Beach Vacation in Spain with Kids: Spanish Resorts for Family Vacations

What is the best place to take your kids for a vacation in Spain? The following review includes various places you and your kids will love, such as the “Kids’ Sea”, a safari to Majorca, tours to the cave residents at the Canary Islands, a tree house hotel in Catalonia, the largest oceanarium in Europe, water parks, rides, and sandy beaches at Spanish resorts wonderful for family vacations. 

 

Family hotels and beaches in Spain: general information

Over 400 Spanish beaches have are celebrated with a Blue Flag –an award for high quality and ecology. The beaches that are considered the best in Spanish for family vacation are the sandy shores of Costa Dorada and Costa Blanca, the Canary Islands, and Majorca with the Illetas and Playa de Bolonia. As far as the “continental” resorts are concerned, the most comfortable time is the summer season between May and October and on the Canary Islands, the tourist season goes year round. In July and August you can go on a trip to northern Spain where one of the best beaches is La Concha in the city of San Sebastian. 

 

 

In Spain, all beaches are municipal. That means that even if a hotel sits right on the sea, the beach will be accessible only to lodgers, not to anyone that feels like stopping by. All Spanish beaches are free, but each of them offers scuba gear and umbrellas to protect you from the sun.

Every Spanish resort features a multitude of hotels in every price range. Many of them have pools and some of them organize entertainment programs for kids several times a day. As for food for your kid, you’ll have to cross that bridge when you get there –all-inclusive deals in Spain, just like anywhere in Europe, aren’t very widespread. They do, however, have a multitude of cafés and restaurants for any taste. If you have a larger family, you might decide to rent an apartment or a villa instead. You can find and reserve the option most suitable to you on booking.com or airbnb.com.

 

Beaches for kids and family vacations in Catalonia

In Catalonia, you will get a cultural program and a beach vacation all in one at the 200-kilometer “Golden Beach” Costa Dorada. Considered the most popular resorts for a family with kids are Salou with attractions in Port Aventura and La Pineda with Aquapolis Water Park. Those that are fond of a calm vacation would enjoy more quiet resorts Cap Salou and fishing town Cambrils and you can walk amongst the ruins of an antique city in Tarrangon. You can even take your children to any of these resorts: there is an incline along the entire beach with golden sand and the big beaches even have play stations. 

 

 

Buses and street trains course between Costa Dorada and Barcelona every day. An average trip takes about an hour and a half. In another review, our reader will tell you all about the Barcelona Zoo, Montjuic Fortress, and the attractions on Tibidabo Mountain along with more entertainment for kids in Barcelona. There are also sports and kids areas on the city beaches Barcelonetta, Nova Icaria, and Marbella where you can take your whole family. 

An unusual family hotel in Catalonia is located right in the forest, 55 km from Girona Airport and 90 km from Barcelona. At Cabanes als Arbres Hotel, you can settle in with children above ten years old in cabins build like tree houses where there are big beds and all the conveniences you need. Families with smaller children are recommended to set up camp in a middle-age farmer’s house. Also working in the forest nearby the hotel is a rope adventures park called La Selva de l’Aventura. It will, however, be an hour trip to the sea. 

 

 

Beaches and entertainment in Valencia for kids 

In the province’s capital Valencia and its surrounding areas are dozens of beaches, the best of which are the Malvarrosa, Pinedo, Playa de Cabanyal, Playa des las Arenas, Playa la Devesa, Recati, and El Saler. There’s also a good amount of entertainment for kids in Valencia: there they have an Arts and Sciences Town with the largest oceanarium in Europe and a scientific educational museum, Biopark, and Turia Gardens with a kids play station and Gulliver Park where even adults look like little midgets. 

 

 

The shore of Costa Blanca is renowned for its bright-colored sand and inclined slopes down to the sea. The most popular resort on “White Beach” is Benidorm with Levante, Poniente, and Mal Pas Beaches. For kids entertainment in Benidorm, you should think about visiting Terra Mitica Amusement Park, Terra Natura Zoo, Aqua Natura Water Park, Aqualandia Water Park, and Mundo Mar Dolphin Aquarium.

They have inclined slopes down to the water at the sandy beaches of Alicante. You can also go for a walk through ancient streets and other historic venues at Torrevieja Resort. For vacationing with your kids, you would be well advised to visit Playa de los Locos and Playa del Cura that are protected from the wind as well as Punta Prima and Guadamar bordering Torrevieja.

A “Play Hotel” has opened up for families with kids in Alicante – Hotel del Juguete. Room number 21 is filled with toys and decorated with images of characters from cartoons and video games. You can also stay in a Lego-themed room there, a doll room, and an anime room with Doraemon the cat. They don’t have a beach there and the nearest one is 40 km away, so Hotel del Juguete is most suitable for families travelling around by car. 

 

 

You can go swim in two seas at the same time at Costa Calida located to the south of Valencia. Located there is Mar Menor Lagoon separated from the Mediterranean Sea only by a thin strip of land. It’s a great place to take small children: the water in a lagoon is always warmer than in the sea, it’s not very deep, and the shore is inclined, which is why the lagoon is nicknamed “The Kids’ Sea”.

 

Vacationing with your kids on the Canary Islands

There are a lot of rocky beaches on the Canary Islands, but you can also come across a shore with dark volcanic sand. If you choose to visit the sandy beaches at Tenerife, you might enjoy stopping by Playa de las Americas, Playa del Duque and Playa Faniabe on Costa Adeje, Playa de las Vistas at Los Cristianos Resort, Playa de las Teresitas near the capital Santa Cruz, the black beach of El Bohio, and the beach garden of Playa Jardin located near Puerto de la Cruz. 

 

 

The most famous fun thing to do on Tenerife is Loro Park with a nature park and a dolphin aquarium where you can check out shows with killer whales. Some other points of interest on the island include Siam Waterpark, Aqualand Waterpark, Park Las Aquilas at Las Americas Resort and Monkey Park Zoo.

Gran Canaria Island is most known for Play del Ingles with sandy dunes. There are a few hotels with kids’ animators. Some of them include Lopesan Costa Meloneras, Gloria Palace, Taurito Princess, and Villa del Conde. There’s enough kids entertainment on the island to last you your whole vacation: in Maspalomas they have an amusement park called Holiday World, Aqualand and Ocean Park waterparks and in Puerto Rico they have Atlantida Waterpark. You can take a trip back in time to the Wild West in Siu City Western Park and as well as in the village of the Guanche native Canary people at Mundo Aborigen Park. They give tourists an introduction to local nature at a zoo called Palmitos Park, cactus park Cactualdea, and at a crocodile farm called Cocodrilo Park. At Puerto de Mogan Park, you can set embark into an underwater adventure in a submarine and at Guayadeque you can go on a tour as a guest at the residents of modern cave men and stay at a hotel in a cliff.

 

 

Beaches and entertainment on Majorca for kids

For a family vacation on Majorca, you have the choice between the popular and lively Palma Nova or the calmer beaches of Alcudia, Playa de Muro, and Santa Ponsa.  There is more entertainment for kids in the southern part of Majorca than in the north. The capital Palma de Majorca has an oceanarium called Palma Aquarium and located out of town is Marineland Dolphinarium. During the summer, three water parks open up on Majorca: Western Water Park in Magaluf, HidroPark in Alcudia, and Aqualand in Arenal. In Magaluf, you can visit Catmanda Amuseument Park with an upside-down house or check out the “Pirate Adventures” show.

 

 

Open in Santa Ponsa is an adventure park called Jungle Parc and in Porto Cristo they invite families to go for a car ride of a train ride with lions around them at Safari Zoo.

Photos: facebook.com/aquopoliscdaurada, facebook.com/cabanasenlosarboles, facebook.com/BioparcValencia, facebook.com/hoteldeljuguete, facebook.com/submarineadventuremogan, facebook.com/KatmanduPark, wikipedia.org