If you follow my Instagram and blog regularly, you know that my family and I love traveling in style. This year, I’ve decided to put together a list of the best family hotels and resorts that we’ve stayed at. Now that our daughter is here, we’ve quickly gone from being a couple with a baby, to a family of four (five when counting our nanny, who also travels with us)– this makes a huge difference when picking out suitable hotel rooms.
In 2017, we’ve stayed at hotels and resorts in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Amsterdam, Phuket, Koh Samui and have also experienced several different staycations here in the UAE (in Abu Dhabi and Dubai). The following list is comprised of the best hotels and resorts that we’ve stayed at this year. It was so hard to rank them because they were all so amazing! They are all 5-star properties and great for luxury family vacations, but each have their own unique advantages. Here are 2017’s top 10 luxury family hotels and resorts:
10. Roda Al Murooj (Dubai)
Roda Al Murooj is formerly known as Rotana Al Murooj. Its a beautiful and well-known property in Dubai because it has been around for a while. Its located in Downtown Dubai, right across from the biggest mall in the world, The Dubai Mall. Its a very family-friendly property and the room that we stayed in is especially great for small families. The Premium 2 Bedroom Suite has two bedrooms, but along with that, it has a living/dining area, 2 ensuite bathrooms, a kitchenette, and a ginormous balcony with a private jacuzzi.
Price: AED 3125 per night for the suite we stayed in (Premium 2 Bedroom Suite)
9. Le Meridien Phuket (Phuket)
The island of Phuket is one of the best places to have a family vacation. Le Meridien Phuket is a beautiful property with a gorgeous private beach. We stayed in the 2-bedroom Grand Suite, the largest suite that they have. It has a lot of living room/dining area space and is perfect for a family with 2 kids. This suite really maximizes on view because the design of it runs ‘long-ways’ and it faces the beach. The pool was just recently renovated and its huge! They also have a special kids meals program, where for a small fee, kids can eat at any restaurant on the property (and they have loads of restaurants!) at any time of day.
Price: THB 20, 235 per night for the room we stayed in (Oceanfront Grand Suite)
8. Amwaj Rotana (Dubai)
Amwaj Rotana is located in Dubai’s iconic JBR. Its a property that we visit quite often because it has several lovely restaurants. During our staycation here, we stayed in the Classic Sea View Suite, which is a one bedroom suite with a large living/dining room. We stayed here at the beginning of the year (when my younger daughter was just a few months old and we didn’t include our nanny in this trip), so I felt that it was spacious enough for us. However, I would recommend it for smaller families (with one child). The balcony looks over onto the beautiful Dubai beach, and you have a lovely birds-eye view of Palm Jumeirah.
Price: AED 2,600 for the room we stayed in (Classic Sea View Suite)
7. Movenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach (Phuket)
There are 2 Movenpick properties in Phuket and this is the one in Karon Beach. Its a huge property, so large that over the 4 days that we stayed there, we did not even cover the whole thing. We stayed in the 2-Bedroom Family Suite, which is honestly so much more than the name suggests. Its actually a private villa with 3 bedrooms in total, and large enough to fit 5-6 people very comfortably. The resort has loads of activities for kids and adults, so you’ll never get bored. It’s also only about 20 minutes away from Patong beach, which is the main hub of Phuket.
Price: THB 23,000 per night for the villa we stayed in (2 Bedroom Family Suite)
6. Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi (Abu Dhabi)
We’ve stayed at the Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi several times and they never fail to impress. The service is always amazing, the food is great, but whats really special about this place are the pools and beach. The beach makes you feel like you’re in the Hamptons, and its just incredible! We recently stayed in their beach villa. As if the property doesn’t have enough pools, they also have private pools in the villas! Its the best property to go to in Abu Dhabi if you’re looking to spend the weekend tanning and swimming!
Full Hotel Review: Full Hotel Review for the villas will be posted on January 15th, 2018. Keep an eye out!
Price: AED 4,500 + AED 1,600 for the beach villa we stayed in– it was separated into 2 suites/rooms.
5. JA Resorts Palm Tree Court (Dubai)
This property took me completely by surprise. I really didn’t know too much about it before coming here (even though its very close to home). Its located in Jebel Ali, Dubai and its an absolute haven of a staycation. Private beach, huge rooms, beautiful peacocks everywhere, lovely dining venues– I could go on and on. Its really one of the best resort properties I have been to in Dubai (and we’ve been to almost all of them). We stayed in the 1-bedroom suite, which is actually very spacious, and perfect for us at the time (with just 1 child).
Price: AED 3,000 for the suite we stayed in (Royal Jasmine 1-bedroom Suite).
4. Four Seasons Dubai Jumeirah Beach Resort (Dubai)
The Four Seasons has never let me down, and the Four Seasons property in Jumeirah was no different. Its one of the best luxury resorts in the city and its located a few minutes drive from Downtown Dubai. You feel like you’ve stepped into another world once you’ve taken the turn off of Beach Road and into the property. There’s the beach, greenery, great supervised kids play area, lovely restaurants (including the famous Salt Bae restaurant, Nusr-et)– its just beautiful! We had two rooms: the Deluxe City View room and the Junior Suite, however they ingeniously can combine them into one very large 2 bedroom suite! You have so much privacy, but its still all in a family setting. You just have to see it for yourself!
Price: AED 6,353 + AED 3,860 for the 2 suites we stayed in (Junior Suite and Deluxe City View Room).
3. InterContinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam (Koh Samui)
This hotel is definitely the most kid-friendly hotel in the world (or that we’ve ever been to)! They provide absolutely everything that you might ever need for your kids, aside from clothes. Its also truly the most breathtaking property we have ever stayed in. The views are just so serene. We stayed in the Club 2-Bedroom Residence Villa and everything was so on point! Their service is also impeccable. Its one of those places that you simply have to experience for yourself because no words can truly describe the God-given beauty of the property. If you’re going to Koh Samui and you don’t book this hotel, you are missing out. Big time.
Price: THB 54,000 for the villa we stayed in (2-bedroom Club Residence Villa).
2. Kempinski Aspen Ski Chalets
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, we truly do have absolutely everything here in Dubai– even ski chalets! We didn’t have to travel far this year to experience winter. Just a quick drive down Sheikh Zayed Road and we were in our very own cozy (but wonderfully spacious) 3-bedroom Aspen Ski Chalet in Kempinski Hotel. Its on an exclusive floor, spread across 3 stories and definitely one of the best stays in Dubai for (mid-large) families. While the first two floors have a view of snowy Ski Dubai, the 3rd floor that houses the master bedroom, has a view of the sunny pool and looks out onto Jumeirah and Burj Al Arab. Oh, and they have so many special details– Hermes everything (even perfume), homemade chocolates and marshmallows for the kids, special butler service, a special executive lounge, etc. Its truly something to add to the bucket list!
Price: AED 12,000 for the chalet we stayed in (3-bedroom Aspen Ski Chalet).
1. The St. Regis Dubai, Al Habtoor Polo Club & Resort (Dubai)
This property is the newest addition to The St. Regis family here in the UAE. Its a very unique property because its the only polo resort in the world that is by The St. Regis. Its has a hotel, of course, but it also has villas. We stayed in the 4-bedroom Villa. These villas are not like any other villas that I’ve ever seen at any other hotel property. They are truly homely and perfect for families because they think of every detail that a guest might need or want during their stay here. There is even a laundry machine (and thats a huge plus, when you are traveling with a family)! The villas also have spacious private pools, their own backyards that look over onto the polo match fields and even private BBQ’s in the backyard. The butler service is amazing and the attention to detail is just perfect. They arranged so many welcome items for us in the room (toys, balloons, treats and activities for the kids), special handmade chocolates and dates and sweets for us– they just put so much love in what they do, and thats why they are the best family friendly resort that we’ve stayed at this year.
Price: 3,200 per night for the villa we stayed in (4-bedroom Villa).
**All rates are for December 2018.
Sweet Life in the Sandpit ♦ Luxury Family Lifestyle 