London’s best child-friendly hotels for Easter
It’s been three years since we’ve had an Easter holiday free from travel restrictions, and some families might already be dreaming of their exodus down a runway towards foreign adventures. For that, please click here for our round-up of child-friendly European hotels.
But for others, the first pandemic grounding of international travel made it tricky, expensive and risky, reminding us that the UK - and London itself - is a great place to vacay.
The lure of avoiding 4am airport wakeups and having a great base to explore the child-friendly attractions of the capital saw my family of five (including kids aged six, four and one) check out the London hotels doing everything they can to ensure children - and their parents - feel extra welcome in their beds.
The Haymarket Hotel, Charing Cross
Here’s where parents who want the kind of luxe break they enjoyed pre-kids need to book in. Sure, you probably won’t get a lie in but you will get everything else you used to enjoy during your lazy child-free holidaying days in this beautiful art-packed hotel. Kit Kemp’s chic-and-cheerful design gives everyone in the family’s eyes something to be enjoy. The friendly, helpful staff love children, always remember their names and bring delicious, personalised cookies and milk for a midnight feast.
There’s a wow pool where kids can splash anytime in front of a digital sunset. Although at 1.5m deep, most kids won’t be able to stand up, there are armbands, baby chairs and Insta-ready donut lilos to borrow. There’s an honesty bar for parents who need propping up - and Brumus restaurant has a children’s menu (salmon, chicken, fresh veg, new potatoes) that actually cares about its diners. You feel like you’re staying in your coolest friend’s house. They also have an amazing chef who whips up chilli sweetcorn fritters for breakfast and loves your kids so much they’ve put out tiny towelling robes, slippers and bunny toiletry sets. You won’t want to leave.
From £648 for a deluxe room; firmdalehotels.com
Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge
You’re opposite Big Ben, you’re a toddler-without-moaning distance from the London Eye and London Aquarium, and you’re near theatres and museums at this large, central hotel. The Park Plaza’s spacious Studio Rooms include a double bedroom and a sofa bed in the lounge so parents can avoid the traditional post-kids’ bedtime evening spent hiding in a bathroom. There’s also a kitchenette, ideal for making children’s snacks or meals so you don’t have to dine at 5pm, and a 15-metre pool where kids are allowed to swim almost all day, from 8am-8pm. Children also have their own check-in, where they receive a colouring book present and ‘money’ to spend on food and drink during the stay, plus occasional events like kids’ afternoon tea and pizza-making.
From £199 for a studio room for two adults and two children; parkplazawestminsterbridge.com
The Grove, Watford
It’s within the M25 but just outside London in Watford - a setting that helps The Grove enjoy a spacious 300 green acres which guarantee any family has enough room to relax and run free. Our highlight was the vast woodlands, with musical trail, cycling route and free bikes for under 12s, birds of prey and an app-based treasure hunt. There’s a well-stocked trove of free arts and craft activities in the Potting Shed (think decorating china mugs and wind chimes, rather than colouring-in), and kids and parents alike were agog at the vast and excellent-quality buffet at the Glasshouse restaurant. The dessert station is complete with an ice cream sundae stand.
Activity packs are ready and waiting for children at mealtimes, and in the summer there’s a sparkling beach and outdoor pool too. An on-site creche (age two-plus, £45/three hours) means parents can have their own time on the verdant golf course or in the super-chilled Sequoia Spa. Under 12s can’t access the peaceful spa pool but do have their own warm children’s pool across the lawn. A playground, welcome cookies and having the freedom London kids miss out on to run around vast grounds makes The Grove a firm family favourite - and it’s only three miles from Harry Potter World if that’s on the wish-list.
From £590 for a deluxe room for four including breakfast; thegrove.co.uk
ZSL London Zoo Lodge, Regent’s Park
This is a stay that will have your kids showing off to their friends at school. London Zoo’s nine Indian-inspired lodge cabins each have a private balcony where families have dinner (included) whilst listening to the sounds of the neighbours - Asiatic lions, gibbons, and honking flamingos. The Zoo hosts separate adult nights and family nights, so you won’t have to worry about your small ones being too noisy (although you can’t take any tiny ones with its age five-plus only policy). Each lodge can fit two adults and two children, or one adult and three children, up to the age of 13.
The rooms are snug, with children sleeping on sofa beds, and en-suite bathrooms (shower not baths) - but you won’t be spending too long in them anyway: guests can explore the zoo for two full days before and after spending the night and receive three exclusive after-hours tours of the zoo at sunset, torch-lit after-dark, and after breakfast the next morning, including meeting keepers. This stay would make a very special birthday present.
From £192.50 per person (based on twin share) with each additional child £65 each; zsl.org/zsl-london-zoo/london-zoo-lodge
Melia White House, St Albany
As one of the closest hotels to London Zoo, which is also near to the Tube for all of central London’s array of sightseeing, this super-modern refurbished hotel makes a really comfy place to relax if you’d like a more spacious option after a busy day with the gorillas. Being a little further out of the manic capital, this branch of the Melia chain has a decent amount of room to play with. The Level family rooms fit two adults, kids in a sofa-bed and a chic bathroom. Another option is an interconnecting room for bigger families. Children receive their own toiletry bag and kids’ room service menu or included access for all to have drinks and snacks all day long- a highlight for most grazing children.
From £326 for two interconnecting rooms for a family of four, or £354 for a Level suite; melia.com
Four Seasons, Park Lane
This newly refurbished Hyde Park pile is Mary Poppins in hotel-form. A pre-check-in questionnaire about your children will see patisserie models of their favourite teddy or toys waiting in the room, alongside perfectly-matched-to-their-interests gifts. Child’s Farm toiletries are provided in the room, as are right-size nappies, changing mat and bottle warmer for babes, tiny towelling robes, snacks and kids’ umbrellas. Children under 12 eat free on room service or in the swish Amaranto restaurant, where waiting staff are so hands-on with kids’ puzzles that you can relax and enjoy a Smoke Signal cocktail and excellent wagyu beef. If at 9pm you realise you’ve forgotten the kids’ toothpaste, a knock at the door minutes later will bring the exact brand and age band you have at home. (The Four Seasons might actually be better than Mary Poppins.) If it pours all morning, another knock at the door brings a pile of puzzles and games so parents can enjoy a long bubbly bath. The only downside is the lack of a pool for kids - the small but relaxing spa is adults-only.
Deluxe room from £655; fourseasons.com
The Landmark London, Marylebone
Peep around the door into the Landmark’s spacious family studio and kids squeal at the sight of a pillow-stuffed tent with teddy gifts in the middle of the room. Evening sees them pop on provided head torches, don their mini bathrobes, and eat cookies and milk in their tent (at a midnight - or 8pm if you’ve successfully doctored the clocks - feast. Even with that excitement, the children’s highlight at the Landmark London is the warm swimming pool - it’s a favourite for splashing around, but it does get busy during weekends during the set children’s hours of 9–11am and 3–5pm. Breakfast is another big talking point: children could spend all day tucking into courses of waffles, bowls of berries and chocolate milks. Add in the setting - the beautiful palm tree-lined surroundings of the hotel’s winter garden - and so would their parents.
From £510 for a family room for four; landmarklondon.co.uk
