Sundowner Magazine: Spring/Summer 2020

AGE
4
SUMMER #5
SOUTH AFRICA
Sally Peck, The Telegraph’s family editor and a
travel expert, recently took her young daughter
on safari with A&K. “I wanted to take her on her first major
adventure,” she explains. To any family considering a safari, she
says: “I cannot think of a more perfect family trip: safaris combine
adventure, activity, and learning with relaxation and scenes of
unequalled beauty.” For a four-year-old, South Africa is a great
choice – there’s only a minor time difference and you can leave
the malaria pills at home. Much of South Africa is free from the
disease, including Kwandwe, a private Big Five game reserve not
far from the Garden Route. At Ecca Lodge, guests of all ages are
welcome, and a range of other family-friendly amenities include
family suites with the use of a private vehicle and dedicated range,
children’s menus, activities, and childminders.
FAMILY QUARTERS: KWANDWE ECCA LODGE
AGE
5
SUMMER #6
ARIZONA
What’s the formula for a truly perfect family
holiday? The answer is simple: time together
plus fun on tap. At the Hyatt Regency in Scottsdale, Arizona,
everyone gets to be a kid. The resort is an enormous playground.
Pack the water-resistant SPF50 – this resort has its own onehectare
water park with 10 pools, hot tubs, a ‘Greek-style’ water
temple, waterfalls, a sandy beach, and a three-storey waterslide.
When fingers have wrinkled sufficiently, the rock-climbing wall,
putting green, fun zone, and tennis courts are perfect for drying
out in the warm sun. At the kids’ club, there are Native American
crafts, cowboy storytellers, and campfire snacks. Could you ask for
anything s’more?
FAMILY QUARTERS: HYATT REGENCY SCOTTSDALE RESORT & SPA
AGE
6
SUMMER #7
TANZANIA
From the original animated version to the liveaction
remake, The Lion King has a special place
in our children’s collective conscious. Although the animators
famously travelled to Kenya’s Masai Mara for inspiration, it and
Tanzania’s Serengeti are a shared ecosystem. Vast rolling savannahs,
rocky outcrops, and acacia trees punctuating the horizon – it’s
something straight from the cinema screen. During the year, the
Great Migration – made up of more than 1.5 million wildebeest,
200,000 Burchell’s zebra, and a smattering of trailing Thomson’s
gazelle – circles through these ‘Pride Lands’. Snapping at their heels
and lying in wait are hungry predators like Simba, Shenzi, and
Scar. Far from being too brutal for children to witness, Sally Peck
is adamant that “our Victorian squeamishness about the realities
of life and death do us – and our children – damage”. Showing her
daughter the circle of life was one of the main reasons that Sally
wanted to take her on safari and they both “loved it”.
FAMILY QUARTERS: SINGITA SERENGETI HOUSE
56 | SPRING/SUMMER 2020