10 April 2025

Why the Maldives is More Than a Honeymoon Spot – It’s a Family Paradise By Family Luxe Travel Co. When most people picture the Maldives, they imagine candlelit dinners on private beaches, overwater villas made for two, and peaceful serenity that screams “honeymoon.” And while it is all of those things, here’s a secret that more and more savvy travellers are discovering: the Maldives is also a dream destination for families. That’s right – with the right resort, the Maldives can be as magical for children as it is for couples. Think: turquoise lagoons perfect for snorkelling, barefoot island freedom, world-class kids’ clubs, and luxurious villas spacious enough for the whole crew. Here’s why the Maldives should be your next family holiday – and my top resort picks to help you plan it. Why the Maldives Works for Families Direct Flights & Easy Transfers With increasing flight options from the UK and many resorts offering seamless speedboat or short domestic transfers, it’s now easier than ever to reach paradise with kids in tow. Family-Friendly Resorts Are on the Rise Many Maldivian resorts now cater specifically to families, with spacious villas, fantastic kids’ clubs, child-friendly menus, and activities for all ages – from toddlers to teens. Safe, Natural Exploration The calm lagoons and shallow house reefs are ideal for little ones learning to snorkel or paddleboard. Many resorts even offer marine biology programmes or eco-focused activities to inspire your young adventurers. Our Top 3 Luxury Family-Friendly Resorts in the Maldives 1. Siyam World – 5? A game-changer for families in the Maldives. This vast island resort offers some of the largest and most exciting accommodation options, including water villas with slides that are a hit with both kids and grown-ups. Siyam World has one of the biggest floating water parks in the Maldives, a fantastic kids’ club, and an all-inclusive programme that goes well beyond expectations. It’s perfect for active families who want variety and fun in a luxury setting. 2. LUX South Ari Atoll – 5?* This is barefoot luxury at its best – and beautifully family-friendly. LUX* offers thoughtful touches like an ice cream parlour, cinema under the stars, and family beach villas with private pools. Their PLAY kids’ club is brilliant, and teens have their own space to chill too. The island is also home to some of the best snorkelling and whale shark encounters – an unforgettable adventure for older children. 3. OZEN LIFE MAADHOO – 5? An ultra-luxury all-inclusive resort that makes everything feel effortless. Families love the Earth Villas with pools, the dedicated kids’ club, and the range of dining options that cater to all ages and tastes. The service is exceptional, and the inclusions – such as spa treatments, non-motorised watersports, and excursions – add incredible value for families looking to relax and reconnect in paradise. Top Tips for Holidaying in the Maldives with Children Choose the Right Island: Not all resorts are family-focused – it’s important to book one that offers the right facilities, kids’ clubs, and room types for your needs. Book Early: Family villas go quickly, especially during school holidays. Booking early ensures the best choice and value. Go All-Inclusive: Most families find all-inclusive the most relaxing and cost-effective option – especially when snacks, soft drinks, and kids’ meals are all included. Pack Light but Smart: Bring good sun protection, reef-safe sunscreen, and water shoes for the little ones. Most resorts offer baby gear like highchairs and cots on request. Consider a Split Stay: Want a bit of both worlds? Do a few nights in a beach villa followed by a stay in an overwater villa for the full Maldives experience. Ready to Make Family Memories in Paradise? At Family Luxe Travel Co., we specialise in bespoke, luxury family getaways – and the Maldives is one of our most requested destinations. With first-hand resort knowledge and a passion for helping families travel well, we’ll help you choose the perfect island for your tribe. Get in touch today to start planning your unforgettable Maldives family adventure.

27 November 2024

Discover IKOS Resorts: Europe’s Premium Summer Retreat for Families When it comes to blending luxury, relaxation, and family-friendly charm, few destinations can match IKOS Resorts. Nestled along the stunning coastlines of Greece and Spain, IKOS Resorts have gained a reputation as one of the most sought-after vacation experiences in Europe—especially for families. From exceptional service to carefully curated experiences for all ages, IKOS offers the ultimate escape for those looking to make unforgettable summer memories. What Sets IKOS Resorts Apart? IKOS Resorts elevate the all-inclusive concept to a new level. With their *Infinite Lifestyle* offering, every detail of your stay is thoughtfully planned and delivered with precision. Think gourmet meals crafted by Michelin-starred chefs, premium drinks, beach and poolside service, and even complimentary local experiences like museum visits or a Mini Cooper to explore the area. For families, IKOS truly shines with exceptional amenities tailored to both parents and children. From state-of-the-art kids’ clubs to spacious family suites and dedicated children’s menus, every element is designed to make your stay effortless and enjoyable. Parents can unwind knowing their children are safe, entertained, and making memories of their own. What Each IKOS Resort Offers Here’s a closer look at what makes each IKOS Resort unique: IKOS Olivia (Halkidiki, Greece) A serene oasis surrounded by olive groves and a gorgeous sandy beach, IKOS Olivia is perfect for families seeking tranquility. With bungalow-style accommodations, a variety of swimming pools, and expansive gardens, it offers a true escape. Highlights include the award-winning IKOS Spa and an array of water sports to keep everyone active. IKOS Oceania (Halkidiki, Greece) Known for its panoramic views of the Aegean Sea, IKOS Oceania offers a more intimate setting. Its tiered design provides stunning views from nearly every corner. The resort’s smaller size and warm ambiance make it ideal for families with younger children, ensuring easy access to facilities and personalized service. IKOS Dassia (Corfu, Greece) IKOS Dassia offers modern elegance paired with the charm of Corfu. Families will love the sprawling beachfront, luxurious pools, and ample dining options, including international cuisines. It’s also a fantastic choice for exploring Corfu’s rich culture, with the resort providing complimentary car hire for a day of island discovery. IKOS Aria (Kos, Greece) This stunning property on the island of Kos seamlessly blends modern design with natural beauty. Families can enjoy an extensive range of activities, from tennis courts and water sports to movie nights on the beach. IKOS Aria is perfect for those seeking a mix of adventure and relaxation. IKOS Andalusia (Marbella-Estepona, Spain) For those looking to experience the vibrant culture of Spain, IKOS Andalusia delivers in spades. Set on the sunny Costa del Sol, the resort combines Mediterranean charm with luxurious modern amenities. Families will appreciate the kids’ clubs, spacious accommodations, and proximity to local attractions like Marbella’s Old Town. How to Choose the Right IKOS Resort Selecting the perfect IKOS Resort depends on your family’s preferences and travel priorities. Here are some tips: - Beach Lovers: IKOS Olivia and IKOS Dassia boast expansive beaches with calm waters, perfect for younger kids. - Cultural Explorers: IKOS Dassia (Corfu) and IKOS Andalusia (Spain) are excellent choices for those wanting to blend relaxation with sightseeing. - Adventure Seekers: IKOS Aria offers a wide range of activities for active families. - Relaxation Focused: IKOS Oceania provides an intimate and serene setting, ideal for families looking to unwind. Expert Guidance to Match You with the Perfect IKOS Resort Choosing the right resort can be overwhelming, but that’s where I come in. As an expert who works directly with IKOS Resorts, I have an in-depth understanding of each property and its unique offerings. Whether you’re traveling with toddlers, teens, or extended family, I’ll help tailor your holiday to your specific needs, ensuring you choose the resort that’s a perfect fit. Your Dream IKOS Vacation Awaits Summer is the perfect time to explore the luxurious world of IKOS Resorts. With personalized service, unforgettable experiences, and a touch of Mediterranean magic, it’s no wonder these resorts are trending as a top choice for families across Europe. Ready to plan your IKOS getaway? Let’s work together to create a vacation that exceeds your expectations. Get in touch today, and I’ll guide you every step of the way!

12 December 2022

It’s the most magical time of the year... The search for Santa is on! Can your family find him? Santa chose the most magical place to live! With Lapland being just a short flight from the UK it makes it super easy to see the big man himself and make those all important family memories. With the option of day breaks, 2, 3 or 4 night breaks there is plenty of options to choose from when it comes to planning your Lapland break. Whisk the kids away to make everlasting memories and have a Christmas like no other, that the family will never forget. So what can you expect from a trip to Lapland to search for Santa? A wilderness you would have only ever seen in your dreams… Imagine a gorgeous winter wonderland, cheeky elves around every corner, reindeer driven sleighs and husky driven sleds. Embark on a journey to search for Santa, where the family will get a private meet with Santa in his famous log cabin and LOTS of family fun activities. Keep an eye out for the Northern Lights too, there is every chance you will get to experience this bucket list experience during your time in Lapland. Included in your trip you will get a loan of thermal suits and snow boots to make sure everyone stays warm, lots of snow activities, a reindeer ride, sledging with huskies, tobogganing and a gala dinner to get you really in the Christmas mood and much more! Lapland has magic for everyone of all ages, although we strongly don’t recommend under 2’s travel. The magic really takes over on this wonderful trip and can make even the oldest members of the family light up with the magic of Christmas. You know your child best, but we recommend that it is typically children between the ages of 5 and 9 who have the most memorable experience. Young enough for the magic, yet old enough to remember it. The Santa Lapland trips take place from late November and throughout December. These trips get booked up really fast and it is important to book early to make sure you get availability and the best prices. I have availability for Lapland trips for 2023 (certain dates are becoming limited on availability) and 2024 Lapland trips will be out soon! You can book your Lapland trip with a deposit and pay the balance off over time. If you have any questions about a trip to Lapland or would like a tailor made quote for your family on this magical adventure please get in touch on nicolejayne.lewis@travelcounsellors.com Begin your search for Santa and book your family's journey today!

29 November 2022

It’s winter and let’s face it we are all after a bit of sun! If you’re reading this blog, I’m guessing you are a parent in need of some winter sun but wondering the best destinations to go to guarantee that winter sunshine with a little one in tow! Flying long-haul with a toddler or baby can be daunting (and hectic!) but there are some destinations which are great for travelling to with the smallest members of the family. I have three top destinations which I always recommend my clients travel to when they want to escape the cold weather and keep all members of the family happy! My top three long-haul destinations to travel to with little ones – 1. Dubai This is always my go to destination for families travelling in the winter with a toddler. It is a reasonably short flight for some guaranteed sunshine in those cold winter months. Not only will you find gorgeous hotels, and hot weather but the beaches are fantastic for toddlers too. Dubai is also great for night flights, I always recommend to my clients to add an extra night on their stay and use two-night flights, not only can this keep cost down, but you can hopefully get a few hours kip on the plane too. The Emirates flight times are timed perfectly for getting your little ones to sleep! I would highly recommend staying at the Atlantis The Palm as stays include access to the lost chambers aquarium and waterpark. There is also the toddler tastic Legoland Dubai which is well worth a visit! And if that’s not enough, Dubai airport also offers complimentary pushchairs! 2. Mauritius I always feel like people forget about Mauritius, I think it is a fabulous destination for some winter sun and my favourite thing about traveling to Mauritius with the youngest members of the family… there’s only a 3 hour time difference from the UK! Less need to worry about the dreaded jetlag! Family is central to Mauritian culture, so children always receive a warm welcome! There is so many family friendly activities to do in Mauritius which makes it the perfect place to enjoy some fun in the sun with the family. I would recommend staying at the Zilwa Attitude hotel, a luxury beachfront hotel surrounded by 4 sandy beaches. The hotel also has two private islands so perfect if you have a little explorer on your hands! 3. The Maldives When I first suggest the Maldives to clients travelling with a toddler their initial reaction is ... shock! Yes, it is the ideal place to honeymoon, but it is also the ideal place for a tropical family vacation. The perfect place to go on the hunt for Nemo! I would usually suggest my clients going via Dubai and spending a couple of nights at the Atlantis before flying onto the Maldives however Virgin have recently released a new route 3 times a week from October 2023 from Heathrow direct into the Maldives! There are quite a few Islands which are fantastic for families, but my favourite is probably the hard rock hotel, just a short 15 minute speed boat ride away. There’s a fantastic ocean view swimming pool with a waterslide and children’s club from 3+. For the ultimate treat, book an over water villa with private pool and have some much needed quality family time spotting all the tropical fish! If you need some winter sun or maybe you have a big celebration coming up and want to take the family on a holiday of a lifetime, please do get in touch. I have a huge knowledge of destinations and resorts all over the world which are fantastic for families and will always make sure my clients are fully prepared for travelling with the kids!

20 February 2020

Congratulations, you’re getting married! Now the planning begins! Fear not though, when you are tired of scrolling through Pinterest, cake tasting and those dreaded seating dilemmas there is a light at the end of the tunnel, a bright light... Sunlight! Yes, it’s time to talk honeymoons, and I’m not talking about any honeymoon I am talking about THE honeymoon. You’ve planned the wedding of the year, big or small it doesn’t matter its your day and it is going to be perfect. So why stop there? A honeymoon is just as important as the big day itself. It’s the first adventure you will take as a married couple, your first time exploring this new and exciting time of being married and let’s get this straight, after planning the wedding of the year... you deserve it! We are lucky enough to live in a world where it really is our oyster! Travelling and exploring new destinations and having new experiences has become so much easier. So, what do you want from your honeymoon? Are you thinking of pina colodas on a sandy white beach while your partner is thinking of trekking mountains and jungles? Are you looking for a sun soaked get away while your partner is looking to see the big five with a safari adventure? There are so many options to choose from and it is important to know what both of you are looking to get from your honeymoon. So now you’ve had a think about what might interest you, your thinking what next? Get in touch! I will book you a honeymoon appointment with myself and you can tell me everything you want and need from your honeymoon. It is then my job to put together a tailor-made itinerary which will give you those Pina Colodas on the beach as well as your partner an adrenaline junkie experience of a lifetime, or whatever suits your needs. We can carefully go through destinations and see what the best places for you will be to visit at the time of year you want to travel. We can talk about getting the maximum time away in the destination and how to use your time there wisely. Understandably honeymoons can be pricey, it’s the trip of a lifetime and it must be right. I can book quite far in advance, meaning you have access to early booking discounts which can help keep the cost down. You can leave deposits and work it into your wedding budget, so it isn’t a big lump sum you end up paying out right on top of your wedding day. I don’t stop there. I believe the small things in life are what matter most. Anything from dinner reservations on the beach, private tours, snorkelling trips, boat trips, spa reservations, floating breakfast in your private pool, you name it I have got it covered. They say the best honeymoons are the ones you can get to know each other even better than you thought you already did. A time where you can be swept up in blissful romance and be just the two of you and take in everything this new life has instore for you... This is what you will get when booking your honeymoon with me. So get in touch and lets talk honeymoons!

31 May 2019

I love a holiday and before becoming a Mummy my perfect holiday was having the sunbed nearest to the sea, reading a book with the odd dip into the sea to cool down and a trip to the bar to get a Blue Lagoon cocktail being the most adventurous thing I done for two weeks. Little did I know, my idea of a perfect holiday was soon to be turned upside down. I still remember my husbands face when I told him I wanted to get married and jet straight off to be at the beach the very same day as the wedding. Now this wouldn't have been a problem, but we had a 7 month old baby who we had never taken away before. We decided to do it despite being nervous to take our lovely little baby away. We got married in the morning and made it to Stansted airport for our afternoon flight to Gran Canaria. The first thing I did that everyone told me not to do, I panic packed! 5 suitcases and a pram later we were checked in and ready to go through security. Poppy was still on formula milk so we pre-ordered her milk with Boots and picked it up when we got through security so we didn't have to worry about it taking up too much baggage allowance (even though I packed 5 suitcases). We had begun to wean her onto food so we brought the baby food sachets which I did put in the suitcase which didn't take up too much space at all! I always used to love a morning flight, but actually travelling with a baby, the afternoon flight worked really well as it fell into Poppy's afternoon nap, she slept the majority of the way! I also had a bottle ready for take off, sucking helps reduce little ones ears popping so I would definitely recommend having a bottle or dummy to hand! We finally reached Gran Canaria, at this point I realised I really did not need to pack 5 suitcases and my new hubby was pretty worn out from carrying them about. As the holiday went on it was just too hot to put Poppy in all the lovely outfits we had for her and it ended up being just a nappy or an undergrow so she kept cool in the evenings meaning some of those cases didn't even get opened! Arriving at the Mogan Princess in Gran Canaria I was ready for my Blue Lagoon cocktail. We had got their just before sunset so we headed off for dinner and drinks and watched the sunset to celebrate our wedding and it was perfect. The next morning however was a different story. Poppy was awake at 5am, she had just started to crawl the week before and all she wanted to do was get down and explore. Our room wasn't really made out for a baby who had just started crawling. So 5.30am we're up and out to go for a walk and explore. At this point we were thinking oh my god what have we done, breakfast wasn't open yet, nothing was open in actual fact and we had a baby that just wanted to crawl and we were here for two whole weeks. We walked around the hotel grounds and on our travels we actually found a little soft play room. It was quite hidden and I don't actually think we would have found it if we hadn't have gone for that early morning walk. That room became our go to place when the weather got too hot for Poppy and we needed to sit in a room where she could safely go and explore and play with some new toys, plus it had air conditioning! When it was an acceptable time to grab a sunbed we made our way down to the childrens pool, something we had never had to do before. We set up camp, both laid down on our sunbeds with Poppy in the pram in between us and then it hit us, how are we both going to sunbathe at the same time now we had a baby?! So we decided to take it in turns (I know it sound ridiculous) it didn't actually last very long as when it was my turn to have some Mummy time and sunbathe, I just wanted to be in the pool with my new hubby and our baby. After a few days we invested in a blow up baby boat, this is the best thing you could possibly get for a baby to enjoy the water. Our second week came and we were yet to go to the beach, we had planned a day to the market in Puerto Mogan which is the next bay along from Playa Taurito. The hotel lays on a free shuttle bus to Puerto Mogan on market days but we decided to grab a taxi as we had the buggy and didn't want to wait around in the sun, it only cost about 5 euros so was well worth it! Before we went on holiday I brought a sun umbrella for the pram, without a doubt I would recommend to anyone travelling with a baby to get one, it kept Poppy cool and in the shade while we walked around the market. We noticed a boat trip which took you to Puerto Rico Beach, I knew this beach was meant to be lovely so we decided to be spontaneous and brought some tickets and off we went to the beach, our favourite place to be. Poppy absolutely loved it, despite eating the sand she loved kicking her legs in the sea and splashing about! It turns out she's a complete and utter beach baby! I had a bottle of talc in my bag which is the best thing without a doubt for getting sand off when your leaving the beach. All in all I probably had about 2 hours sunbathing the whole holiday and nowhere near as many Blue lagoons as my holiday self usually would. I would never change it for the world though and our first family holiday will always hold a special place in my heart. I think it is one of the most important trips you will take as a family and since we went on ours I always give as much helpful information that I can to other families going away. I have a never ending list of hotels which I have researched into that have a little soft play room for little ones to keep out of the sun. Please feel free to contact me if you would like me to recommend some hotels which are great for babies or you want a fellow mum and travel expert who knows how nerve racking it can be taking children away to take the stress away I am here to help. You'll be pleased to know since our first family holiday we have welcomed another little girl, Phoebe to our family making us a family of 4! We are due to go back to Puerto Rico in a couple of weeks with two, yes two toddlers! I'll be doing a blog about hints and tips we get from our first holiday with toddlers shortly after, wish us luck!