Hi, it's me, Joe.What an adventurer I am. You might think you know about rain, but you ain't heard nothing till you're living in a canvas tent in the middle of a rainforest! And boy, did it rain when I was at Elephant Hills National Park in Phuket

, there really is a super-kitsch restaurant that pays homage to these cutesy toys, where the waitresses dress as bunnies and badgers! Lesson Three: always read your guide book before, rather than after, your visit.Our next destination, Elephant Hills, is billed

at Elephant Hills, in Phuket. Aah, happy days!).Like me, they are art lovers at The Grove – they have all sorts of wacky art all over the place, including the elephant, and some topiaried dogs and bunnies, holding tennis raquets and footballs. During

The great thing about the Far East is that it remains such an exotic culture despite our children becoming ever more world-savvy. When your children are up close to an enormous elephant in the Thai jungle or walking down a street in Bali where women

in South Africa – and, quite simply, it is one of those rare places that must be seen to be believed. Perched magically atop a “koppie” – the small but vertiginous rocky hills that burst up out of the flat African savannah – Ulusaba’s Rock Lodge looks like

of sightseeing and activities, kicking off with an excursion to the Amber Fort with an elephant ride up the hill. The only obstacle here was Joe’s fear of flying, and we hadn’t had the forethought to say that James had a distant Indian cousin who happened to have

is not ideal with children, but at the malaria-free Madikwe Game Reserve on the west coast of South Africa you can still see lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas, zebras and rhinos. Makanyane Safari Lodge is an exclusive game lodge

… Thailand is full of wonders for families, and the north is an adventureland of mountains, rivers and waterfalls, traditional hill tribe villages, elephant safaris and peaceful temples. The Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai is both stunning and luxurious

the rich ginger colours of our hero, the scenes are often basic on a white background, allowing Inkpen’s humour and a child’s imagination to do the rest. 44Where’s Spot?by Eric Hill Frederick Warne, £7.99 (first published 1980)One of the great

the Indian Ocean and the lush Plain Champagne Hills, captures the colonial spirit of Mauritius with its plantation architecture, floor-to-ceiling French windows and tropical gardens.Who goes there? Ewan McGregor and his children enjoy the sun and sea here