The best family-friendly hotels in Mauritius, including pool villas and activities galore

Visiting Mauritus with kids is a magical experience; the island is heaven-sent for active parents and children. Families can swim with dolphins in the morning and go ziplining and quad biking at an eco-park in the afternoon. They can swim and snorkel from its safe, sun-soaked sandy beaches, cycle past sleepy fishing villages and hike in the forest-clad national park. The island is made for exploring, but there are also some amazing hotels that keep children happy with crab hunts, creole lessons, cinema on the beach, waterskiing and golf. Here's our pick of the best hotels for a family holiday in Mauritius, in locations including Grand Baie, Belle Mare, Flic en Flac and Bel Ombre.

With chic interiors by British design queen Kelly Hoppen, LUX* Belle Mare, on the east coast’s finest beach, is arguably the coolest hotel on the island. Thatched roofed suites and villas are dressed in soothing whites, with coloured throws, and services at the touch of an iPad. Parents can have a drink or lunch while children play in the 2,000 square-metre central pool, and a shallow lagoon suits families with toddlers. There’s plenty to do at the kids' and teens' club, and children will love the cinema with popcorn on the beach, homemade ice cream kiosk and bike rides.

? The best hotels in Mauritius

Daring French style meets the tropics at this contemporary five-star family resort on over a mile of east coast beach. Facilities include four pools (one heated), a plethora of complimentary watersports including water skiing, glass-bottom boat and snorkelling trips, and a PADI dive centre. There's a kids’ club with toddlers pool, and activities including island exploration, treasure hunts and cooking lessons, plus children's spa treatments. In terms of practicalities, there are interconnecting rooms and the possibility of adding extra beds across all categories, plus suites and villas that will accommodate families.

? The best all-inclusive hotels in Mauritius

Shangri-La's Le Touessrok delivers Asian-style elegance with a Mauritian twist in a divine tropical setting. It has the liveliest events programme on the island: from a monthly Sunday brunch, bubbles and beats to a weekly menu created by legendary chef (and original owner) Jacqueline Dalais. The hotel is abuzz with children in the school holidays. Young families might like the Hibiscus suites next to the kids' club, which have no steps and direct access to the beach. The T-club, for four to 11 year-olds, is one of the island's best and has a treehouse and decent-sized shaded pool.

? The most romantic hotels in Mauritius

This dynamic yet intimate five-star colonial-style resort is the best of a small clutch of hotels in the former sugar estate of Domaine de Bel Ombre. Timono Baby Club is free, and the kids' club takes children from ages three and over. For slightly older children, the Cool Teens Club offers trekking in the nature park excursions, bike tours and a new cinema on the beach. A junior golf academy offers complimentary sessions of its SNAG coaching system, and kids’ treatments at the spa include massages and facials. Free stays for two children aged under 12 sharing, and interconnecting suites, are available.

? The world's 50 greatest hotels

Trou aux Biches Resort & Spa is a serene tropical village-style five star in the northwest of the island, on one of Mauritius's best sheltered stretches of sandy beach. It offers a spa, an excellent choice of watersports and six fabulous restaurants. A state-of-the-art kids' and teens' club means loads to do, children stay free in their parents' room in the summer holidays and family-friendly suites have a kids' room and amenities. Better still are the villas with indoor/outdoor living space, barbecue area and swimming pool. There's also a fabulous choice of six restaurants on site.

? The best family-friendly hotels in Barbados

This uniquely Mauritian-flavoured hotel was the first on the island, and despite all the rest that sprang up in the years after, there's something about the thatched rondavels (shaped like the sail of a traditional pirogue fishing boat) beside a beautiful beach, that has remained appealing. There's a good kids' and teens' club at the centre of the hotel offering imaginative activities such as pearl-diving in the pool. With no currents, and shallow waters protected by a reef, this beach is one of the best for young families. There are a limited number of superior rooms where children can share.

? The best all-inclusive Caribbean hotels

Once a bastion of coupledom, One&Only Le Saint Géran is now a leading family hotel with two and three-bedroom suites (and multiple interconnecting rooms) for multi-generational families. It has one of the island's best and most modern kids' clubs, a youth fitness programme with activities from yoga to waterskiing, junior spa and healthy kids' club menu. A teens' club offers dedicated activities from five-a-side football to canyoning at Tamarin Falls. Elsewhere, the property offers three infinity pools, three tennis courts, and Henri Leconte Padel courts.

? The best all-inclusive hotels in Greece

A home away from home on a lovely white sand beach on its own private islet. It's a family favourite, and lively, with plenty to do. There’s a kids' club (ages three to 12), children's menus, a toddler pool on the beach and plenty of watersports for teens. A family boat trip to Ile aux Aigrettes includes a visit to Big Daddy the tortoise, and electro-bikes for hire allow families to explore independently. All rooms accommodate an extra bed, while two-bedroom family rooms sleep up to three children/teens. In the low season, children (up to 12) stay and eat for free on half board.

? The best all-inclusive hotels in Spain

Fishing baskets re-purposed as lamp shades, old-fashioned bicycles mounted on walls, and tables created from twisted tree roots help to create a playful atmosphere at this four-star all-suite hotel. It's large and lively, with 10 distinctive eateries and a huge shallow pool. Activities at Ayo Le Dodo mini club include 'chef’s discovery', traditional Mauritian games and storytelling under the stars. Teens Republic has pool and ping pong tables and offers outdoor cinema and karaoke. Babysitting is available. The 102 family suites sleep two children on sofa beds.

? The best all-inclusive Canary Islands

The cosy Veranda Tamarin is one of few budget hotels on the west coast, and the only one with a surf school, live jazz and a rooftop bar and infinity pool. Although there’s no kids' club, children from six years of age are welcome. Families like the laid-back vibe here, and the activities, which include surfing, kayaking, ping pong tournaments and dolphin-watching. Superior rooms, overlooking the pool, can sleep one child on an extra bed; Comfort family rooms feature a first-floor mezzanine for one child from 12 years of age; and 12 Comfort rooms are interconnecting.