16 Luxury Spring Break Trips Perfect for the Whole Family

Beaver Creek is just a two-hour drive from Denver, which means you can, with a little luck, hit the slopes on day one. Private family lessons let parties of up to five have a crackerjack instructor all to themselves so newbies can learn the terrain (and move up from “pizza” to “French fries” quickly). Opting for a private mountain guide will take families to virgin terrain on expedited lift passes. Bring walkie-talkies to keep track of everyone––or just make a plan to rendezvous in the village at 3 p.m., when 45,000 freshly baked cookies are passed out gratis. Warm your toes at the ski-in/ski-out Osprey (a Rock Resort), a 47-room boutique hotel steps from the village, with its own spa. Rooms from $181

Virginia gets overlooked as a holiday destination too often, but Primland and its sprawling 12,000-acre woodlands has made the Blue Ridge Mountains hit many travelers' “must-visit” lists. Families who’ve been trapped indoors all winter can rejoice in dozens of outdoor activities: ATV courses, rifle shooting, archery lessons, golf, fly-fishing, even turkey hunts. Spend the night in cabins built with big groups in mind, and join other families for outdoor or communal dining before heading over to the observatory to command a telescope that can track any constellation in the Northern nighttime sky. 

San Juan heaves with beautifully restored colonial buildings lining plazas and parks, and nearby Condado District delivers a retro vibe that’s a little louche Miami, a little sophisticated Spain. Park your brood in a two-bedroom suite at the Condado Vanderbilt, an American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts property and an oceanfront oasis with four pools and seven dining venues. Bonding is easy during walks in nearby El Yunque, one of the last remaining rainforests in North America, followed by refreshing dips in the Atlantic. The Condado Vanderbilt’s suites come with 24-hour butler service and 1,000-square-feet of private outdoor space.

Remember those old clubs your grandparents belonged to? Sea Island is all that––the waiters in white, the ice cream parlor, the sporting center––updated for modern moms and dads. Kid-friendly activities include a junior naturalist program, where young ones can learn about the diverse ecosystems on the island; or they can go full-prep while sailing or horseback riding on the beach. As part of a $40 million expansion, The Cloister recently debuted 63 new rooms, though the island’s villas are ideal for large families. Spend an afternoon trying to locate all the oak trees planted by presidents from Coolidge to Clinton. 

Skip the crowds at busy Caribbean ports and instead head to Mustique, a 1,400-acre private island that’s part of St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Clubby and safe, the island is home to the 15-room Cotton House, as well as dozens of gorgeous five-bedroom villas for bigger families. Give your kids a long leash: with loads of staff around (and no non-guests allowed on property), Mustique is as close to spring break utopia as parents can get. There are enough activities to keep the whole family entertained: kite-flying competitions, treasure hunts, tennis or pony camp, beach picnics, drive-in movie nights, and Mustique’s five glorious beaches.

Fairmont Mayakoba is an American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts property within the Mexican resort development and 590-acre preserve, Mayakoba. The resort is teeming with kid-friendly diversions; kids and teens can take boogie boarding or trainer kite lessons. And Fairmont Mayakoba’s resort fee includes access to catamaran tours, sea kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, snorkeling equipment, and beach toys. For an extra-special experience, book the Mayakoba Escape package for your whole family aboard the 55-inch Van Dutch Yacht. Off property, the centuries-old ruins of Tulum are just a short ride away (pack a swimsuit and some sunblock), and the pre-Columbian pyramids of Chichén Itzá sit about two hours inland.

Adventurous parents who prefer staying at the Four Seasons rather than camping in the four seasons are met halfway at Montana’s 37,000-acre Resort at Paws Up. Luxury tents that make up eight little private camps are fitted with running hot water, heated floors, and even televisions. Families can pack their customizable itineraries with activities like go-karting, hot-air ballooning, or ATV tours. Parents can sign their under-12s up for the immersive Kids Corps of Discovery, and they’ll run to the campfire each evening to gush about cannonballing from a rope swing into a lake, mining for sapphires, and kayaking on the river.

In Amsterdam, everyone gets around by bicycle, making it easy to sneak European culture into your kids’ vacation diet (just like kale in a smoothie). Make your home at the Pulitzer Amsterdam, a stylish hotel that caters to kids; family rooms sleep four and include breakfast. Hang at Pultizer’s the Pause, the hotel’s 13,000-square-foot park-like hideaway with a giant swing and hand-carved wooden rocking horses, or have the staff arrange bikes and helmets for a day of exploring the Dutch city. Steer your brood to the Van Gogh Museum, the NEMO Science Museum, and the Royal Zoo.

Turks and Caicos rivals Thailand for the world’s best beach, and one of the top resorts on the Caribbean archipelago is arguably COMO Parrot Cay, an American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts property, set on its own private island. It’s not typically a family getaway––it focuses on healthful living and a fantastic spa with farm-fresh food––but during school holidays, kids are more than welcome. Staffers take young ones on snorkeling tours, cruises to the Rock Iguana Sanctuary, and kayaking on the newly opened Bonny Creek waterway where leatherback sea turtles and yellow-crowned herons are everywhere. Kids can also plant and name a coconut tree on the working plantation, and come back to visit it with their kids when they’re all fully grown.

Explore buildings designed by Antoni Gaudi by scooter via the Majestic Hotel & Spa’s new program. Adults and kids can pick out the folding two-wheeler of their choosing and set off with helmets and backpacks filled with necessities, as well as an iPad uploaded with maps and itineraries. Immerse your family in architecture and history without them even realizing they’re on a learning tour. Your kids studying Spanish? Test their skills with the Spanish-language version and see if they can follow directions around Barcelona to La Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila, and back to your spacious room on the iconic Passeig de Gracia. 

If your kids are adept on bikes and old enough for a ride through the countryside, then sign up for DuVine’s custom departures through Italy’s Puglia region. The six-day itinerary takes in all the highlights of the area, like the olive groves and vineyards lining the Adriatic Sea, and the sought-after UNESCO World Heritage Site of Alberobello, a tucked-away town known for their conical trulli homes. It’s not all bike riding, of course; along the way, you can swim in sea caves, harvest ingredients from the kitchen garden for a cooking class, and perhaps even ride horses through the Italian countryside.

Telluride offers skiing accessible to all levels and ages, gorgeous mountain views, and a lively Mountain Village. At Madeline Hotel & Residences, Auberge Resorts Collection—an American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts property—families can rent a two, three, or four-bedroom penthouse residence. Telluride Ski Resort has a dedicated Children’s Center and offers ski and snowboard school for kids as well as daily children’s programming. In addition to the myriad of ski school options for kids, take the whole family sledding or ice skating in Telluride Town Park.

The Lodge at Kukui’ula is a stunning property on the south shore of Kauai with furnished club cottages, club bungalows, or luxe club villas. Their Keala Pueo program is just for kids;  Huaka'i Outfitters coordinates activities for children ages six to 12 like surfing, tubing through the irrigation canals of an old sugar plantation, bodyboarding, or ATVing through Kipu Ranch. Of course, that kind of fun shouldn’t be reserved just for the kids; you can customize itineraries through the Lodge to plan ATV and tubing adventures for the whole family. While on property, guests have access to kid-friendly amenities like the “hidden refrigerators” with craft ice cream, candy, fruit, and other sweet treats for guests. And for the golfing family, the Lodge at Kukui’ula has an 18-hole course and Junior Golf Camp for the kids.

In Newport Beach, California, The Resort at Pelican Hill—another American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts property—has an ocean-view children’s retreat with a clubhouse and terrace just for resort guests ages four to 12. At Camp Pelican Clubhouse, activity specialists host themed half-day or full-day sessions for the clubhouse kids. In the meantime, parents can enjoy 36 holes of ocean-view golf and a five-star spa at Pelican Hill. The whole family can play in the circular Coliseum Pool before retiring to their two, three, or four-bedroom villas.

In Tanzania, the whole family can experience a bucket-list adventure while appreciating the wildlife and natural beauty of Karatu. Gibb’s Farm has 17 luxury cottages and curates activities for the whole family like bird censuses and biking to the local waterfalls. Situated such that guests can explore Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara national parks, the resort focuses on health and wellbeing for the whole family. The property was founded in the 1920s on a coffee plantation and looks over the Great Rift Valley.

Tanque Verde Ranch has Daily Kids’ Programs for children age four to 12 that include horseback riding, penning, tennis, and hiking in Saguaro National Park. The ranch has classic southwestern style and adjacent national park offers hiking for all levels. Parents can play for hours on the tennis courts or bring the kids to swim in Tanque Verde’s multiple resort pools. Rent a Mountain Vista Hacienda, a spacious suite that can accommodate up to six people and offers views of the Sonoran desert and a private patio.