Treshnish and Haunn Cottages, Scotland

We’ve stayed at Treshnish, on the Isle of Mull’s wild west coast, every year since our oldest daughter, now 13, was a tiny baby. It’s somewhere we can really switch off and focus on spending time together as a family. There are eight gorgeously renovated and pleasingly eclectic cottages and a shepherd’s hut on this working family farm, which sits on a headland on the rugged coastline looking west towards the Treshnish Isles and back east towards the expansive white sands of Calgary Bay.

Holidays here are all about picnics and rock pooling on the beach, paddleboarding or kayaking along the shoreline and spotting puffins, golden eagles and dolphins (there’s even been the odd orca and humpback whale). Although we live in a very rural part of the world anyway, I love how the children (and grown-ups) really sink into the rhythms of nature when we’re here. There’s a fantastic food culture on the island and we always overdose on fresh seafood, either caught with a crab line, grabbed from an honesty stall or at one of a growing number of amazing eateries dotted about. We’ve even been known to let loose at the odd ceilidh. Beats clubbing in Ibiza any day (though I’m up for that too). 

Emma Galvin, Editor, Muddy Northants

Four Seasons Marrakesh, Morocco

The only word to describe the pool here is, ‘unbelievable’. Good-looking, with a shallow end that’s the right width for practice swims with armbands and a minimal distance from the sun beds to the pool, meaning you can jump in with little ones whenever they need you. As with all Four Seasons hotels, the childcare options are a godsend to any parent desperate to lie on a lounger with a cocktail meaning: they do all the hard work.

In Marrakech the hotel has a club for younger kids (4-12 years) entertaining them with their own soft play areas, kids pool and even a theatre. Also, (praise be) there’s Young Adult Centre for teens offering loads to keep them away from their phones, babysitting services and they’ll even childproof your room – meaning toddlers can roam free, well, almost! At less than four hours it’s a short flight time, so there’s really no excuse not to head here. 

Rebecca Twomey, Editor, Muddy Sussex

Pompeii, Italy

I took my two teens for a spin around the Amalfi coast last year and it was spectacularly successful. I know most think of the Amalfi as super-romantic – and of course it is – but it offers some great touch points for families too. We stayed in a decent four star hotel in Sorrento, walked the town, and ate a vat of pasta.

We hopped on a speed boat to Capri, took a dip in turquoise seas, and paid obscene amounts for a drink in the pretty central square. Our taxi weaved its way to Positano and we sat eating seafood on a ridiculously beautiful beach, not quite believing our luck. But the absolute pinnacle was the day out at Pompeii – an easy train ride out of Sorrento and mind-blowingly beautiful. The kids, then 13 and 15, still talk of this holiday as the best we’ve ever had – can’t say fairer than that.

Hero Brown, Muddy Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Castle View Cottage, Northumberland 

My favourite place for a family holiday is Northumberland, especially up near Bamburgh, which was recently voted as having the best beach in Britain. The beaches are vast with amazing sand dunes and are nearly always empty, there’s a stunning national park full of bike and hiking trails and rivers and waterfalls to go paddling in, and loads of incredible castles, plus this summer a huge new playground – Lilidorei – has opened in Alnwick. There’s just so much to do with kids and it’s all wholesome and involves a lot of fresh air! For places to stay, check out Crabtree & Crabtree’s collection of curated cottages.

Hollie Bond, Editor, Muddy Suffolk & Cambs

Skagen, Denmark

If family resorts and theme parks make you want to run for the hills, wonderful, wild Skagen at the tip of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark is heaven for outdoorsy tribes. With miles of white, sandy beaches (and barely anyone else on them), flat family-friendly cycle paths, pretty Danish architecture and a vast playground of mountainous sand dunes, it makes for blissful quality time together. There are lots of self-catering options – both luxe and pared-back-Scandi – and kids will love standing with a foot in each sea where the North Sea and the Baltic meet. Oh, and if you must squeeze in a theme park fix, the original Legoland is a doable three hours away.

Cathy Struthers, Editor, Muddy Notts & Derbyshire

Martinhal Sagres, Portugal 

We went to Martinhaal in Sagres, Portugal last October with our six and three year olds – a great time to go to the Algarve as the wind (and high summer temperatures) drop to a pleasant level, and the sea, which is usually a bit chilly early in the season is a few degrees warmer. While it’s a sprawling resort, it’s all low rise, with attractive buildings (and multiple accommodation options – we had a lovely, spacious villa with its own garden) and has a very chilled vibe.

Plus it’s all walkable. While there’s something for all ages – from football camps and a bike pump track to fairy trails, evening entertainment and kids’ clubs, the pool areas and restaurants are slick and stylish with ‘grown-up’ options including fresh fish, sophisticated cocktails and elegant décor (although you can get pizza, nuggets, chips etc for the kids too.) AND there are kids’ play areas in the restaurants with staff on hand to keep an eye, so you can finish your meal uninterrupted – bliss! It’s also right on the beach, with a cool hangout area, so no need to pack up the car every day to get your fix of wave chasing and sand castle building. 

Katrina Harper-Lewis, Editor, Muddy Herts & Beds

Acacia Resort Parco Dei Leoni, Sicily

I stumbled across this amazing beachfront hotel in Sicily a couple of years ago, and have returned with the kids in tow ever since. Getting a really good beachfront hotel in Italy with that high-end Caribbean feel can be tricky, but this beautiful resort with a massive free-form pool on the north coast of the island has it all. We love to take wind-in-your-hair day trips from the hotel to the idyllic Aeolian Islands, just off the coast (go to Lipari it’s eye-wateringly beautiful). Bomb down slides at the waterpark just 10 minutes away, visit the famous medieval coastal town of Cefalù, or explore the buzzing capital of Palermo. Or, of course, just live your best White Lotus life on a sun lounger, spritz in hand, admiring the volcanic skyline on your private beach as the activities team keep them entertained!

Sophie Tweedale, Editor, Muddy Stilettos, Glos & Worcs

Gran Melia Palacis de Isora, Tenerife

My hubby always manages to sniff out the best hotels for our family holidays. Last year we stayed here and it was hands down the best family hotel we’ve stayed in together. The food was good, staff were great with the kids, the pools are all heated (bonus!) plus, the kids’ entertainment was excellent. Pool parties, foam parties, magic shows, PJ parties, bouncy castles, face painting and so much more. When the kids’ fun ended, the adult fun began: musical shows, live jazz, acrobatic performances and lots more. We made some fantastic memories here, just hoping we can top it this year. 

Keya, Editor, Muddy Leicestershire

Les Douvres, Guernsey

The British island with a Mediterranean-feel, golden sand beaches (like beautiful Pembroke Bay) and gorgeous, unspoiled countryside, Guernsey is a perfect place to holiday with the family by plane or boat – avoiding the horrors of a peak season Dover crossing. Take the short ferry hop to the neighbouring car-free island of Sark and hire a bike to freewheel it around the coast for a real wind-in-the-hair adventure. And be sure to visit The Little Chapel, thought to be the smallest consecrated church in the world, made with pretty pebbles and china. When it comes to places to stay, Les Douvres is family-friendly with a nice pool (kids always consider a holiday great if there’s a pool!).

Heidi Ruge, Editor, Muddy Hampshire & the Isle of Wight.

Fowey Hall Hotel, Cornwall 

One for exhausted parents…I remember visiting Cornwall’s Fowey Hall Hotel, reputedly the inspo for Wind in the Willows‘ Toad Hall, with two kids under five. We were staying in a gorgeous family suite overlooking the estuary which was lovely but it was all go. We flopped down in the lounge with the boys before dinner when suddenly two women from the crèche came in with balloons and scooped up the kids to play with them. We were left in peace to have a cocktail – and it was amazing, like the first proper grown-up moment I’d had in years. There’s free childcare from early in the morning so you can have a lie-in, a pool to play in and all the boutique shops, cafés and river boating opps of Fowey on your doorstep. I went to Fowey recently and I almost wished I had small kids so I could relive the magic all over again (I did say almost).

Lisa Buckland, Editor, Muddy Devon 

Ayla Resort, Jordan 

One of the best family holidays we’ve ever had was at Ayla Beach Resort in Jordan. Not only was it a fantastic hotel with lots of fun activities, but it was also close to the country’s top sightseeing locations, such as Wadi Rum and Petra. The kids (and I!) couldn’t get enough of the Wadi’s wild desert dunes, particularly when they found out it was a filming location for Star Wars and other epic movies. We rolled down mountain-high banks of sand, tried sandboarding (like snowboarding, but on sand, obvs) and enjoyed a barbecue in the dunes at sunset.

Another day we visited ancient wonder of the world, Petra. It’s a three-km hike through a narrow gorge to reach the iconic Treasury, a temple carved into a rose-tinted cliff by the Nabateans more than 2500 years ago. The rest of the Pink City was equally as mind-blowing: a vast valley of temples, ancient trees and the occasional dusty donkey. If you want a family holiday that’s going to be fun, adventurous, educational, awe-inspiring and safe, I can’t think of anywhere better.

Amanda Statham, Muddy’s travel editor

Kilminorth Cottages, Cornwall

If you’re looking for somewhere perfect for a couples break, family holiday or girls getaway, Kilminorth Cottages is your place. It’s like its own little village just outside Looe, with nothing but gorgeous views and walks for miles around. There are plenty of fields to let the kids and the dog run wild, the beach and town is within walking distance and there’s a private hot tub to enjoy after a long day exploring. Make sure you grab a bite from Sarah’s Pasty Shop in the middle of Looe – they’re the best around!

Laura Kearns, Editor, Muddy Warwickshire & West Midlands