Return of the big five: What to expect when we can visit Europe's family super resorts again

While the term 'super resort' might make some think of scale and nothing else, this is not the case for the five we have identified below. What you'll find instead is a collection of luxurious, warm and welcoming havens for a family holiday everyone will love. These hotels, many of them award-winning, have stylish and comfortable rooms; extensive, impressive and well-managed amenities; and excellent restaurants.

Now that countries are starting to welcome tourists back and hotels are opening up, measures to protect the health and safety of guests and staff are more important than ever. These five family super resorts have found new ways to balance quality service with protective guidelines in a post-pandemic world. We might not be able to visit just yet, but at least we'll know what to expect when we can get there.

Sani Resort, Halkidiki, Greece

This summer, Sani will start welcoming guests back to its 1,000-acre resort on the north coast of mainland Greece. The award-winning estate, which comes with its own marina, private beaches, clutch of luxury hotels including Sani Beach Resort, plus nature reserve with wetlands and forest, has ‘remodelled’ to make use of space and observe social distancing guidelines as set out by the World Health Organisation.

Seating and sun loungers by all pools will be placed at least six metres apart, while in restaurants tables will be placed two metres away from each group. This social distancing measure will also be advised for guests moving through the resort. And in terms of outdoor experiences, guests are spoilt for choice, with everthing from watersports and a football academy to bird watching tours and hiking trails on offer.

The resort aims to eliminate paper where possible, too. Guests will be able to use WhatsApp and email for reservations, room service, enquiries and check-in. Transactions will be contactless where possible, and spa menus and information pamphlets will be displayed on the television guides.

As well as rigorous cleaning regimes and hand sanitiser stations placed throughout the resort, UVA lamps will be installed to check crockery, food menus and cutlery, and technology such as non-invasive thermal cameras will monitor staff temperatures at entry points. Staff will also be specially trained, tested regularly, and required to wear a mask, with gloves and additional PPE provided where applicable. A doctor will be on site 24 hours a day.

Pine Cliffs, Algarve, Portugal

Pine Cliffs Resort, which curls around orange-red cliff tops on the Algarve coast, will throw open its Moorish-style doors to guests on June 6.

Making the most of its vast pine-tree gardens and hidden Tabu Garden, wellness activities such as family fitness and meditation classes will be moved outside, while in the spa acrylic screens will be placed between staff and guests.

Elsewhere, the golf club, pools and Annabel Croft tennis academy will continue to keep things busy, and the 7,000-square-metre children’s village - the largest kids’ club in the region - will remain open, subject to scrupulous cleaning.

Cleaning practices will be carried out to Portugal's new 'Clean & Safe' stamp standards. Vapor machines using disinfectant will be used to fumigate rooms, which are then sealed until use, and there will be multiple hand sanitising stations around the resort. As for guests worried about shoes and suitcases, 32 disinfection mats will be placed in the main entrances for guests and employees.

Dining will look different too. The new Pine Cliffs Eats service offers several to-go and in-room delivery options, along with recipe cards, private cooking classes, and a shopping experience by which guests select their products from a market menu to be delivered in-room.

Forte Village, Sardinia, Italy

Despite there being just 400 listed cases of Covid-19 in the south of Sardinia, guests can expect to see a difference in the way Forte Village, reopening June 27, will operate from the moment they arrive at Cagliari Airport.

The village is set in a 116-acre green park and is home to eight distinct hotels, including five-star Le Dune, which is especially good for families.

Private transfer vehicles now have plexiglass dividers and come equipped with sanitising gel, face masks and disposable gloves and are cleaned between each use, with the driver checked daily by the medical team. Upon check-in, the medical staff - overseen by Dr Angelo Cerina, who has served the resort since 1970, will carry out and analyse tests, while resort staff organise registration, a briefing on facilities and protocols, all in less than an hour. All deliveries including luggage will be disinfected.

Children attending kids' clubs and play parks will be split into smaller groups in different, open-air locations (e.g. Children Wonderland; Leisureland). Restaurant, spa and sports bookings will be made online, and guests will be asked to download an app used by the Italian government to monitor the situation.

Costa Navarino, Peloponnese, Greece

Costa Navarino's two hotels, The Westin and The Romanos, are due to reopen on June 19. The resort, spanning 130 hectares, is located in the Peloponnese, a low-risk zone as declared by the Greek government.

Whilst the usual outdoor activities such as bike rides, water sports, climbing and golfing will go ahead as normal, new experiences have been created for children and teenagers, including an outdoor escape room, and a space dedicated to virtual gaming. Furthermore, other activities can be adapted such as spa treatments, which can be performed outdoors under the shade of the olive trees.

In addition to following government guidelines, the hotels at Costa Navarino will also apply Marriott's 'Commitment to Cleanliness'. Hospital-grade disinfectants will be used to clean surfaces, equipment and more, while hand sanitising stations will be placed in common areas.

In addition to this, Costa Navarino is hiring extra staff members and implementing specific Covid-19 training. Doctors and nurses at the medical centre will check temperatures for everyone when they enter the resort, and conduct regular testing for staff (this will also be offered to guests at special rates).

Along the long gold-sand beach (a nesting ground for sea turtles), space between different umbrellas will be 5.5 metres apart, more than the required 3.5 metres. A la carte service will replace any buffets across all 21 restaurants and, and touchless processes will be used across all contact points where possible.

Port d'Alcúdia, Majorca, Spain

Though an opening date is yet to be confirmed, Zafiro Palace, a chic and sophisticated all-inclusive hotel in Port Alcudia, is getting post-lockdown ready with a number of new measures. The area, located on the north east coast of the island, is a popular family-friendly resort town with beautiful beaches and a buzzy promenade.

Like its counterparts, this Zafiro outpost has been spaciously designed meaning alternative routes for getting around the hotel are easily accessible, and floor markings have been used to help with social distancing.

Upon arrival, guests will be asked to disinfect their shoes on a sanitising mat, as their luggage is being disinfected. Check-in areas will be separated and monitored for overcrowding, lifts will be restricted to two people at a time, and rooms will be allocated alternately.

Importantly, guests will notice a big difference in the way the restaurants operate. As to be expected, capacity will be reduced to avoid crowding and groups will be seated at least two metres apart. Instead of traditional menus, options will be presented in digital form via QR codes, and once a group has left, their tables and chairs will be sanitised before any new guests are seated. Disposable paper napkins will be used and buffet restaurants will be redesigned and reorganised with staff serving individual plates to guests.

In terms of shared facilities, the staff, who will undergo specific training to implement new health and hygiene measures, including the use of PPE where required, will check the water quality of all outdoor and indoor pools including whirlpool tubs continually throughout the day. Like seating elsewhere, sunbeds and pool loungers will be placed a suitable distance apart.

Hand sanitiser dispensers will be stationed throughout the hotel and each guest will be provided with a pocket-size bottle. High-touch surfaces such as handrails, staircases, door and window handles, lift buttons and so on will be cleaned and disinfected continuously, whereas rooms, which will have had unnecessary decorative items and ‘high-touch’ objects (such as the hotel directory, which will be digitised) removed.

Once guests have checked out, rooms will be deep cleaned according to official recommendations. Special ventilation procedures will be implemented to ensure high indoor air quality.