Latest news with #kidFriendly
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
More parents are raising a glass — and a toddler — at family-friendly breweries
Twice a month, 3-year-old Michael Gagnon walks into Zambaldi Beer in Allouez, Wis., like he owns the place. Sometimes at his parents' suggestion he'll approach the bar to say hi to the brewery's husband-wife co-owners, David and Abigail Malcolm, but typically he walks straight past the long, wooden-top tables in the tap room and makes a beeline for the corner near the bar. There, he sits down with the trains and chalkboard provided by the Malcolms, or with the toy cellphone that another child left behind, and plays. 'He is sometimes a little too confident there and will walk up to complete strangers and hug them,' his mom, Hailie Gagnon, tells Yahoo. 'I think he thinks everyone there knows each other because of how open and welcoming it is and how safe he feels.' Zambaldi — a Green Bay craft brewery that's made a name for itself locally as being welcoming to young children — opened in January of 2020 as part passion project, part response to a community survey in which respondents asked for a gathering spot, coffee shop or brewery in the neighborhood. Its success as an explicitly kid-friendly operation is significant as the stability of the craft brewery industry has fluctuated in recent years, and taprooms — that is, spaces where patrons can come to taste and buy what's in production — have emerged as one of the most profitable ways for craft breweries to continue to make money, according to the e-commerce platform BlueCart. Though the controversy around babies and beer has sparked Reddit threads, explainers, chat boards and general ambient disdain in the discourse, not a single source for this story could think of an instance in which children (or parents) caused an unmanageable situation, and Stephie Grob Plante wrote for Vox in 2019 that taprooms actually tend to be family-friendly by nature. They are 'typically open during daylight hours and close earlier than rowdy late-last-call spots, tend to be sunny, airy spots and often offer ample outdoor space,' she noted. Across the country, breweries like Zambaldi and families like the Gagnons are leaning into the idea that alcohol and fun for the whole family aren't mutually exclusive — and that blending the two benefits all. Increasingly, breweries offer parents that sense of having a 'village,' and a destination where their children are not only welcome but encouraged to join. Breweries, in turn, then build relationships with multigenerational customers that translate into long-term business viability and profit. Worth noting too is that while men own more than 75% of craft breweries in the United States, 'women are estimated to control 75% of discretionary spending by 2028,' according to So while men tend to be running these operations, women are the ones deciding whether or not to spend their money there. The Malcolms, who have two children of their own, designed Zambaldi with young families in mind: They prioritized making sure there was both indoor and outdoor areas for spreading out and accounting for differing seasonal needs, put infant changing tables in all bathrooms regardless of gender and host ongoing events like Sunday family-fun days and Bingo night. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and Zambaldi had to temporarily close their doors only two months after opening, the community rallied, Abigail says. Neighbors paid for curbside growlers and left generous tips for employees. That support helped Zambaldi stay financially afloat, and five years later it is a profitable, thriving business. 'We really wanted to be a community gathering spot,' Abigail tells Yahoo — an investment that has paid both metaphorical and literal dividends. Jeffrey Stuffings, co-founder of the award-winning Jester King Brewery in Dripping Springs, Texas, estimates that probably 50% of their clientele are families and that the business has been designed with them in mind from day one. Jester King boasts a sprawling 165 acres with goats for children to feed, wood-fired pizza and Texas beef burgers as well as other kid-friendly snacks. In 2021, the property added a large playscape — something Stuffings loves to see the community's children enjoying in an era rife with screens. Stuffings himself became a parent in 2010, and though he remembers a time when whether breweries should be for families was more up for debate, his stance has always been clear: 'The brewery is a place for family. It's a place for community,' he says. 'There's a reason the roots of America came from beer halls and the social gathering that happens over beer.' The pandemic also brought to the foreground a renewed focus on outdoor space. A patio, lawn or playground for kids to roam and explore has always been valuable to parents, but widespread concern about air quality and ventilation put fresh air even higher on the priority list. Infants and children under the age of 5 weren't eligible for the COVID vaccine until 2022, so Lucy Huber — an editor at McSweeney's and writer who had her first child in June of 2020 — relied heavily on breweries as safe spaces when her family was ready to resume socializing. 'We didn't do anything indoors,' she tells Yahoo, but the mom group she was part of kept a running list of outdoor breweries where fellow group members felt at ease with their children. She also found that breweries bridge an important gap for parents and their child-free loved ones. 'Neither of my brothers have kids, right?' Huber said, 'Like, they're not going to come to Trampoline Zone or whatever. But they'll definitely come to a brewery and hang out with my kid. They're such a good bridge between being able to keep in touch with people in my life who don't have kids, and we're sort of meeting at the same level.' Janine Liberty, a mom of two and the communications manager at MIT AeroAstro, has found this to be true even within her own home. Though the Salem, Mass., native has been taking her now 9- and 10-year-olds to breweries for about a decade, their summer 2024 trip to Dr. Beer in Antwerp stood out as having crossed a certain threshold: 'It was one of the first times in their young lives when they noticed how happy we were,' Liberty recalls. 'We played poker and blackjack. … Both of them still bring it up.' In an environment with age-appropriate activities for the whole family, like cards or board games — and one that helps children witness the adults in their lives as three-dimensional people outside of being caregivers — parents can build a strong foundation for long-term relationships with their children — even as they approach the preteen years and beyond. 'At a nice brewery, we can have a little of everything, while also teaching them a bit about us as people, right?' Liberty says. 'And hopefully it means as they get older they'll still be willing to hang out with us in a place that's not entirely, 100% designed around their interests but is comfortable for them.' Now that both of Huber's two children are slightly older, their family makes frequent appearances at two Maryland favorites: BabyCat in Kensington and Lone Oak in Olney. Her main complaint? These spaces have become such a staple for families that the demand can outpace the supply of available play equipment. 'There's always a child crying,' she laughs, then pauses. 'It's usually my child.'
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Aliens, space and a blast of air-conditioning: 'Elio,' reviewed by 7 kids, 2 parents and 2 grandmas
Hello, people of Earth. I'm Suzy Byrne, and I've been covering entertainment at Yahoo for over a decade. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm no hardcore cinema buff. Since I had a child, though, I've made it a point to see as many kid-friendly movies as possible. Maybe it's because I'm a big kid ✔ and I love a cheerful ending ✔. But also, as a busy working parent, is there greater joy than getting two hours to turn off your phone and put up your feet while your child is fully entertained?! So that's what this is — one entertainment reporter + her 10-year-old child + usually friends seeing family-friendly fare, indulging in film-themed treats and replying all, to you, about the experience. Welcome to kids' movie club. Space isn't such a bad place to be for two hours during a hot, sticky heat wave. That's the energy I brought for our journey from Earth to the Communiverse, where much of Elio is set. Not only is the final week of school here in New York — shakes fist at sky — but it's 99 degrees when I pick up my daughter and friends for a matinee. I'm hot and wilted and have a pile of non-movie-going work to do, but away we go … to outer space. We movie-d with seven children (who are in 1st through 4th grade) and four adults, including two very cool grandmas. The theater was full. The adults put all the kids together in one row and sat behind them, which I highly recommend. Outta sight, outta mind — which is great because this parent is outta stamina. The long-delayed original film tells the story of a space-obsessed orphaned boy (voiced by Yonas Kibreab), being raised by his Air Force major aunt (Zoe Saldaña), who is struggling to make sense of his place in the world. His connections to his Earthling peers are short-circuited, and the eyepatch- and strainer-wearing kid is hoping with all of his might to be abducted by aliens. His wish comes true. Passing himself off as the 'leader of Earth,' he makes friends through the experience — so what if they're extraterrestrial ones? — and ultimately builds a closer relationship with his aunt. The animated sci-fi film clocks in at 1 hour and 39 minutes and is — as my mother replies to every one of her text messages — 'fine.' There's nothing particularly surprising about it. It has a happy ending. It's not Lilo & Stitch or How to Train Your Dragon, though it definitely mirrors some of the Lilo storyline with Elio and Aunt Olga's relationship. The film also borrows from Inside Out about the importance of identifying feelings. Feeling like an outsider is relatable for all ages. 'What if there's nothing about me to want?' cape-loving Elio asks at one point. 'I thought Earth was the problem, but what if it's me?' There's also coping with bullies — that's why Elio has the temporary eyepatch, in a very non-interesting twist — and multiple characters feeling like they're not meeting the expectations of a caregiver. 'I may not always understand you, but I still love you,' Lord Grigon (Brad Garrett, who voices the antagonist) told his son Glordon (Remy Edgerly) in a humanizing — er, alienizing — moment in the movie. It's a Disney film, not a horror flick by any means, but there were moments that were 'super creepy,' my young moviegoing friends felt. They mostly involved Elio's clone — like when his strand of hair slithered around the house, Olga examined it under a microscope, and then, realizing it wasn't her nephew, she went into Elio's room and suspensefully pulled up clone Elio's eyepatch. 'I closed my eyes, but watched it through my fingers,' one girl in the group said on the ride home. I'll add that I don't think that — when there was hopefulness about the eyepatch, as far as representation — filmmakers needed to make it suspenseful like that. Also, the kids were freaked out when Elio's clone did the zombie walk to distract the guard before melting so that the real Elio and Olga could get to the spaceship. 'I did not like the clone,' my daughter said. Other unsettling parts were when the bullies with alien masks took Elio, and the 'Bring us your leader… please' part, despite the good manners. This adult — and several of the kids — loved the slug-like alien Glordon, who is hands-down my favorite character. My friend told me that I need to add a nap-o-meter because he predicted Elio would be the perfect film to doze off in. But the film started, he chuckled at a few parts, and I knew he wouldn't be sleeping. Plus, his food order took forever to come, so his burger anticipation kept him awake. I fully would have slept if I weren't responsible for three of the seven kids. Though it's good, I didn't, as I got a 'Suzy, I have to go to the bathroom' midway through. I did, however, think about how I wasn't napping each time I saw a swaddled alien. Speaking of food, my daughter and I had popcorn and cherry Icees — with 24-hour red tongues to prove it. The Elio-themed food offering was a box of Nerds, which I didn't even know they still make, so no. Yes. We waited until the very end because one kid heard from another kid who heard from a third kid (very Ferris Bueller) that there would be bloopers. It turned out to be a teaser for Hoppers, one of Pixar's next offerings, showing a lizard over a phone pushing the lizard emoji over and over as a voice assistant repeatedly said, 'Lizard.' That post-credits moment — technically not even part of Elio — was my daughter's 'favorite part of the movie,' which pretty much sums up our matinee experience. I polled my friend and his kids for their review, using a 1 (worst) to 10 (best) scale. Dad said 6.5, 9-year-old daughter said 5, and 7-year-old boy gave it a more enthusiastic 8. The grandmas? Full approval. But to be fair, they've seen fewer kid flicks lately and aren't running on fumes like the rest of us. While Elio had a slow start at the box office, it's gotten a stellar reception from audiences and critics (with a 83% Rotten Tomatoes score). Here's hoping it finds its audience as summer progresses — or when it moves to streaming — and it has orbiting success.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Yahoo
5 Spectacularly Kid-Friendly Airbnbs in California for an Unforgettable Family Experience
PureWow editors select every item that appears on this page, and some items may be gifted to us. Additionally, PureWow may earn compensation through affiliate links within the story. All prices are accurate upon date of publish. You can learn more about the affiliate process here. You can learn more about that process here. Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below. Read the original article on Purewow. California is a big state with mild, sunny weather and lots to see. Still, some of the biggest, most expensive cities are not (or shouldn't be) the main attraction for families traveling with kids in tow. (Take it from me, a California native with two kids of her own!) For this reason, I compiled a list of five compelling and very kid-friendly Airbnbs in California that might give you a different experience of the state—and one that will be truly memorable for the young ones in your brood. From magic treehouses to interactive farm stays and crazy residential arcades, here are my top picks for making memories with your children in The Golden State. 27 Kid-Friendly Airbnbs to Rent for Your Next Family Vacation Airbnb Enjoy a nostalgic childhood-inspired vacation in the vibrant city of San Jose with this whimsical treehouse stay. This unique place can comfortably accommodate a family of four and, while it might look scant on kid-friendly amenities, this is an experience-oriented rental that allows kids to live out childhood dreams—perhaps inspired by family-friendly movies like The Sandlot, Hook or Tarzan. In fact, the glowing five-star reviews frequently mention what a special experience it is for the kids. And, given the unique setting, I probably don't even need to mention that there's ample outdoor space available for romping around. File this one under 'magical treetop glamping.' book now Airbnb Located just six minutes away from Joshua Tree National Park, this property allows families to enjoy the spectacular natural beauty of the area without, you know, having to rough it. What's more, the rental features numerous kid-friendly features—including a game room with a pool table, foosball table and indoor swing. The outdoor space, complete with hammocks and lawn games, isn't too shabby either. Plus, the bedrooms are butterfly themed and there's even a photo-op wall that will come in handy for your future scrapbook. book now Airbnb When it comes to paradise for kids, this impressive, gaming-themed home gives Disneyland a run for its money (literally). For starters, there's a huge arcade in the living room, plus a separate gaming lounge with a jumbotron theater. In fact, not a single room in the house is without some kind of game—the dining room and the themed bedrooms (Super Mario!) all have arcade or video games available—and that applies to the backyard, too, where there are lawn games galore. In other words, if you're aiming for a vacation with built-in kid entertainment so you can just relax, you can't do better than this. book now Airbnb Sprawl out at this palatial hillside retreat in the Fallbrook region of California and you might be tempted to book a permanent stay. You can suspect supreme privacy and a sweeping view from every bedroom of the gorgeous natural surroundings. Take a cold plunge in the pool, soak in the hot tub and then enjoy some family fun with ping pong and foosball in the very well-appointed game room. Oh, and did I mention the expansive backyard, yoga deck and exercise room? Yep, this place has something to offer any member of your group. Book now Airbnb Families looking for a nature retreat will delight in the offerings available at this unique farm stay. Kids can enjoy close-up encounters with all the animals on the property (think: bottle feeding a baby goat). The vacation rental is a well-appointed, detached home on a 5-acre property, so there's plenty of outdoor space to play. That said, the magic is really with the animals—and the hosts, parents themselves, are committed to providing the most memorable, interactive experience gift possible for families who visit. Bonus: The property is also located right outside Sequoia National Park, so there's plenty of sightseeing to be had if you can pull yourself away from all the cuties on the farm. book now 35 Cheap Family Vacations You Haven't Thought of Before
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
A parent-kid take on seeing 'How to Train Your Dragon': Bring stuffies, snacks and tissues
Hello, Yahoo Entertainment readers. I'm Suzy Byrne, and I've been covering entertainment in this space for over a decade. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm no hardcore cinema buff. Since I had a child, though, I've made it a point to see as many kid-friendly movies as possible. Maybe it's because I'm a big kid ✔ and I love a cheerful ending ✔. But also, as a busy working parent, is there greater joy than getting two hours to turn off your phone and put up your feet while your child is fully entertained?! So that's what this is — one entertainment reporter + her 10-year-old child + usually friends seeing family-friendly fare, indulging in film-themed treats and replying all, to you, about the experience. Welcome to kids' movie club. It turns out that carrying a Toothless pillow at a How to Train Your Dragon screening is an excellent icebreaker. It made us appear to be experts to a woman in the bathroom who was unfamiliar with the franchise's expanse. It got us back inside the theater after a pre-movie restroom run. ('Why, yes, we are the pillow people,' we told the ticket taker.) It made strangers feel comfortable telling us which parts of the movie made them cry as we left. That alone made it worth the effort of schlepping it on a train and two subways to get there, not to mention how handy it came in when we reversed course and my young movie buddy fell asleep on the way home. The PG-rated film — which is dominating at the box office — gave much to dream about, after all: Hiccup the sensitive hero, magical Toothless and those captivating eyes and what may be living in those Vikings' ragged beards. (Am I the only one who felt the urge to Nix comb all the facial hair?) For our journey to Berk, seeing the film in IMAX was the way to go because the fire-breathing dragons were right there, and the sound was so superb you could hear every wing flap. The theater was about 50-50 on the adult-to-kid ratio. My daughter was elated to be there on a school night. (Yes, school is still in session here.) We attended a prerelease screening, so it was too early to get AMC's Dragon Tamer Snack Pack. (The popcorn bucket at Regal is on another level.) Instead, we went with classic popcorn and Icees. My daughter mixed blue raspberry, the Lilo & Stitch flavor, with watermelon. I was a watermelon purist. 👦🏻🐉🔥🗡️🤕🐟🪽🐉🎓🗡️🏆🔥😬⛓️🔥💧⛓️💥🪽🐲🫣🔥🦿😅♥️🥳 I loved all things Toothless. The Night Fury, with his retractable chompers, is such a striking creature and watching him learn to trust sweet misfit Hiccup (who was the cause of it losing its tail fin) is a good example of forgiveness. I loved the moment they first connected, Toothless letting Hiccup (Mason Thames) touch him on the nose. The regurgitated fish scene made me laugh/nauseous, and it hurt my heart to see Toothless muzzled and chained. Casting humans based on animated characters is tricky, but the filmmakers did well all around. I especially appreciate that voice actors from the 2010 animated film were cast, including Gerard Butler as Hiccup's dad, Stoick — even if he was too hard on his son until he came around at the end. I have zero time for the backlash over Nico Parker playing Astrid. She was great as Hiccup's rival turned love interest. As the credits rolled, my daughter said, 'Heck yeah,' so I feel like the night was a win. 'I loved how two of the trainee dragon slayers were siblings' — Ruffnut and Tuffnut — 'and during training, they always humiliated each other,' my daughter says. 'It was so funny when Tuffnut got bit on the nose by the little dragon and said something like: I'm totally not OK. I also loved Toothless and how cute he was. When he got stuck in the water, I almost cried😭. All the actors were perfect for their parts. Hiccup was really funny! I loved when he used all the dragon secrets he learned with Toothless to beat the others in their training.' Bottom line: 'No need to be a dragon lover to … well … LOVE IT!!!' My kiddo recommends the film for ages 6 and up. There are intense battles and realistic dragons. There's no onscreen bloodshed, but there are injuries, including Hiccup joining many of his Viking peers losing a limb. No bad words stood out. Yes, Hiccup's mom. The backstory is that she was killed by a dragon, fueling Stoick's drive to extinguish them. We didn't cry, but a mother-adult daughter we talked to as we waited for the credits to roll said they did when they didn't think Toothless would make it. Hiccup's remark to Stoick about the Vikings being overweight. It was in the original film and was repeated in this. It's dated. I liked Hiccup and Astrid's friendship and their 'give peace a chance' vision. They shared a kiss or two — actually a punch-kiss, which she initiates — but it was more about them working together, and the romance was not a distraction. My daughter's take? 'Cute.' No further notes. No. We waited (and waited!) for some fun post-credit moment, but there was only a one-second flash of Hiccup's drawing of Toothless. I guess it's a tease that the story continues (a sequel was previously announced for June 11, 2027), but it was a non-moment. We watched the original animated film again after the new one, and it's remarkable how true to the 2010 film this is, including most of the dialogue. That's because Dean DeBlois directed and wrote the live-action movie after codirecting and cowriting the original and then helming the second and third animated films. 'I said, 'If you're going to do it, please consider me as the writer and director,'' DeBlois told the studio, according to Variety. 'I do know where the heart is, and I know this world. I know these characters.' My daughter received two additional invites from friends to see the film in the theater over the weekend. We said yes to one. The feedback was: 'I noticed even more small differences between the original and this one.' But it was mostly about the food: 'Mom, they accidentally brought us two of everything we ordered, so we got an extra Oreo Shake, Icee, pizza, chicken tenders and popcorn. The food kept coming out. It was crazy.' Watching the movie a second time offered a chance to see trailers (since none played during the initial screening). Let's just say my daughter was tickled green to see the Wicked: For Good trailer for the first time. This movie may just set off a summer of dragons for your child. After you see the live-action, you may want to (like us!) revisit the original animated films: How to Train Your Dragon (2010), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014) and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019). There's also the Dragons TV series, which ran from 2012 to 2018 (first on Cartoon Network, then Netflix). Even better? If your dragon lover is up for a reading adventure, the films are based on Cressida Cowell's children's book series, with 12 titles to dive into. Checking them out from your local library or scooping them up off your local Buy Nothing group will provide hours of non-screen time for your kid. Bonus rec: It may also open the gates to other popular dragon reads like Wings of Fire and Dragon Masters, both of which are 🔥 right now.
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
10 best family-friendy hotels in Paris that little ones (and adults) will love
Paris has so much to offer people of all ages. Many of the world-class museums have exhibitions and activities specifically geared to kids, there are oodles of workshops for creative families and activities like climbing the Eiffel Tower or taking a trip above the Parisian skyline in the Paris balloon keep everyone entertained. It needn't be stressful either. Plenty of Paris's hotels bend over backwards to accommodate all ages, with kids clubs, games, and last-minute babysitting services organised by the hotel concierge taking the strain off parents. From ultra-early check-ins and ultra-late check-outs, to rooms that can sleep families of six, to the hotels with the best swimming pools and facilities for kids, we've rounded up the best family-friendly hotels that the French capital has to offer, all while bearing in mind close and convenient transport links for tired little legs. Best budget-friendly hotels in Paris 2025 At a glance 1. 25 Hours Hotel Paris Terminus Nord hotel Right next to Gare du Nord, 25 Hours couldn't be more convenient for families arriving by Eurostar. The restaurant has a dedicated kids corner at weekends at their all-day restaurant, and a daily special children's menu. There are plenty of interconnecting rooms, and four-legged members of the family are welcomed as warmly as two-legged. Grown-ups will appreciate the stylish cocktail bar, but the appeal of the brightly-coloured rooms, with plenty of African and Asian influence in the design, is ageless. 2. Hôtel Novotel Paris Gare de Lyon Travelling as a family can be expensive, but family-orientated offers at the Novotel Paris Gare de Lyon makes it good value. Children up to 16 years old stay for free when they're sharing a family room with their parents, and get free breakfast to boot, or reserve a second room for the kids at 50 per cent off. There are plenty of activities for all ages, including a large swimming pool, table football and a kids play area with games consoles. Address: 2 Rue Hector Malot, 75012 Paris 3. Hotel Panache For a hotel of this size (just 40 rooms), there's plenty of choice for mixed age groups, including triple and family rooms, each one unique in design. At the heart of the Grands Boulevards, there's retail therapy for the adults while the kids benefit from all the complimentary perks at the hotel, including scooters and board games. A babysitting service can be booked through the hotel concierge, and it shows that the friendly staff are used to welcoming younger guests. Address: 1 Rue Geoffroy-Marie, 75009 Paris 4. Hotel Maison Mère Teenagers will love Maison Mère, where the decor is ridiculously cool (think multi-coloured sneakers displayed on bookshelves). There's a co-working space on site, guaranteeing an excellent wifi speed. Special packs are provided at check-in to younger members of the party, and there's a babysitting service that can be organised via the hotel concierge. The breakfast buffet is extremely generous, ample enough for even the hungriest teen, and adults can unwind in the evenings in the chic cocktail bar. 5. Hotel Adele et Jules A stylish boutique hotel which offers complimentary snacks and soft drinks daily at teatime. Many of the interconnecting rooms share private corridors to give extra space to families. The hotel gives welcome packs at check-in to younger guests, and their babysitting service can be arranged with as little as three hours' notice to work around last-minute plans. Le Grand Rex, the largest cinema in Europe, is just a five-minute walk away, as is the waxwork museum, Musée Grévin. 6. The Disneyland Hotel It goes without saying that all Disneyland hotels are extremely family-friendly, but nowhere creates magic quite like the Disneyland Hotel, which reopened after extensive renovations at the start of 2024. The rooms are all Disney-themed, children can meet their favourite characters (who wander around the hotel) and there are some really special extras on offer, such as a Disneyland 'makeovers' to transform your child into the Disney character of their choice. Plus, it's conveniently situated at the park entrance. 7. Shangri-La Paris hotel Look no further for high-end luxury with kids of all ages. The glitz of this 19th century palace would give Disneyland castles a run for their money, and many of the rooms have Eiffel Tower views. There's a large swimming pool and a gym for active families, and among the vast selection of room categories are interconnecting rooms and family suites. The location is exceptional, squarely between the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe (within easy walking distance from both). Address: 10 Av. d'Iéna, 75116 Paris 8. Hotel Piapia The kids room at Piapia is superior, stocked with tipis, table football, films, board games, art supplies, comics and more. It can be booked privately if your child is celebrating a birthday on your trip, whether you're an in-house guest or not, and catering (soft drinks, birthday tea and cake) can be organised directly through the hotel. There's an excellent selection of room categories, including triples, interconnecting and single rooms for families travelling with a teenager that likes their space. Address: 14 Rue des Maraîchers, 75020 Paris 9. Hotel Joke The rooms at Hotel Joke have been designed with kids in mind. All of the rooms are colourful, but it's the crocheted decorations that make it truly unique, with everything from crocheted racing cars to radios. Under 12s get free breakfast, and the generous check-in/check-out times are particularly welcome when sightseeing with children — you can check into your room at 3pm and check-out isn't until midday. The complimentary soft drinks from the minibar (restocked daily) are another nice touch. 10. Pullman Paris Centre-Bercy hotel The enormous swimming pool is the big selling point at the Pullman, and it even has dedicated family time slots, where you don't need to worry about the kids being noisy. The largest rooms sleep up to six people, or a second room for children can be booked at 50 per cent off the regular rate when travelling with two adults paying full price. Many child-friendly sights (such as the Natural History Museum and Jardin des Plantes) are right on the doorstep.
