Go self-catering in Mauritius at the Cape Point Apartments from Villas de Maitre. The new apartments overlook the turquoise lagoon of Cap Malheureux in the north of the island; each apartment has three bedrooms and a large deck with barbecue

Prices start at £513 per night for a three-bedroom villa at Karma Kandara, including a private pool, garden and complimentary children’s club and babysitting services.For more details, visit www.karmaresorts.com

and Residence costs £4,900 for a family of four.There’s a daily flight to Las Vegas from Heathrow. It costs £480 per adult, £420 per child return; four nights in a one-bedroom suite at the four-star Hilton Grand Vacations costs from £3,055 for a family of four

, making it an ideal swimming beach for families with small children. It is also a good place to watch whales cavorting offshore in the winter. Stay at the exclusive Kapalua Resort where seven nights in May staying in a two-bedroom ocean view villa costs

of the plane journey is sheer bliss. Barbados is a good place to start if you’re exploring the Caribbean for the first time or taking your first long-haul family holiday. It’s straightforward to get to; it’s highly developed, with some of the best family hotels

children’s clubs and all of them have beautiful white sandy beaches and offer every watersport under the sun.The whole island is encircled by a coral reef but the West coast tends to be more protected, and it’s here that you’ll find long stretches of sandy

, giraffes and cheetahs, children can enjoy a broad range of family-friendly activities, including horse riding, mountain biking and visits to Masaai villages. Prices start from £1,590 for a family of four in a two-bedroom family home with pool through Brown

The feeling is familiar: you’re sitting in the departure lounge waiting to board that long-haul flight, watching your fellow travellers milling about, hoping, praying, that the two small children screaming and climbing over the seats