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12 toddler-friendly destinations in the US and abroad
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post updated regularly with new information and offers. Traveling with a toddler is a specific type of joy — and challenge. It’s a period of extreme and amazing growth marked by the most wonderful curiosity and unbridled excitement, not to mention plenty of mood swings, frustrations and surprises that …
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post updated regularly with new information and offers.
Traveling with a toddler is a specific type of joy — and challenge. It’s a period of extreme and amazing growth marked by the most wonderful curiosity and unbridled excitement, not to mention plenty of mood swings, frustrations and surprises that even the most tapped-in parent can’t anticipate.
As a travel writer based in Bali, I’ve indoctrinated my two daughters into the jet-set lifestyle since infancy. By 2 1/2, my firstborn had been to 15 countries on five continents and stayed at more than 100 hotels. My 16-month-old second daughter has already logged 59 flights and 13 countries.
Related: Items to pack if you’re traveling with your toddler
Of course, most kids don’t grow up this way, so the experience of getting on an airplane is not always the smoothest.
However, some destinations and hotels provide a softer landing than others. This may be thanks to an especially magical setting, toddler-friendly activities or amenities that traveling parents and kids need to feel at home.
Here are a dozen phenomenal destinations, in the U.S. and abroad, that speak beautifully to kiddos ages 1 to 3 and their likely frazzled parents.
Costa Rica
Safe, English-speaking and beachy with excellent connectivity to much of the U.S., Costa Rica is a fabulous place for an active young family to get away without going too far — or crossing many toddler-disorienting time zones.
The friendly waves and beaches that line the Central American country’s coasts are one thing, but the wildlife is another incredible element that toddlers — and we big kids — can connect with. The interior of Costa Rica is bursting with beauty in the form of volcanoes, waterfalls, the rainforest, hot springs, spider monkeys and a cloud forest alight with butterflies.
With many national parks and cute beach towns galore, it’s rife with adventure for even the smallest explorers.
Related: The best times to visit Costa Rica
Where to stay
The location of Botanika Osa Peninsula, Curio Collection by Hilton epitomizes what Costa Rica is all about. Expect days filled with sloth and toucan sightings, gentle hikes through the biodiverse rainforest, fishing, a science center and night hiking. The accommodations and facilities are perfect for multiple generations. Another perk is that kids under 12 eat for free. Rates start at $207 or 62,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
Accommodating and adaptable are two ways to describe the exceptional team at Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, which opened in 2025. Its elevated offerings include family treehouse suites and a playground with an iguana-shaped slide. At the kids club, toddlers can play with a parent present, and there’s also a glass funicular down to the beach club. Rates start at $1,175 or 131,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Newport Beach, California
This Southern California town is where the generation-defining TV series “The O.C.” took place — not that your toddlers care about that. But it means Newport Beach is a nostalgic place for parents and a fresh, exciting one for little ones who are at a perfect age to spend an afternoon at the circa 1936 Balboa Fun Zone amusement park after taking the Balboa Island Ferry and, maybe, a chilled-out Duffy boat ride.
There are parks, playgrounds and green spaces aplenty, plus the sublimely long stretch of sand at Crystal Cove State Park, where you’ll find opportunities for recreation of many styles and all the inspiration necessary to build an epic sandcastle.
Where to stay
New in 2022, VEA Newport Beach, a Marriott Resort & Spa, is a short walk from Fashion Island and has stunning Pacific views. The coastal-cool bolthole has several restaurants, a happening pool scene, an extensive spa and frequent live music. Rates start at $372 or 35,200 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
If you’re happy in Newport Beach but wish Italy were on the itinerary, book a room at The Resort at Pelican Hill (soon to be a St. Regis). Its heated circular, mosaic-clad pool is ginormous and surrounded by “Coliseum” cabanas. Every morning, there’s an hour of Morning Splash for kids to play on inflatables. For toddler guests, bungalows or villas come with “imagination amenities,” which are themed around superheroes, mermaids and bubbly bath fun. Rates start at $995 or 216,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
Italy
The ephemeral palates of little ones can make dining out a nightmare or a fantasy. For that reason alone, book your next toddler-accompanied vacation to Italy, where you can find pizza, pasta and gelato on repeat.
You’ll all have a blast, cruising around in Venetian gondolas, chasing pigeons in plazas, walking up and down the Spanish Steps, running across undulating grassy hills in Tuscany, splashing in crystalline water at soft, sandy beaches … or even visiting Legoland.
Related: Your guide to flying with kids of every age
Where to stay
The century-old sanitorium-turned-JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa has a family pool with a shallow section and water-spray playground of foam structures such as faux-brick castles. It caters to toddlers wonderfully, with babysitting services, a kids club and the Little Guest program serving up perks throughout the stay. The resort is on its own private island, with plenty of grassy space to safely roam, though St. Mark’s Square is just a 15-minute shuttle boat away. Rates start at $435 or 61,000 Marriott Bonvoy points per night.
For a slow-moving rural retreat, head to Tuscany and the Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, an ancient estate set inside a UNESCO-listed 5,000-acre natural park. The Rosewood Explorers kids club is excellent, with many activities influenced by local customs. Rates start at $1,992 per night.
Breckenridge, Colorado
Ages 2 and 3 are a fantastic time to start a kid on skis. For one, their lift tickets are free. Also, mountain towns offer plenty of other activities as well.
In Breckenridge, when she was nearly 2, our daughter had an absolute blast in her tiny boots, skis, helmet and mittens. She was an adorable puffy pink figure on the babiest of slopes where other small skiers were learning the ropes, too. We went DIY, but official lessons start at age 3, and there’s lots of playtime — and breaks for warming sweet treats — baked in. (This past winter at 3 1/2, she took her first private full-day lesson at Whistler and was riding the magic carpet and skiing down pizza-style solo by the afternoon.)
Besides roaming the always magically fairy-light-lit old mining town, another highlight was our flurry-studded ride in a bright red horse-drawn sleigh, with mugs of customizable hot cocoa around a fire. The experience was more exciting for our daughter than every holiday rolled into one. Dogsledding is always an option, too.
Related: How your kids can ski for free this winter
Where to stay
Right off Main Street, the ski-in/ski-out boutique hotel Gravity Haus Breckenridge is an effortless walk to the base of Peak 9, even fully geared up and accompanying a toddler. The Cabin Juice menu is toddler-friendly, and there are multiple hot tub “onsens” in which to soak, as well as a Super Trampoline that takes bouncing to the next level for guaranteed belly-shaking laughs. Rates start at $200 per night.
Punta Mita, Mexico
Thanks to Puerto Vallarta’s seamless accessibility from so many U.S. cities, you only need a weekend to savor the paradise that is Punta Mita, a sprawling 1,500-acre oceanfront resort on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, just an hour’s drive up the coast from the airport.
In the former fishing village, beaches are made dreamier by full-service beach clubs and delicious restaurants. There are sea turtles and eye-popping sunsets of reds and purples that don’t even seem real.
Active families can wander or bike along the tropical nature trails, tool around in golf carts or play a round of golf. With 9 1/2 miles of glittering coastline and sand, it’s a haven for families, especially with young children.
Where to stay
Conrad Punta de Mita is a paradise for little ones with a splash pad, waterslide, 2-mile beach, kids club and free child meals. Rates start at $418 or 95,000 Hilton Honors points per night.
The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, Mexico provides plenty of kid-friendly amenities, including cribs complete with stuffed animals, teeny toothbrushes, diapers just in case you forget them, petite bathrobes and alphabet sponges spelling your toddler’s name. When we were at the family infinity pool, an attendant kindly offered to set up a portable crib to give us a break from the relentless watch of keeping an excited toddler out of a body of water. Rates start at $928 per night.
Portugal
Over the last decade, people have begun discovering Portugal’s approachable and affordable charms. The Algarve is a region known for its spectacular sands and quaint little fishing towns. Meanwhile, even the capital of Lisbon has a special and laid-back energy that makes it widely appealing.
Parents traveling with toddlers can thrill them with a cruise down the Tagus River, which flows through the colorful city, or ride on one of the emblematic vintage street cars that scale ancient, labyrinthine streets.
The Time Out Market has virtually every cuisine and dish for the pickiest eaters and is stocked with high chairs aplenty. Sintra, about a 45-minute train ride from the capital, has vibrant, palatial homes, like the sunshine-yellow Pena National Palace, which might spark some fun games of pretend.
Where to stay
There’s perhaps no hotel brand in Europe more kid- and family-centric than Martinhal, with Martinhal Lisbon Oriente in the city, right by the Oceanario de Lisboa — featuring some 8,000 sea creatures — and the interactive Pavilion of Knowledge science museum with a technicolor play area. The luxury accommodations are self-catered apartments with washers, dryers and smart Smeg appliances. There’s also a Family & Baby Concierge service, plus Raposinhos (Little Fox) kids club and child-care programming for babies. Rates start at $336 per night.
Martinhal Sagres Beach Resort is set on its own beach in a protected national park at the southernmost tip of Portugal. This area is known for its fantastic surfing and is a particularly stunning place to relax and unwind after a day spent city sightseeing. The Creche child-care option is available to younger toddlers (up to 23 months), while the Raposinhos 2- to 3-year-old programming includes storytime, puppet shows, crafts, musical instruments and a dynamic outdoor playground. Rates start from $420 per night.
Hawaii Island
A common misconception is that what people refer to as the Big Island is named as such because it’s busy and full of tourists. However, this giant gem of a Hawaiian isle is one of the quietest and most sparsely populated, which makes navigating it in a rental car, toddler in her car seat, an absolute breeze.
There are sweet towns from north to south, including Volcano Village just outside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, where black lava flows were Mother Nature’s undulating playground for us.
The island has beaches of many colors, waterfalls, hikes, beautifully kept gardens and parks, farmers markets, and whale watching in the right season (we had great luck in February). The landscapes and climates vary wildly, which keeps it exciting and necessary to pack layers.
Where to stay
Having visited Mauna Lani, Auberge Resorts Collection when our daughter was an infant, and again after she became a toddler, it exceeded expectations both times.
The luxurious resort’s very design signals that it’s first and foremost for families, with a generous oceanfront swimming pool and equally generous green lawn full of games and toys. Countless loungers and cabanas front the ocean, which is extremely swimmable, and the Kainalu Ocean Sports team is amenable to customizing outrigger canoe trips and the like for families with youngsters fascinated with “Lilo and Stitch,” “Moana” and “Finding Nemo.” Rates start at $949 per night.
Singapore
Verdant, tree-lined Singapore is an absolute treat to experience with a toddler from the moment you land at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and come across a ubiquitous complimentary stroller for pushing your tired little one around.
Hotels cater beautifully to their youngest guests, and the sights around town are impressive, especially Gardens by the Bay. We could have easily spent multiple days exploring the humongous tree sculptures and botanical installations.
Our daughter was mesmerized by the 72-foot-high treetop experience of the OCBC Skyway aerial walkway. Though technically urban, Singapore doesn’t feel it, and it boasts a bona fide beach destination in adjacent Sentosa Island for a two-in-one vibe.
Where to stay
Shangri-La Singapore is an oasis with 15 acres of flower-filled gardens just minutes from the high-end shopping and dining street Orchard Road. In addition to its water park, the hotel has a 20,000-square-foot interactive indoor and outdoor play space called Buds (parents must accompany their toddlers) with a ball pit and a dedicated toddler zone. The hotel’s Tower Wing also has themed family suites and a pantry. Rates start at $233 per night.
Integrated with the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, the brand-new Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree promises to thrill toddlers with immersive outdoor kids activities, a playground and the adorable eco-conscious Rangers’ Club. Rates start at $337 per night.
Orlando
Orlando is an obvious entry thanks to Walt Disney World Resort, specifically the Magic Kingdom theme park, where few rides and attractions have a height limit, and most are calm enough for the smallest visitors to enjoy.
The notoriously family-friendly Florida hot spot is also home to Disney Springs, where shopping and dining are super conducive to toddlers, and the Orlando Science Center, which is surprisingly thrilling for toddlers.
Thirty minutes south of the city is Legoland. Though its rides are more geared toward older kids, if your child is anything like mine, discovering a good playground is like gold, and Legoland has several next-level play structures, not to mention an interactive aquarium and water park (where kids under 3 are required to wear a swim diaper).
Another super-thrilling destination near there is Peppa Pig Theme Park. There’s a nature trail and tricycle trail, greenhouse and cinema, sand play zone and treehouse, plus several rides for all ages and sizes.
Where to stay
For the easiest transit and best experience, stay somewhere on the park grounds, like the family-oriented Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. Lest you think it’s all about the kids in Orlando, there’s a world-class spa and Michelin-starred steakhouse with nightly fireworks vistas. Rates start at $1,090 per night.
Vietnam
Kids, especially little ones, seem universally adored across Vietnam, whether in the city or at beach resorts like Six Senses Con Dao and Zannier Bai San Ho, where the staff was particularly wonderful with our youngest daughter.
However, the bustling metropolitan center of Ho Chi Minh City isn’t the first place I would visit with a new walker. Instead, go to Hanoi, a lush French-inflected northern city. It provides many exciting sights and wide sidewalks to stroll on in the cooler mornings when the city wakes up, dances, exercises and socializes through its early hours.
Where to stay
The fantastically and dramatically designed Capella Hanoi offered personalized hospitality, including lavishing lots of attention on our toddler. It also offered exceptional cuisine and a flawless location for taking walks. Rates start at $382 per night.
Villas at Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam come with a private butler; ours was beyond sweet with our daughter. He brought her pool toys and chilled fruit at random, pushed her around in the complimentary stroller when my husband and I wanted to ride the beach cruisers around the property, taught her Vietnamese words, and even introduced her to his young son via video call. Rates start at $870 per night.
Fiji
Sometimes, for parents of toddlers, the appeal of a place is simply about the availability of quality child care, and Fiji has that in spades. Here you’ll encounter Mary Poppins-level nannies and babysitters who are preternaturally amazing with babies, toddlers and kids.
This South Pacific archipelago is also home to surreal sandy beaches with crystalline water that tends to be calm enough for the littlest swimmers. There are farms, lush hikes, waterfalls to splash in, and much more, depending on the island and resort you choose.
Where to stay
At the Little Islanders Club at private Vomo Island Fiji, children 3 years old and up can spend all day — it’s open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. — attending Fijian culture classes, taking nature walks, listening to storytelling sessions, playing at the beachfront and doing arts and crafts alongside experienced caregivers. Toddlers under 3 can experience the Kids Village with either a parent, guardian or Baby Butler, who can be booked a la carte or as part of an all-inclusive package that includes four hours of minding service daily. Rates start at $1,150 per night.
At Kokomo Private Island Fiji, kids up to age 3 enjoy the complimentary services of nannies, who happily adapt to home schedules for sleep times and anything else needed to ensure toddlers are just as blissed-out as their parents. They can also take them to the Kids Club, where fish feeding, local crafts, treasure hunts, cooking classes and more occur regularly for those 4 and up. Rates start at $2,400 per night.
South Africa
Going to South Africa requires a very long flight, which can feel never-ending with a little one who doesn’t understand the limitations of an airplane. (I know, and we survived it!) But hear me out: What you’ll find on the other side of the ocean is magic.
From Cape Town and its sprawling suburbs to the Kalahari Desert, Limpopo mountains, Kruger area and the Garden Route, the country is like a painting come to life. And from my four years of parenting experience, I know our girls love nothing more than being out in nature; checking out interesting leaves, sticks or rocks; and running in dirt, sand or grass. South Africa has all these things, plus superlative cuisine, radiant beaches, exciting hiking trails, fascinating culture and, of course, all of the wild, captivating animals your toddlers have seen in “The Lion King.”
When our oldest was 3, she had the time of her life on safari watching cheetahs, trumpeting to elephants, meeting meerkats and drinking hot chocolate on the hood of our guide’s Land Rover. In Cape Town, we shopped along the V&A Waterfront and spotted seals, and in bucolic Franschhoek, she chased peacocks and fed mini ponies. And don’t miss the penguins in Betty’s Bay.
Where to stay
Tswalu Kalahari, the largest private game reserve in the country, has several safari camps from which to choose. The Motse has nine beautiful suites and a common pool, while the mini safari camp Loapi has six safari homes near the Korannaberg mountains. Both are super accommodating for little ones, and kids up to 11 are complimentary. Each stay includes the services of a childminder who rode along on our game drives, cuddling with the girls and keeping them entertained between wildlife sightings and during coffee stops. All-inclusive rates for Loapi start at $2,810 per adult, per night based on double occupancy; rates start at $2,340 per adult, per night at Motse.
In the Franschhoek wine valley, on a centuries-old Cape Dutch farm, Babylonstoren is a pastoral playground for all ages with guided garden walks, farm animals and rowboats. When we were last there, we swam in the sparkling pool with gratis house wine from the help-yourself bar, inspected plants and plucked fruits to eat straight from the orchard rows. Rates start at $560 per night.
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