There was a time—not so long ago—when a hotel room was a magical land of terry cloth robes, turndown chocolates, and the thrill of pressing the button for room service. Then the iPad came along, and now that magic has been replaced by the soft, omnipresent glow of YouTube Kids.
Enter: the screen-free hotel renaissance.
Just in time for the family travel surge known as spring break—when carry-ons are crammed with Goldfish crackers and parents’ sanity teeters on the edge—hotels around the world are quietly waging a war against screen time. And surprisingly, they’re doing it with style, imagination, and more than a little whimsy.
Take The Hari in London, for instance. This Belgravia beauty just launched a new package for families that swaps screen addiction for storytelling magic, courtesy of the Toniebox. Think of it as the modern answer to the boombox if your boombox told bedtime stories and wore a soft felt hat. The Toniebox plays charming, character-driven audio stories—no visuals required—and kids can control it themselves, sans screen. No batteries to charge, no algorithm feeding them ads—just a squishy cube that somehow holds their attention better than Netflix.
Across the pond in Scotland, Gleneagles Hotel has taken the idea of analog childhood joy and spun it into an empire. Forget the notion of a basic kids’ club. At Gleneagles, the Little Glen and The Den are whimsical indoor-outdoor sanctuaries complete with forts, costumes, and woodland-inspired adventures. But that’s just the beginning. The estate sprawls across 850 acres, offering bike rentals for the whole family, a ropes course that’ll test even grown-up nerves, and archery lessons that feel one part medieval fantasy, one part summer camp dream. There’s falconry. There’s fishing. There are muddy boots and rosy cheeks and hours that slip by without a single screen in sight.
And if you’re looking to go even further off-grid—and possibly raise a mythologist in the process—consider Vedema, a Luxury Collection Resort tucked into the volcanic hills of Santorini. While the island is better known for honeymoon selfies and blue-domed churches, Vedema is making a quiet case for family immersion over family screen time. Here, children aren’t just encouraged to unplug—they’re swept into the folds of Greek history. The resort partners with the nearby Symposion Cultural Center, a delightfully oddball spot where kids can attend mythology workshops, build instruments from natural materials, and even participate in live storytelling sessions that channel the drama of ancient Greece—minus the tragedy.
And if that sounds a bit too Sophocles-before-lunch, don’t worry. Vedema also orchestrates family-friendly adventures that mix education with exploration. Think: pottery-making with local artists, bee-keeping experiences that reveal the sticky genius of honey production, and private vineyard visits tailored for little legs and curious minds. They even offer “mythology walks” through the ruins of ancient Thera, where Greek legends come alive in the lava-strewn landscape. All of it—crucially—is done away from the hypnotic blue of a screen.
Of course, none of this is to say screens are the enemy. (Try flying to Santorini with a six-year-old and not handing them an iPad somewhere over the Atlantic.) But as hotels lean further into offering experiences instead of just accommodations, they’re also reminding us that wonder doesn’t need to come with a charger.
Sometimes, it’s a felt-covered storybox. Or a ropes course in the Scottish countryside. Or a walk through mythology with your kid, who finally looks up and sees something worth seeing.
And for a few glorious hours, nobody even asks for the Wi-Fi password.
