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Pleasing Kids At International Hotels

Canad Inns
888/33-CANAD
The Fort Gary, Garden City, Transcona, Windsor Park and Brandon locations of this Winnipeg, Canada-based hotel chain feature Kids Theme Rooms with adjoining bedrooms that are designed especially for young children, with four bunk beds, and a queen bed for adults. The children's rooms' wallpaper and sheets are decorated with themes such as Outerspace, Under the Sea, and Jungle Fun. Other family-friendly amenities include bunk beds, Play Station 2 units with games, and colorful lighting. The newest destination is in Grand Forks, North Dakota, which offers Family Suites and similar amenities, and features a 40,000 square foot indoor aquatic park, Splasher's of the South Seas. Most important, each themed suite has its own direct entrance to the Splashers Indoor Pool and Waterslide Park.

Mayfield Inn & Suites
16615-109th Ave.
Edmonton, Alberta
Canada T5P 4K8
800/661-9804, 780/484-0821;
Minutes from Canada's West Edmonton Mall (aka "The World's Largest Mall"), the Edmonton Space and Science Center, and Fort Edmonton Park, this four-star hotel in Alberta province offers a comfortable place for the family to relax after a busy day. In the Mayfield's family suites, there are two separate adjoining bedrooms: the kids' room has bunk beds, a TV, DVD player and Xbox ($400 deposit required), and the adults' room has a king size bed, a queen pull-out sofa bed, and its own TV. The inn itself has an extensive athletic club with a fitness room, a swimming pool, and squash and racquetball courts. A lounge with billiard tables and arcade games, as well as a separate (unsupervised) children's room with TV, toys, and art supplies is also part of the complex. For adults and children over 5, the hotel puts on a dinner/theater program most nights of the week, featuring some of the region's actors in popular plays and musicals.

Ritz-Carlton Cancun
Retorno del Rey #36
Zona Hotelera
Cancun, Q. Roo Mexico 77500
52/998 881-0808
The Cancun, Mexico location of this luxury hotel chain now has three Itzy, Bitzy, RitzKids Rooms. These three deluxe guestrooms offer notable features such as a safety-approved crib, a changing table, a television armoire strategically positioned so as not to disturb the baby at nap time, miniature hangers in the closet, and a telephone programmed to light up, not ring. A "Shh, baby sleeping" sign is personalized for every young guest and hung on the door to alert others to lower their voices. The Ritz-Carlton staff personally contacts every parent in advance to offer a menu of services and products that can be ordered prior to arrival. They include all of the essentials you'll need, from formula to swimming diapers. As at other Ritz-Carlton resorts, there is a fee-based supervised kid's club operating daily except Sundays offering full or half day sessions for ages 4-12, and an evening program on Fridays and Saturdays.

Athenaeum Hotel & Apartments
116 Piccadilly
London, England W1J 7BJ
800/335-3200
Voted one of London's top ten hotels by Condé Nast Traveler, The Athenaeum has, for nearly a decade, extended its upscale, friendly service down to its youngest guests. Family amenities include a welcome teddy bear, children's toiletries and seasonal family packages including nanny service. The Athenaeum's facilities are especially family-welcoming, with 111 rooms in a modern tower and 12 private apartments in adjacent Edwardian townhouses. Some traditional, others more contemporary, the apartments each have private entrances, a sitting room, one or two bedrooms, and a fully equipped kitchen. In a 2004 renovation, one of the apartments was redesigned with the traveling family in mind. It has a vintage games console loaded with classic video games, a children's table and chairs, and high-tech TVs with Internet access. There are two bedrooms, and the sofa in the sitting room converts into two single beds when opened. Creative, contemporary art and design features abound. The back wall of the sitting room is a dry erase board; similarly, the walls in the kitchen are painted in magnetic blackboard paint. For larger families, booking an apartment costs considerably less than booking two hotel rooms. The hotel is located across the street from Green Park, and a short walk from Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, the Royal Academy of Art, Piccadilly Circus, and the theater district.

Seaworld Nara
Seaworld Drive
Main Beach, Gold Coast
Queensland, Australia 4217
61/7-5591-0000
This Queensland, Australia property bordered by theme parks has 90 Family Suites, which are two standard hotel rooms joined together. There are two double beds, a bathroom, a balcony and a sitting area in each room, and both rooms share a kitchenette with a refrigerator and microwave. Suite amenities include TVs, Sony Playstations, Internet access, and in-room pay-per-view movies. On the property there are two playgrounds and an indoor playroom, and for a small fee the resort offers a kid's club nightly that includes dinner and supervised play. The biggest draw for families is the resort's convenience; it neighbors several theme parks including Sea World, Warner Bros. Movie World, Wet N' Wild Water World and Dreamworld, an amusement park with rides, attractions, and entertaining shows.

Hotel Highland Resort
5 6 1 Shin Nishihara
Fujiyoshida, Japan 4030017
81/555-22-1000
Situated across the street from the Fuji-Q Theme Park (home of the one of the world's tallest, fastest, and steepest roller coasters, Fujiyama), this Mt. Fuji area resort is a popular weekend destination near Tokyo, Japan. The hotel boasts an indoor pool, arcade, and a 20-lane bowling alley. In the summer, there is an outdoor pool, and in the winter, two outdoor ice-skating rinks. Parents appreciate that entrance to the theme park is free to hotel guests year-round. Like the theme park, the hotel is designed with Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends in mind. In the hotel there are Thomas Rooms, adorned with images and bed linens of Thomas and his pals, Edward and Harry. At the adjacent park, railway-themed rides are designed for everyone from preschoolers to honeymooners in this train-crazy country.

Allamanda Laguna Phuket
29 Moo 4 Srisoonthorn Road
Cherngtalay, Phuket, Thailand 83110
66/ 76 362 700
Allamanda, on the island of Phuket off Thailand's southwest coast, offers families a top-notch tropical vacation surrounded by the Andaman Sea. Family suites have two rooms, and the kids' room has its own bathroom, colorful furnishings, games, toys, videos, and a GameBoy. For ultimate comfort, the suites also have living and dining areas, a kitchenette, satellite TV, and a veranda with a view of the lagoon. For a fee, children ages 4-8 can participate in the daily Allamanda Kids Club and, for children 8-18, the Laguna Club offers daily outdoor programs during in-season months. The resort also offers in-room babysitting. Activities include canoing, sailing, windsurfing, and even batik painting lessons. There are six swimming pools, three of which are especially for children.

Bali Dynasty Resort
J1 Kartika
Tuban, South Kuta Bali, Indonesia 80361
62-361 752-403
Self-described as "Bali's most popular family resort," this Kuta village hotspot offers plenty of activities for children to keep them occupied, such as the nearby water park and an on-site kids club (for ages 4-12) housed next to the swimming pools, a 56-meter waterslide, outside playground, and playhouse. In addition, special Kids Suites, which adjoin the parents' bedroom, have Pokemon character painted walls, large bunk beds, and Playstations and are located on the ground floor with a terrace leading into the garden. To meet the needs of a broader market including older children, parents can choose between these and family suites—basically just extra-large rooms with a king size bed, and either two twin beds or a combo of a trundle bed and a sofa bed that can accommodate up to five. In catering to the many extended Asian families who visit, children under 21 may stay free when sharing accommodations with parents.

Adam's Beach Hotel
Nissi Avenue
5340 Ayia Napa
Cyprus
357/ 23840000
Set on the sands of Nissi Bay on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, the Adams Beach Hotel is a top choice for Europe's beach-loving families. Although there are dozens of beachfront hotels around the island, the Adams Beach stands out because of its kid-pleasing facilities. One of the property's major assets is its free-form, multi-pool waterpark with bridges, waterfalls, Jacuzzis, fountains, a lazy river and winding waterslides. There is also a children's pool and playground, an indoor kids club (ages 4-12, Apr-Oct) and children's menus. Babysitting can be arranged upon request. Moreover, the hotel has seven family-friendly rooms and suites, which sleep 3-5 people. The suites have separate rooms for children and parents; the main room has a queen-sized bed and the children's room has bunk beds. There is a TV in both rooms, which are separated by sliding wood doors. Family rooms are also offered, differing slightly from suites in that rooms have one full bed, and two twin beds.

Share Your Thoughts: What are your favorite themed suites? Which hotels are implementing the most innovative kid-pleasing ideas for amenities and facilities?