Ready to jump into fun in the sun this summer? Family holiday destinations can be a little tricky to choose, especially if you’re looking for activities that suit a variety of age groups. These top picks offer a little bit of everything, from stress-free toddler locations, to adventure for teens and everything in between.
Family Holiday Destinations – Australia
Lord Howe Island, NSW
Fly into Lord Howe Island and this magnificent view is waiting for you
Imagine being one of only 400 visitors on a tropical island paradise? That’s the limit on World Heritage-listed Lord Howe Island, just a short flight from Sydney or Brisbane. If you want to turn off the mobile and immerse in nature, with snorkelling, diving, fishing and surfing, this is the spot for your family. The natural wonderland is home to iconic Mount Gower for hikes and panoramic views. Kids will love feeding garfish, mullet and spangled emperor, while splashing in the calm water at Ned’s Beach. Blinky Beach is the spot to catch a wave or fish and Lord Howe Island Golf is one of the most picturesque courses in the country, for keen golfers. The Beachcomber Lodge offers a fully self-contained family cottage and one bedroom apartments, within walking distance to the beach.
Find a room at Beachcomber Lodge
Flights to Lord Howe
Cairns, QLD
The kids will love the Esplanade splash pool in Cairns
With immediate access to the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns has long been one of the best family holiday destinations in Australia. There’s plenty more to do off the reef though, with the toddler-friendly Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, Muddy’s Playground, rainforests and fantastic cycling paths to explore, for free. Adventurous spirits will love Jungle Surfing, to zipline through the canopies of the Daintree Forest, but the whole family can get in on the action on board the Skyway Rainforest Cableway. Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut offers mini golf, a playground, waterslides and jumping pillows, with villas, cabins and campsites to choose from.
Find a room at Cairns Coconut
Flights to Cairns
Phillip Island, VIC
Get ready for the penguin parade on Phillip Island
The famous Penguin Parade is a once in a lifetime sight sure to thrill every family member. Each evening on sunset, you’ll see penguins in their natural habitat, returning to their sand dune homes after a day of fishing. Travel to Phillip Island between Boxing Day and Australia day, and you’ll also catch the Island Carnival, for fairy floss, thrill rides and carnival games. More games await at Maze’N Things, an amusement centre for the whole family with optical illusions, puzzles and interactive magic displays. Back to nature though, and you can happily spend your holiday kayaking, surfing, boating, fishing, snorkelling and enjoying boardwalk nature strolls. To get to Phillip Island, drive from Melbourne or catch a ferry from the Mornington Peninsula. The BIG4 Phillip Island Caravan Park is right on the beachfront with campsites, cabins and villas.
Find a room at BIG4
Flights to Melbourne
Broome, WA
Fancy a sunset camel ride on Cable Beach? Head to Broome
Broome is the gateway to the wildness of the Kimberly Region, where you can also ride a camel at sunset across stunning Cable Beach. A multicultural town of mango craft beer, barramundi and alfresco dining, it’s a foodie’s dream, with plenty of pearl boutiques and markets for shoppers. Visit Gatheaume Point to see 120 million-year-old dinosaur footprints, sea-kayak and fish on Dampier Creek when you’re feeling active. You can explore the Kimberly on daytrips from Broome, to see Windjana Gorge and Cape Leveque, or take a scenic flight to the Bungle Bungles. The Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa keeps parents happy with relaxing spa therapies and dining, while the kids indulge with a water playground, games and mini golf.
Find a room at Cable Beach
Flights to Broome
Kangaroo Island, SA
Feed kangaroos in the wild, on their namesake island
Only 15 kilometres from the mainland and easily accessible from Adelaide, Kangaroo Island is a remote haven often touted as the Galapagos of Australia. Here, you’ll play on beaches where sea lions rest, feed kangaroos in the wild, observe penguin colonies and snorkel with seahorses. With underground caves, crashing surf and national parks to explore, you’ll work up an appetite for the famed produce, including pure Ligurian honey, seafood and local wines. If island life is a little too sedate for teens, head to Bush Getaway Adventures for paintball and quad bike tours. Stay in the heart of nature at Kangaroo Island Wilderness Retreat, in a self-catering Eco-Lodge Apartment.
Find a room at Wilderness Retreat
Flights to Adelaide
Family Holiday Destinations – Overseas
Queenstown, New Zealand
Teens will love the non-stop adventure, with Bungee in Queenstown
It’s known for snow-based adrenalin activities, but summer in Queenstown means the action heats up on and over the water. Long sunny days and fresh alpine air puts skydiving, bungy jumping, jetboating, paragliding and hiking at the top of the list for adventure enthusiasts. But, the littlies don’t miss out, with delightful farm visits, relaxing steamship tours and rides on the Skyline Gondola. Need to relax as well? Drop by the Onsen Hot Pools and soak in your own private area, overlooking the Shotover River. The Mercure Resort Queenstown offers amazing views over Lake Wakitipu, a central location and extra beds and cribs for children.
Find a room at Queenstown Mercure
Flights to Queenstown
Nusa Dua, Bali
Family fun at Surf and Turf, Nusa Dua
For families with babies and toddlers, Nusa Dua is a taste of Bali, without the broken pavements, hawkers and chaotic traffic to contend with. The leafy, gated estate is home to all-inclusive hotels, shops, restaurants, markets and white-sand beaches with safe swimming water. Walk or push your stroller around in peace and ease within the estate, or wander just outside for the bustling Bali local life. Hit Surf & Turf with the teens, for waterslides and a surf rider. Right next door, and perfect for the youngsters, is Pirates Bay, with wooden tree houses, a pirate ship and themed restaurant. If you didn’t want to, you wouldn’t have to leave Club Med Bali, with separate children’s clubs for every age group, a sports school, adult’s only pool, spa and restaurants.
Find a room at Club Med
Flights to Bali
Hoi An, Vietnam
Hoi An’s colourful streets are magic for all ages
Colourful lanterns, twinkling lights and quaint streetscapes make Hoi An a magical playground for a relaxing getaway. It’s a fantastic base to discover Vietnamese culture, with easy bike rides through the countryside, tours to villages to lunch with locals, river boat rides and fish markets to explore. Just a short drive away, you’ll find Cui Dai beach, with fine, powdery sand, water perfect for floating and seafood restaurants. With Japanese, French and Vietnamese elements, the Victoria Hoi An Beach Resort & Spa oozes colonial charm and offers a kid’s club, playground, dining and sports.
Find a room at Victoria Hoi An
Flights to Vietnam
Coral Coast, Fiji
Take the whole family rafting, in Fiji
When you don’t want to lift a finger on your summer family break, Fiji’s Coral Coast is relaxation personified. That’s not to say there’s nothing to do for a tribe of active kids, with all-inclusive resorts specifically made for families. This means you get to sit by the pool with a cocktail, while they make the most of waterslides, kid’s clubs, playgrounds, doting nannies and thrilling water sports. Eat, sleep and stroll to the sand without having to think about anything, except which hammock gets the most rays. When it’s time for river rafting, island hopping or cultural tours, hotels will organise that too. The weather is mild all year in Fiji, with the summer wet season bringing refreshing, but generally brief, afternoon showers. For the full resort experience, the Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa offers all the perks, right on Natadola Bay.
Find a room at Intercontinental
Flights to Fiji
