InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort
InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort
Classically-inspired Queensland estate with kids' club, fine dining and pool
An airport hotel may be the best family travel decision you’ll make, writes Charlie Paterson.
Your alarm goes off at 3:30am. The suitcase won’t close. One child has locked themselves in the toilet for reasons that have not been fully explained. Another is in full crisis over a stuffed animal that, until located, means the entire operation is frozen. The taxi is waiting. The departure board is not. You are calculating, with the focus of someone defusing a bomb, whether there is still a version of this morning where you make the flight.
But it’s a problem with a surprisingly elegant solution. Just start the night before at an airport hotel, a simple addition to your holiday that can turn departure day from a logistical ordeal into something that resembles fun. I mean, you’re already there. The kids have slept properly. Breakfast is handled and someone else is washing up. You can stroll to check-in. The kids are calm. You’re already, inexplicably, in holiday mode. And the hotels themselves? They’ve gone and gotten seriously good. What was once a category defined almost entirely by grey carpet and shuttle buses has had a genuine glow-up with family rooms, pool access, kids’ welcome packs, play areas and restaurants that go beyond the meal deal. Add double-glazed windows that keep runway noise where it belongs and, suddenly, airport hotels are worth staying in, not just sleeping through. They work just as hard at the other end. Landing late in an unfamiliar city with jet-lagged kids is far less daunting when a comfortable room is just two minutes from arrivals. Many have rental car desks on site too, so you can pick up the keys, load everyone in, and hit the road feeling human.
Though with rates that routinely come in well below city-centre equivalents, they’re increasingly worth considering as a base for the whole trip, not just a one-night fix. Positioned as they are on the edge of cities and regions, they’re a genuinely smart launching pad for exploring further afield, without the price tag or parking complications of staying somewhere more central. The savings go back into the holiday and the stress stays at home. Honestly, it’s the easiest upgrade you’ll make.
