The Canary Islands (Tenerife, Lanzarote etc) and Portugal are definitely in the top ten of great destinations for parents with kids. Camping or villa holidays in France follow close behind. If you prefer not to cook for the little "lambkins" then avoid a villa holiday, even though you might be enticed by the privacy of your own pool. On the other hand, for younger children a villa is probably ideal as you can feed them and pack them off to sleep early giving you a blessed few hours of peace. Southern Europe is renowned for offering an enormous range of villas that can be combined easily with a fly drive holiday.

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For activity holidays there is still nothing to beat Euro Disney, Parc Asterix or Futuro Scope. There are also holiday parks in the Netherlands (Lego Land), Belgium and Germany. You need to check height restrictions before you book though as the rides may not be suitable for all. "The queues at the majority of European Theme parks are the biggest worry," comments Archana," if you can go slightly 'off season' they shouldn't be too bad. Try not to clash with public or national holidays of that country if you can help it!"

Long haul destinations for kids

Florida is excellent value for money and offers a great combination of Orlando (where all the theme parks are) with either the Gulf Coast, Florida Keys or the Caribbean. Best suited to children over the age of six, or possibly even over the age of eight, many scheduled and charter airlines fly to Orlando. Hire a car and drive, as distances in the USA can be vast, unless you plan to stay in Disney village which has its own transport service.

If you want to spend a week in Florida and another week in the Caribbean you can consider a Caribbean Cruise. Alternatively there are resorts in Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua and the Bahamas that offer children's activities.

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If you are feeling particularly masochistic then you can arrange a holiday to the West Coast of the USA and try Los Angeles for the original Disneyland. A West Coast holiday can be combined with Hawaii, although a word of caution, the flight to the west cost is extremely LONG.

Tropical holidays further a field can be considered but you need to weigh up the vaccination requirements, temperatures, food and water issues and the length of the flight with the number of days you have for your holiday.

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Rule Britannia

Of course you need not leave the UK at all. Traditional seaside holidays in the UK are still popular. The price however isn't the deciding factor as UK holidays can be as expensive as holidays abroad. Those who choose a British holiday do so because they want a hassle free choice; there are no flight delays, no foreign languages, no foreign food and you need not put the dog or cat in a kennel. Pet loving Britain has a wide range of self-catering holiday locations that welcome your beloved furry friend.

Holiday parks such as Centre Parks in the New Forest and Oasis in the Lake District as all-weather havens although you may have a contend with a long waiting list for your favoured week.

There are lodges, country cottages and camping sites galore although Archana cautions against long boat (canal) holidays with very young children.

The only dampener on "Cool Britannia" holiday is the fact that it can be cold except for a few short weeks in July & August.

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Introduction  Transit Time  Hottest destinations for children
Long haul destinations  UK holidays  Specialist Tour Operators
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