As anyone with teenagers or children approaching their teens knows, it’s a difficult age. Even if your teens and tweens don’t fit the sulky, lazy and uncommunicative stereotype, keeping them occupied for long enough is a struggle – particularly on holiday.
Nicky Shafe, marketing manager at Prestige Holidays, says: “Teenagers are probably the most difficult age group to cater for. Many hotels offer children’s clubs but these often only go up to the age of 12. After this age, children are less inclined to want to attend clubs unless they are very much geared to their requirements.”
Shafe says it’s often best to find a hotel that has a lot of activities that appeal to teenagers such as water sports, tennis and bowling.
“However, the key for agents is to talk to the families and find out what suits them,” he adds.
If you’re at a loss as to what to suggest to parents with tricky customers of their own, here are some resorts that are particularly suited to teens and tweens to get you started.
Mark Warner properties in Turkey and Sardinia
Why? Mark Warner properties offer clubs for two age groups. Its Kidz Club caters for 10 to 13-year-olds and has a lively programme of activities and watersports throughout the day, with entertainment and games in the evening.
The Indy Club, for 14 to 17-year-olds, aims to give older kids some independence so they can decide what activities to take part in. Options include windsurfing, sailing and beach cricket in the day and Indy dinners and entertainment in the evening.
The operator has added three properties this year: the four-star Sea Garden, near Bodrum, the only all-inclusive property in the Mark Warner programme; the five-star Select Maris resort, Datca, a boutique hotel with the emphasis on watersports and wellness; and the four-star Hotel Garden Beach, Cala Sinzias, Sardinia, which is surrounded by calm waters that are good for learner sailors.
Sample package: Seven nights at the all-inclusive Sea Garden, Turkey, costs £1,155 per adult and £693 per child, in July, including flights, transfers, watersports and tennis tuition. markwarner.co.uk, 0871 703 3948
Atlantis The Palm, Dubai
Why? Dubai itself is well suited to this market, with great beaches, attractions such as the Wild Wadi Water Park, Dreamland Aqua Park and Ski Dubai, as well desert adventures and plenty of trendy shopping.
However, there is so much going on at Atlantis The Palm that it is possible for teens and tweens to stay happy here for the duration of the holiday.
On offer is a 42-acre Aquaventure waterpark with tunnels, vertical drops, water rapids and cascades; the chance to get up close with dolphins at Dolphin Bay and The Lost Chambers, a labyrinth of linked chambers filled with exotic marine life.
Teenagers have their own, fully supervised ‘no adults’ private club, called Club Rush and, with 17 dining venues, there will be something to suit even the most fickle of palates.
Sample package: Emirates Tours has three nights in a deluxe room for a family of four for £2,769 from mid-July to mid-August, including breakfast, free entry to Aquaventure and the Lost Chambers, flights and transfers. emiratestours.co.uk, 0844 800 1400
Out of the Blue Capsis Elite Resort, Crete
Why? This five-star resort has been a good option for families since it opened its own attraction, the Minoan Amusement Park, in 2007. Parents have the option of either exploring the games, rides and interactive rooms with their children or leaving them to enjoy the park with childcare staff.
The resort itself resembles a Cretan village and is set on its own peninsula, surrounded by a botanical park and extensive gardens, a small river, three beaches and a small zoo.
Sample package: Prestige Holidays has seven nights’ bed and breakfast for £1,879 per adult and £389 per child aged under 13, including flights and private transfers, in August. prestigeholidays.co.uk, 01425 480400
Hotel Jagerwirt, Kitzbuhel, Austria
Why? No teen or tween could possibly moan about being bored on this Austrian adventure.
There are lots of outdoor options to choose from including rafting for the whole family on the Tiroler Ache river, followed by a barbecue, or a forest high-rope course on which your young ones can learn abseiling and wall-climbing skills and go ape on the rope swings.
This package, new for 2010, can suit children of all ages but has been particularly designed for 10 to 17-year-olds.
Sample package: Thomson Lakes & Mountains offers seven nights’ half-board at the four-star Hotel Jagerwirt in Kitzbuhel for £1,918 per adult and £282 per child in August, including flights and transfers. thomsonlakes.co.uk, 0871 230 8181
Gran Caribe Real Resort & Spa, Cancun
Why? Cosmos’s second most popular hotel for summer 2010, this four-star all-inclusive has created a subtly supervised club, T-Zone, for teenagers aged 13 to 17. It was designed after extensive research with the people who use it. The outcome is a club that is trendy and not over-organised.
Cancun itself has 14 miles of beaches, with nearby attractions including Dolphin Discovery Island. The islands of Cozumel and Isla Mujeres, just off Cancun, are easily reached by boat. Away from the beaches, teens and tweens can burn off some of their energy exploring Mexico’s ecosystem, wildlife and Mayan ruins.
Sample product: A seven-night all-inclusive break at the resort with Cosmos in May half-term costs £2,545 for a family of three, including flights. cosmos-holidays.co.uk, 0871 423 8518
Le Meridien Limassol, Cyprus
Why? The big draw here is Le Meridien’s top-notch kids’ clubs: Penguin Village, for three to 12-year-olds, and Leisure Land, for teenagers.
Both offer extensive facilities. Leisure Land has tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, a football pitch, mini golf, pool tables, table tennis, archery and a bowling centre.
The five-star resort also boasts spacious rooms, five outdoor swimming pools and plenty of eating options. Cyprus itself has plenty to occupy teens and tweens, including archaeological sites, nature trails, cycling in the Troodos mountains, rock-climbing and 4×4 adventures.
Sample package: Prestige Holidays offers seven nights’ bed and breakfast, staying in two twin rooms, at the resort in August, including flights, for £1,305 per adult and £1,132 per child. prestigeholidays.co.uk, 01425 480400
