Easter holidays: 15 hotel and self-catering breaks in Ireland for families with kids
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From laid-back self-catering to innovative hotel breaks, these family escapes will tick all the boxes when it comes to choosing a fun-filled Easter break with the kids.
With a fabulous coastal setting the Dingle Skellig has been an enduringly popular destination for families for decades, thanks to the wealth of amenities on offer.
Family activities include the Fungi Playroom, Fungi Kids Club, the Teen Klub with a selection of PlayStation games and the kids’ movie room. Junior evening meals are served from 5.30pm.
Easter breaks at Fitzgerald’s Woodlands House Hotel offer excellent value and lots of fun activities to keep everyone happy.
With a kids club, a leisure club with pool, an outdoor pitch and goalposts, a fairy trail, giant games, and nature walks, children will be kept entertained from dawn to dusk while parents can enjoy the babysitting service and the onsite spa.
Dining in The Treehouse, a zero-waste venue where sustainability and delicious food come together is both a fun and conscientious way to feed the family.
The dramatic surrounds of Powerscourt Hotel are incomparable with lush gardens, rolling hills and the magnificent Powerscourt Waterfall on your doorstep.
Add to that the complimentary bikes, the picnicking, the pool, and the outdoor playground and you have an idyllic family escape and, of course, not forgetting the all-important daily Easter egg hunt.
On the edge of the Liffey Valley, Castleknock Hotel offers four-star family breaks to Dublin in a great location.
Dublin Zoo is 15 minutes away and, if the weather doesn’t disappoint, Fort Lucan outdoor adventure centre is just five minutes away.
There is also a children’s playground, a swimming pool, and nightly movies in the cinema room with cookies and milk. Parents are optional.
The family-owned Maryborough House in Douglas has 18 acres of gardens and woodland to lose yourself in and log fires to cosy up beside.
The hotel is a smart combination of classic 18th-century style fused with a contemporary extension. Children will enjoy a dip in the swimming or toddler pool and during the Easter holidays, they can also enjoy the Games Room and Easter Sunday Egg Hunt.
Great Southern in Killarney has been welcoming guests through its doors since 1854 so they know what makes a comfortable hotel stay.
This Easter, the family package is a fun-filled extravaganza with a choice of packages and access to the pool, sauna and outdoor tennis courts.
Guests can also choose from one family outing to enjoy, like a visit to Muckross traditional farm or a jaunting car trip through Killarney National Park.
If a family escape to beautiful Donegal is on your wish list over Easter the Redcastle Hotel and Spa has a lot to offer.
On the Inishowen Peninsula overlooking Lough Foyle, the property has recently undergone an extensive refurbishment and is a refined four-star hotel, perfect for a family escape with an indoor pool and spa and proximity to some of Ireland's most breathtaking scenery — plus The Wild Alpaca Way is on the doorstep.
A short break in beautiful Schull in West Cork is always a good idea. The Schull Harbour Hotel is an affordable base to explore the area from with great local beaches and excellent dining options.
There is also a swimming pool and leisure centre plus face painting and kids’ discos if you prefer to lay low and just soak up the atmosphere and views.
A handy hop from Dublin, Druids Glen is a great choice for an Easter escape with the family. The location itself is beautiful, on 360 acres of lush greenery bordered by the Irish Sea and Wicklow mountains.
The kids club will be fully operational over the holidays, along with walking trails, an outdoor playground, and a swimming pool with dedicated family times and a driving range with kid’s clubs available.
There are plenty of dining options, plus a health club and a spa.
Dinosaur fans will be right at home with a stay at The Newpark Hotel Kilkenny with Easter packages that include access to Jurassic Kids Club, Jurassic Newpark theme park with its 12 life-size, moving dinosaurs, and Jurassic Bounce for those with a love of inflatables.
This Easter, the theme park is offering a Wonka in Jurassic experience that embraces all things chocolate from March 23–March 31.
Add to that the fairy village and the adventure playground and you are all but guaranteed sleepy heads when evening falls.
Easter breaks at the stylish K Club offer a choice of two or three nights in interconnecting rooms, with dinner in either The Palmer or South Bar & Restaurant.
There’s access to The K Club’s Easter Programme too with paddle boarding, archery and Segway tours available to book too.
Grown-ups might enjoy wine and whiskey tastings, golf and tours of the impressive wine cellar with babysitting options.
Fun-loving families will be right at home with an adventure escape at Ferrycarrig Hotel on the banks of the River Slaney in Co Wexford.
The Easter break offers opportunities for kayaking, surfing, stand-up paddling, sand-duning, archery, horse-riding, zip-lining and more.
For day trips head to Hook Lighthouse or Johnstown Castle. The hotel’s leisure centre includes a swimming pool and outdoor playground too.
Further Space offers upscale glamping pods on the grounds of Glenarm Castle, near Carnlough on the Causeway Coastal Route.
There are jaw-dropping sea views, plus the added benefits of the facilities on the 17th-century castle’s grounds, including a tea room, Pizza Pavilion and potting shed.
Add to that the walking trails, the walled garden, a Mini Land Rover Experience with optional extras including a s’mores kit and hot tub experience and you’ll never be bored!
A two-minute ferry crossing, Waterford Island Resort comprises of a 16th-century castle on a private 310-acre island.
Fun comes in nature walks, junior golf, the outdoor playground and picnics, all while deer spotting and searching for a glimpse of Eliza, the elusive fairy and her fairy doors.
For grown-ups, there is clay pigeon shooting, tennis, golf and croquet.
Easter break at Center Parcs in Longford, offer a choice of packages, from a three- or four-night break or full seven-night getaway.
Cycle through the forest, splash about in the subtropical swimming paradise, or immerse yourself in the vast range of indoor and outdoor activities.
Of course, it wouldn’t be Easter without some chocolate themed fun: try your hand at chocolate egg decorating or Easter wreath making before embarking on the all-important Easter egg hunt, before ending the day with a soak in the hot tub.
Looking for something memorable to enjoy as a family over the Easter break? Try these exciting activities
In Dublin’s Theatre of Light in the Point Village is an interactive Lego experience with life-sized animals, showcasing some of the biggest and best Lego creations ever made.
Ideal for all your little (and not so little) Lego fans.
This is the place to go in Cork for zip-lining, wakeboarding, kayaking, high ropes, low ropes, cliff climbing, raft building and a range of other thrilling activities.
There is also a large inflatable water park.
This cave in Castleisland, Co Kerry showcases one million years of history and one of Ireland’s best examples of an open cave in the country.
There is also an indoor play centre, a restaurant and a gift shop.
The rope bridge in Co. Antrim was first erected by salmon fishermen over 250 years ago and is suspended 100ft above sea level and crossing it is equal parts terrifying and exhilarating
This adventure park in Lucan, Co. Dublin offers families a fun day out with waterslides, a helter skelter, crazy golf, go karts and ziplines.
Fota boasts 100-acres of wildlife park located on Fota Island, with an Asian Sanctuary with Asiatic lions, Sumatran tigers and Indian rhinos.
The cheetah run, tropical house and giraffe crossing are also well worth visiting.
Located along the marina in Dingle is Ireland’s largest aquarium. The aquarium hosts a collection of magnificent sand tiger sharks, Gentoo and Humboldt penguins among other otherworldly creatures.
The sanctuary in Liscarroll, Co Cork is a charity-run home to 130 donkeys and entry is free with a donation.
This is an immersive digital experience where you can view the world-famous Book of Kells while learning about the symbolism and artistry of the 1,200-year-old manuscript, with a close-up look at the current pages on display.
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This adventure and discovery park in Kilkenny is a great day out for all the family with 80 acres of natural woodland and, home to one of Ireland’s longest zip lines.
There is also paddle boats, archery, and a skywalk challenge.
The Blessington Lakes in Wicklow offers family kayaking, SUP (stand-up paddle boarding), orienteering, archery, climbing walls and zip lining in the Garden of Ireland.