The greatest kids' clubs you need to put on your radar

Calling all junior yogis. At Whitsundays’ Daydream Island, perfecting your downward dog near the pristine blue Whitsundays waters isn’t just the domain of Instagram influencers. Better yet, yoga is only part of a comprehensive program at the island resort’s supercharged Kids’ Club, reborn as part of its AUD $100 million makeover following the devastation of 2017’s Cyclone Debbie.
 
In morning and afternoon sessions, children aged four to 12 enjoy walks in the rainforest, fish feeding at Lovers Cove, sandcastle building, beach sports, movies, scavenger hunts and kite making so there’s never a dull moment. Sessions cost AUD $50 per child and there’s a discount for multiple children.
 
A highlight of the resort is the Living Reef – a man-made coral lagoon that offers a number of educational experiences at an additional cost. Kids will love feeding tropical fish and sea stars with in-house marine biologists, visiting the touch tank and underwater observatory and interacting with playful baby rays during the Stingray Splash. Just add a designated kids’ pool and press “go” on paradise.

Sprawled across snow-covered Tomamu Mountain, this winter wonderland is where the action is – there’s an on-site ice village, an 80-metre wave pool nearby and a team of beaming snow instructors ready to teach their charges how to ace both skiing and snowboarding as part of the kids’ clubs at Club Med Tomamu Hokkaido. Skiing is available for those aged four years and up and snowboarding from eight years, both taught in ability groups.
 
For a fee, tots aged two to three can discover the wintry delights of the mountains with Petit Club Med (there’s no Baby Club Med). Meanwhile, children aged four to 10 can enjoy Mini Club Med, which incorporates a three-room space devoted to arts and crafts, video games and music.
 
In a separate space, Club Med Passworld gives big kids aged 11 to 17 relaxation time away from their skiing and snowboarding lessons in a graffiti-covered room where they can spin decks and enjoy movie screenings.
 
The kids’ clubs are covered in the price of this all-inclusive resort, with the exception of Petit Club Med, an on-demand service that costs JPY ¥3900 (about AUD $50) for a half day and JPY ¥7800 (about AUD $100) for a full day.

Admittedly, it’s not a true kids’ club as the full program is only offered during school holidays but those with an interest in nature pursuits will love the Junior Eco Rangers activities at Kingfisher Bay Resort on Queensland’s Fraser Island, the largest sand island in the world.
 
Run by an experienced team of rangers, the program (for kids aged five to 12) is all about leaving screens behind and reconnecting with the natural world through activities such as learning to fish, discovering flora and fauna on bushwalks, playing games on the beach and listening to stories while toasting marshmallows around the campfire. Each session costs AUD $35 (including lunch or dinner) and you can book the kids in for a morning or evening slot. Outside of school holidays, the resort usually offers one Junior Eco Rangers session on weekends.

With a slick aesthetic that wouldn’t look out of place in a “Homes you’ll never be able to afford” magazine, JW Marriott’s Children’s Pavilion is a world away from the tired-looking kids’ clubs often found in tropical hideaways. Looks aren’t everything of course, so what gives?
 
The Children’s Pavilion caters for kids aged four to 12 and most of the activities – such as hair beading, basic Thai boxing, tennis, mask making and Thai dance classes – are free.
 
It’s not all about the little ones and there’s plenty to entertain kids aged 13 to 18, who can learn scuba diving and Thai massage or join drawing, yoga and zumba classes. They’re also catered for in the Children’s Pavilion – the Teen Zone offers a mini movie theatre, karaoke, video games, pool tables and computers (with limited internet access) so they can post to their heart’s content.
 
The cherry on top? Although it’s not part of the kids’ club, the resort’s award-winning Mandara Spa offers treatments for little ones exhausted after a day of primary colour-hued activity.

If you get excited about free resort laundry services, here’s another one for you: a kids’ club where every child passing through its door must use hand sanitiser and have their temperature taken.
 
Yep, the folks behind Toots Club (for kids aged five to 12) and Mini Toots Club (for those under five) – part of The Cool Zone at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sentosa Resort & Spa – have thought of everything. Not only can children enjoy the clubs’ daily themed adventures, everything from Pirate Tuesday to Circus Saturday, there’s an arts and crafts room, a Fun Zone – where kids of all ages can play video games – plus foosball and table tennis. The clubs are free for hotel guests, although parents have to supervise little ones at Mini Toots Club, a jungle-themed play area with coloured ball pits and games (or you can pay for a private nanny).
 
Another draw for families with young children is the resort’s swimming pool with splash pad and water slides. And less than five minutes’ walk away on Siloso Beach is Nestopia, an outdoor adventure playground and obstacle course with 17 play sections and two of the longest slides on Sentosa Island. Good luck trying to get your kids to leave the resort – the Toots Club’s treehouse slide is particularly popular.

While swaying palms and a languid lagoon beckon grown-up guests, its outstanding kids’ club and caring staff keeps families coming back to Outrigger.
 
From the moment the booming “Bula” man greets you at the entrance, families are embraced by legendary Fijian warmth and hospitality. Stay in resort rooms or thatched bures with vaulted tapa-lined ceilings from which meandering paths lead to the free Little Riggers (for three- to seven-year-olds) and Beach Riggers (for eight- to 12-year-olds) kids’ clubs. Staff with huge smiles and open arms welcome kids for fun-filled days of coconut throwing, fish feeding and crab hunting, as well as sandcastle making on the beach or water polo in the pool. For a small fee, a terrific teens program includes spear making, a tour of the Tavuni Hill Fort and a hike to the Enchanted Pool.
 
Or, parents can book one of the wonderful mei mei nannies (additional cost), who dote on their young charges – children aged six months to 12 years – then head to the heavenly hilltop Bebe Spa for rum nightcaps in the Kalokalo Bar, knowing their kids are in the best of hands.

Got a Disney-obsessed little one who’s constantly parading around in polyester princess outfits? Head to Hawaii’s Aulani resort in Kapolei, on the island of Oahu, and they can celebrate their Disney addiction with gusto at Aunty’s Beach House, the onsite kids’ club.
 
The main attraction is “Aunty” – a lifelong Oahu resident and expert on local traditions, history and culture – who delights guests aged three to 12 with activities including Hawaiian arts and crafts, dress-ups and hosting Disney friends who stop by for a visit. Kids often think Aunty is the star of the show (and she is), even if she’s just walking through the resort – that’s kids’ club enough for some youngsters.
 
Most kids’ club activities are free and there are also premium experiences on offer for a fee – enjoy a makeover at the HI-Style Studio or take the Fish Are Friends tour, which introduces little ones to the resort’s marine life. It’s worth remembering that you need to submit the online pre-registration form for Aunty’s Beach House at least two days before you arrive at the resort.

Junior explorers and wannabe Doras will love the kids’ club at Fiji’s leading five-star eco resort, founded by the son of legendary marine conservationist Jacques Cousteau. For many families the highlight of this palm-fringed heaven is the all-inclusive Bula Club, which offers activities that mix education and a healthy dose of fun. 
 
The philosophy is to encourage young ones to appreciate their surroundings, and this is achieved via guided walks with the resident marine biologist, exploration of the wonders of Savusavu Bay and botany tours with local elders who explain the medicinal properties of native plants. The Junior Chef Program also teaches kids how to harvest and prepare a healthy lunch.
 
The little ones are endlessly entertained by the hermit crab races on the beach. And kids of all ages will appreciate the Bula Club’s swimming pool and water slide, flying fox, trampoline, tree house and table tennis, while parents will love the dedicated nanny for each child under the age of six, the small-group carers for six to 12-year-olds and the activity buddy for teens.

Make a kite and watch it soar, scale a climbing wall and dress in traditional costume at this circus-themed kids’ club that caters for children aged four to 12. Fronting the white sands of Tanjung Benoa Beach, which neighbours Bali’s resort enclave of Nusa Dua, this 171-room resort (kids 12 and under stay and eat free) has been designed with families in mind.
 
In a smart move, the vibrant kids’ club is adjacent to both the family pool (with fun slide, giant tipping bucket and floating pillows) and restaurant so parents can dine or enjoy sundowners knowing – and seeing – their children are having fun. A TV monitor outside the kids’ club allows you to observe your little ones at play, without them seeing you.
 
The club is staffed by caring Balinese who provide a fun, safe environment for kids to learn about local culture, play on the beach and try everything from yoga and aerobics to making canang sari (Hindu flower offerings) and pizza. It’s free but some activities incur a fee.
 
Another attraction is the offer of family suites with a separate twin bedroom complete with TV, game console and bathroom with rubber duck shower head. The swim-up bar, where kids can order a mocktail, is a big treat, as is flying the kites that the kids make in the kids’ club, watching them swirl and dip on the ocean breeze.