Check out the new Siam Park in Tenerife

Tenerife is one of the most popular destinations for family friendly sun and beach family holidays especially during the winter and spring for some winter sun and a great family holiday. Tenerife enjoys year round sunshine and warm temperatures making it one of the UK and Ireland's favourite holiday destinations. Watch your resort in winter though as the North of the Island which is much less developed can be much cooler in winter and receives more rain.

The latest new attraction is Siam Park which is Europe's largest Water Park which opened a few month's ago and you are likely to be able to spend a few days being splashed and terrified.

The Costa Adeje as the best option for families. It is a quiet and sophisticated resort where the majority of new five star hotels are located. Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos are more developed although they do have good facilities for families.

There are several flights a day from most Irish and UK airports with options ranging from the budget airlines through to scheduled flights and tour operator packages with companies including Sunway, Directholidays.ie and Panorama. There are two airports in Tenerife one in the north and one in the south. Most flights land in the south. You can check flights here special offers and deals. Tour Operators may also sell charter flights.You can book accommodation here with booking.com.

Algarve but without the buckets and spades

The Algarve is a really great choice for a family holiday and provides very good value for money, great access, fantastic beaches and good weather. It is less developed than Spain and there are always small quieter resorts to go to if you do not like the idea of a busy resort.

Shoulder periods can be mixed in terms of weather so sunshine all day is not gauranteed but you may be lucky and even if it is not good there is always lots to see and do with the kids in the shoulder periods. Highlights include the beautiful beaches, the opportunity to explore rural countryside, boat trips around the wonderful coastal caves, a swimming with Dolphins experience or marine shows in Zoo Marine, a cycle in Faro, the small but very accessible Zoo Lagos and the challenging but super fun surfing off the Atlantic coast. That is certainly enough to fill a full week!

Booking.com have a good range of family accommodation in hotels and self catering. From Ireland tour operator packages with companies include those from Sunway, Directholidays.ie and Panorama. From the UK Kuoni and Soverign both have good family focused products and provide a good family service. If you want to book independently you can book flights and car hire with us to avail of special offers and online discounts through our carefully selected family travel partners.

Magical Morocco Family holiday

Morocco is an exotic and vibrant world and should still have good weather in March, April, October and early November. The Adventure Company run family friendly tours all over the world including this different and interesting destination. Food and water safety issues apply (we know from experience) so be careful. 

You’ll see Marrakesh from the comfort of a horse-drawn calesh and discover the colourful main square filled with jugglers, musicians and acrobats. Leaving the bustle behind, you head up into the Atlas Mountains where you’ll experience something of the Berber way of life. Explore local villages on foot (with mules for the children) and enjoy plenty of fresh mountain air. Lastly you can visit Essaouira, an old Portuguese port and pirates' lair. Essaouira offers a beautifully preserved walled town with a maze of narrow streets, and a long stretch of sandy beach. Kick back, enjoy fantastic seafood, watch the fishermen bringing in the catch and play on the beach! Contact the The Adventure Company for more details.

Take a city break by the beach in Barcelona

Barcelona is a superb family holiday destination which caters for families of all ages whether you have a young baby, are in search of sand and sea, have teenagers in search of a city chic or adults in search of stimulating sights and architecture. It is much more child friendly than you might think and Barcelona is loud, vibrant, booming and beautiful. Being right beside the beach, it is a fantastic family city break. You might even get to catch a game in the iconic Barcelona Nou Camp or at least visit when the games are not on.

The climate is mild and sunny and there are numerous accessible beaches close to and within the city as well as a number of lovely city parks. There are bustling streets, fantastic buildings, football stadiums, one of Europe's largest aquariums with a walk through shark tank and good access to Portaventura theme park. There are themed events at Port Aventura on for Halloween well worth checking out. Accommodation options are good too with a great range of hotels and self catering apartments with booking.com and access with both Aer Lingus and Ryanair.You can check deals on flights here.

Become a Gladiator

Rome is a city with a past and one that is full of history and sights to enthrall young people. Rome has always been one of the world's great cities to visit and you should try to take the kids to Rome while they are still young as the sheer amount of sights will leave a lasting impression. Even with younger children you can do most of your sightseeing on foot. It is chaotic and hot in the summer but great in Spring, Winter and Autumn. Kids will feel like they are going back in time with all of the old monuments and galleries and do make sure you leave time for some fun and some free play as well. There are also great markets in the lead up to Christmas.

You can fly to Fiumicino or Ciampino airports and there are flights from Ireland and the UK ranging from scheduled and budget flights. You can check special offers or deals and book flights here. There are a wide range of family friendly accommodation options available. Most hotels welcome children even if there are no special facilities and you can check for special offers and deals here with booking.com.

Italy specialists Citalia are one of the leaders in the upmarket package market for Italy and you can check their hotel and self catering accommodation only and full packages here. They have a 5% discount for online bookings.

Cyprus

Cyprus has good variety on a single island and is a great family destination with great beaches, weather and scenery for a fun filed family holiday and some good spring and autumn sun in October and November. Ringed by coastal valleys and inviting beaches, it offers layer upon layer of beauty, culture and history for all to discover. The typically Mediterranean landscape is still blessed with the timeless beauty of antiquity.

 The Southern part is certainly more developed and the North of Cyprus still has sleepy towns and deserted beaches where turtles still nest. There are great accommodation options from apartments right up to five star on booking.com with good late minute availability so have a look at accommodation here. For more information on what to do with the kids look here.

Gran Canaria

Gran Canaria has rolling dunes, shelving sands and is a perfect environment for safe family friendly holiday to appeal to all ages and the good weather most of the year makes it a good option for some winter sun on your family holiday. In March and April as well as in October the temperatures will still be good and this is even a good Christmas destination.

You do have to be careful when choosing your resort though as you can get very cheap package holidays here and the non-stop partying in the major resorts such as Playa Del Ingles can be wearing for parents. It can be very attractive for teenagers however and this is something you will need to balance if you have older children. Have a look at the accommodation options here with booking.com.There are several flights options from most Irish and UK airports with options ranging from the budget airlines through to scheduled flights and tour operator packages. You can book flights here.  Most of the Irish Tour Operators feature this destination including Sunway, Directholidays.ie and Panorama.

The capital city Las Palmas has great shopping and beautiful beaches close by. The relatively undiscovered interior has volcanic landscapes and lush exotic vegetation. Gran Canaria has great sports facilities including snorkelling, boat rides, windsurfing, sailing and dolphin watching and there is a lot to see and do with the kids. For more information on what to do with the kids look here.

Lanzarote

Lanzarote is a beautiful family friendly island with an unusual volcanic landscape, low rise white washed resorts and sandy beaches. It is one of the closest places to Ireland and the UK to find reliable sun in the winter months and it is a firm family favourite. The beaches have naturally white sand rather than black sand seen in many of the other Canary Islands. As a family holiday for winter sun or summer sun, it is a good option.

The newest resort Playa Blanca is the nicest and most family friendly on the island. It retains the atmosphere of a once small fishing village and has an excellent selection of white sandy beaches and a promenade. The beaches are child friendly and all of the accommodation is low-rise. For accommodation options look here.

There are several flights a day from most Irish and UK airports with options ranging from the budget airlines through to scheduled flights and tour operator packages with companies including Sunway and Panorama. You can check flights here. Sunway also do charter flights. For more information on what to do with the kids look here.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

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