Demand for luxury/reasonably-priced family holiday packages has escalated, in recent years, with customers no longer prepared to compromise on quality merely because they have a family in tow.

Spot the Difference!

One of the most common complaints levelled at lower-end family holiday operators is their tendency to cut corners in an attempt to trim costs. As a result, high-end travel companies are going to great lengths to differentiate themselves from the ‘bargain basement’ style family offerings that all too often fail to deliver.

More up-market holiday providers know that their reputation and indeed their future success hangs on meeting customer expectations; it is this attention to detail that most clearly differentiates a quality family holiday from a ‘no-frills’, you-get-what-you-pay-for style package.

Family Holiday Packages that go the Extra Mile

What are the hallmarks of an up-market family holidays?

a wider selection of genuinely child-friendly resorts in ‘desirable’ locations;
competitive family deals at luxury destinations/resorts;
fully-trained children’s representatives and better child/staff ratios;
childcare premises that meet only the highest standards;
streamlined airport/resort transfers;
higher spec., better appointed accommodation that combines family-oriented features with adult luxury touches; more floor space; priority health and safety features, etc.;
exceptional service with dedicated staff who understand and are sympathetic to varying family requirements;
meal-times for kids that offer greater choice and better supervision as standard.

Family Holiday Specialists

Those who are under the impression that a luxury family holiday is beyond their budget are in for a pleasant surprise. Competition is fierce amongst mainstream and specialist travel operators to trump the opposition with huge discounts on brochure prices for family holiday packages.

With minimal research you can find a luxury family holiday that fits the bill. Try, for example:

Aspire, www.takethefamily.com: specialises in luxury family holidays; some of the finest child-friendly hotels and luxury villas, worldwide, e.g. Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai; The Residence, Mauritius; Four Seasons Resort, Sharm El Sheikh; Las Dunas Beach Hotel & Spa, Estepona, Andalucia; Lemuria Resort & Villas, Praslin, Seychelles; Calabash Hotel & Villas, Grenada;

Families Worldwide, www.familiesworldwide.co.uk: leading UK-based company specialising in overseas adventure holidays; trips aimed at all age groups; destinations include India, Africa, Nepal, Peru, Egypt, Morocco, Greece, etc.;

Helpful Holidays, www.helpfulholidays.com: a long-established British company offering a wide choice of ‘up-market’ holiday homes in the West Country, Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset.

Mark Warner, www.markwarner.co.uk: upmarket family holidays specialist; quality, family-focused accommodation; extensive range of activities and entertainment to suit all members of the family, ‘market-leading childcare and kids’ clubs, etc.; family holiday beach destinations include Corsica, Egypt; Greece, Portugal and Sardinia; winter child-friendly ski and snowboard destinations include Austria, France and Italy.

Hot Tip: Family Holiday with a Difference

Blackpool is diversifying its tourism base with a view to becoming a more upmarket family-oriented holiday destination. According to Nigel Bunyan (The Telegraph, 11/7/2008), Blackpool has taken up the challenge ‘to re-invent itself as a holiday haven for the upper middle class’.

Quoting Liz Meek, Regional Director of the Government Office North West, Blackpool is rolling out a raft of measures in an attempt to attract ‘more… up-market…visitors from social classes A and B’.

Blackpool, it would appear, is determined to shed its former tacky image and to clean up its act with a whole host of wholesome family-style attractions and quality upmarket family holidays that will appeal to a more discerning clientele.

This could certainly be one to watch on the family front!