By recognizing the specific needs of all family members, Elegant Hotels’ newly re-launched Tamarind hotel in Barbados has consolidated its excellence as a leading family holiday destination with the launch of the “Flying Fish Kids Club” and “Club Tamarind”.

Tamarind has introduced a series of thoughtfully planned entertainment programs to make even the youngest guests feel special to ensure that parents are able to focus on a little “me” or “us” time, enjoying more “adult” activities such as diving, spa treatments, site-seeing or simply relaxing with a book and a cocktail on the beach. The programme also allows of course, for usually time-poor parents to spend much needed quality time with the kids while on holiday.

The Flying Fish Kids Club welcomes Tamarind’s smaller guests from 10am-5pm, Tuesday-Saturday with extended opening hours on Monday evenings until 8pm to allow for extra fun after the kid’s “Mocktail Party” at 6pm. Catering to every need of Tamarind’s VIC’s (very important children) and ensuring that each new Flying Fish “member” is kept utterly entertained throughout their stay at the resort, programmes are tailored to different ages in two groups; 4-7 and 8-12, and offer a series of brand new daily activities both on and off-site, exposing little’uns to the culture, history, nature and geography of the Island with a strong focus on FUN! Activities include:

-      Arts and Crafts: Budding young Picassos can create jewellery, beaded key chains or their own personally designed t-shirts as memorabilia from their time spent at Tamarind
-      Beach Olympics:  Sack races, tug-o-war, egg & spoon races and relays - a great way to encourage both sportsmanship and team participation.
-      Cooking:  Traditional methods and modern influences will be the order of the day.
-      Themed Parties:  At festive times of the year.
-      Swimming with the Turtles (additional cost): Studying the beautiful coral reef aboard a glass bottom boat, kids have the opportunity to swim with the two main varieties of turtles found around the island.

Special weekly Tamarind Tour Days (additional cost) will also be arranged for the kiddies as well as seasonal educational Camps in summer and Easter. An experienced team of babysitters are also always on hand to provide families with individualised care and of course, children under 4 are welcome to take part in all age-appropriate activities when accompanied by their parents or caregiver. Elegant’s three other resorts welcoming families in Barbados - Colony Club, Crystal Cove and Turtle Beach - boast similar kids clubs and family-friendly focused programmes, particularly throughout school holiday seasons.

Teenagers at Tamarind are equally spoilt at the dedicated teen “Club Tamarind”, offering a special programme geared towards encouraging group fun and the forging of friendships through land and water activities such as beach cricket, kayaking, swimming with turtles, hikes, off-site tours and arranged trips to festivals, events and movies at the Olympus theatre.

During the day, adventure-seeking teenagers (or those looking to impress new friends made on holiday!), might like to take advantage of Elegant Hotels’ complimentary “Aqua School” offering, launched this summer across all of its family-friendly resorts and featuring free instruction in a range of water sports and free use of equipment. Daily Aqua School activities include kayaking, snorkeling, water skiing; sailing; wind surfing; wake boarding and knee boarding. Stand-up paddle boards are offered at nearby Colony Club, with Saturday clinics to educate guests on this very Barbadian pastime. For any budding Kelly Slaters among the Tamarind teens, Elegant Hotels also offers a Surf Package for $100 per person, minimum two guests, including transportation to Barbados’ best waves and expert surf instruction. 

Welcoming teenagers up to the age of 17 from 10am – 9pm Monday to Friday and until 10.30pm on Saturdays to allow for the Teen Disco, Club Tamarind also provides the “young adults” with a super cool Clubhouse to hang out in, fully stocked with the latest “Teen toys” such as flat screen TVs, DVD library, Wii consoles and bookshelves filled with the latest releases to make them feel grown up in their own allocated space.