/ Hotels for families with children: two examples of family hotels in South Tyrol /

Dedicated playgrounds, of course, but also strolls for hire, flexible dining times, kid-sized bathrobes, in-room changing mats and bottle warmers, wipes as part of the toiletries set, areas equipped to prepare baby food inside the restaurants: family hotels know how to respond to the specific needs of people traveling with children. This is a growing trend, with ever wider and more specialized offers, and it is not expected to slow down for the foreseeable future, as all surveys show that traveling with family is the most common, and the most appreciated, kind of vacation. In Italy, the South Tyrol region is especially attuned to this kind of offer. Over the next few pages we’ll tell you about two of these hotels and their new additions for 2023.

Quellenhof Luxury Resort Passeier

In one of the most charming corners of the Merano area, the Passeiertal Valley, this 5-star hotel touts itself as “a haven of serenity and well-being for adults” but also “an oasis of fun and adrenaline for children,” so it is an ideal place for a holiday dedicated to leisure and fun in total safety. And true to this vocation, the Quellenhof continues to invest and add new offerings for families.

This year, for example, kids will find a new indoor go-kart track with a 300m-long circuit, where they can experience the thrill of Formula 1 pilots. In 2022, the hotel opened an interactive Action Park where they can unleash their acrobatic spirit: here children find the ValoJump, a trampoline equipped with an interactive touchscreen system that allows them to transform themselves into video game characters as they jump, in a perfect mix of competition and fun; the ValoClimb, a climbing wall, also augmented by a touchscreen; and the MultiBall PRO, a mixed-reality sports and play platform where they can live the interaction between physical activity and digital play.

But even before these new additions, the Quellenhof offered various ideas for an unforgettable vacation. The highlight of the resort is perhaps its huge water park, the only one of its kind in the area: here children can dive into the heated pool, play on the pirate ship equipped with a slide and water gun, have fun on the two water slides, one with mats, which is more than 100m-long and enhanced with light and sound effects, and the other with a free-fall start, for breathtaking thrills; there is also a lazy river, an outdoor pool with whirlpool beds and comfortable islands for relaxation. If you prefer not to get wet, there is a climbing area with 4 walls and varying degrees of difficulty, a 4-lane bowling alley, a 4D cinema whose programming (available every day of the week) is completely free, and also several spacious game rooms, all well-lit by natural light.

Cavallino Bianco Family Spa Grand Hotel

In the heart of Ortisei, in Val Gardena, there is a hotel that exclusively welcomes families with children, by vocation, and has been recognized several times by Tripadvisor as the best family hotel in the world. Families traveling with children know they will find top-quality services at the Cavallino Bianco.

Here, again, spaces are specifically designed for families: there is an entire floor dedicated to young guests, with a restaurant that is exclusively reserved for them and special menus, while the aquatic and wellness area (which this year is enriched with a new super-technological sauna) includes a family lagoon, a baby pool, a mega-slide and numerous whirlpools. Those who prefer not to get wet can also find something for every age bracket: there is Baby Lino, a nursery staffed with qualified educators and equipped with creative games that help children grow, and Junior Lino, for older children, who can play on a pirates’ island, in a dolls’ house, in a miniature sports arena and with the many activities and workshops on the program; there are also a dedicated space and a special program for teenagers, who come to the hotel in ever greater numbers, and there is a Family area for parents and children to play together, with plenty of ideas for fun and sharing.

But the Cavallino Bianco also relies heavily on the beauty of the surrounding area and offers many outdoor activities for the family, especially in warm weather: walks that are suitable for very young explorers, trips along ancient trails, guided hikes, mountain bike lessons at the MTB School Ortisei for children as young as 4. From age 7, on the other hand, children can take part in the Campo Esplora Natura (nature exploration camp), this year on the theme “cooking in the woods”: kids will learn to recognize edible plants and use them to make tea or a spread to eat with bread; they will learn how to start a fire and how to make “Stockbrot,” a kind of bread that gets cooked over the fire, wrapped on a stick. And while children have fun on their adventures, parents can also discover the beauty of Val Gardena, or have some well-deserved relaxation time in the spa.

And after such a vacation as this, the whole family goes back home, happier and closer than ever.

Continue reading Games & Parks Industry February 2023, page 10

Photos ©: Denny Staschitz, WWW.TSCHAGER-FOTO.COM, Hannes Niederkofler Photographer, Familienhotels Südtirol (Brandnamic).

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