Private Alpine Chalet With Valley Views
Megeve, France
Ski-in/ski-outSpa
Nov 13 – 16 · $352,353 for 3 nights
The Collections
Family-Friendly Luxury Villas
Private villas and chalets that welcome children, from ski chalets in the French Alps to pool villas in Crete, Puglia and Sardinia. Homes that say they are not suitable for children are left out.
View all 10,660 homesFamily-Friendly Villas
Space, a pool and nobody shushing you
A villa is the easiest way to travel with children, and most families who try it do not go back to hotels. You get a kitchen for the fussy eater, a garden for the early riser, and bedroom doors that close at bedtime while the adults stay up. Most of our homes welcome children, so this collection is defined as much by what it leaves out as by what it includes.
The strongest choice is in the French Alps, around Courchevel, Megève, Chamonix and Val d'Isère, where chalets with bunk rooms and easy ski access make a family ski week far simpler. In summer, look at Crete, Mykonos, Puglia, Sardinia and Tuscany in the Mediterranean, Ibiza for older children, and Orlando, Utah and Colorado in the United States.
Family-friendly is a starting point, not a promise of a toddler-proof house. The details that matter for your children, the pool fence, the stairs, the bedroom layout, are the details we check with the owner.
Homes10,660
Countries10+
Typical size4 bedrooms
Sleeps up to88 guests
Private Alpine Estate With Panoramic Views
Megeve, France
Private poolSpa
Nov 13 – 16 · $333,810 for 3 nights
Premium Chalet With Spa And Cinema
Megeve, France
Private poolSki-in/ski-outSpa
Nov 13 – 16 · $254,997 for 3 nights
Ski-Accessible Chalet with Alpine Panoramas
Megeve, France
Ski-in/ski-out
Nov 13 – 16 · $224,404 for 3 nights
Most Visited Villa in Bol near Zadruga Beach
Brac, Croatia
Bol
Private poolSea view
Nov 13 – 16 · $203,417 for 3 nights
Unique Estate With Private Terraces And Sunloungers
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Parham Town
Private poolSea view
Nov 13 – 17 · $227,220 for 4 nights
Newly Renovated Waterfront Oasis with a Private Sauna
Miami Area, USA
Hallandale Beach
Private poolSea view
Nov 13 – Dec 13 · $1,426,050 for 30 nights
Luxurious Mountain Escape With Private Cinema
Megeve, France
Private poolSki-in/ski-outSpa
Nov 13 – 16 · $130,787 for 3 nights
Exclusive All-inclusive Private Caribbean Island
Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Parham Town
Nov 13 – 20 · $288,400 for 7 nights
Beautiful Beach Villa with Gym and Winery
Los Cabos, Mexico
Cabo San Lucas
Private poolSea view
Nov 13 – 16 · $123,540 for 3 nights
Perfectly Designed Amazing Lodge with Artic Views
Lapland, Finland
Rovaniemi
Nov 13 – 18 · $199,674 for 5 nights
Whitewashed Luxury With Mediterranean Views
Ibiza, Spain
Cala Llenya
Private poolSea view
Nov 13 – 20 · $242,430 for 7 nights
How we choose
Which homes are included
We decide from each home's own listing. A home is included when its house rules, amenities or description say it welcomes children: a family-friendly listing, cots and high chairs, children's rooms, or a plain statement that families are welcome. A home that says nothing either way is not included, because silence is not a yes.
A stated no always wins. Adults only, a minimum age or "not suitable for children" keeps a home out, even if it was once tagged family-friendly. Most of our homes do take children, which is why this collection is large; the exclusions are what make it trustworthy. The team reviews the list and can add or remove a home after speaking to the owner.
The home's own house rules, amenities or description welcome children.
Nothing in the listing sets a minimum age or calls it adults-only.
A stated 'no' anywhere keeps it out, even if it was once tagged family-friendly.
A home that says nothing about children is not included.
The team can override either way after checking with the owner.
01
Pools: the question to ask first
A pool fence matters more than a pool view if your children are under six. Some villas have a gated pool or a removable fence; many have neither, especially hillside houses in Greece and Ibiza where the pool sits on the edge of a terrace. Ask before you book, and ask exactly what is there.
In France the law requires private in-ground pools to have an approved safety device, but that can be an alarm or a cover rather than a fence, and an alarm only tells you a child is already in the water. Elsewhere it is largely up to the owner.
Infinity edges, unfenced drops below terraces and steps without handrails are the other things to check on hillside villas. Some owners will fit a temporary fence for a family booking if asked early enough, and we can ask on your behalf. Whatever is there, the rule at the pool is the same as at home: an adult watching, not reading.
02
Bedrooms, bunk rooms and the layout that works
Count bedrooms the way children use them. A house of identical doubles suits several couples better than two families. What families need is a twin or bunk room near the parents, and a little distance between the adults who want to talk late and the children who wake early.
Alpine chalets are often best at this. Many in Courchevel, Megève and Val d'Isère have a children's room with bunks, a playroom or cinema on the lower floor, and a boot room that stops the house filling with wet ski gear. In Mediterranean villas, look for a guest house or pool house that teenagers can claim as their own.
Stairs are the hidden issue. Chalets can spread over five levels, and Greek island houses climb the hillside in steps. With toddlers, ask about stair gates and where the children's room is in relation to yours. Cots and high chairs are common, but confirm them rather than assume.
03
Where families do best
For skiing, the French Alps are the easy answer. Courchevel, Megève, Chamonix and Val d'Isère have strong ski schools with lessons in English, and enough chalets near the slopes that small children are not marched through the village in boots. Megève's gentler slopes and village life suit mixed-ability families particularly well.
For a summer beach holiday, Crete is hard to beat: long sandy beaches, plenty of shallow water and villas with big gardens. Puglia and Sardinia give you clear, calm bays and food children will actually eat. Tuscany suits families who want a pool and day trips more than a beach. Mykonos works for families with teenagers, less well for toddlers.
In the United States, Orlando's villas are built around theme-park days, with games rooms and pools that are often screened, and Utah and Colorado do mountain holidays in both seasons. In Switzerland, Gstaad and Ticino are quiet, safe and full of walks from the door.
04
What the team can arrange
The useful things are rarely glamorous. We can usually have cots, high chairs, stair gates and a pushchair waiting, stock the fridge with the brands your children eat, and book ski school, childminding or a babysitter for the evening you want to go out. In the Alps we can arrange ski hire fitted at the chalet, which spares everyone a queue in the shop.
Tell us the ages of the children when you enquire. It changes which houses we suggest, and it is the detail owners most want to know. If a house is close but not quite right, because of a missing fence or a steep stair, ask anyway. Owners often help more than the listing suggests, and we would rather solve a problem before you arrive than apologise for it after.
Family-Friendly Villas in pictures
Where to go
Where this collection is strongest
France · Italy · USA · Greece · Switzerland · Croatia · Spain · United Kingdom
Before you book
Planning a family villa holiday
Ask about the pool before anything else: fence, gate, cover or alarm, and which one.
Give the ages of your children when you enquire; it changes which houses fit.
Map the bedrooms. You want the youngest children close to you, not two floors away.
Confirm cots, high chairs and stair gates in writing rather than assuming they are there.
For ski weeks, book ski school when you book the chalet; places in the school-holiday weeks go first.
Check the distance to the nearest beach, shop and doctor, not just the airport.
In Greece and Spain in high summer, choose a house with shade on the terrace and air conditioning in the bedrooms.
Are the pools fenced?
Some are, many are not. Fencing depends on the owner and the country: France requires a safety device on private in-ground pools, but that may be an alarm or a cover rather than a fence. Tell us your children's ages and we will check the specific house, and ask the owner about a temporary fence if there is none.
Which villas are best for families with toddlers?
Houses on one or two levels, with the children's room near the parents, a fenced or gated pool and a closed garden. In the Mediterranean, Crete, Puglia and Tuscany have many that fit; steep hillside houses with open terraces are harder work. Cots, high chairs and stair gates are common but not universal, so we confirm them with the owner before you book.
Can you find a villa with a private pool for a family with teenagers?
Yes, and the choice is wide. Teenagers want independence: a pool house or separate guest wing, good Wi-Fi, and a village or beach they can reach without a lift. Ibiza, Mykonos and the Côte d'Azur suit older children, and in the Alps a chalet with a games room or cinema keeps evenings easy. Tell us what your teenagers actually enjoy and we will match it.
Do ski chalets welcome children?
Most do, and many are designed with them in mind. Chalets in Courchevel, Megève, Val d'Isère and Chamonix often have bunk rooms, playrooms, boot rooms and easy access to the slopes, and we can book ski school, childminding and ski hire fitted at the chalet. Chalets that are adults-only or unsuitable for small children are kept out of this collection.
Are cots and high chairs provided?
In many houses, yes, but not in all, and numbers vary. A listing will often say cots are available; we still confirm with the owner how many, and whether they are travel cots or full-size. If a house has none, we can usually arrange hire locally and have everything set up before you arrive.
Can you arrange a babysitter or nanny?
Yes, in most of our destinations. The team can book a babysitter for evenings or a nanny for the whole stay, through the owner's own contacts or a local agency, and ski resorts also have childminding and children's clubs. Book early for the festive and school-holiday weeks, when good childcare runs out before villas do.
Why are some large villas missing from the family collection?
Because their own listing says they are not suitable for children, sets a minimum age, or is adults-only, and we respect what the owner states. If you think a house would still work for your family, ask us anyway. Some owners make exceptions for older children, and the team can check before you set your heart on it.
Smiling House also offers a concierge for private chefs, transfers, ski instructors, yachts and cars, a VIP Club with first access to new residences and member rates, chalets for sale in the Gstaad region through its real estate division and instantly bookable homes with live availability.