The best places to host a family reunion holiday
When catering for eight-year-olds, 18 year-olds and 80 year-olds, booking connecting hotel rooms just won’t do.
Babies were born, loved ones were lost and family celebrations were put on hold time and again as the Covid-19 pandemic swept the globe. This extraordinary disruption was a reminder of how uncertain and ever-changing life can be, but also the importance of savouring special moments with family whenever we can.
Now that borders are opening and travel restrictions around the world are easing, families are beginning to reunite after months, and in many cases years, of forced separation. And it’s created an unprecedented demand for holiday accommodation which caters to the young, old, and in-between.
“We saw a huge surge of inquiries for this kind of accommodation of at the end of last year when the government first announced the borders reopening pre-Christmas,” says Alexandra Ormerod, co-founder of holiday home company Luxico.
Ormerod, whose company offers concierge services as an adjunct to luxury rentals, said the average length of stay as well as group size had shifted in the wake of pandemic restrictions.
“People have been using travel as an opportunity to unite, where families are coming together at a central meeting place rather than in their own homes, and because they haven’t travelled for a while they tend to stay longer,” she explains.
“So rather than say, two families staying for four or five nights you’ve got parents with children and grandparents and maybe an aunty and uncle and cousins, and they’re all looking for five-to-six-bedroom homes to stay in for a week or longer.”
And for the lucky family member chosen to co-ordinate these post-pandemic reunions – which is generally a very thankless job – the idea of ample space and a turn down service sounds like a win-win for all. While the popularity of peer-to-peer hosting via companies such as such as Airbnb and HomeAway continues to grow, the sense of safety and consistency offered by large hotel groups is a compelling reason for many holiday-makers to choose the latter when considering accommodation.
This trend towards home-style hotels began pre-pandemic, with hospitality giants such as Accor and Marriott partnering with smaller home-hosting start ups as a way to cater to the changing travel preferences of their loyalty program members.
Luxury villa rental OneFineStay was acquired by Accor in 2016, while Marriott International launched its own complementary arm, Homes & Villas, two years later which now has thousands of dwellings in its global portfolio. Multi-room villas and private compounds are also being incorporated in newer hotel developments to cater to the growing demand for spaces which cater to large groups including extended family units.
But what’s behind the shift from hotel rooms to multi-room private compounds and properties?
“It’s free babysitting,” Ms Ormerod says. “You bring the grandparents along. Not only do we love to spend time with them but it’s a key driver, and for young children in particular, staying in a hotel with interconnecting rooms just isn’t as practical.”
It’s a perk Susie Taaffe appreciates, having reconnected with her extended family in Noosa earlier this year. “I’d wake up one morning and my dad has made breakfast for the kids, or Mum’s hung out the washing,” she says. “It gives parents a holiday too when you’re staying with other family members who are happy to share the workload.”
The Brisbane-based mother-of-three is now planning a trip abroad and looking for a multi-room villa in the south of France which is suitable for her young children, siblings and elderly parents. She says hotels which offer large, home style accommodation with communal living space and plenty of rooms are always her first preference, as having access to hotel amenities and services can take the stress out of accommodating large groups.
“When you’ve got a large number of people staying at the same place, having to organise what’s for lunch, what’s for dinner and cater to everyone’s tastes isn’t that relaxing, so if you’re staying at a villa where people can pick for themselves from a room service menu, it takes the hassle away.”
We’ve pulled together some of the best multi-room offerings in Australia and abroad.
East Coast
Whether you need a butler and daily housekeeping or just a well-stocked fridge and some restaurant suggestions, Luxico can accommodate at its various properties along the East Coast.
Families with less mobile members will appreciate the single-story layout of Villa DI Lusso, a sprawling Tuscan-style property on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, while six-bedroom Byron Bay residence The Greenway offers hotel amenities such as a sauna, magnesium pool, gym, tennis court and cinema room so extended families can enjoy their own space without having to head into town.
West Coast
Ramps for wheelchairs and prams, gated pools and accessible parking spaces are just some of the considerations when planning a trip for both young and old. As well as an assortment of three bedroom villas, Pullman Bunker Bay Resort in Margaret River also offers accessible rooms for less mobile family members as well as a free buggy service.
With each room boasting its own en suite, Cable Beach Club Resort & Spa’s multi room Durack and Nolan Suites offer privacy for couples and plenty of living space, plus all the perks of their luxury hotel services.
For larger groups, Smiths Beach Resort, Yallingup, caters for the familial spectrum, starting at smaller one and two bedroom ‘beach shacks’ and oceanfront villas to three and four bedroom self-contained, serviced beach houses.
Fiji
For anyone who has been given the task of waking at sparrow’s fart to secure prime poolside real estate for the whole clan, Vomo Island Resort’s two and three-bedroom private villas are a godsend. Ample loungers pepper each villa’s private pool, most of which offer palm-framed vistas of the island’s aquamarine shores while also offering ample privacy for grandpa to break out the Speedos without embarrassing the kids.
If you’re trying to accommodate a larger group, Six Senses Fiji, Malolo, boasts a selection of four and five-bedroom Ocean View and beachfront residences, each with a pool, fully equipped kitchen and the option of an in-house chef.
New Zealand
We have been crisscrossing the ditch with our Kiwi neighbours like a game of hopscotch since travel restrictions eased between our two nations this year. Baby showers, belated birthday parties and weddings are some of the occasions on our travel calendars, along with the desire to just give our friends and relatives real life hugs.
For families who want more from their reunion that long chats and board games in the living room, a larger property near the Queenstown ski fields might be worth considering. Kainga Rua, an expansive property on the shores of the Shotover River, features five bedrooms, a sauna and hot tub plus the option for daily servicing. And for the more adventurous relatives who fancy a day of heli-skiing, the property’s helipad offers a very convenient collection and drop off point.
The Residences at Kauri Cliffs, located near the northern tip of New Zealand’s North Island, boats four, four-bedroom properties complete with saltwater pool, cooking and laundry facilities and use of a golf buggy to get around the estate.