Travel: Why Crieff Hydro is a family holiday paradise

They say never work with children or animals – that should apply to holidays, too.

With two little ones in tow, I’ve signed up for a llama trek…what could possibly go wrong?

The walk up to the enclosure proves testing, with little Ollie whining his legs are sore and Emily Rose announcing she’s hungry, for the umpteenth time since breakfast half an hour ago.

But as soon as we lay eyes on the giant floofs, excitement takes over. Everyone has a smile on their face and the whines turn to screams of elation, with a burst of energy that has them bouncing up and down.

We are tasked with taking Harry Potter out for walkies, a black llama with a white zigzag down the middle of his head… you can see where he got his name!

Despite towering over the children, he’s friendly and maintains an air of calm despite the sea of hysterical hyperness unfolding under his nose.

Along with Harry’s pals Chewy, Ghost and Casper, we do a loop round the surrounding fields.

I encourage the kids to hold the ends of the lead which they’re very agreeable to.

We stop for a munch of the grass and all four of the animals make a pit stop for a poo before heading back to the pen, albeit with a fair bit of resistance from Harry Potter who has decided he’s had enough of walking.

I can’t help but laugh… it feels like we’re spending the day with a giant hairy toddler!

With the llamas safely back and getting their lunch, the kids feed the goats a treat…ginger nut biscuits. They’re feisty little things and will do anything to get their hands on one – in fact a cheeky little one head-butts Ollie on his manhood! Thankfully he’s fine and once his pride is restored, we laugh about it all the way back to the hotel.

We’re spending a couple of days at Crieff Hydro, the perfect place for a family holiday, with plenty to keep the kids busy – and the luring promise for parents of a stress-free break, with the possibility of dinner without indigestion and a couple of cocktails in peace before turning in for the night. It sounds too good to be true – but it isn’t.

Crieff Hydro understands the kids need to burn off energy, and that’s why they’ve created Action Glen, a massive playground for kids and adults alike. From jumping on the bouncing pillows to climbing up and sliding down the huge wooden fort, you can whittle the hours away, and when you get fed up with that, there’s horseriding, archery, treetop zip wires, crazy golf, and even off road driving!

At the hotel, there’s a swimming pool with a huge slide, birdbox building, a cinema, playroom and a creche which will care for your little ones for two hours, freeing up “me time” for the wiped out mums and dads.

And that is exactly what we do at the hotel’s Victorian Baths. This adults-only world of peace and serenity is the perfect shot of blissful calm. We lie on loungers in our fluffy dressing gowns and have a swim in the pool, followed by sauna, steamroom and a seat in the bubbling Jacuzzi. If heaven made holidays, this would be it.

All too soon, it’s time to scoop up the kiddies for dinner. We head to the Terrace restaurant and, as it’s a lovely night, take a seat outside. With a bouncy castle just a hop, skip and a jump away, the kids devour their pasta, then lark around while slurping their ice lollies, leaving us to enjoy the most delicious and relaxing meal in ages.

Then it’s off to the mini disco where they dance the night away until bedtime. Thankfully they make it back to our sprawling family apartment just in time to brush their teeth before crashing out for the night, leaving us to enjoy our own luxurious space, with a double bed big enough for four, and a minibar.

Next morning, we’re up for a leisurely breakfast before doing it all again, with swimming, a walk and shot at the driving range for us while the kids rush back to creche.

We finish off another long day with another amazing meal and a cocktail on the lawn laughing along with the kids at the evening entertainment, a magician pulling coins out ears, and making hankies disappear with help from help from his young apprentice for the night, Ollie, and his puppet Chico the monkey.

It’s been a great few days and I couldn’t imagine it being half as much fun without the kids in tow. Maybe they’re not such bad holiday companions after all.

If you can squeeze it in, take a little wander into Crieff town where you’ll find lots of cute little shops, cafes and restaurants – and definitely check out MacRosty Park if you have little ones in tow!