THE BEST FAMILY EASTER BREAKS IN THE UK

Emma Love

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Finally, spring – and the Easter holidays – are here or will be soon!. Warmer, lighter days make it a joy to spend longer outdoors with your brood, whether by the coast or in the countryside. From rock pooling to feeding newborn baby lambs, tummy-twisting theme park rides to fossil hunting, spring is the time for new adventures for all ages. Here’s our pick of the family-friendly hotels to check into. 
Rhinefield House Hotel Family Breaks
Rhinefield House Hotel Family Breaks

From Peppa Pig World in Paultons Park to the Beaulieu Motor Museum for young motorheads, the New Forest has masses to keep all ages entertained – and Rhinefield House, a 10-minute drive from Lyndhurst, makes a great base. Choose from a Superior Family Room (which sleeps two adults, two children) in the garden wing or, for more space and a separate living area, the Heron Suite in the main house. The Armada restaurant might look formal, with wood-panelled walls, a blush pink marble fireplace and white linen cloth tables but go for an early supper when children can feast on favourites such as sausage and mash or fish and chips, or build their own pasta dish (the menu also includes chocolate brownies and sundaes for dessert). The Conservatory is also open for light bites such as ham and cheese sandwiches and skinny fries for lunch at the weekends. Hire bicycles to explore your surroundings or try rope courses and archery among the trees; for those wanting sea air, Bournemouth is a fun day out. Aim to return for children’s swim times at the indoor splash pool, followed by board games in the lounge bar.


Alexandra Hotel Family Break
Alexandra Hotel Family Break

Just a few minutes walk from the centre of Lyme Regis, this Georgian house turned family-run hotel is brilliantly positioned to explore the Dorset coast – whether children want to spend days building sandcastles or rock pooling at low tide. Mackerel fishing trips leave from the harbour and whatever you catch, the chef will cook for supper (there’s a children’s menu in the Ammonite restaurant in the Orangery at both lunch and dinner). Staff can also arrange a fossil hunting tour for young science enthusiasts along the cliffs. The hotel has a play area in the large garden and direct, road-free access to the town’s sand and shingle beaches. The best rooms for families are Stackpoole, which has a sofa bed, or one of the self-catering apartments in the courtyard cottage (both have a children’s room with bunk beds and sleep up to six). Nearby attractions worth visiting include Abbotsbury Swannery, where you can watch the colony of 600 swans being fed twice a day.


Brown's Hotel Family Break
Brown's Hotel Family Break

Right in the heart of the Mayfair action, this is a spoiling stay for a London city break at any time of year, with mocktails on arrival (for teens), milk and cookies at turndown (for children) and rubber ducks at bathtime (for babies). Interconnecting family rooms and suites come with children’s slippers and bathrobes, all the kit you could possibly need for babies, and 24-hour babysitting on request. From the Harry Potter walking trail to the Dinosaur Gallery in the Natural History Museum, a tour of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich to watching a West End show, there are endless fun activities for a fantastic introduction to the capital (and the clued-in concierge can recommend up-to-the-minute excursions too). After a day’s adventuring, head back for a Jungle Book-themed Afternoon Tea in The Drawing Room or for older ones, some pampering in the spa: treatments include a twinkle toes foot massage and nail polish.


Park Head Hotel Family Breaks
Park Head Hotel Family Breaks

Part of The Auckland Project, a charitable organisation behind the regeneration of the northern market town Bishop Auckland, this family and dog-friendly hotel has one-and-two-bedroom suites perfect for families. Fuel up for the day with a cooked breakfast (or coffee and a slice of cake in the bar area) before setting out. Take a ride on the historic Weardale Railway to Stanhope, visit the deer park in the grounds of Auckland Palace (keep eyes peeled for otters and kingfishers, too) and climb the contemporary Auckland Tower to the 15-metre high viewing platform for games of i-spy and panoramic rural views. Further afield, attractions such as Diggerland, a construction-themed adventure park, Barnard Castle and Hall Hill Farm, where children can feed the lambs and see the Easter chicks, are all winning family days out.


Park Head Hotel Family Breaks

This much-talked-about 17th-century country house hotel near Bruton lives up to the hype, with apple orchards, lakes, a spa, a dragon’s grotto and even a Roman Villa. It’s also, thankfully, totally unstuffy. There are family rooms in both the original Hadspen House and the Farmyard - the latter has its own pool with no child swim time restrictions, and buggies for pootling around the grounds - plus the two-bedroom, self-catering Gate Lodge in its own garden. All the restaurants (The Botanical Rooms, Garden Café, informal Farmyard Kitchen) have children’s menus, and there are plenty of family-friendly activities across the estate, from a bee safari to a farmer-led tour of the deer park. Don’t miss the Cyder bar for takeaway bites during the day or the gelateria, for fresh estate-made buffalo milk gelato.