Kids go free this Christmas at Rocco Forte Hotels

London, September 2011 - If there is ever a time for family it is Christmas, but all too often the holidays can feel like a lot of preparation followed by an enormous anticlimax.  So if slaving over the stove while trying to prevent the kids strangling each other with tinsel is losing it’s appeal, why not decamp to a Rocco Forte Hotel where kids go free this festive season?

As part of its seasonal Christmas Family Celebration, Rocco Forte Hotels is offering the second room for children free, with kids under three eating for free and four to twelve year olds paying half price. At each of the hotels young guests are welcomed with gifts, rooms packed with toys and bathrobes and slippers for every age. Experienced concierges have carefully curated their cities to find the perfect family activities in each destination, exhausting wide-eyed little ones until they tumble into bed, entertaining teens and pampering parents.

In Brussels, families staying at Hotel Amigo will be enchanted by the traditional Christmas market with its gingerbread wooden chalets, ice-skating and magic roundabout.  Older children (and parents) will love the comic book museum, with a walking trail that sees children delight in finding the characters as murals across the city. 

Wrap up warm in London and take head to the V&A Museum of childhood, a favourite of young and old alike, showcasing toys, children's costumes and nursery antiques. The Natural History Museum is bound to incite awe in the most reluctant teen, from the eight-metre long giant squid, to a life-size Blue Whale. Back at Brown’s Hotel children will receive a gift, perhaps Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, which was written by the man himself in one of the hotel’s luxurious suites. 

At The Lowry Hotel in Manchester there’s an extensive DVD library, PSP’s and a mocktail selection, with a dedicated teen newsletter listing the music, events, festivals, fashion shops in the city.  Take afternoon tea in The River Restaurant where little ones have their own menu of jelly and ice cream, milk and cookies, with a gingerbread man to decorate.

When it’s cold outside at The Balmoral, Edinburgh, children may prefer to hole up in a cozy corner and read the Harry Potter series, while they have a teddy turndown.  With their own check-in cards, mini robes and slippers, and customised room-service menu parents may have a job getting them out of the hotel.  Coax them outside with a thrilling trip to Edinburgh Dungeon, or immerse them in the history of Edinburgh Castle. 

Few places offer as an enchanting an atmosphere at Christmas as Prague, with its twinkling Christmas Market and huge Christmas tree. From the Augustine Hotel walk up to Petřín Hill, a network of eight parks offering magnificent panoramas of Prague, and don’t miss the mirror-maze, guaranteed to amuse and delight with its distorting mirrors.

Budding fashionistas at Hotel de Rome will revel in the change to make their own bag at the workshop of MILK – Berlin’s iconic bag label, while the concierge can organize a DJ’ing class from one of the cities top DJ’s, and a tour of Berlin’s most iconic graffiti before taking a course to produce their own masterpiece.

Girls will love being a princess for a day at The Charles Hotel, Munich, with a massage and mani/pedi to prepare them for the party season. While teens can chill out with a Wii, Playstation, or DVD younger children can enter the wonderland of Snow White, Hänsel and Gretel or Little Red Riding Hood at the Freizeitpark Märchenwald (Fairytale Forest) where over 20 fairytales come to life at the touch of a button. 

At Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt young guests are treated to a Treasure Hunt through the hotel, with lots of seasonal activities on offer from gymnastics classes in the spa to games, toys and a life-size gingerbread house.

If there was ever a nation that celebrates both family and Christmas with extravagance, it is Italy. At Hotel de Russie in Rome and Hotel Savoy in Florence, children are guaranteed to be the centre of attention.  Mini-gladiators can live the adventure at Gladiator school in Rome, and electric cars can be used to see the city avoiding tiring walks for younger ones. In Florence a guided treasure hunt through the city will teach young guests about art while offering an exciting afternoon out, and the Ghost Walk tour offers an adventure to be remembered.

If a White Christmas is high on the family agenda, then Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg is the best bet for a Christmas morning spent making snowman in a winter wonderland while someone else takes care of all the preparation for you. Leaving you to spend Christmas how it is meant to be spent, having good old-fashioned, stress-free fun as a family.

For the perfect Christmas escape with children and teenagers, Verdura Golf & Spa Resort in Sicily makes for the ideal destination. Father Christmas is set to pay a visit to the Kids’ Club while teenagers are well catered for, from volleyball in the day to parties at night.  Parents meanwhile can keep active with golf and tennis lessons or simply enjoy a well deserved moment of peace at the spa.

Stay: This Christmas at Rocco Forte Hotels, receive a free second room when you travel with children. You will also enjoy complimentary food and drinks for children under three, and 50 percent off for under 12s. Plus, there are countless festive activities for the whole family. Available from 17 December 2011 to 8 January 2012.

For further information, or to book the Christmas Family Celebration, visit www.roccofortehotels.com

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Notes to Editors

Christmas Family Celebration - Terms & Conditions
Children must be aged 16 and under and the offer is subject to availability and room category may vary. Offer is available at Verdura Golf & Spa Resort from 1 December to 29 December 2011.

Rocco Forte Hotels

Rocco Forte Hotels is a family of 12 individual hotels and resorts. Each property has a unique style, reflecting its nationality and location, but all share Rocco Forte Hotels’ trademark attention to detail, high quality and immaculate service.
 
Established by Sir Rocco Forte in 1996, Rocco Forte Hotels comprises: Hotel de Russie, Rome; Hotel Savoy, Florence; The Balmoral, Edinburgh; The Lowry Hotel, Manchester; Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg; Hotel Amigo, Brussels; Brown’s Hotel, London; Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt; Hotel de Rome, Berlin; The Charles Hotel, Munich; Augustine Hotel, Prague; Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily. Future openings: Abu Dhabi 2011; Jeddah 2013; Marrakech 2014; Cairo 2014; Luxor 2014.

www.roccofortehotels.com
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