Amanda Hyde

In times gone by, a family holiday in France used to mean a long drive to a gîte among the vines, a few visits to the local market and day outs on river beaches or those in seaside towns (with a strip...

Hotels are cracking down on guests who reserve the best sunloungers with towels, then leave for hours, after a frustrated dad won a payout following his Greek island holiday.

As the current heatwave has well and truly confirmed, the summer season is hotting up – meaning we're also entering the time of year when UK airports heave as millions of families head off for a week or two in the sun.

“I wore the same flip-flops for three weeks and by the time I returned home my feet were completely black.” So one hazy-eyed Gen X-er (who also happens to be my husband) tells me of his time in Goa during the height of its popularity with backpackers. Ibiza may have surrendered to the club kids by the 1990s, but India’s smallest state still retained traces of its Hippie Trail heyday.

A summer holiday is all about relaxation. Imagine stretching out on the sand, dipping in a bath-warm sea and spending long nights under myriad stars. So far so good – just bear in mind that, even in paradise, rules exist. And ignoring them could cost you.

The big summer break – with its inevitable juggle of kids’ clubs, grandparental care and annual leave – is fast approaching. And, if you haven’t yet booked a family holiday, you may be in full panic mode.

Aggravatingly named coolcations may be having a moment thanks to stifling Julys and Augusts in traditional hotspots, but – while the heat-hating hordes have got savvy to Scandinavia – Switzerland has yet to make it onto the summer holiday map. That’s a shame because this country does the season perfectly.

These days, the noise of the world can feel deafening. With so much to worry about in the news and the everyday, proper escapes – the kind involving bad reception, no Wi-Fi and hidden cabins accessed by long dirt tracks – seem increasingly appealing.

Whether you want to recreate a trip to Mariah Carey's favourite ski resort or castaway on a far-flung Fijian island, these are some of the dreamiest holidays in the world