10 Best 5 Star Hotels for Kids

You want to go away with the family and you fancy a bit of pampering and down time too? Does the thought of taking the children to a beautiful hotel where they mustn't run around or touch anything fill you with a rising dread? Don’t worry, we have you covered with our list of the top hotels in the UK where kids are encouraged rather than just tolerated. All the below offer babysitting services, child listening services and a few extras, read on to find out more:

The Athenaeum, London

The Athenaeum near Green Park in London has everything you could wish for, in the form of a dedicated children’s concierge. A questionnaire is sent to you in advance to find out more about your travelling companions' likes and dislikes, a few of these things will then be waiting for them when you arrive, maybe a selection of toy cars and their favourite movie. Milk and cookies before bed, perhaps you fancy flying a kite? The Athenaeum has you covered.

Old Bank Hotel, Oxford

At Old Bank Hotel, the children will receive a welcome pack on arrival, and enjoy milk and homemade biscuits on turndown. Make use of the hotel bicycles to explore your location, and when you need some down time there is a guest library filled with board games and children’s books.

Calcot Hotel and Spa in Gloucestershire

Calcot Hotel and Spa has everything you need for your tiny tots through to intrepid teens, with complimentary toys for the little ones and games consoles and a 12 seater cinema for the bigger ones. There is an Ofsted registered creche with toys, arts and crafts, an outdoor play kitchen, disc-golf, free bike hire, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pool available at specific times for children, and to top it all off, an early ‘kids' tea’ is available so you can enjoy your relaxed adult evening making use of the complimentary child listening service.

Ickworth Hotel in Suffolk

Ickworth Hotel offers free childcare for children up to age 8, plus baby and toddler equipment is provided, so you don’t have to lug it all with you, from sterilisers to bed guards. Child-friendly facilities include a fairy garden, games room, a Wendy house, and a trampoline, alongside bikes and all-terrain i-candy pushchairs for hire when you decide to venture outside the hotel’s warm embrace.

Browns, London

Browns, in the heart of Mayfair, really excels. On arrival the children are given a special VIP card to enable them to access the children’s library to borrow movies and books. There will be a gift in the room on arrival, along with delights such as gingerbread men with their names on, child sized bathrobes and slippers. Bottle sterilisers and child’s toiletries are also available. In the evening enjoy a teddy turndown service with a Brown’s bear tucked in their bed and milk and cookies to help with the bedtime routine. Even the spa offers special treatments for children. Over 13’s have access to gaming stations and DVDs and free content protected wifi on their in room TVs.

Porth Tocyn Hotel, Wales

Porth Tocyn Hotel in Cardigan Bay has a dedicated area for children to escape to including a cosy snug with DVDs and a games room with table tennis available. High tea is served each evening for the younger residents at 5.30 and dinner menus are happily adapted for those able to stay up late to eat with their parents. Well maintained interlinking gardens with a heated swimming pool and stunning sea views mean you can enjoy the outdoors as much as the fabulous interior space.

New Park Manor Hotel, Hampshire

New Park Manor Hotel in the heart of the New Forest offers up bean bags, books, board games and movies. 2 hours of free childcare is available in the Den, where the children will find dressing up clothes and toys galore alongside themed activities including biscuit decorating, leaf wreath making, and mocktail making. Older children can make use of the cycle hire (toddler seats available), foosball, Nintendo Wii, table tennis and cinema room. Treaty spa treatments are available for teens.

Moonfleet Manor, Dorset

Moonfleet Manor boasts an Ofsted registered creche alongside a selection of ride-on toys, a trampoline and skittle alley under a covered veranda. Let the children loose with sensory playdough and jewellery making. They also have a climbing frame and sand pit, traversing climbing wall and indoor football pitch available. To make the most of staying on the Jurassic coast you can even take part in guided fossil hunting!

Balmoral, Edinburgh

The beautiful Balmoral in Edinburgh provides its youngest residents with an impressive array of extras. An ‘owl’ turn-down service with milk and cookies at bedtime plus night lights and playmats, with hooded towels, rubber ducks and temperature testers in the bathroom. There are children’s newspapers and magazines available too. For the older children, content protected wifi is available, alongside books, DVDs, and bookable teen spa treatments. To top off your stay, an itinerary of city activities and programmes has been collated to delight your children.

Coworth Park, Berkshire

At Coworth Park, they provide your little ones with a chance to get creative, to bake something delicious or embark on a treasure hunt. The rural location makes it an ideal destination for families, where children can roam freely around the spacious grounds and romp outside in the fresh air in complete safety. A whole house has been transformed into a dedicated area for kids to enjoy. Seven play rooms include a role play area with a giant kitchen and train set, quiet room with books and dolls’ houses, and even a ‘messy’ room for baking and arts and crafts. Upstairs, the teen den keeps older kids entertained with movies and games – perfect for rainy days.

Photo by Katie Emslie on Unsplash