Family Holidays

Relaxing: Aphrodite Hills, Cyprus

This immaculately landscaped hotel and villa complex set on a stunning stretch of coast about 15 minutes by car from Paphos is an ideal choice for families with kids of all ages. Reached on Easyjet (free car seat AND pushchair allowance for babies) in under 4 hours, Cyprus enjoys wonderfully warm weather rather longer than other parts of Europe due to its location just 250 miles from the Egyptian coast. Perfect in May and October, this makes for a superb Easter or half term break.

Although there is a five star Intercontinental Hotel in the complex, we recommend the villas, which come in all sizes from one bedroom apartments to large five bedroom villas with pools, and allow space for everyone (cots can be provided) at a great price. Not only do they offer the choice to self-cater (full kitchen in each one) but guests also have access to the full facilities of the resort including grocery store, restaurants, award-winning spa, fitness centre, golf, tennis, pools (excellent shaded children's pools) crèche from 3 months, kids club and in-villa babysitting. This gives you the ultimate flexibility especially in the evenings, whether you'd like to cook up a large family meal yourself or if you fancy going out for a special dinner as a couple.

It's important to choose the right location as the resort is very large - walking distance to the centre of the resort is recommended for younger families or those with teenagers who want to do their own thing. Bikes can be rented on site, and to explore Cyprus car hire is highly recommended. A number of fun and stress-free local excursions are doable using the resort as a base - you can take your time and do things at whatever pace your family needs. Archaeological sites, beautiful beaches and historic hill-top villages are all a short drive away, and within the resort there's enough to do even if you never leave.

Adventurous: Phinda Private Game Reserve, South Africa

It can be hard to find a game reserve in Africa which accepts children, but this luxurious Big 5 property welcomes children of all ages and goes out of its way to make things easy for families. What more exciting holiday for children can there be than an amazing African safari?

Phinda is known for its abundant wildlife and diversity of habitats - thanks to its coastal rainfall pattern, Phinda enjoys a lush green environment that contains seven distinct ecosystems - a magnificent tapestry of woodland, grassland, wetland and forest, interspersed with mountain ranges, rivercourses, marshes and pans. Adding to Phinda's wildlife charms, the marine diversity of nearby Sodwana on the coast is easily accessible, with scuba diving, fishing and even turtle watching only some of the adventures available from Phinda.

Phinda is situated in a low-risk malaria area, so even babies too young to take malaria medication can visit safely as long as they sleep under mosquito nets and you make sure bare skin is covered in a baby-safe insect repellent.

We recommend staying at Mountain Lodge, which features large, stand-alone suites big enough for a cot, several suites with a fold-out sleeper sofa accommodating an extra child, and one family suite to take up to 4 children. Alternatively, the Homestead is a luxurious four bedroom villa which comes with its own Private 4x4 safari vehicle, butler, chef and ranger and tracker team.

Babies are not allowed on the twice-daily game drives, but babysitting is available, and the staff is fantastic with them. Children over the age of 6 are allowed on game drives and if taking a whole 4X4 privately such as when staying at the Homestead this age limit drops to 2 at the discretion of the manager - this means you can tailor the drive to the interests and attention span of your own children - if they are desperate to see giraffes, for example, then that's what the ranger will look for. If the property is not fully booked and a private 4x4 is available then the manager will often allow younger children to join in, otherwise it's possible to pay a supplement to secure a private one.

There is also a host of entertaining activities around the lodge for children over the age of 5, bringing alive the magic of safari. You can go off on a game drive and be sure that every minute you are away, your children are supervised by rangers and camp staff, who provide hours of amusement and invaluable information to the children in their care. Specially designed children's safari programmes teach children to appreciate and preserve the planet. Rangers help children collect pods, feathers, bugs and leaves, and teach them to identify various animal species. They can even make plaster of paris moulds of animal footprints or go on a fishing trip.

Here is what one guest with children said:

The boys soon learnt how to track animals by the various prints, thanks to Matt and Pat, the ranger and tracker. Darren at the Lodge took them to the highest peak at Phinda and spent a day hiking up, fishing, and learning more about tracking. That is something they are sure not to forget, ever.

Top Travel Items

Packing for your whole family and trying to anticipate what everyone will need ahead of time can be a mammoth task, but here are some of my top travel item recommendations, tried and tested:

Banana Boat Ultramist Tear-Free sunscreen - Factor 50

This fantastic sunscreen goes on clear, rubs in immediately, and keeps kids safe in the sun with a high factor UVA protection. Suitable for babies, I also use this myself as it's the only high factor sunscreen I've ever found that doesn't leave white marks! The sunscreen we've all been waiting for. Available from Boots for £11.99

Boots Repel Insect Kids Repellent Roll-On

This effective repellent is suitable for use by children over 6 months old and offers effective protection against mosquitoes, midges and other biting insects. The roll-on formula is easy to apply and rub in.

Zoggs One-Piece swimsuit UVF50+ protection

These lightweight suits zip up like a wetsuit and protect babies and young children from the neck to their elbows and knees leaving only a small area needing suncream. Combined with a Keppi hat (which covers the neck but makes your child look as though they have joined the foreign legion) this is quick, easy sun protection. Available from Boots and online.

Note from Alice, Marketing Director:

Working in the travel industry, travel and holidays are obviously a massive part of my life. When I had my son, I realised that although I might not choose to go to exactly the same places as before, I could still have exciting holidays - albeit at a new pace.

My baby came with me to New York when he was three months old, on safari in South Africa when he was 6 months old, and amongst other wonderful holidays in-between, we've just got back from a brilliant trip to Cairo in Egypt.

My experiences have taught me that when travelling with children, a whole new level of planning is involved, but that's why I thought I should let people know that we can make this easy.. With help from some experts (other mums in the travel industry), I've put together a wonderful collection of holiday ideas, tried and tested by real families, and I'd love to share these with you to help you create a brilliant family break to remember for years to come.