Our correspondent Julie Chang Murphy has curated a list of the best luxury kid-friendly hotels in London and Paris perfect for a fun family vacation.
What are the best luxury family-friendly hotels in London and Paris?
Pandemic travel — like all the best trips— was an eye-opening and perspective changing experience. We got a lot more comfortable with nature and realized that less often meant more. We rediscovered the joys of road-tripping, national parks, camping, and exploring our own backyards. But now that we are in a new phase, we’re ready to get back to our favorite cities.
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London and Paris are always high on the bucket list and our staff here at Dandelion Chandelier go back again and again. You’ll find lots of recommendations for hotels if you’re traveling solo or as a couple. Traveling with young children, however, requires another set of criteria.
the best luxury kid-friendly hotels in London and Paris perfect for a fun family vacation
Take it from us — the majority of us on staff here have three children each so finding hotels to accommodate more than four people in London and Paris has been very challenging. Beyond ample space, we also want to be in walking distance to some main sites to ward off meltdowns. And, we’re also dreaming of special perks and events geared toward kids and babysitter services (so the adults can actually enjoy a fancy dinner or two).
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If you’re planning your first trip with the family to London and Paris, here are our favorite kid-friendly places to stay.
the best luxury kid-friendly hotels in London and Paris perfect for a fun family vacation
What are the best luxury family-friendly hotels in London and Paris?
London luxury hotels perfect for family vacation
1. Brown’s Hotel Mayfair
Located in London’s prestigious Mayfair, Brown’s is composed of 13 historic and elegant Georgian townhouses. From this safe and affluent neighborhood, it’s a 10-minute walk to Piccadilly Circus and the theater district. It is a 15-minute walk to Buckingham Palace and the West End shopping district.
the best luxury kid-friendly hotels in London and Paris perfect for a fun family vacation
You’d be mistaken if you think this luxury property is too stuffy for families with small children. The hotel takes great care to welcome the little ones. You can expect embroidered sheets with princesses or pirates, a play tent set up in the room, and toys and cookies with your child’s name on them upon arrival. In the bathroom, mini slippers, robes, and kids’ bath products await. Books, movies and games are available upon request as is 24-hour baby-sitting service.
HIX Mayfair is the upscale restaurant on-site run by celebrated English chef Mark Hix featuring classic British dishes along with lighter seafood dishes. English Tea Room is where you can introduce the kids to afternoon tea with tiered platters of sandwiches, scones, and pastries. Best of all, guests get 50% off kids’ meals in the restaurant or through room service.
2. The Montague on the Gardens
This charming Georgian townhouse overlooks peaceful gardens in literary Bloomsbury. It’s just steps away to The British Museum, the West End, Covent Garden and the world’s best shopping on Regents Street and Bond Street. If you’re kids are Harry Potter fans, it’s also ideally situated near King’s Cross (the site of magical Platform 9 3/4).
the best luxury kid-friendly hotels in London and Paris perfect for a fun family vacation: The Montague on the Gardens
Children are well taken care of from the kids’ slippers and bath robes to an in-house nanny. Children can even indulge in a cocktail masterclass or just stick to board games, coloring books, toys, DVDs and game consoles. The rooms here are on the smaller side but the management is able to adjust them to fit in a baby cot and changing facilities as well as supplying monitors, bathtubs and baby changing kits.
3. The Kensington
Made up of four 19th-century townhouses, the Kensington evokes a sense of Victorian grandeur. It’s superbly located and within walking distance to the lovely Kensington Gardens, The Natural History Museum, Science Museum, and Victoria and Albert Museums.
The best luxury family-friendly hotels in London and Paris. Courtesy Photo.
Despite the glamorous setting, the hotel is definitely kid friendly with welcome fruit and slices of cake at turndown. Children will also find their very own tee-pee tent set up and fully stocked with milk, cookies, your child’s favorite magazine and a plush Kensington teddy bear. A DVD player with DVDs can be requested and children’s toiletries and one rollaway bed are provided. We loved that there is a children’s concierge available to help plan itineraries and handle other special requests.
Families can enjoy a complimentary breakfast and complimentary meal for children under 5 when eating with an adult before 7pm at their two onsite restaurants: Town House or The Drawing Room.
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4. The Athenaeum
Overlooking Green Park, this family-run luxury boutique hotel is located in the heart of Mayfair. Getting around is easy with Buckingham Palace across the park, Picadilly Circus nearby and tons of great shopping within a half-mile (Selfridges, Fortum and Mason, Bond Street).
The best luxury family-friendly hotels in London and Paris. Courtesy Photo.
If you’re staying in London for a week or more, we highly recommended The Athenaeum’s Townhouse Residences for privacy and independence. Each 550 sq foot residence comes fully equipped with a kitchenette, dining table and a spacious living area. Separate bedrooms have California King beds, a sofa-bed or bunk beds. Best of all, guests still have access to all hotel facilities. Our favorite amenity is the hotel’s children’s concierge and team of nannies and babysitters. They can help you arrange a kite-flying session in Hyde Park or make sure milk and biscuits are waiting at bedtime.
Paris luxury hotels perfect for family vacation
1. Hotel Le Meurice
This storied hotel is a modern day Versailles, notable for its 18th century opulence. It even has a palace designation from the French Ministry of Tourism. Le Meurice has welcomed iconic guests from Dalí and Zola to Warhol and Dylan and Picasso was married here in 1918. With the Tuileries Garden as your front garden, the Louvre to your left and Place de la Concorde to your right, you can’t beat the location.
the best luxury kid-friendly hotels in London and Paris perfect for a fun family vacation: The Meurice is steps away from the Tuileries Garden
The size of the family suites are more than accommodating — some could even fit grandparents. But it’s the little details that make it kid-friendly. Guests are treated to fruit, Alain Ducasse chocolates, plus dedicated Le Petit Prince amenities. The hotel has a toy library and hosts treasure hunts and a special city tour. For picky eaters, there are children’s menus and if parents want to enjoy the spa or want to dine at the two Michelin-starred Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse, there are babysitting facilities available too.
2. Le Bristol
Situated in the famous 8th arrondissement, Le Bristol is a historic hotel, widely considered one of the most luxurious properties in Paris. The location is within walking distance to the Arc de Triomphe, Tuileries Gardens, the Louvre, and Musee d’Orsay, not to mention all the major fashion boutiques on the glamorous Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore.
the best luxury kid-friendly hotels in London and Paris perfect for a fun family vacation: Le Bristol, Paris.
The 190 rooms and suites are spacious and decorated in a classically French style with Louis XV- or Louis XVI-style furniture to give the kids an immersive French experience. There’s a 13,000 square foot courtyard garden for the children to skip in and the pièce de résistance: a rooftop swimming pool! The hotel’s kid’s club and lounge offers programming geared towards the little ones and there’s even a resident hotel cat to play with. If that wasn’t enought, The Spa Le Bristol by La Prairie also offers a children’s spa menu for extra pampering. Babysitting services are also available upon request.
3. Fraser Suites Le Claridge
For longer visits to the City of Light, Fraser Suites Le Claridge has fully-furnished and serviced residences ideally situated on the chic Champs Élysées Avenue. The Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde, the Louvre, the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower are all close by. The nearest metro stations are Franklin D Roosevelt and George V. It provides good access to the city’s top tourist attractions.
Champs Élysées
Each apartment-style room includes a a separate living area, dining area, modern kitchen. They also have an oven – and a marble bathroom. The balcony overlooks views of Avenue des Champs-Élysées. And, if you don’t feel like cooking, the property serves a buffet breakfast for the family to start the day off right. Children get special treats upon arrival. It’s the spacious, well-stocked suites (with daily housekeeping) that make the traveling easy for families visiting Paris.
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4. Hôtel Régina Louvre
Although this prime Rue de Rivoli location in the 1st arrondissement is prestigious, the hotel ambiance is friendly, unpretentious, and caters to families. Walk to the Louvre, Opera Garnier, Fauchon, Galeries Lafayette, and the Grand Boulevards. The prime location means that there’s lots of cafes and restaurants to discover. In front of the Tuileries Garden, the children can expend some energy with pony rides, trampoline jumping and guiding small boats on the Viviers basin.
Generous suites feel like a home away from home with elegant and comfortable furnishings. Except you have floor to ceiling windows with views of the Eiffel Tower. There is a children’s playroom with toys and mini scooters, as well as childcare services. If you’re traveling with a baby or toddler, the hotel can provide a crib, changing table, and high chair. Be sure to take advance of skip-the-line tickets from the Clefs d’Or concierges.
What are the best luxury family-friendly hotels in London and Paris?
There you have it — our favorite hotels catering to families in London and Paris. A word of caution, these luxe hotels may spoil them for life. But, after all the camping and staycation-ing, we think the little ones will actually appreciate it this time!
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Crediting her training as a cultural anthropologist at Wellesley College, Julie has immersed herself in various industries in the last 15 years including fashion design, event planning, and fitness. Julie lives in New York where she loves trying every ramen and dumpling restaurant with her husband and three children. She finds joy in bold prints, biographies of fierce women, kickboxing. And spending way too long finding the perfect polish color to express her mood.
