Whether you’re looking for toddler-friendly hotels in Ireland, self-catering accommodation with hotel facilities or simply some inspiration for your next family break, here is the Wild Irish Walks guide to some of the best hotels for toddlers in Ireland.
Over the past few years, we’ve taken a number of family trips both at home and abroad. Our stays in Mallorca and Elviria in the Costa Del Sol in particular helped us figure out what really makes accommodation work when travelling with a toddler.
A lot of the things we look for when planning a family holiday abroad also apply when arranging a staycation or weekend away in Ireland. Separate sleeping and living space, self-catering facilities and somewhere for little ones to play can make a huge difference.
With this in mind, we’ve stayed in some brilliant toddler-friendly hotels and resorts around Ireland. We’ve also picked up recommendations from friends and family travelling with young children. This article seeks to share all this good information with you to make your well deserved break as enjoyable as possible.
What We Look For When Booking a Family Break in Ireland
When looking for the best hotels for toddlers, we have a wish list of facilities which really make the trip more enjoyable for everyone. These are:
- Separate sleeping and living area: The dream is where we can put our little one down to bed at night and then the grown-ups can relax, have a glass of wine and just chill out in a separate area beside the bedroom.
- Self-catering facilities: For longer stays, the ability to have breakfast every morning in our own accommodation is very handy. It means we can also prep lunches and bring them with us for whatever adventure we have planned for the day. So renting an apartment or house works great. However, we find that having all the facilities of a hotel included really makes things easier and definitely adds to the experience.
- Family-friendly amenities: Things like a playground on site or a swimming pool at the location are great.
- Location: A good location can make a huge difference when travelling with a toddler. We love being within walking distance of a town, restaurants or other attractions, particularly if it means we can leave the car parked up and head out with the buggy instead.
Center Parcs – Newcastle Wood, County Longford
The ultimate family-friendly resort in Ireland. This place was built with families and children in mind. The list of activities on offer seems endless. Some toddler specific ones will really make this an amazing holiday for your little one – things like designated pool sessions for under 3s, pottery painting, sensory play and even baby owl sessions.
The lodges in Center Parcs are designed for families as are the many baby friendly restaurants within the resort.
While a given for inclusion on any list of best hotels for toddlers, Center Parcs can be quite expensive. My recommendation would be to take advantage of the reduced rates for mid-week stays during term time before your toddler reaches school going age.
If you get a chance, try to check out the fab spa on site too. My advice here is to grab a waterbed if there’s one available as you move through the spa experiences – these are the most comfortable things in the world!
Wildlands, Moycullen, County Galway
Offering a similar vibe to Center Parcs but with a more homely feel, Wildlands is on a much smaller scale, with just 14 log cabins available. There are loads of activities for bigger children, as well as toddler-friendly facilities such as mini jeep drives (you must be over 3), fun playgrounds and a fairy trail.
The Baile Beag mini village always proves a big hit, with toddler-sized shops, hairdressers, a post office, Garda station and more. The little ones love to wander around and lose themselves in their imagination. It makes for some great photo ops too!
Kelly’s, Rosslare Strand, County Wexford
Kelly’s has a long tradition of providing excellent family-friendly facilities for holidaymakers. Being right on the beach helps, but the hotel also has a sand-filled playground, movie nights, junior discos every day and a designated swimming pool for children.
A Kelly’s stay is really built around children, with loads of organised fun included in the kids’ club. The Starfish club in particular is aimed specifically at toddlers, being for ages 1–3.
Kelly’s offers guest tournaments for a variety of activities like tennis, badminton and crazy golf. This really means you get to know your fellow guests, while the children get to make some great new friends.
If possible, and if you have a large enough group, I would recommend trying to book the Leinster Lodge. This six-room guest house across the road from the main hotel offers a wonderful self-catering option. It’s perfect for making your own breakfasts and lunches while still being able to avail of everything the resort has to offer.
Clonakilty Park Hotel, County Cork
Clonakilty Park Hotel is another great option for a family break with a toddler. The hotel has a huge range of family-friendly facilities, including a swimming pool, playground, soft play area and kids’ club.
One of the big attractions for us is the option of self-catering accommodation. Having your own kitchen and separate living space just makes life that little bit easier when travelling with a toddler, while you still have all the facilities of the hotel nearby.
Another big plus is the buffet-style dining. We’ve found buffets work really well when eating out with a toddler. There’s no waiting around for food to arrive, they can try a little bit of everything and you get to enjoy mealtimes at your own pace.
Clonakilty itself is also a great base for exploring West Cork, with plenty to see and do nearby. I would particularly recommend the Model Railway Centre or the spectacular Inchydoney Beach.
Woodlands House Hotel, Adare, County Limerick
The Woodlands House Hotel gets special mention for having an on-site pet farm. How cool is that? That alone definitely makes it one of the best hotels for toddlers in Ireland.
However, Woodlands is more than just a pet farm. Facilities such as a fairy trail, outdoor playing fields, playground, soft play area, babysitting service as well as a dedicated kids club all make this a great option for a family stay.
We particularly liked the outdoor dining option at The Treehouse.
Again, Adare has loads to offer. Check out what else to do in Adare!
Hodson Bay, Athlone, County Roscommon
Again, back to the midlands, this time the Roscommon side of the Shannon in Athlone.
While no self-catering options are available, rooms with small microwaves and mini fridges can be booked. Within the Hotel, the Hodson Bay has a kids pool area, a toddler playroom and Kids Adventure Club during the summer.
Park Hotel, Dungarvan, County Waterford
Park Hotel Dungarvan comes as a recommendation from a friend who stayed there with their family. While we haven’t stayed there ourselves yet, it ticks so many of the boxes we look for when travelling with a toddler that it will be part of future Ireland holiday plans. As such, I thought it was definitely worth including on this list.
The big attraction for me is the self-catering holiday homes located within the hotel grounds. This gives you separate bedrooms, your own living space and a kitchen, while still having the facilities of a hotel on your doorstep.
Guests staying in the holiday homes can use the hotel’s leisure facilities, including the swimming pool, while the location is another big plus. Dungarvan town centre is around a 10-minute walk away, making it a manageable stroll even with a rowdy toddler in tow.
It’s the combination that I really like: the freedom and extra space of self-catering accommodation, the facilities of a hotel and a town within walking distance. It sounds exactly like the type of set-up we look for on a family break. It comes highly recommended, so I look forward to checking it out.
Parknasilla, Sneem, County Kerry
Given the picturesque location along the Wild Atlantic Way, amazing views and scenery go hand in hand with a stay at Parknasilla Resort.
The resort caters really well for families, with fairy and adventure trails within the 500 acres of hotel grounds. Plus, you have organised nature walks along the beach, as well as visiting owl experts and animal roadshows. Perfect for little nature lovers!
The resort boasts a wonderful swimming pool, movie nights and a games room. These are in addition to organised activities like face painting, puppet shows and arts and crafts. All of the activities are part of the kids’ club available at the resort.
For families, you have two and three-bedroom self-catering lodges to choose from. Staying here can be pricey, but it’s ideal if you are looking for a real treat for all the family.
Amber Springs, Gorey, County Wexford
They love catering for children in the sunny south east. The Amber Springs is deservedly included in our list of best hotels for toddlers. Accommodation consists of hotel rooms rather than self-catering accommodations. While this isn’t ideal for us, the resort is loaded with attractions that will keep children happy. The big ones being their mini farm, fab outdoor playground as well as indoor play zone. They even have an Amber Express train!
I feel this option is slightly more geared towards older children. They have go-karting, archery, a game zone and a really cool cinema.
Druid’s Glen, County Wicklow
At the other end of the scale, Druids Glen might actually be geared towards smaller babies than toddlers. I’ll always remember here though – the first little getaway we brought our little one on.
We loved the dedicated baby swim times available in the pool as well as the 24 hour baby pantry with essential baby supplies like formula and nappies. We found the pantry also equipped with sterilisers and microwaves. Very handy.
We saw loads of other couples with small babies there which is always a nice reassurance.
Druids Glen also has a playground and walking trails with fairy gardens.
Best Hotels for Toddlers
Hopefully this list has given you some inspiration for your next family break in Ireland. We’ve found that travelling with a toddler becomes considerably easier when you have the right accommodation — particularly somewhere with separate sleeping space, self-catering facilities and plenty to keep little ones entertained.
We’ll continue adding to this list as we discover more toddler-friendly hotels around Ireland. Some will be places we’ve stayed ourselves, while others will come highly recommended by friends and family travelling with young children.
If you’re planning a toddler-friendly holiday in Ireland, hopefully there’s something here that works for you.
Finally, if you do book your stay through any of the hotels above by clicking the links in this article, I will earn a small fee through an affiliate programme with booking.com. This comes at no extra cost to you but will help with the running and upkeep of this site.