Why

Southern Spain's Andalucía is one of our longest running holiday destination love affairs and it was one of the first to capitalise on the bucket and spade brigade and the flop and drop holiday. Most families will traditionally go to the Costa del Sol which is very developed and quite tired in many ways. There is much more to this region than the high rise developments and it still delivers a great holiday. Estepona or Marbella is probably a better bet than Torremolinos.

Andalucía is blessed with the wonderful cities of Granada, Seville and Cordoba, the Alhambra Palace, the mountains, the countryside, great weather and beaches. Even if you stay on the Costa Del Sol you can still make a lot of excursions to the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the National Parks and the stunning Alhambra Palace.

When

Andalucia gets an average 300 today's sunshine a year and it is a great option for a family holiday most of the year. In summer it can be very hot. Travelling outside the school holidays where possible will mean you can avail of better deals and special offers. The days are usually hot and sunny but it can get cold in the evening particularly in early spring and autumn. A particularly good time to go if you are looking to experience some of Spain's festival culture is around Easter when there are religious parades which will fascinate adults and children alike.

How

Malaga, Seville, Granada and Jerez are all served from numerous airports in Ireland the UK. You can check a special offers and deals under flights here. There are also numerous charter flight options.

To do some exploring we would definitely recommend you hire a car and it is relatively inexpensive. You can check prices for car hire here and remember to book your car seats if you have young children.

Family Friendly Accommodation

You can choose from a vast range of accommodation in Andalucía from family hotels to luxury resort and villas, apartments, farm stays and holiday villages and get great value accommodation and special offers with booking.com.

Camping is a great option for the budget conscious and Keycamp, Siblu and Eurocamp represent all of the region's best sites.

Packages are good value and you can look at tour operators such as Directholidays.ie, Sunway and Panorama here. If you would like to book an independent holiday you can look at the range of hotels and apartments with booking.com.

At the luxury end of the market the Kempinski Hotel Bahia Estepona gets great reviews from parents and is in a beautiful location on the beachfront in Estepona. It is set in lush tropical gardens and provides good facilities including a spa, an indoor heated pool and a free kids club. Activities include competitions, football, movies, choreography, and sand castle and much more. The gardens and grounds are also well suited for families and you have the benefit of the children's attractions in the rest of the Costa del Sol. The kids club is available for children between three and thirteen, there is a children's playground and babysitting, high chairs, sterilising baby baths and potties are available on request. You can book special offers and deals for family accommodation at this hotel here through booking.com.

The Don Carlos Resort is situated 12 km from the centre of Marbella and is set amid a large subtropical garden on Marbella’s finest beach. There are standard rooms and fabulous Deluxe Villas. There is a large outdoor swimming pool, a children’s pool, play area and children’s club (open daily) within the grounds. On the beach water sports are available. You can book special offers and deals on family accommodation here through booking.com.

For families looking for a quieter holiday, La Fuente de la Higuera Rhonda is just over half an hour's drive from the Costa del sol and is a beautiful town in a spectacular cliff top setting. This is a child friendly hotel and families have the option staying in a junior suite or a double suite. The outdoor pool has a shallow end but there is no children’s pool or paddling pool. Essentially this is a boutique hotel that is has made a policy of welcoming children rather than one with kids clubs and lots of other facilities. You can book this here with Mr and Mrs Smith.

A great family friendly option for staying in Andalusia is a family villa and you can check out the range of villas and special offers and deals here with .

Top family friendly things to do and see in Andalucia

If you want to book some sightseeing and fun things to do with the kids before you go have a look at the excursions offered by isango which will save you time and hassle when you are on holiday and help you to plan what to see and do with the kids.

Cool off in the water slides at Aqua land in Torremolinos which includes rubber ring rides, surf beaches and water thrills.

Visit the beautiful traditional Spanish cities such as Seville, Rhonda, The Alhambara Palace or Granada or alternatively experience a little of the northern Africa by visiting Morocco by boat or the day.

Have a fun day out in Tivoli World in Benalmadena.

Check out some of the beaches and try to find one that suits your family's needs. Some beaches are busy with lots of action and others are quieter.

Browse the stylish shops and look at the millionaires yachts in Puerto Banus.

Visit the Parque Nacional Del Coto Donana which is a beautiful wilderness of wood lambs, marshland, sand dunes and scrub south of Seville. It is great opportunity for bird watching and spotting wild, deer and cattle. Access is strictly by guided tour only and you should visit the visitor centre for bird watching opportunities and nature trails.
Climb the Rock of Gibraltar (watch out for it the apes).

Go trekking, horse riding or mountain biking in the Sierra Nevada mountains. In winter and spring you can even go skiing.

A visit the spectacular Cuevas de Nerja which has fantastic limestone columns and if you're lucky you may be a good catch a concert at the music and dance festival which is held usually in July.

Join in a Fiesta with funfairs, fireworks and flamenco dancing.

Visit the new Picasso Museum in Malaga. This displays where art works donated by the artists family.

You will find lots of family friendly travel tips and advice in our research and advice section to help you book the right family holiday. Check out also the experiences of other parents and travellers in our parents forum and add your own experiences as we are a great believer in real parent's experiences as the best measure of whether somewhere will suit you for your family holiday. 

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