Great for Getting Together

"I wish I'd spent more time with my family." It's safe to say that this is a more common cry than "I wish I'd spent more time at work". Perhaps that's why more and more travellers are taking multi-generational holidays - and often adding in their friends.

Individual villas within a hotel's grounds are ideal for this style of getaway. At La Samanna on St Martin in the Caribbean or Napasai on Thailand's Koh Samui, expansive residences spread out on cliffs beneath the sun. Then there are hotels with clusters of rooms in their gardens such as the new Limonaia Suite at Villa San Michele. Guests at this former monastery on the edge of Florence can choose the perfect configuration of rooms to house their group in privacy and peace.

The key to the success of any such vacation is a wealth of varied activities for every age. Cue Reid's Palace in Madeira, the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town and, perhaps surprisingly, Hotel Cipriani in Venice, all of which offer special entertainment for tiny children right up through teenagers and their parents. All of this activity takes place in special areas so as not to disturb those who are less than enchanted by the patter of tiny feet.

Perhaps the ultimate adventure for a group of any kind is to take over a property in part or as a whole. Imagine having an Afloat in France barge to yourselves and gliding through the French countryside, sampling the type of produce growing either side of the barge as you go. Or reserve a carriage on the British Pullman for 24 guests or the entire Royal Scotsman train for your 36 closest friends.

What's the best holiday you've had with family or friends?