Interconnecting rooms for a young family can be very expensive. Don't worry, we can suggest some great family-friendly 5 star hotels offering a range of rooms and suites - all offer two separate sleeping areas - that are excellent value for money.

Here are some for starters but don't hesitate to contact us with your personal requirements or browse or website for more ideas. www.quovadistravel.co.uk.

Princess Yaiza (5 star), Lanzarote

• 1 or 2 bedroom suites have double bedroom with a door to living room made up as child's bedroom. All have convenience of kitchenette.
• On promenade, sandy beach
• Kikoland has supervised children's club from 3 years, unsupervised play area for 2 year olds

Roca Nivaria (5 star), Tenerife

• Junior suites have double bedroom with door connecting to living area converted to children's bedroom
• Huge balconies with sunloungers and table and chairs
• Complimentary children's club from 10 months

Sheraton Algarve (5 star deluxe), Portugal

• 2 bedroom townhouses or superb residences have 2 bedrooms plus living room/kitchen
• Convenience of self catering with many restaurants and other facilities of hotel on site
• Children's club from 6 months

Sani Resort (5 star) , Halkidiki, Greece

• Porto Sani and Asterias suites both have double bedroom with door to living room converted to children's bedroom
• Crèche from 6 months run by PB kids

Skiathos Princess (5 star), Skiathos, Greece

• Family deluxe rooms have double room separated by partition
• On stunning sandy beach
• Small hotel (131 rooms)
• Excellent crèche and children's club from 6 months run by PB kids

Call us on 01279 639600 or email us to book your perfect family holiday. We specialise solely in family holidays, are all parents and can offer expert advice, perosnal service and good value. Fully ABTA bonded for your financial protection.

Luxury hotel news for 2009: 4 new options if you are looking to combine luxury accommodation - all with stunning grounds and facilities - with precious time as a family and a little time out from the demands of parenting babies and toddlers!

Boutique Hotel with creche from 6 months in Skiathos, Greece.

Member of 'Small Luxury Hotels of the World'. Extensive gardens, on the beach.  Read more...

Aphrodite Hills in Cyprus offering a 5 star hotel and both self catering apartments and larger villas opens a creche from 6 months, May - October and main Easter holidays. Fantastic sports facilities for older children too.

5 Star hotel in Sardinia now has a creche from 18 months. Stunning setting by gorgeous sandy coves, spacious gardens, excellent spa. Spacious suites and junior suites are all open plan but suit perfectly for families with young children. Check out the Hotel Valle dell Erica.

ABAMA in Tenerife is a superb hotel, perfect for a break at any time of year. We particularly recommend the 'villa rooms' in the grounds for families. Read more....

Call us on 01279 639600 or email us for your family holiday. We specialise solely in family holidays, are all parents and can offer expert advice, personal service and good value. Fully ABTA bonded for your financial protection.

There is nothing more awe inspiring for inquisitive children than seeing lions, elephants and other animals at close quarters and a safari followed by a luxurious period of relaxation on the beach makes a fabulous family holiday.

At Quovadis, our knowledge is both expert and first hand so do read our tips below and then give us a call to discuss your plans.

Points you should consider before thinking of a family safari:

• Many safari lodges do not take children.
• Many lodges do not have rooms/tents which accept more than two or three persons
• Most do not have interconnecting rooms
• Children under 7 or 8 are often not allowed to participate on Game Drives
• Many destinations have malaria so it is necessary for you to either avoid these or to take malaria prophylactics
• In order to combine safari and beach you will inevitably need to take internal flights on small planes.
• Game drives are early morning (in time for sunrise) and late afternoon (just before sunset)
• Safari holidays are not cheap – the lodges are mostly sold full board with all game drives included. Internal flights add to the cost

Due to the exhaustive and exciting nature of safaris we suggest no more than 4 nights in any one lodge and a maximum of 7 nights in total with a week at the beach after.

However, we can often tailor make holidays to suit your dates and duration.

The most frequent problem we have is lack of availability so anything up to 1 year in advance is not unreasonable especially for busy times such as August or Christmas.

Kenya

This is perhaps the most famous and popular destination for safaris. The flight time is approximately 8 hours and there are day and night time flights in both directions. There are a number of National Parks including the world famous Maasai Mara, Ambroseli and Samburu.

Combining safari with beach is easy as there are a number of direct flights from Nairobi to the lodges and then on to Mombasa. Beach destinations that can be combined with Kenyan safaris are Kenyan Coast, Zanzibar, Seychelles and Mauritius.

Malaria prevention is necessary here along with the normal jabs. However, we do recommend seeing your GP for up to date information.

Weather wise Kenya has two rainy seasons. April and May is very wet and some lodges even close. November and December has some rain but it is often short and less problematic.
Otherwise temperatures are in the late 20’s to 30 degrees with clear skies.

The annual migration occurs in August and September making these fantastic months to visit but conversely they are popular and get booked quickly.

South Africa

It is served directly with a number of airlines offering daily day and night flights taking 10-11 hours, and has the huge advantage of little or no time difference. Add to this that the standard of accommodation here is higher than most of Africa with some of the most luxurious lodges on the continent and there are malaria free areas then you have a winning combination.

The two most popular areas are the Kruger National Park which is malarial but has a number of luxury lodges and Eastern Cape which is malaria free.

Combine a safari here with a stay in Cape Town, a trip to Cape Point and a stay along the coast for a perfect family holiday.

Weather-wise South Africa has almost the opposite seasons to ours (there are regional variations) – certainly the garden route is perfect through our autumn, winter and spring.

Other African countries
It is possible to get some family friendly accommodation in Namibia and Tanzania.

Botswana and Zambia make fewer concessions for children. Families of four and above would need to expect accommodation of two units or more that do not interconnect.

However it is only Kenya and South Africa where you can get children’s programmes.

I am interested – what should I do now?

Call us on 01279 639600 or email us for your family holiday. We specialise solely in family holidays, are all parents and can offer expert advice, personal service and good value. Fully ABTA bonded for your financial protection.