The best family holidays for February Half Term 2027

A week away in February can do wonders for family morale. Especially when home is dark by teatime and everyone has had quite enough of winter.

Where you go depends on who’s coming. Small children are often happiest with warm water, plenty of space and a kids’ club they actually want to return to. Give older children some wildlife, water sports or a bit of independence, and things become easier. Teenagers may need stronger material: skiing in the Dolomites, huskies in Arctic Sweden, Tokyo followed by the Japanese Alps, or a safari where the morning starts with fresh lion tracks rather than another family excursion.

Parents deserve something from the week too. A children’s club is infinitely more useful when there’s a very good restaurant to escape to; a family suite should have doors that close; and nobody objects to a private pool. For multi-generational holidays, villas and private houses come into their own, giving grandparents, cousins and children space to operate at different speeds without splitting the family across a hotel.

February 2027 gives us plenty to play with. The Maldives, Oman and the Caribbean bring the heat; Tenerife offers an easier hop from the UK; South Africa, Sri Lanka and Costa Rica turn half term into a proper adventure. Or embrace winter completely with snow, skis and frozen landscapes.

Family suites, connecting rooms, private villas and the best ski and safari arrangements are limited over school holidays, so this is one we’d plan ahead for. Here are the places we think are worth taking the children out of the British winter for.

Oman: Winter Sun With a Little More Adventure

Oman is a clever choice for a February half term because you can find sunshine without committing the entire week to a sun lounger. Muscat has the sea, souqs, forts and the serrated Hajar Mountains behind it, while a few hours inland the road climbs through increasingly dramatic scenery towards Jabal Akhdar.

We’d split the week between the coast and Anantara Al Jabal Al Akhdar, perched high above a vast canyon. Children aged eight and over can try abseiling on the resort’s climbing wall, while cycling, archery and mountain walks fill the cooler hours. There are separate kids’ and teens’ clubs too, which is useful when siblings have reached the stage of wanting absolutely nothing to do with one another.

For a family, the pool villas are worth looking at. Two and three-bedroom configurations give you the luxury of shutting a bedroom door at bedtime and still having somewhere lovely to sit afterwards. Pair the mountains with a few days in Muscat for dolphin watching, Muttrah Souq and time beside the sea, and a week suddenly feels much bigger.

The Maldives: Bare Feet, Warm Water and Very Happy Children

The Maldives is an easy February sell. Warm seas, long sunny days and the particular pleasure of leaving shoes untouched by the door for a week. The harder part is choosing an island that works as beautifully for children as it does for their parents.

Six Senses Laamu is a real treat for families with younger children. The Family Lagoon Beach Villa with Pool has a separate children’s bedroom and bathroom, so bedtime doesn’t signal the end of the evening for everyone else. Outside, there’s a private pool, garden and beach; upstairs, a treetop deck for breakfast or dinner. It’s the sort of set-up that makes family life feel wonderfully easy.

Children can disappear off to The Den, but Laamu gets even better when they start exploring beyond it. Its marine team takes younger guests out onto the reef, turning snorkelling into an introduction to coral, turtles and the tiny creatures living beneath the surface. There are dolphin cruises, treasure hunts and outdoor cinema nights too. By the end of the week, they may know more about the reef than you do.

Tenerife: An Easier Escape From the British Winter

Tenerife is the February escape for families who want sunshine without spending the first day recovering from the flight. You can be beside the pool by lunchtime, with no meaningful jet lag and a whole island beyond the hotel when everyone gets restless.

The Retreat at The Ritz-Carlton Tenerife, Abama is especially lovely for families who need a bit more room to breathe. The Two Bedroom Suite with Private Pool gives everyone a proper bedroom, generous living space and their own pool to retreat to. For younger children, Ritz Kids adds an easy few hours of independence; for everyone else, there are seven pools, the beach below the resort and plenty of space to find a quiet corner.

Away from Abama, take them whale watching, ride the cable car up Mount Teide or devote a day to Siam Park. The volcanic interior is such a contrast to the manicured coast that even a simple drive across the island feels like you’ve gone somewhere.

The Caribbean: A Week That Feels Like Summer

February in the Caribbean needs very little embellishment. Warm sea, bright mornings and lunches that have a habit of drifting well into the afternoon are persuasive enough.

Jumby Bay Island in Antigua is especially lovely with children. There are no cars on the private island, so bicycles become the preferred mode of transport, and older children gain a little freedom of their own. Camp Jumby keeps younger guests busy with everything from ocean adventures and wildlife to cooking and crafts, while sailing, snorkelling and water sports tempt everyone down to the beach.

The private homes here are glorious for a bigger family gathering. Proper bedrooms for grandparents, plenty of outdoor space, pools and the option of a private chef mean three generations can holiday together without needing to do everything together. Breakfast can be noisy and communal; afternoons can scatter everyone across the island.

Barbados is another February favourite, especially when an easy direct flight from the UK carries some weight. Turtle snorkelling, a catamaran day, the surf and wild scenery of the east coast and Friday evening at Oistins bring plenty of colour to a week between the pool and the beach.

The Dolomites: Make the Most of the Snow

If February is going to be cold, it may as well come with snow-covered peaks, skis waiting downstairs and somewhere excellent booked for lunch.

Aman Rosa Alpina is a dream for a family ski week in San Cassiano. The Aman Suite has two en-suite bedrooms, a proper living room and space for six around the dining table, giving families somewhere to gather without living on top of one another. Downstairs, there’s a children’s playroom, a teen lounge, private cinemas and family-friendly pool areas; upstairs, the mountains are waiting.

The skiing around Alta Badia is only half the pleasure. Stop for bowls of pasta and Kaiserschmarrn in a rifugio, take younger children sledging, swap skis for snowshoes for an afternoon, then come back to the spa. And the ski-butler service is worth its weight in gold when four people need to be dressed, booted and reunited with the correct gloves before breakfast has fully kicked in.

Arctic Sweden: The February Adventure

By February, Arctic Sweden is wonderfully, uncompromisingly wintry. Snow piles between the pines, rivers freeze solid and evenings are dark enough to keep one eye on the sky for the Northern Lights.

Start at Treehotel, where even going to bed feels like part of the adventure. Its cabins are suspended among the forest in Harads, ranging from the mirrored cube that almost disappears into the trees to the UFO, which tends to settle the question of which room the children want before anyone has even arrived.

Days are spent outside. Huskies race through the forest, snowmobiles cross frozen landscapes and ice fishing involves drilling through a surface that, a few months later, will be flowing water again. There’s sledging and snowshoeing too, with fires and hot drinks appearing at very welcome intervals.

Pair it with Arctic Bath for a few slower days beside the frozen Lule River. Parents can disappear into the sauna and spa while the family still has reindeer encounters, huskies and snow adventures on the doorstep. This is especially good with older children and teenagers: cold cheeks, big landscapes and plenty to talk about over dinner.

South Africa: Cape Town & Safari

South Africa gives you summer in February and two completely different family holidays in one trip.

Begin in Cape Town, where mornings can start on Table Mountain and end with sand between your toes. Kayak along the coast, visit the penguins at Boulders Beach, wander the V&A Waterfront or head into the Winelands for a long lunch somewhere with lawns and space for children to roam.

One&Only Cape Town is particularly good when you need proper family accommodation. Its Two-Bedroom Family Suites sleep six and give everyone a generous amount of space, while KidsOnly is there for younger guests when another day of sightseeing loses its appeal. The resort-style pool and gardens also soften the edges of a city break with children.

Then comes safari. For younger families, South Africa’s malaria-free reserves open up some wonderful possibilities, with family-friendly lodges, junior ranger activities and drives paced around smaller attention spans. Older children can handle longer mornings in the bush and start to appreciate the thrill of tracking an animal rather than simply ticking off the Big Five.

Few things get a family out of bed quite as efficiently as someone saying there are fresh lion tracks outside.

Costa Rica: For Wildlife-Mad Children

Costa Rica is a gift for the child who peers into every tree.

In Arenal, rainforest surrounds the volcano and even a walk can turn into a small expedition. Sloths hang invisibly above the path until a guide somehow finds them. Toucans flash through the canopy. Tree frogs emerge after dark. Between wildlife sightings there are hanging bridges, waterfalls, hot springs and zip-lines slicing through the forest.

Nayara Gardens is a gorgeous base for families here, cocooned in greenery with the volcano nearby and wildlife wandering remarkably close to the rooms. Days can be busy without feeling organised to death: a morning looking for sloths, a swim after lunch, perhaps a night walk once the forest changes shift.

Afterwards, head to the Pacific. Surf lessons replace hiking boots, boats head out in search of dolphins and the family can finally stop moving quite so much. February is an especially lovely time to combine the rainforest with the drier Pacific coast.

Sri Lanka: Leopards First, Beach Afterwards

Sri Lanka can fit an astonishing amount into one family holiday. The challenge is knowing when to stop.

For half term, a tight route is far more enjoyable than attempting a grand tour of the island. Tea country, safari and the south coast make a beautiful combination, with enough contrast to make every few days feel new.

Wild Coast Tented Lodge sits beside Yala National Park, where elephants, crocodiles and, with luck, leopards are the main event. The Family Cocoon Pool Suite is brilliantly designed for travelling with children: parents sleep in the main Cocoon, while an adjoining “Urchin” gives children a space of their own. A raised walkway connects the two, and there’s a private plunge pool outside.

Junior Ranger activities draw younger guests into the landscape beyond the game drive, while the lodge itself has all the theatre of safari without asking anyone to sacrifice a beautiful bathroom.

Finish at Amanwella on the south coast. Every suite has its own pool, coconut palms tumble towards a long crescent of sand and the pace drops immediately. After early safari starts, a few days where breakfast is the first appointment of the day feels very good indeed.

Thailand: A Little Bangkok, a Lot of Beach

Bangkok is enormous fun with children old enough to enjoy its energy. Boats tear along the river, tuk-tuks weave through traffic, temples glitter in the heat and there is always something excellent being cooked within a few metres of wherever you happen to be standing.

Give it two or three nights. Take a longtail boat through the quieter khlongs, explore the Grand Palace, try a family food tour and let teenagers loose in one of the city’s enormous shopping districts.

Then fly south and change the tempo completely.

Rosewood Phuket is a lovely family hideaway for the second half of the week. Its pavilions and villas are tucked into the hillside above Emerald Bay, and Rosewood Explorers gives younger children plenty to get involved with while parents claim a few quieter hours. Families can snorkel, kayak, cook Thai food or head out by boat, while the beach is there for afternoons when nobody wants an itinerary.

Bangkok provides the colour and commotion. Phuket supplies the bare feet.

Japan: February With Teenagers

Japan is for the family whose children have started rolling their eyes at the words “kids’ club”.

Tokyo rarely needs help holding a teenager’s attention. There are ramen counters and vintage shops, arcades and anime, tiny izakayas and enormous department stores, plus the novelty of stepping onto a bullet train and watching the city disappear behind you.

February gives you the chance to pair all of that with proper winter. Head north to Hokkaido for deep powder and serious skiing, or travel into the Japanese Alps for mountain towns, steaming onsens and snow-covered scenery. The snow monkeys at Jigokudani are a wonderful addition if the route allows: Japanese macaques sitting in hot springs while snow settles around them is difficult to forget.

The hotels don’t need to manufacture entertainment because Japan itself is doing the work. Older children can navigate the trains, order lunch from a vending machine, learn to ski powder or discover that they do, in fact, like raw fish.

It feels like a family holiday without feeling remotely childish.

Egypt: For the Child Who Loves a Story

There is something very satisfying about taking a child who has learnt about ancient Egypt at school and putting them in front of the real thing.

February’s cooler weather makes Cairo, Luxor and the Nile much more comfortable to explore. Start with the pyramids at Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, then fly south to Luxor, where tombs, temples and hieroglyph-covered walls turn several thousand years of history into something startlingly tangible.

A few nights on the Nile gives everyone a change of pace. Smaller boats and dahabiyas are especially lovely for families who don’t want the scale of a conventional cruise ship: breakfast on deck, temples during the day and long stretches watching palms and villages slide past from the river.

This one works beautifully with curious school-age children and teenagers. There are plenty of pools elsewhere in the world. There is only one Valley of the Kings.

Why Book February Half Term 2027 Early?

Half-term availability has its own pecking order. Hotels may still have rooms; the two-bedroom suite you need may already be gone.

Connecting bedrooms, family villas, private homes and the most useful configurations disappear quickly because there simply aren’t very many of them. The same goes for private safari vehicles, sought-after guides, ski instructors and larger Maldivian villas during a fixed school-holiday week.

Planning now gives us the fun choices. Beach or snow? Safari or sloths? A villa where three generations can pile around the breakfast table, or a Japanese adventure that finally impresses the teenagers?

February half term may only be a week, but there is plenty you can do with it.

Start planning your February half-term 2027 holiday with More Travel.