 Easter is prime time for family holidays in Scotland. A great excuse to forget foreign flings with the associated travelling stress and enjoy the quality of a holiday on these shores. Spring has definitely sprung, the lambs are in the fields and daffodils are shooting up everywhere. In fact, British Summer Time begins on Easter Sunday, March 27, bringing with it those light nights. School holidays across the country are on a staggered start and finish from March 25 to April 17. But everyone is off for at least two full weeks so there's plenty of time for a short getaway. We have found a fantastic five child-friendly holidays in all corners of the country for our Easter special. As all parents know, there's nothing quite like that feeling when the hotel staff and guests start throwing disapproving looks at the behaviour of your offspring. Our fun five all put children first. THE NORTH Hilton Craigendarroch, Ballater, Royal Deeside A four-star family resort, 40 miles from Aberdeen. It costs around £169 per room per night, with under-twos free, aged two to five is £5 a night and five to 15-year-olds £25 a night including breakfast and high tea. Tel 01339-755858. Princess Diana enjoyed a dip here with the boys, splashing around the pool. It's just eight miles from the front door of Balmoral Castle. Surrounded by woodland, the hotel overlooks the hills of Royal Deeside. The picturesque town of Ballater is most noted for the number of Royal Warrants hanging above almost every shop. KIDS LOVE: Pool with fun slide, whirlpool, sauna, tennis, summer ski slope, playground, video arcade, Hamleys playroom. Every Wednesday there are family games and a magic show. The Acorn Club during school holidays has activities for 5 to 12-year-olds. PARENTS LOVE: Free Cartoon Network, baby listening, Planet Hilton Re-fuelling (kids menu) and the fact that children have the run of the place including The Clubhouse lounge and restaurant, making life so much easier. THE SOUTH Southerness Holiday Village, Dumfriesshire A four-star self-catering park 14 miles south of Dumfries. Three-night weekend and four-night midweek breaks in April cost from £89. Tel 0870 220 4646. So far south, you can see the Lake District clearly, the holiday village is right on the shore of the Solway. It's owned by a company with 20 similar operations so standards are high. You'll stay in a two or three-bedroom holiday home, sleeping up to eight, possibly with an ocean view. KIDS LOVE: Indoor pool, ten-pin bowling, crazy golf, Kids Club, soft play area. PARENTS LOVE: How affordable it is. Some homes new in 2005 have double-glazing, central heating plus TV and DVD. There's a bistro and live entertainment at the Sunset Showbar. Next door is Southerness Golf Club - 'the best course you have never heard of'. THE EAST Seton Sands Holiday Village, East Lothian Self-catering complex right on the beach some 12 miles from Edinburgh. Top deals in April include four nights in a two-bedroom home for £91. Tel: 0870 242 5678. Opens for the season on March 18, boasting three levels of accommodation - standard, luxury and super luxury. All on-site entertainment is included. Get staff to email you special offers ahead of the pack. KIDS LOVE: Pool with aqua jet racer and wave rider, multi-sport court, amusements and the Fun Stars team who run games and competitions. PARENTS LOVE: Value package,Paws Club for aged one to four years; Rory and Bradley's Funtime for five to 11s, and the strictly no parents T-Co for moody 12 to 16--year-olds. For more information on Seton Sands click here THE WEST Melfort Village, Kilmelford, Argyll Haven of 23 different stone cottages on the west coast, between Lochgilphead and Oban. Spring offers include a week in a two-bedroom cottage for £390 and three nights in a one-bedroom cottage for £180. Tel 01852-200257. Skirting the sea loch Melfort, this group of farm buildings and old estate cottages have been fully refurbished. It is four-star graded and boasts the top VisitScotland Green tourism award. Some have open fires - you can get a basket of logs for just £2. KIDS LOVE: Swimming pool,pool table, table tennis, toddlers playroom, club room, the stock of games, tennis court, putting green. PARENTS LOVE: Stunning setting, boat fishing for brown trout on the complex's own loch. Cycle hire. There's a children's menu at the centre's The Shower of Herring Inn. CENTRAL: Crieff Hydro, Perthshire Grand hotel, cottage and lodge empire originally loved by the Victorians. Now loved by families. Offers from £99 a head for two nights' dinner, bed and breakfast or Super Sunday breaks for £40 until June. Tel 01764-651670. With 213 en-suite four-star rooms, five-star lodges, three-star chalets and a portfolio of cottages, Crieff is superlative and hard to beat. Still run by the Leckie family, it boasts 900-acre grounds which even the hydro says offers 'a bewildering choice' of things to do. KIDS LOVE: Everything. PARENTS LOVE: Everything. | 
