One of the greatest gifts parents and grandparents can give to younger generations is memories, and traveling together is a wonderful way to make them. Ever more hotels and resorts promote family getaways. The best of these properties provide compelling activities and impressive facilities for travelers of all ages, not just babysitting service.

In the past, we’ve singled out one hotel for this award, but this year, four properties that we visited all had such fantastic amenities and programs for families, each one deserved to be highlighted.

Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas
Baja California Sur, Mexico

While many of our favorite hotels have kids’ clubs that cater to the under-12 set, the Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas seems like an especially fun destination for tweens, teens and even twentysomethings. Families of aspiring marine biologists can book private whale-watching tours or island-hopping adventures featuring sea lion or whale shark encounters. But perhaps most enticing is its swimmable beach — a rarity at Baja’s luxury hotels — where older children can enjoy a plethora of water-based sports like stand-up paddleboarding, Jet Skiing and surfing. The residences and villas, ranging from two to six bedrooms, are ideal accommodations for families.

Read our full review of Four Seasons Resort Costa Palmas »

The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort
Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Located on an exclusive barrier island just 27 miles from Charleston, Kiawah Island is renowned for its five championship golf courses, award-winning tennis facility and marshland setting. It’s a sportsman’s paradise, but it’s also a paradisiacal place for families. Guests of the 255-room hotel, The Sanctuary, have access to amenities across the island, including 10 miles of tranquil beachfront, two pool complexes, a 21-acre recreation center, numerous children’s camps and immersive nature programming like kayaking, alligator walks and dolphin-watching excursions. At the hotel itself, we never saw kids glued to their phones. Instead, they were dancing poolside with parents, playing ball on the Grand Lawn and riding bikes together with their families. It felt like a return to a more wholesome, less complicated time.

Read our full review of The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island Golf Resort »

Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière
Saint-Tropez, France

Also a Hotel of the Year award winner, this French Riviera resort has a gorgeous family pool, just below the castle at the property’s heart. Several accommodations have private patios opening right to the pool terrace. But the Summer Camp is this property’s most impressive amenity for little ones, set downhill from the main building amid Mediterranean gardens and open to children age 3 and up. Its centerpiece is the Kids’ Club villa, which includes a cinema and a Lego room. Outside are supervised children-only swimming pools and a petting zoo, among other attractions. Organized activities range from pizza-making classes to outdoor laser games. Elsewhere, the resort’s beach club will surely delight guests of all ages, and grown-ups can have some time to themselves at the outdoor lap pool and the adults-only pool in the tranquil spa.

Read our full review of Airelles Saint-Tropez, Château de la Messardière »

Six Senses Crans-Montana
Valais, Switzerland

In the magnificent Alpine town of Crans-Montana, a playground with both winter snow and summer sun, Six Senses impressed me with how thoughtfully it welcomes families. Children enjoy activities like skiing, fishing and archery, plus a dedicated spa area. They can also take part in more-unique programs focused on mindfulness and the environment. In a single morning, I observed young guests absorbed in a candlemaking workshop in the Earth Lab, playing yoga-inspired games on the front lawn and participating in a “Breath of Trees” experience, taking stethoscopes into the forest. This resort alone offers families a compelling reason to visit the Valais.

Read our full review of Six Senses Crans-Montana »