Where to Go in Spring

Marrakech — Before the Heat

I'll be honest: I avoided Marrakech for years. Too hot, too hectic, too many people telling me to go. Then I went in March, and I understood immediately. The temperature was 24 degrees. The Majorelle Garden was drowning in bougainvillea. The souks were busy but not oppressive. You could sit on a riad rooftop at sunset with a glass of Moroccan rosé and hear the call to prayer echo across the medina, and it was, simply, one of the most beautiful things I'd ever experienced.

Spring in Marrakech — March through early May — is the sweet spot. The jacaranda trees are in bloom, the Atlas Mountains still have snow on their peaks, and the city's best hotels are running at full capacity but haven't yet hit the shoulder-season premium pricing of Christmas and New Year.

The other hotel worth knowing about is Selman Marrakech, which sits on the city's edge and feels like an entirely different world. There are Arabian purebred horses grazing on the lawns. The pool is 60 metres long with the Atlas Mountains as a backdrop. It's quieter and more spread out than anything in the medina — ideal if your family wants space and spectacle without the intensity of the old city. We often pair three nights at Selman with two at La Mamounia so families get the best of both.

Japan — Cherry Blossom Season

Every year I tell myself I won't oversell cherry blossom season. And every year, a family comes back and says it was the single most beautiful trip of their lives. There's something about Japan in late March and early April that transcends travel — it's closer to pilgrimage. The entire country pauses to watch the blossoms open, and there's a collective reverence for beauty that makes you slow down in ways you didn't know you needed to.

The trick is timing. Cherry blossoms last about ten days in any given location, and the "front" moves from south to north. Tokyo typically peaks around March 25th–April 2nd. Kyoto follows about a week later. We always build itineraries that follow the bloom, starting in Tokyo and ending in Kyoto, so you're never chasing petals that have already fallen.

In Tokyo, The Peninsula is our go-to. It overlooks the Imperial Palace moat and Hibiya Park, both of which are extraordinary during cherry blossom season. The hotel has a fleet of bespoke Rolls-Royces that can take you to the quieter hanami spots — Shinjuku Gyoen is the obvious choice, but the cemetery at Yanaka is hauntingly beautiful and far less crowded. For families spending more than three nights in Tokyo, we also love Aman Tokyo for its extraordinary calm — it feels like a monastery on the 33rd floor.

One more note on Japan: build in a night at a traditional ryokan. We send families to Gora Kadan in Hakone, about 90 minutes from Tokyo by train. You sleep on futons, bathe in natural hot springs, and if the weather cooperates, Mount Fuji appears at breakfast like something from a woodblock print. Children are fascinated by it all.

Barcelona — The Quiet Season

Everyone visits Barcelona in summer, which is exactly why you should go in spring. April and May in Barcelona are extraordinary: 20–25 degrees, almost no rain, and the city's parks and terraces are alive without being overwhelmed. You can actually get a table at the good restaurants without booking three weeks ahead. The beaches are quiet enough to walk on. La Boqueria market is busy but navigable.

The architecture is the obvious draw — Gaudí's Sagrada Família, Park Güell, Casa Batlló — but spring is also when Barcelona's neighbourhood life is at its best. Walk through Gràcia on a Saturday morning and you'll stumble into a local market, a man selling cava from his front step, children playing football in the square. It's the Barcelona that tourists rarely find in August.

If you prefer to be in the thick of things, Mandarin Oriental Barcelona on Passeig de Gràcia puts you steps from Casa Batlló and La Pedrera. The rooftop terrace is one of the city's best-kept secrets — a lush garden above the Eixample grid where you can sip cava as the sun sets over Tibidabo. It's a more intimate hotel than the Arts, and the Blanc spa is outstanding. We usually suggest the Arts for beach-loving families and the Mandarin Oriental for culture-focused trips, but honestly both work brilliantly in spring.

Rome — Wisteria & Golden Light

Rome in spring is Rome at its absolute best, and I will fight anyone who says otherwise. The wisteria cascades over every terracotta wall. The light turns golden around 5pm and stays that way for two hours. You can eat outside at every meal without sweating. The Colosseum doesn't have a two-hour queue. The gelato tastes better because you're not desperate for it — you're choosing it, happily, because you walked past a place on a side street and it smelled extraordinary.

The key to Rome with families is pacing. Don't try to do the Vatican, the Colosseum and the Pantheon in one day — you'll all hate each other by dinner. One big sight per morning, a long lunch, gelato, then an afternoon just wandering whatever neighbourhood you end up in. Trastevere is perfect for this: cobblestoned, vine-covered, and full of restaurants where the menu is whatever the chef felt like making that morning.

The other Roman address to know is Orient Express La Minerva, newly opened under the LVMH banner. It faces the Pantheon directly — you can see it from your bedroom window, lit up at night, and the effect never wears off. The rooftop restaurant serves contemporary Roman cuisine with that view as a backdrop, and the rooms blend Art Deco flourishes with original frescoed ceilings from the 17th-century palazzo. It's a more central location than the de Russie, which matters if you have smaller children who tire of walking.

Istanbul — Tulip Season

Most people don't know that Istanbul has a tulip season. The flower actually originated in Turkey — the Dutch imported it — and every April the city plants over 30 million bulbs across its parks and roundabouts. Emirgan Park on the Bosphorus becomes a carpet of colour, and the gardens of Topkapi Palace are extraordinary. Combine that with 18-degree weather, the Bosphorus ferry rides in golden light, and a food scene that has quietly become one of the world's best, and you have one of Europe's most underrated spring destinations.

The Peninsula Istanbul is where we send families. It occupies a restored Ottoman-era building on the European shore, with rooms overlooking the Bosphorus strait toward Asia. The hotel arranges private boat transfers — infinitely more civilised than Istanbul traffic — and the hammam spa is the real thing, not a tourist version. For dinner, ask the concierge to book Mikla on the rooftop of The Marmara hotel: one of the best meals in the city, with 360-degree views that include every major landmark.

Portugal — Vineyards in Bloom

Portugal is having a moment, and spring is when it's at its best. The Douro Valley is covered in wildflowers, Lisbon's miradouros are warm enough to linger at, and the Algarve has empty beaches with water that's actually swimmable (give it until late April). What I love about Portugal for families is that it feels genuinely relaxed — there's none of the frenetic energy of Spain or Italy. The pace is slower, the wine is exceptional, and the food is honest and affordable even at the very top end.

Six Senses Douro Valley is one of my favourite hotels in Europe. It's a 19th-century manor house overlooking the world's oldest demarcated wine region, and Six Senses has turned it into a wellness retreat without losing any of the character. Wine tastings, vineyard hikes, cooking classes with produce from the organic garden, an infinity pool that seems to pour into the valley below. Children love the outdoor activities — kayaking on the Douro, cycling through the vineyards — while parents gravitate toward the spa and the wine cellar.

In Lisbon, Bairro Alto Hotel has the best rooftop in the city — sunset views sweep from the Tagus to the terracotta rooftops of Alfama. It's perched on the edge of the Chiado and Bairro Alto neighbourhoods, so you're steps from the best restaurants and the famous Tram 28 route. Spring is the sweet spot: warm enough for the terrace but before the summer crowds flood the narrow streets.

Somerset — The No-Fly Option

Not every spring escape needs a flight. The Newt in Somerset is the most extraordinary country estate in England, and spring is when it's at its most magical. The parabola walled garden unfurls in waves of colour from March — cherry blossoms, magnolias, then the famous apple orchards that supply the estate's cyder press. There are woodland walks, a working farm, and a Roman-inspired Garden Spa that might be the best in the country.

What makes The Newt special for families is the scale — 300 acres of gardens, farmland and ancient woodland, all yours to explore. Children can feed the animals, learn about cyder-making, and run around in a way that most hotels simply don't allow. The farmhouse cottages have their own gardens and kitchens, so you can spread out properly. And in spring, the lambs are in the fields, the bluebells are in the woods, and the whole place feels like stepping into a children's book illustration.

It's two and a half hours from London, no flight required, no jet lag, no airport queues. For a long weekend in late March or April, there's genuinely nowhere better.