendour of a London grande dame like The Lanesborough? Yes, it’s so Elnett, where high heels click-clack across the marble floors and crystal chandeliers twinkle but children are generously embraced here too and affectionately named ‘Little VIPs.’ From welcome trays rumbling with homemade gingerbread men, Child’s Farm bath products and cots filled with balloons, no detail has been overlooked when it comes to smaller guests. The spa has carved out family-friendly splash hours to keep everyone happy and all rooms come with butlers who’ll gladly organise treasure hunts, horse riding in Hyde Park, or simply locating Lilibet, the hotel’s resident Siberian Forest cat, via her GPS tag, for a treat and stroke. There’s a Regency opulence to the rooms, Bridgerton-esque, with wedding cake prettiness, soaring ceilings and elegant four-poster beds. Many are interconnecting, though the corner suites are especially spacious. There’s a brilliant kids’ menu full of the classics (club burgers, bolognese), plus movies, XBoxes and unlimited ice cream. Do book a babysitter so you can enjoy a tranquil dinner downstairs at The Lanesborough Bar & Grill, happy in the knowledge they’re sleeping like kings in their own White Company London-themed bed sheets.
ADAM LYNK12/15Calcot & Spa, Cotswolds
Calcot & Spa’s setting is sweet as pie, where trails run amidst ancient oaks and 220 acres of rewilded countryside. Rooms are very pretty, with deep squashy beds and walls of grey and duck egg, and minibars packed with jars of freshly-made shortbread. Families are welcomed with open arms and the small touches here make this place a minor miracle. You’ll want to nab the sweeping two-bed Barnsley Cottage, with its own private terrace, crackling wood burner and enormous upstairs bathroom where bath toys and Little B bath products await, not to mention the box full of parenting essentials (changing mat, steriliser, bottle warmer). There’s an in-room listening service too, so you can put the creatures to bed and creep off to the smart restaurant for slow cooked rump and potato galette. The new, laid-back Brassiere offers a free kids’ home-cooked tea from 5.30pm, while you happily sip on mojitos. Meanwhile the Ofsted-registered crèche, better kitted out than most nurseries, offers four hours complimentary childcare thrown in per day. Plus, there’s bicycles and trailers to hop on for twisty twirly rides across the estate, an outdoor play area for them to run wild in and family splash hours in the pool.
13/15Brown's Hotel, a Rocco Forte Hotel, London
Sir Winston Churchill once said, ‘I don’t stay at a hotel, I stay at Brown’s.’ And he was right: staying here feels like staying with your closest London friends. While it’s a quintessentially English institution, where top hat-bedecked doormen welcome you inside to the sound of porcelain clinking during its revered afternoon tea, it has the enduring elegance of a private townhouse that never feels too stuffy. And for families, it’s a dreamy place to stay. They’ve got sprawling two-bed family suites that they’ll fill with whatever essentials you don’t have space to pack (bibs, changing mats, nappies, unicorn night lights) and they’ve recently partnered with DockATot to provide beautiful William Morris-printed play tents for busy tots and moses baskets for babies. They’ll leave a cuddly toy of the hotel mascot monkey Albemarle (Rudyard Kipling reportedly wrote The Jungle Book here) on the bed, bring up chilled milk and homemade jammy dodgers on request, even the concierge stuff their pockets with chocolate coins to surprise unassuming guests. There’s also welcome mocktails and games consoles for teens. Ask the concierge to book a babysitter and head downstairs for supper at scene-stealing Charlie’s, where British classics like hearty ham and leek pie and creamy, chocolate-drizzled profiteroles come washed down with plenty of people-watching, all topped off with a punchy nightcap at Donovan Bar.
14/15Another Place, Lake District
Sitting serenely on Ullswater’s western shore, the gorgeously stylish Another Place has jaw-dropping views over the lake and fells, where dogs, children, muddy boys and wetsuits are greeted with glee. It was taken over and refurbished by Watergate Bay‘s Will Ashworth and reopened in 2017, where a Swallows and Amazons escape awaits, an ideal place to lure screen-fixated kids outside. There’s huge wood-panelled fireplaces, a swimming pool and rooms with sheepskin rugs and teacakes in your fridge - book the airy two-bed treehouse with its own outdoor bath and log burner or one of the rustic family shepherd’s huts. You won’t be spending much time in your room however because coming here is all about getting out on that lake. Go kayaking, wild swimming, paddle boarding or sailing. There’s also a forest school-style kids’ club in a wooden cabin (from six months to seven-years-old) and a safari tent (for seven- to 12 year-olds) as well as star-gazing, firepits by the lake and a glorious outdoor hot-tub worth retreating to after a busy day on the water. Don’t miss wood-fired pizza at The Glasshouse and a nightcap in the library with board games and a roaring fire to boot.
15/15Fowey Hall Cornwall
This sweeping Victorian seaside mansion overlooking the glassy Fowey estuary is known for its Wind in the Willows beauty (author Kenneth Grahame used to stay here when it was private house, and it is said to have inspired the majestic Toad Hall) and today families flock here for a luxury buckets-and-spades getaway, with Cornwall’s finest beaches and coastal paths within easy reach. Fowey Hall is a miracle-maker, blurring the lines between being child-friendly while appealing to grown-ups wanting a place that will scoop them up and set them down. Staff here feel like the nannies you always wanted. They’ll heat and sterilise bottles, deliver morning and evening milk to your room, purée food and make travelling a breeze (buggies, baby monitors, sippy cups, bed guards, they provide it all). Best of all, you’ll get 90 minutes of free childcare in the Ofsted-registered crèche per day, leaving you ample time to waft around the spa, stroll in the grounds, or sink into a sofa with a glass of wine to hand. There’s also a baby-listening service so you can hotfoot it to dinner in peace, a dedicated children’s library teeming with over 700 books, arcade games, play houses and a Sunday breakfast club that will see sprogs collected from your room so you can enjoy your tea while it’s hot. They really have thought of everything.
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