The chances are, if you love travel and you’ve got children, you’ll have heard about the renowned Ikos resorts. Ikos has become the name for luxury all inclusive family friendly resorts in Europe, starting in Greece {the group are sister to the equally well known Sani group} 10 years ago and now expanding across to Spain & the Balearics too.

But what is that makes an Ikos resort truly great? Here is everything you need to know about Ikos Porto Petro, Mallorca {we also stayed at Oceania in Halkidiki Greece last year so I’ll share a few notes on that too}

*ad we were hosted as a press stay but paid for the rest of our trip and all opinions are my own…

After the Ile de Re, our next stop on our French roadtrip this summer was the Dordogne! I actually didn’t know anything about this region, we booked it solely for @leparadisdordogne campsite which had been recommended as a special spot and it broke up our journey to Annecy. It ended up being better than we ever could have hoped for! This region is stunning, I’d say it feels like the Cotswolds of France in the countryside with charming stone villages, the river to kayak on and lots of chateaus. Here’s a mini guide;

Ahh the Ile de Re. My husband and I first discovered this little piece of paradise on the west coast of France back in 2015 and have been back 4 times since! Dubbed the French Hamptons, an island attached by a bridge near La Rochelle, it’s where lots of Parisians have holiday homes. You’ll find miles and miles of car free cycle routes through vineyards, the prettiest shuttered towns in hues of green & blue {there are a set number of paint colours that habitants are required to use}, pine backed sandy beaches, oyster farms, daily markets and salt farms. It’s bigger than you expect! This was our second trip there with children, fifth in total and here’s a mini guide if you’re looking to go;

Everything you need to know about The Grand and Moon Palace, an ultra all inclusive family resort that will blow your mind in Mexico {it was so good that we went booked and went back the exact time a year later!}.

Come and take a look at summer at the Grove Hotel with us. Set across 300 acres in Hertfordshire, it’s known as London’s country escape. It’s pretty close to where we live so we’ve been fans and regulars for the restaurants {The Glasshouse is our absolute number one for any special occasion, it’s an exquisite buffet like no other and was even featured on the Netflix show ‘the world’s best buffets’} and Sequoia Spa, for the last 16+ years! We’ve been lucky enough to stay at some incredible places in our time but I really think The Grove takes some beating. It just gets better & better as time goes on, something which is pretty rare in the hospitality business. They’ve particularly added and improved all of their family friendly offerings over the last few years and so I HAD to come and take a full look. I really don’t think anything else compares in the UK. It’s by no means a budget option but it really does include so much and you’ll come away feeling like just one night has felt like a weeks holiday with so much to do there {and at the same time you’ll be hard pushed to want to ever leave!}.

If you ever find yourself in Hvar, {we were staying at this really great value, super family friendly beautiful green resort - see my full review here} then you have to visit Hvar old town and the Pakleni islands just across the water are unmissable if you want to see some of the clearest, most beautiful water in Europe. Here’s a mini guide of everything we did to take a water taxi for just 10 euros return compared to spending hundreds on skippering a boat…

If you’re looking for a dream family resort that has villas instead of rooms, childcare and halfboard included, a beautiful old town within walking distance that’s actually good value even in the school holidays then look no further! We discovered such a gem with the Valamar Amicor Green resort on Hvar island in Croatia. Let me tell you all about our stay from May half term….

Come and see why we absolutely loved Valamar Tirena resort in Dubrovnik’s Lapad peninsula.

This resort is designed with families in mind—it makes traveling with kids feel effortless. Set just 10 minutes from Dubrovnik’s Old Town, with a bus that stops right outside the hotel, it’s the perfect base for a city break, with plenty to keep everyone entertained. One of the biggest highlights? Maro World—an amazing kids’ paradise exclusive to Valamar guests.

Last summer we went to the mountains for the first time and were completely blown away by what an incredible family holiday it makes. It helped that we were staying at Naturhotel Forsthofgut, an incredible ~ make that beyond incredible, family friendly boutique luxury spa hotel surrounded by the Austrian mountains. But when I say family friendly, I mean the Kinder version of family friendly. A whole level up. I honestly think it will be hard to ever beat. Let me tell you some of the things that we loved about it and all of the details you’d probably like to know…

There are resorts and then there are resorts! @hillsidebeachclub {ad review stay} has one of the highest rates of returning guests and the most satisfied guests for any resort in the world, Harvard University even did a study on it. I’m on a mission to share the ins & outs of the best family resorts, the stuff that you can’t really find out when you’re researching trips unless you know somebody that’s been there to quiz! So here is everything you need to know if you’re planning a trip there or wondering where to go this summer;

If you’re planning some London days out for the summer, look no further. Here’s an ultimate guide to London with Kids, grouped by neighbourhood and ideas to combine attractions/playgrounds/museums with to keep parents happy too! Most of these days out are free leaving money to spend on lunch/morning pastries!

We’ve been to Lake Garda almost every year since my daughter was born nearly 6 years ago. It just makes for such a perfect family holiday destination and is also one of the best value places even in the school holidays {there always seem to be cheap flights to Milan!}. Here are some places not to miss if you’re planning a trip…

A full review of our stay at Camping Serenella near Bardolino on the shores of Lake Garda, Italy. It was such a family friendly European campsite that we’d definitely not rule out going back to.

Our itinerary, top tips for visiting Thailand and things we’d do differently next time…

Koh Lipe is one of the lesser known islands in Thailand and it is PARADISE. Dubbed ‘The Maldives’ of Thailand, it’s small, quiet and has the dreamiest beaches. Here’s our guide on how to get there, where to stay, the favourite spots we found & how child friendly we found it…

Seeing Elephants ethically, taking an incredible private long tail trip to the Hong Islands, visiting Railay Beach and staying in Ao Nang, Krabi.

This was our final stop on our Thailand trip and it did not disappoint. FULL of colour and culture, I couldn’t believe how different this rice paddy surrounded, temple filled old city was to the beachy islands. Our children aged almost 4 and almost 6 were in awe and absolutely wide eyed at all of the Monks they spotted walking around, the intricately decorated, beautiful old temples, tuk tuks and we discovered some incredible natural playgrounds. We had some really special trips from here that we’ll remember forever too. Here’s a guide on what to see and do…

We figured that if we’d be dragging the kids around to temples and the old city in Chiang Mai that we should have somewhere fun to stay at and cool off at and this luxe hotel was so amazingly child friendly but not stupidly expensive as hotels go. Here are some things we loved about it;

A Daytrip to the Ile de Porquerolles {and one of Europe’s best beaches Plage de Notre Dame} from Le Lavandou in the South of France.

I first discovered Le Lavandou from a very kind follower who shared it with us as a place we’d probably love to visit and she certainly wasn’t wrong. It’s a bit of a cheaper way to visit the south of France away from the glitz of St Tropez and the likes but with so many incredible beaches within easy reach. It ticked pretty much all of our holiday boxes!