Ile de Ré, France

Holidays with toddlers are tough. We've tried it all, from self-drive in South Africa to house swaps in Savannah, but our fondest memories are reserved for the Ile de Ré. On our summer hols last year we camped at Les Amis de la Plage, a lovely site by the beach with none of the big holiday park fuss, just brilliant, clean facilities including child-sized sinks and toilets, a baby changing area and purpose-designed shellfish washing stations. On the beach, there were pools at low tide for the kids to play in and surprisingly passable surf for me at high tide. We stocked up each day at the local market in Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré and then headed back to camp to consume the vast quantities of delicious claret and shellfish we'd bought. In the evenings, we often headed to Saint-Martin-de-Ré for a sunset stroll and dark chocolate ice cream from La Martinière, absolute bliss.
• Pitches at Les Amis de la Plage (+33 546092401, les-amis-de-la-plage.com) cost from €22 (high season)
Ben Colclough, director of tourdust.com

Princes' Islands, Turkey

Burgazada, one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara near Istanbul, is a weekend retreat that's sleepy the rest of the time. Keen for a relaxed, self-catering break but also hooked on Byzantine mosaics, the Hall family (including George, then two-and-a-half, and Harry, nine months) spent a blissful week here early last summer. After morning pastries, fresh juices and Turkish coffee by the harbour, a 45-minute ferry ride (£2) slowly brought the city into view before docking at Kabataş, on the European shore. Transport-obsessed toddlers will love that Hagia Sophia is a tram ride away, while Taksim Square can be reached by funicular. Locals loved our boys, and ferry journeys were unexpected fun with them both getting plenty of attention. Car-free Burgazada can be toured by horse and buggy, or you could do as we did and just hang out by the pool until it was time for dinner on the quayside.
• To rent the Serenity apartment on Burgazada for £650-£1,450 a week, see holidaylettings.co.uk
Tom Hall, Lonely Planet

Mull

The Isle of Mull is second only to Skye in the Inner Hebrides for size and population, and it's a wonderful place for a family holiday. Just getting here, usually via the beautiful ferry ride from Oban, is an adventure – and if the weather's right the views from the breezy upper deck are a wonderful way to leave the real world behind. The ferry docks at Craignure, from where a 45-minute drive brings you to journey's end at Calgary Bay, arguably Scotland's best sandy beach. The former Calgary Hotel is a collection of self-catering properties – a week at Limetree Cottage costs £515 – £615 and makes the perfect base if the weather's fine – and a cosy retreat if your luck's out. Close by, Tobermoray – the setting for the television series Balamoray – has a great fish and chip van on the harbour wall. Mull has plenty of lovely short walks which can easily be tackled with small people in backpacks.
• Limetree Cottage (+44 (0)1688 400256, calgary.co.uk/limetree.html) costs from £405-£615 to rent for a week
Tom Hall, Lonely Planet

Lanzarote

It was a bit of a surprise to find that fly-and-flop holidays are still possible with baby in tow. We took Lola, then six months, to Lanzarote for an autumn break at Casa Katharina, a smart but affordable house on a peaceful, if nondescript, estate near Playa Blanca on the island's south-eastern side. Big hits included Sky TV and an outdoor pizza oven/bbq (dad), the garden's giant cacti (Lola), the absence of almost anything to do (mum) and the private heated pool (everyone).

The Canarian air was magically soporific, even for a teething baby, but if you're likely to bore of a relaxed swim-read-snooze routine, there's a wide, buggy-friendly promenade a five-minute walk away. In one direction you'll find crashing waves and solitude, in the other an unpretentious resort with a small play park and relaxed beach bar where grinning waiters coo at children while parents drink beer with toes in the sand.
• See Lanz Luxury Villas (+44 (0)121 275090, lanzluxuryvillas.com)
Emily Mathieson, Word of Mouth editor at Condé Nast Traveller

Cabo Cope, Murcia, Spain

I'd never heard of the Cabo Cope before, but was immediately intrigued by the prospect of unspoiled Spanish Mediterranean coastline. And realising that it is threatened by yet another concrete resort project, we decided to go down and see it for ourselves. This was as close as I could get to Laurie Lee's experience when he first arrived on the Costa del Sol, I thought: arid mountains cascade unhindered by man towards the sea. It was perfect for driving along dirt tracks to find private beaches of crystalline water – shallow enough for toddlers, but with excellent snorkelling opportunities for adults too.

We stayed at the Mayarí Hotel, in Calabardina, a pleasant oasis overlooking the sea, run by a child-friendly couple; a babysitting service was available and they were soon treating our little one as though he were part of the family.
• Doubles at Mayari Hotel (+34 968 419748, hotel-mayari.com) from €76.50
Jason Webster, author of five books on Spain, including Or the Bull Kills You (Chatto & Windus) a detective novel set in Valencia

Isola d'Elba, Tuscany, Italy

One of the joys of holidaying with under-fives is that you're not bound by the tyranny of the school calendar. Elban beaches that are unvisitable during Italian school holidays in August are quiet in May, when the island's wild flowers bloom, and even June. Perfect white-sand crescents at Fetovaia and Cavoli, on the island's south-west, make a great photo, but Sant'Andrea on the north coast is a tiny rock-pooler's dream. Away from the crystal waters, my little ones love the open, boneshaker cable car ride to the 1,019m summit of Monte Capanne, for views as far as Corsica and right up the Tuscan coast. Just remember to hold on to their hands, and your hats … ours are still up there somewhere.

There's plenty of seafood on every menu, but at informal La Bussola, in Portoferraio, we can sample some serious flavours, such as the signature dish of steamed salt cod on shredded leeks and chickpea puree – and the kids share a pizza. The island's best family accommodation is the boutique complex of affordable, spacious apartments at Casa Campanella, near Capoliveri. Ask them to book your ferry crossing from Piombino, to guarantee the best fare.
• Apartments at Casa Campanella (casacampanella.it) cost from €560 a week for two to three people
Donald Strachan, author of Tuscany, Umbria & Florence With Your Family (£12.99), published this week by Frommer's

Wind in the Willows caravan, Wales

This gorgeous Romany caravan, made for a recent film of Wind in the Willows, is hidden away on top of a hay meadow in stunning Monmouthshire countryside. The caravan itself is compact – there's just one large double bed – so it can only furnish a holiday for a small family: my husband, my six-year-old daughter and I squashed in happily enough. I'm not generally a fan of camping, but this was more comfortable than the usual, because a touch of luxury is provided by the off-grid cabin just a few feet away – the interior is worthy of an interiors magazine, with a sofa, large oven, dining table and a shower. But the most magical part was cooking meals over an open fire, with wood from the nearby copse, then getting tucked up inside the caravan at night and falling asleep to the occasional hooting of owls.
• Prices range from £168- £258 for a two-night stay (+44 (0)844 500 5101, underthethatch.co.uk/willows)
Harriet Green, editor of the Guardian's Family section

Brittany, France

Ten minutes inland from the seaside town of Binic, La Maison des Lamour is a collection of four cottages and five B&B rooms set on a former farm. The decor is stylish country – a sleek combination of modern furniture and accessories (free-standing baths, a chandelier of tea lights, slate-tiled walls) and antique finds (old picture frames and books decorate the bedrooms), with splashes of Cath Kidston-style floral cuteness. All of which will appeal to design conscious parents, though just as important is the kids' paraphernalia – cots, high chairs etc, which make this a hassle-free family retreat. Breakfast (for B&B guests) of local breads, pancakes and jam will please adults and children alike. Outside there's a large wooden fort for kids to let their imaginations run wild, along with a slide and swings, tunnels, a wooden horse, and a field full of ponies to ride in summer – and a river with pedalo hire. With a restaurant and farm shop on site, you could easily while away your days without getting into the car once, but the Lamours will happily recommend places to visit and eat in the area.
• B&B from €75 (high season); cottages from €580 per week (peak season) (+33 2 96 74 13 63, lamaisondeslamour.com)
Jane Anderson, author of Brittany with Kids, published in May by Footprint

Osea Island, Essex

The Essex commuter belt is not the obvious place to look for a secret island untouched by time, but that's what makes Osea so exciting. Until last year, this private island in the Blackwater Estuary near Maldon was run as an exclusive rehab clinic and recording studio. In January, it opened to the public for the first time in more than 100 years as a low-key holiday retreat offering self-catering accommodation in a collection of stylish weatherboarded 18th century cottages, a couple of beach houses and a grand Edwardian manor house which can sleep up to 20. Sailing and fishing trips can be organised, but the emphasis is on simple pleasures: beachcombing, foraging for berries and samphire, swimming, birdwatching and nature walks. Young children will love the chance to collect eggs from the hens, pick fruit from the orchard and visit the island's two resident donkeys. Osea can be reached by road just twice in every 24 hours, when the waters recede to reveal a causeway built by the Romans across the rocky river bed. Although you are really just a 90-minute drive or a 40-minute train ride from London, when the tide comes in and the causeway disappears, the sensation of being cut off from the rest of the world is complete.
• Prices range from £263-£512 for a week at the Sweet Shop, a one-bedroom cottage (07810 753226, oseaisland.co.uk)
Joanne O'Connor, travel writer

Kent

Kids love the novelty factor of the Fishermen's Huts in Whitstable, Kent. They're like supersized versions of Dad's garden shed, but with bedrooms, kitchenette and a bright green wooden front door that opens directly onto the beach. The paved beachside path is ideal for cycling, tricycling, scootering, toddling, or purposefully pushing a toy pram back and forth all day long – and it's just a few car-free steps away. Let the kids explore while you sample some of the best oysters in England and take in the picturesque pebble beach and striking fishing boats. The huts may not be glamorously furnished and the stairs are a bit steep for young ones, but it's the perfect seaside crash pad for beach-bound boys and girls.
• The Fishermen's Huts can be booked through the Hotel Continental, Whitstable (01227 280280, hotelcontinental.co.uk); family huts from £115 per night. The world-renowned Royal Native Oyster Stores (whitstableoystercompany.com) can be found along the path. For cycle hire, including children's bikes, child trailers and tag-alongs, contact whitstablecyclehire.com
Jonathan Knight is editor of Cool Camping and Cool Places guides

This article was amended on 21 April 2011 correcting the price for Casa Campanella, Elba, from €1,900 a week to €560 a week.