1. Youth hostelling

You may find this hard to believe, but there exists in the UK a hotel chain dedicated to offering comfortable, en-suite, family rooms in interesting, often stunning and historic locations, both urban and rural, for as little as £32.50 a night. The hotel chain in question has just brought out its 2007/08 brochure and - unsurprisingly enough, given how family oriented it is - it features a picture of a mother and baby on the cover. Only the logo in the corner gives away its identity - because the chain in question is none other than the good old Youth Hostel Association.

Is there another organisation in Britain that labours under a misnomer as inaccurate as this one? Sure, back in the 1970s, youth hostels were packed with lanky, rucksack-carrying teens having a trip of a lifetime across some windswept area of the north of England. But 30 years on their counterparts eschew walking holidays in Wales and Yorkshire for Bali or Africa; which has rather conveniently paved the way for the hostels to be reinvented as good-value hotels-cum-guesthouses perfect for weekend getaways en famille.

Too many of the conventional hotels are, let's face it, hopeless for families. They're too posh, too quiet, too precious or - at the other end of the market - too samey (the ubiquitous chain hotels that "welcome families"). And almost all of them are too expensive - especially if, like me, you're trying to find somewhere for a family with not just one or two small kids, but four quite big ones.

Which is why the last time I took my mob out of London, it was to Boscastle youth hostel. Boscastle, you might remember, was the village on the north Cornwall coast devastated by a flash flood in 2004; and the youth hostel, in a splendid situation, right on the harbour edge, was one of the buildings that took the brunt of the water's force.

A huge renovation programme followed. The hostel opened again for business late last year, and we were among the first guests. There had been a certain amount of consternation among the Smith-Moorhead clan at the idea of a weekend in a youth hostel: would we, asked 12-year-old Elinor anxiously, have to do chores? Did we, complained 14-year-old Rosie, have to share a bathroom? And would we, moaned my husband, Gary, be forced to sleep all together in a dormitory?

Well, yes and no. No to the chores (youth hostels aren't like that any more); yes to the shared bathroom (though other rooms have en suite bathrooms, ours didn't - but the adjacent showers were hot and powerful); and yes to a six-bedded dormitory, albeit a comfortable and pleasantly furnished one.

Our younger daughters - Miranda, eight, and Catriona, four - both adored sleeping with their entire family in one room. Rosie thought it was "pretty gross", but consoled herself with the bed furthest from her dreadful parents, and attempted to remain connected to her iPod at all times.

One of the best things about a family weekend in a youth hostel is that you've no need to worry about upsetting the other guests the way you might in a hotel - they're invariably families just like yours, and there's often scope for your kids to make new friends. Boscastle hostel is self-catering, and its large, well-equipped kitchen has several cookers, so three or four families can be making their food at the same time. And there are plenty of separate tables in the main sitting room, so you can eat in your family unit. There's no TV (hurrah!), but plenty of board games - we had a very pleasant evening playing Scrabble - and (ideal with children) there's plenty to do (harbour walks, shops, a hillside to climb) right from the door, without having to strap road-weary kids back into their car seats.

And don't listen to any of that old nonsense about being turfed out of the hostel to brave the elements until nightfall. This is 2007, and you're given a key and are free to come and go through the day as you please.

· A family room for six at Boscastle costs around £60 a night. To book a room at a youth hostel you need YHA membership - the family rate is £22.95 per year. For a copy of the new YHA accommodation guide call 0870 770 8868 or see yha.org.uk. Many hostels have large family rooms or adjoining rooms and some have double beds.

2. Stables

Rooms at Strouds Copse Stables, a friendly B&B, overlook the pony paddock, and you can arrange with the owners for your child to have a ride. There are also trampolines in the garden and, just three miles down the road, Legoland. (And if that's too tame for your kids, Thorpe Park and Chessington are within easy distance, too.)

· A family room costs £75-90 per night inc breakfast (01344 886 389, bed-and-breakfast-berkshire.co.uk).

3. Camping

Feather Down Farms offer camping for romantic urban softies who pine to reconnect with nature without (some of) their creature comforts. Your "tent" is already erected, has wooden floors and a stove. No hot water or electricity: kids adore it, parents cope. Farms are located in the Midlands and south-west.

· A weekend between March and October costs between £195-£425 for six people (01420 80804, featherdownfarms.co.uk).

4. Farmhouse

Thistleyhaugh is an ivy-clad Georgian farmhouse by the banks of the River Coquet in Northumbria that extends a genuine welcome to families. An early kids' tea is available, so you can enjoy a grown-up meal later in peace. Very close to Alnwick, with the world's biggest treehouse, and within easy distance of Newcastle.

· Family rooms sleeping four from £80 a night inc breakfast (01665 570629, thistleyhaugh.co.uk).

5. Adventure

The TYF Eco Hotel has splendid views over St Davids. But what sets this place apart is its adventure activities - rock climbing, surfing, kayaking and coasteering (getting around the coastline in a range of exciting ways). Activities suitable for kids aged eight-plus, so a great place for an active family with older kids. It's also the first registered organic hotel in Wales.

· Family rooms for four around £100 per night, inc breakfast. Activities extra (01437 721678, tyf.com).

6. Wilderness

The kids will love Cove Park in Argyll and Bute: you stay in an oak pod designed for the BBC series Castaway (or a converted shipping container). An hour's drive from Glasgow, but this is a really remote, away-from-it-all weekend experience. Take all the food you'll need, plus lots of games (no TV).

· Pods sleep 4-6 and cost £100 a night (01436 850123, covepark.org).

7. Gourmet

If you want a romantic weekend, but can't find anywhere to leave the kids, take them to The Great House, Lavenham, Suffolk. The owners are very child-friendly, and as it's a small place (only five bedrooms) it's easy to put the kids to bed after tea and enjoy a gourmet dinner downstairs while they sleep.

· Family rooms around £150 a night, not including breakfast (01787 247431, greathouse.co.uk).

8. Walking

Stembridge Cottage in High Ham, Somerset, is a pretty miller's cottage that sleeps seven plus a cot. It's right next door to the National Trust's Stembridge Tower Mill, which is fun for the kids to explore. There are also footpaths through the fields, so you won't need to move your car the entire weekend.

· Weekends bookable three weeks in advance. Three nights cost from around £400 (0870 458 4422, nationaltrustcottages.co.uk).

9. Paris

Montparnasse apartments not only give you more chic for your buck, it's also more practical to have your own apartment if you go to Paris en famille. These two-bed apartments sleep up to six, there's a cot and highchair available and you can book a babysitter.

· Weekends from £200 for three nights (0845 1220405, sacoapartments.co.uk). Return on Eurostar from £59 per adult; £50 for children from four-12; under fours free (08705 186186, eurostar.com).

10. Lakeside

Just two miles from York, the timber York Lakeside Lodges sleep up to seven. They're beside a picturesque lake (ducks to feed) and there's an adventure playground. A supermarket opposite makes this a great find for a weekend.

· Weekends from £188 in a two-bedded apartment (01904 702346, yorklakesidelodges.co.uk).