Fabulous hotel pools for families

By Nadine Mellor, i-escape Kids Collection Editor

It is a truth universally acknowledged that family holidays just – well – flow that much better when the kids have water to splash and swim in. These stunning pools will impress and delight all in the family.

At welcoming all-suite Columbia Beach Resort on the ever-sunny southern shores of Cyprus, the swimming pools come in sizes big and ginormous. Each has a crescent-shaped toddler splash pool at one end, plus a bar to keep all hydrated. The gargantuan one comes in lagoon style and connects into the spa area so you can enjoy 80-metre laps; the merely large pool tends to attract the families.

While you’re here: try watersports on the beach below; head to the excellent spa; enjoy the kids club.

2  Watch wildlife poolside

Yes, at stellar Madikwe Safari Lodge, which is found in a malaria-free Big Five South African reserve, you can lounge in the pool while watching elephant, giraffe and zebra drinking at the waterhole. Of course, you can also head out on safari (for those with small fry the family drives ensure you get your own vehicle) for more wildlife, and they arrange bush orientation and dung tracking for kids. Each room comes with a plunge pool, too.

While you’re here: the Eco House has live creatures including scorpions and tarantulas; the kids club has rock painting and scavenger hunts; the stargazing is magnificent.

3 Pool-beach-city combo

It can be challenging to keep youngsters happy when visiting a city, so you’ll need a hotel with a cracking pool and a beach in reach. Set on the fringes of bustling Palma, Portixol gazes out over a tranquil harbour to the glittering sea. The large pool is set a mere few metres back from the ocean and is ringed by loungers, so you can laze about while the kids splash about. There’s a lively bar serving cocktails and snacks, and a very popular restaurant to keep you fuelled.

While you’re here: stroll along the promenade (pram- and pushchair-friendly) that runs in front of the hotel to a small sandy beach with pedalos and windsurfing; bicycles are available to borrow from the hotel.

4 A choice of pools

Why have one pool when you can have three? La Bobadilla, a sprawling country estate in Andalucia’s Sierra de Loja, offers just this. There’s the lagoon-style main pool, which is practically lake-like in size, a separate kids’ pool, and an indoor heated spa pool. The outdoor pool area is sprinkled with palm trees, parasols and loungers, and there’s a higher terrace with Balinese beds. Elsewhere, you’ll find farm animals, a playground, a kids’ club, and kids’ menus at the three on-site restaurants.

While you’re here: grab a picnic and some hiking maps, or a bicycle, and set off to explore La Bobadilla’s 350 hectares of private farm land; walking tours and tasting sessions (olive oil, wine) are offered.

5  Rural bliss

Head to wonderful Puglia and to this contemporary hotel on a fig plantation for sheer country delight. Purpose-built Furnirussi Tenuta comes with light, spacious rooms and big gardens with large lawns. Its star attraction is the very special 1000m2 lake-style pool lined with ground marble so it’s smooth underfoot. It has a gently shelving end for children, plus rock-like islands for basking and playing.

While you’re here: sandy beaches are close by, they have a deal with a family-friendly beach club (and arrange a shuttle bus in high season); big gardens with large lawns.

For truly spoiling family time, Fusion Maia delivers. This stunning Vietnamese hotel is set on a dreamy strip of white sandy beach, only 20 minutes from popular Hoi An, and has an oversized infinity pool which has a great view and is designed for families. (There’s another large pool plus Jacuzzi in the spa’s garden, which is for adults only). In addition, each room has its own plunge pool.

While you’re here: the mini Maia kids spa & activity centre has activities from lantern and conical hat decorating to mini treatments such as massages and pedicures, while adults enjoy the superlative spa.

8  For those rainy days…

Let’s face it, holidaying in the British Isles often comes with a weather warning, so book somewhere with an indoor heated swimming pool for when getting outside isn’t a great option, and the kids just need to expend energy. Show-stopping eco-luxe restored Cornish barn Tregulland has a 12x5m indoor freshwater pool plus a steam room and an outdoor wood-fired hot tub, and a separate pool for little ones.

While you’re here: enjoy the home cinema and games room; an imaginative playground featuring a pirate boat; nearby beaches for surfing and fishing; adventure park.

9  The perfect pool?

There are endless pristine beaches in beautiful Brazil, many backed by pristine rainforest and swaying coconut palms. We reckon best experienced at exceptional idyllic Txai Resort in heavenly Bahia. Among its attributes – a hill-top spa, fresh Bahian cuisine, elegant thatched rooms – are three cobalt-blue-tiled heated swimming pools (including a kids pool) which are steps from an outstanding beach.

While you’re here: take an eco-trip to forest waterfalls; river rafting and horse riding; birdwatch from your balcony; Sea Turtle Project; cocoa farm tours; luxuriating in that incredible empty beach.