Holiday ideas for families with kids under ten: comfortable logistics, interesting activities, great facilities, excellent resorts and a wow factor for all. Plus fantastic weather of course.
You relax on the beach at a resort that’s ideal for younger children. While still having an exciting range of activities, both for family adventures and some alone time.
Mauritius, Provence, Mallorca, Lisbon, Crete: there are many destinations we can recommend for this autumn.
In this article we’ll first explore Mauritius in more depth, including some different family resort options.
Then we will introduce other destinations, which you can talk through in detail with one of our travel designers.
Mauritius
Mauritius offers soft family adventure with easy logistics, as well as the tropical beach holiday it’s known for. Like the Maldives, it’s a one-stop flight via Dubai.
Although the flight time is longer than the Maldives, the logistics are simple after you land. Mauritius is one main island and the transfer to your resort is less than one hour by road, rather than an additional seaplane or speedboat transfer.
There’s a lot to do on one island and it’s easy to combine different activities on a single day away from the resort. Like Casela Park, Chamarel Waterfall, a reserve with giant tortoises and a dolphin cruise.
Travel designer Filip Pačes discusses all the logistics and activity options in his excellent article about Mauritius with the family. He says:
You can spend a week on a beautiful beach, but you can explore and experience something new, especially for your kids.
October and November are dry and cool months. March and April are hotter, but still fine for a beach holiday. Where you stay will depend on your preferences.
Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita
The villas at Four Seasons Resort Mauritius range from one to five bedrooms and are perfect for families.
All villas are stand-alone, open-plan villas with plunge pools. Their gardens offer a good level of privacy for a family holiday too. You can certainly spend great time together here.
This is a quiet, zen-like resort on a beautiful peninsula. For added exclusivity we love the villas on the resort’s private Cat Island.
The Kids for All Seasons club is for children aged four to nine. Plus there’s a lot to do together around the resort, like kayaking, tropical treasure hunts and family golf.
One&Only Le Saint Geran
This is the best resort in Mauritius. It has the best location and service, all the accommodations are of a very high standard, and it’s unbeatable for the quality and variety of dining.
One&Only Le Saint Geran is our number one Mauritius resort recommendation for couples. But it can also be a very good option when travelling with one small child. Their KidsOnly day camp is for three to seven year-olds and operates from 10am to 10pm daily.
Lux* Grand Baie
This flagship Lux* resort opened in 2021. It definitely can’t rival One&Only Le Saint Geran for overall quality and service. It’s a much larger resort too.
However, Lux* Grand Baie is a modern family-friendly resort, with a good range of facilities and amenities. We love the youthful and creative atmosphere – the staff are always arranging a lot of different activities for different ages, every day.
It’s where your kids will be doing a daily treasure hunt, looking for messages in a bottle. Perhaps while you’re in one of the resort’s adults-only areas.
We like the Lux* Pool Penthouses, which have three bedrooms, private pool and separate living area.
More Autumn (& Spring) Holiday Ideas with Young Children
Every family is different and every holiday should be different. So we won’t tell you exactly where to go and where to stay.
At EliteVoyage we don’t do holiday brochures. We talk to every client individually and get to know them first. So we can create something exactly for everyone in the family.
These are some destinations to think about.
Provence, France
Fabulous weather, limited tourists and so much to do. Plus the direct flights from Prague to Nice continue until the middle of October.
Provence is a beach holiday, golf holiday, escapist getaway, and a holiday with leisure activities for everyone.
A stay at Terre Blanche will keep everyone in your family entertained for at least a week. Then there’s all the glamour along the coast to explore, like Cannes and St Tropez.
Mallorca, Spain
For decades, Mallorca has been a popular family holiday destination. It’s been too popular and specific places in Mallorca continue to be cheap, package tourism destinations. However, Mallorca is a large island and there’s a completely different atmosphere outside the known resort towns. When you know where to go, Mallorca is great for discerning families.
Converted fincas (farmhouses), villas and even a castle are good options for larger families and groups of friends. For a peaceful retreat with a young child, consider the exemplary La Residencia, A Belmond Hotel.
Lisbon, Portugal
Cities are often the worst place to travel with children under ten. Almost every kid will prefer to be on the beach than in a museum, or travelling around busy city streets.
Lisbon stands out because it offers both the beach and the city. We suggest staying on the coast, perhaps around Cascais, then taking some short and fun trips to explore the best of Lisbon city.
Lisbon is also one unmissable part of a multi destination Portugal family holiday. Just travel south and end your holiday at a family beach resort in the Algarve.
Crete
Another misunderstood island that’s always offered outstanding autumn and spring weather, plus a thousand different experiences to enjoy.
Crete is both sun-drenched beaches and active adventures with young kids. Now a string of relatively new properties has made the island are lot more comfortable and luxuries for discerning families.
Consider Daios Cove Luxury Resort or Domes of Elounda, the best two Crete resorts for young kids.
Even More Autumn Holiday Ideas With Young Kids
There’s so much more we can share. But to make a recommendation we need to know you and your holiday style.
Challenge us to create your autumn or spring family holiday.
