Stylish hotels and sticky-fingered children are mutely exclusive, right? Our friends at Design Hotels, a collection of more than 270 independent properties around the world, beg to differ. Here are three chic hotels they reckon work perfectly for the whole family; check out their website for more suggestions. Closer to home, we suggest you try Luxury Family Hotels, which has eight gorgeous hotels across the South and South West. 

The family-run 189-room resort offers the holy trinity for parents: guaranteed sunshine, bulletproof childcare, and an award-winning spa to massage away the stress of toddler tantrums and teenage meltdowns. Parental time out comes courtesy of the kids’ clubs and adventure outposts for children aged from four months–14 years, while more active families will appreciate Almyra’s bike station and the two fresh water pools. Throw in creative children’s menus, kiddie concierge, and even a pre-order service for all the baby paraphernalia you could possibly need, and you have the ultimate family vacation all wrapped up.

Pedras Salgadas comprises 12 eco-houses and two treehouses blending seamlessly into the lush greenery of a centuries old park in northern Portugal. The family activity programme focuses on the hotel’s spectacular surroundings, and days are packed with treasure hunts, mountain biking, horse riding, nature trails and tree climbing. In each of the guest houses, floor-to-ceiling windows and wood-lined private decks bring the outdoors inside and create a feeling of camping – albeit in the chicest way possible.

Located adjacent to the base station at Laax-Murschetg, the 112-room Rocksresort is Europe’s only fully integrated ski resort, making it the ideal introduction to skiing en famille. The complex of architecturally minimalist cube-shaped buildings houses furnished holiday apartments, shops, restaurants and bars, arranged around a central square. The nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Sardona Tectonic Arena offers 250km of breathtaking hiking trails, including buggy-proof and themed routes designed for young families. The rocky landscape for which the hotel is named offers world-class rock climbing and mountain biking.