The 20 best family holidays in Spain

Yahoo

6 days ago

British families simply love Spanish holidays. In fact, there were more visitors to the country from the UK than anywhere else in 2024 – a habit born when package breaks first took off in the 1960s.
For a no-nonsense family getaway, the country is hard to beat. Flight times are short, with destinations including Barcelona and the Costa Brava accessible in two hours.
Spain has the most Blue Flag beaches in the world, too – 638 compared with England's 85. And there are countless hotels with kids' clubs, swimming pools and child-friendly restaurant menus to keep even the most demanding of offspring happy.
But Spain's allure stretches far away from the well-trodden resort towns. Inland, or on lesser-visited stretches of coastline, there's the opportunity to embark on a real family adventure – from star-spotting under unpolluted skies and hiking empty landscapes to learning how to dance flamenco or make cheese.
Here we've rounded up 20 of the best family holidays in Spain for parents with toddlers, teens or those in between, whether you want to head for the beach or try something completely different.
Jump to:
Best for under fives
Best for five-to eight-year-olds
Best for tweens
Best for teenagers
Best for every age
A celebrity favourite thanks to its roomy suites, brilliant babysitting and location right on the sand of Marbella's Golden Mile, Puente Romano Beach Resort is the place to go and be properly spoiled (in fact, staff at Marbella's most established hotels are generally brilliant with little ones).
Here, there is a choice of 20 restaurants (from glitzy Nobu to kid-friendly Cheat Burger), a dedicated childrens' pool and a holiday kids' club where teeny ones can use the playground and watch entertainment including magic shows with accompanying adults (the over 4s can attend without mum and dad). Persuade them to leave the premises for toddles along the promenade in search of ice cream.
From £5,950 for two adults and a child under two, B&B, with a free infant place, in September, with Jet 2 (jet2holidays.com).
Away from Mallorca's busiest bits, on a country estate that's been declared a wildlife sanctuary, Agroturisme Son Pons is a place to spot sheep, chatter with chickens and play in a pool surrounded by outsized palms and clouds of magenta blooms. While teenagers might not love the pace here, it's perfect for little ones.
Wake to birdsong, book light lunches and dinners as you want, and trundle off to nearby Playa de Muro for white sand and warm water. Aim for September, once the school kids have gone.
From £1,435 per week, B&B, for two adults and a baby, booked direct (sonpons.com).
Babies are too young to take advantage of the kids' facilities of the Canarian mega-resorts – which gives parents a chance to see a different side of the islands. In the hills outside the village of Uga on Lanzarote, the little casitas at Casa el Morro make a quirkily comfy base for some off-season family time.
A boho approach to decor means lots of shady nooks with daybeds for afternoon naps (no matter what your age) with a pretty pool and delicious, homemade breakfasts in the morning. The beach at Playa Blanca is a 20-minute drive away.
From £1,060 per week, B&B, for two adults and a child in November, booked direct (casaelmorro.com).
We challenge you to find an under 5 who won't snigger at a beach named Playa de Poo. But, once they've got over the moniker, they'll love paddling in the pool-like waters of this calm cove in Asturias. Base yourselves in the nearby town of Llanes, which feels a little like a miniature Lisbon and comes with a Tuesday market, plenty more sandy beaches and a port filled with bobbing boats. With average August temperatures just shy of 19 degrees in the region, there's no danger of over-heating either.
In a converted building at the centre of town, the immaculate Llanes Suites apartments are a better option than some of the area's fusty hotels – and incredible value too.
From £350 per week, self-catered, for two adults and a child, in September, , booked direct (llanessuites.com). For added adventure, take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Santander to get there; from £1,061 return for travel by car, including a four-berth cabin with Brittany Ferries (brittany-ferries.co.uk).
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With Jet2 launching flights to nearby Jerez for 2025, it's an even easier hop to the Califa Group's scattering of houses spread around the whitewashed hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera. Lovingly-restored, they're a world away from the mega resorts further west and make the perfect base from which to get acquainted with the town's tasty tapas scene.
Slightly further afield, the area's coastline is popular with holidaying Spanish families: Los Caños de Meca, with its unspoiled sweeps of sand, is 20 minutes' drive away.
From £1,125 per week, self-catered, in a two-bedroom house, booked direct (califacasas.com).
Little wildlife lovers will adore Suerte Tierra, a bijou collection of yurts in a natural park on the outskirts of Tarifa, where they can spot lizards, make feathered friends in the blossoming gardens or dip in the natural pond and plunge pool (where birds and insects also congregate).
There's also a playground for smaller kids and the communal kitchen and shower block are so cottagey that you'll forget you're sharing. Tarifa's windswept beaches are just 10 minutes' away by car.
From £644 per week, self-catered, during the summer holidays, with Hip Camp (hipcamp.com).
Menorca has had something of a makeover during the last few years, but cool hotels for families are still thin on the ground. With its calming caramel accented decor and pool surrounded by day beds, Melia's Villa Le Blanc is the answer.
Children of this age will love the Montessori-inspired Kids Club and pizza and paella restaurant and there's the chance to try family activities including workshops with cheese or sandal makers too. Interconnecting rooms work well with two kids.
From £741 per night, B&B, during the summer holidays, booked direct (melia.com).
Just 15 minutes' drive from Reus airport, PortAventura gives better known theme parks a real run for their money, with three areas including car-themed Ferrari Land, home to the fastest rollercoaster in Europe (though you must be 1.4 metres to ride it) as well as a museum of vintage models. Elsewhere, there are the waterslides and pools of Caribe Aquatic Park and the themed rides and shows of six 'worlds' including Mexico and Polynesia.
Stay onsite to maximise ride time. The park has special offers linked to its 30th birthday for 2025.
Four nights at the beginning of the summer holidays costs from £895, room only, for a family of four staying at the four-star Hotel Roulette, including parking and access to PortAventura and Ferrari World, , booked direct(portaventuraworld.com).
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There are adventures and then there's time at El Geco Verde near Granada, where you can pack your days full of rafting, kayaking, horse-riding, pizza-making – and even try flamenco.
Run by an ex-pat family, this converted farmhouse is a place to embrace local life in a lesser-visited region of Spain, and its brand of authentic activities have proved extremely popular: the hotel's Altiplano de Granada Activity itinerary is among Responsible Travel's best-selling Spanish trips.
From £425 per person per week, B&B, with Responsible Travel (responsibletravel.com).
Every day's a party at Tenerife's Hard Rock Hotel, an all-inclusive where the Roxity and Teen Spirit Kids Club (for those aged 4-9 and 10-16 respectively) put the focus on mood-boosting music and video games. There are also DJ, guitar and scuba diving lessons on offer while family dinners at the Le Petit Chef restaurant are served up alongside a magical show involving music and props at the table.
From £2,440 per week for a family of four in a Studio Suite Silver, B&B, during the summer holidays, booked direct (hotel.hardrock.com).
In the relatively cool Asturias region, the Picos de Europa mountains make the ideal location for families who need to 'run' kids with plenty of pent-up energy. Home to walking trails, wild flower meadows, icy rivers and hidden villages, they lend themselves to active exploration on S-Cape's flexible five-night itinerary. Between easy hikes, guests can learn how to make cheese at a local dairy and go canyoning near the deep green River Deva, while nights are spent in village houses far off Spain's usual tourist trail.
From £1,334 per week, self-catering, with S-Cape (s-capetravel.eu)
Barcelona residents can escape to the little bays of the Empordà region in summer, driving for an hour and a half to reach whitewashed fishing villages such as Tamariu and Llafranc and sunny beaches including Aigua Blava and Sa Riera.
Around 20 minutes inland from it all, the sleepy village of Regencós is home to an old rectory that's been converted into four apartments, which work well as a base for exploring the area. There's a pretty pink pool too, or head to the coast to clamber between the coves on cliffside paths.
From £1,510 per week, self-catered, in the summer holidays, booked direct (rectoriaderegencos.com).
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There are two stops on Original Travel's Family Island-Hopping Adventure in the Balearic Islands: Mallorca and Menorca. On the former, families can kick back in the resort town of Colonia de Sant Jordi, spending days hopping between the pristine coves of Mondrago Natural Park and the tapas bars in town.
Then it's off to Menorca to stay at an estate hidden at the heart of the island, venturing out for bike rides along sleepy country roads, starlit beach barbecues and wetland walks in search of sandpipers and peregrine falcons.
Tailormade from £1,485 per person per week , B&B, including flights, with Original Travel (originaltravel.co.uk).
Pony lovers may grow giddy at the sight of Polo Valley, Powder Byrne's private ranch lost in countryside just outside glitzy Sotogrande. Spending nights in the comfort of a lodge overlooking its polo fields, families can learn the sport together, combining lessons with a Pro with hacks through the countryside, dips in the pool and long lunches.
There's also the chance to glamp out under the stars after feasting on an Argentinian barbecue or cruise along the Med by yacht.
From £16,996 for a family of four, full board, including rides and hacks, with Powder Byrne (powderbyrne.com).
The last thing a teen needs is a parent cramping their style during group activities. Enter Club Med's Magna Marbella, where they can play padel, golf and tennis or try archery and flying trapeze without mum or dad getting in the way, thanks to a club specifically for 14 to 17 year olds. The spa is also open to those aged 11 upwards and there's a choice of five pools, including a vast heated lagoon.
From £5,814 for a family of four, all inclusive in an inter-connectiong suite during the summer holidays, with Club Med (clubmed.co.uk).
Get them off their phones and into the mountains with Pura Aventura's family trip to the Pyrenees, based in a converted monastery on the banks of the Ara river. Relaxed hikes and trips by e-bike are on the menu, ensuring moaning is kept to a minimum and ticking off waterfalls, forests and the dramatic glacial dip of the Ordesa Canyon. On other days, canyoning and kayaking provide plenty of excitement.
From £1,400 per person per week, B&B, including some activities but excluding flights, with Pura Aventura (pura-aventura.com).
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Amid the pines of the Unesco-protected Doñana National Park, Huttopia Parque de Doñana might be the most tranquil campsite in the country. Pitches, safari tents and log cabins hide between the trees and, though it's 40 minutes' drive to the sea, one of two onsite pools comes surrounded by a beach-like landscape of white sand punctuated by sun umbrellas. Little ones benefit from a playground and paddling pool, while those with older kids can hike the national park and cycle to the nearby village of Hinojos.
Pitches from £292 for a week in the summer holidays through the Caravan Club ; a safari tent costs from £580 through europe.huttopia.com.
Self-catering for the whole family can soon start to feel like a hard slog, but hotels don't always offer much-needed flexibility in terms of meal times or room layouts. An aparthotel may be the answer. At the Wyndham Grand Costa del Sol between Malaga and Marbella, guests get a kids' club, spa, four restaurants and a choice of B&B or half-board meal plans but generous rooms also come with full kitchens for lazy days or early nights (upgrade for a roof terrace or garden with private hot tub).
From £1,842 for a week, room only, during the summer holidays, booked direct (idiliqhotels.com).
It doesn't matter if they're in their Disney Princess or TikTok eras, any kid will be impressed with the dreamy interiors of El Palauet, a collection of suites in a whimsical building in Barcelona.
Spend evenings beneath delicately painted ceilings or on dainty wrought iron balconies and days exploring the Passeig de Gràcia, where Gaudi's La Pedrera lurks between shops, restaurants and galleries. Make time for a trip to Casa Batlló – free to the under 12s, it's full of immersive rooms and installations that bring the Gaudi-designed building to life.
From £3,620 for four nights, room only, during the summer holidays, booked direct (elpalauet.com).
A considered layout means two families can have their own space at Scott Williams' new property near the kid-friendly town of Santa Eulària in Ibiza. At Casa Carpinteros, two bedrooms on the lower ground floor open straight out onto the pool terrace, while there are a further two upstairs. Come together for meals cooked in the outdoor kitchen and served al fresco surrounded by pine trees, or for excursions to Ibiza Town or the Hippy Market near Es Cana. Brilliant house manager Kiki is on hand to suggest and help arrange day trips and reservations.
From £6,878 for seven nights, self-catered, for up to eight people, during October half term, with Scott Williams (scottwilliams.co.uk).
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Unless stated otherwise prices are for a family of four. Specific departure dates given where applicable.
This article was first published in June 2024 and has been revised and updated.
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