When Four Weeks Is All You Have | Last Minute Luxury Family Travel

It was a Wednesday in late February when the message came in. A family of seven, three children under seven, a nanny, two parents who had clearly just looked at the school calendar and had a mild panic, wanted to go somewhere warm for spring break. Four weeks away. Not Mexico, not Hawaii. Somewhere different. Somewhere that would actually feel like a proper holiday.

I love this kind of brief. Not because it's easy, it isn't, but because it requires real knowledge rather than a quick search. Four weeks out, the best properties are gone. The ones that remain either have availability for a reason, or they're places most people simply don't know to look for.

My first question is always the same. How far will you fly? With three children under seven that matters enormously. This family said thirteen hours maximum, which opened things up considerably.

My second question is what a good day actually looks like for your family. Not the Instagram version. The real one, where someone needs a nap, someone else is hungry, and the eldest wants to do something the youngest can't manage yet. For this family the answer was clear, they needed somewhere that would genuinely look after the children so the adults could exhale.

That's a short list.

Kokomo in Fiji was the answer. Thirteen hours from Los Angeles. Children under five are assigned their own private nanny from nine until five, included. The older children go to a kids club that is genuinely brilliant. The parents got a real holiday for the first time in years.

Getting there is part of the story too. Reaching Kokomo requires a private charter flight from the mainland, logistics that sound complicated but are completely seamless when arranged properly. For a family of seven with young children and luggage, knowing exactly how that transfer works and how to time it around tired toddlers makes a significant difference to how the holiday actually begins.

They came back and told me it was one of the top three trips of their lives.

Four weeks notice. Three children under seven. A nanny. A family who didn't want Mexico or Hawaii. And a result that will take some beating.

If your family has a spring break brief that feels impossible, send it my way. The best trips I've ever planned started exactly like that.