Top six tropical destinations for multi-generational family trips
Planning a trip for three generations is a different exercise from planning one for a couple. Grandparents want comfort, shade and an easy pace. Parents want a little time to themselves. Children want a pool, a beach and something new to discover. At the end of the day, everyone wants to sit down at the same table.
That is the heart of a multi-generational trip. Each generation spends the day in its own way, and the family wakes up together and comes back to the same place each evening. The destination matters, but the accommodation matters more. The right property brings everyone under one roof, with space to come together and space to retreat.
These are the six tropical destinations we return to most often for multi-generational travel, and the kinds of stays that make each one work.
1. Exumas / Bahamas
The Exumas are one of the best places in the world for a private island stay, with a wide choice of islands available. They range from intimate islands with a single residence to islands with several villas, a main house for gathering and a full island team. With the whole island reserved, a family has complete privacy, and children have the freedom to roam safely.
On the larger cays, there are also large, fully staffed private villas in secluded settings on the water. From the villa, a private boat can take the family out for the day to the sandbars, the clear water of the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park or the swimming pigs at Big Major Cay, and bring everyone home in time for dinner.
A yacht charter is another lovely way to see the cays, and it suits smaller families best. For larger groups, a private island or villa gives everyone the space they need, with the boat trips still close at hand.
2. Phuket / Thailand
Phuket brings Thai hospitality to the family villa. Service on the island is warm, gracious and deeply rooted in the culture, and the finest estates are often generously staffed, with villa managers, private chefs and butlers looking after the family from breakfast on the terrace to dinner by the pool.
Families can also stay in private villas within resorts that offer all the resort amenities, including kids' clubs, watersports and a choice of restaurants, so children have plenty to do while the adults enjoy their quiet time.
Beyond the villa, there are beaches to explore, markets and walking streets, shops and restaurants for an easy afternoon or evening out. For a day on the water, a private boat into Phang Nga Bay passes among its limestone islands, and the family is back at the villa by sunset.
3. Punta Mita / Mexico
Punta Mita has everything we love about Mexico: warm hospitality, incredible food, rich culture, beautiful architecture and beaches. It sits on a private peninsula on the Pacific coast, at the northern tip of Banderas Bay, with the calm water of the bay on one side and the open ocean on the other.
It is particularly strong for families and groups. Punta Mita has a large number of spacious, gated private villas with 24/7 security, and many are fully staffed, with a villa manager, a private chef and a housekeeping team, so the family can enjoy the villa to its fullest. Long tables for family dinners, several pools and separate wings or casitas for different generations are common here. Some villas sit within the resort communities on the peninsula, with access to beach clubs, a kids' club, spas and two Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses.
There is plenty to do in town for the younger generations. The village of Punta de Mita has relaxed restaurants and a beach with gentle waves for learning to surf, and the colourful town of Sayulita, with its cafés, boutiques and markets, is a short drive away. Grandparents can stay close to the villa and the beach, and the family comes back together in the evening around a table set by the villa's chef.
4. Turks and Caicos / Caribbean
Turks and Caicos has some of the calmest, clearest water in the Caribbean. Grace Bay has a gentle, gradual entry that is ideal for young swimmers, while at Long Bay a shallow shelf stretches far out from the shore, so children can wade in knee-deep water within sight of the terrace. The estates at Long Bay are spaced further apart, and many have separate guest houses for different branches of the family.
What sets Turks and Caicos apart for larger families is the option of a private villa within a resort. The family has the privacy of its own residence, with its own pool and staff, along with access to everything the resort offers: gyms, spas, golf, tennis and pickleball, fishing, watersports, kids' activities and restaurants.
One generation can spend the morning on the golf course, another out fishing, and another at the spa, and everyone returns to the same villa for the evening. That combination makes it particularly appealing for families who want different ways to spend their time without sacrificing privacy or space.
5. Seychelles / Indian Ocean
Seychelles is the Indian Ocean at its most untouched, with granite boulders on white sand, forested hills and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It has a quiet, unhurried feel that suits a family looking to slow down together.
Several islands are home to a single resort or a handful of private residences, and some can be reserved in full, giving a family a private island with its own team and beaches. On the larger islands of Mahé and Praslin, private villas with their own pools sit within resorts, with restaurants, a spa and activities for children close at hand.
Seychelles is also a wonderful place for children to discover nature. Giant tortoises roam freely on several islands, turtles nest on the beaches of the smaller islands in season, and the beaches of La Digue, such as Anse Source d'Argent, are among the most photographed in the world.
6. Guanacaste / Costa Rica
Guanacaste, on Costa Rica's Pacific coast, is the country's driest and sunniest region, with sheltered bays, forest and volcanoes on the horizon. The inventory of exceptional private villas here is growing rapidly, and there are now some truly impressive properties entering the market, combining the natural setting with the architecture, service and amenities expected at the highest level.
Much of the finest accommodation is on the Papagayo Peninsula, a gated stretch of coastline with private villas and resort residences, a marina, golf, tennis and a family park. Howler monkeys, capuchins and coatis live in the forest around the villas, and the mornings often begin with the sound of the howlers.
For those who want a little adventure, there is ziplining near Rincón de la Vieja volcano or a surf lesson in a quiet bay. Others may prefer the volcanic hot springs or a slow day by the pool, and the family comes back together for dinner on the terrace.
What makes a stay work for every generation
Whichever destination a family chooses, these are the details we look at first when we present a property:
- Bedrooms of a similar standard, so no one feels they have the lesser room
- A bedroom layout that keeps early risers and late sleepers apart, so no one disturbs anyone else
- Shared spaces for meals together, and quieter corners to retreat to
- Pools and beaches that suit both young children and older guests
- Support such as a private chef, housekeeping and laundry service
- Easy access, with simple transfers and minimal stairs where needed
Planning ahead
The holidays are the most sought-after weeks of the year. The best villas and private islands for large families are often secured a year or more in advance, and many require a minimum stay over Christmas and New Year. Beginning early gives the widest choice of properties, layouts and staffing.
If you are planning the holidays for the whole family, whether it be a villa, yacht or private island, enquire and we will present a selection of stays for your dates.
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