Rebecca Foreman shares tips for a multi-generational Melbourne trip, balancing activities for toddlers, teens and parents.
Want to plan a Melbourne trip that toddlers, teens and two sets of parents will love? Rebecca Foreman shares some advice.
Let’s start with the obvious: you can’t please everyone all the time, especially when you’ve ambitiously embarked on a multi-generational Melbourne escape designed to keep a toddler, two teenagers and a handful of Gen X-ers equally happy. After a seven-hour road haul, rolling into the valet at Le Meridien Melbourne on Bourke St felt like a small victory.
Our convoy was intact – my sister and her partner with their 3-year-old in tow, plus my two teens and my partner – and against the odds, no one was lost along the way. Better still, we breezed through check-in during that notoriously unforgiving 3-4pm window, and just like that, our three-generation city break was underway.
The 12th-floor Palace Suite more than lived up to its name. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a generous open-plan lounge and dining area, a kitchenette, and sweeping views, grand heritage architecture from the floor to ceiling windows with Le Pool shimmering below. I was all in.
The afternoon unfolded entirely within hotel walls. We dispersed instinctively: I clocked toddler duty, laps around the Palace Suite for a few energetic hours; my sister and her husband headed out in search of Thai takeaway; the teens peeled off to the gym, Le Pool or to watch the final episode of Stranger Things. Balance restored.
I eventually retreated to the bath for a long soak, a much-needed hair wash with Malin + Goetz doing the heavy lifting, then an early night before our Melbourne sojourn properly kicked off.
Early the next morning my sister’s crew headed out for the obligatory SEA LIFE Aquarium pilgrimage. For any shark-obsessed child, it’s the dream, with stingrays gliding past, flashes of Nemo, open mouths, wide eyes, and faces pressed to glass, watching a mesmerising underwater world in constant motion.
The teens were slow to surface but eventually emerged, then disappeared for hours into Melbourne’s major department stores and high-street shopping just minutes from Le Meridien. The afternoon unfolded poolside at Le Pool, tag-teaming toddler duty amid the buzz, happily wearing him out while the others headed to the Convention Centre for The F1 Exhibition by Ticketek Entertainment Group, a fully immersive dive into the past, present and future of the sport that kept them utterly absorbed.
There’s so much going on culturally in Melbourne right now, from MJ the Musical to Spiegel Haus Melbourne, the city’s velvet-draped playground for cult cabaret and late-night spectacle, home to hits like Blanc de Blanc alongside a bold mix of theatre, music and hospitality.
And yet, for all the city’s shiny new thrills, it was the timeless classics that ultimately won us over. Our day closed beneath the trees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, where The Wind in the Willows unfurled its dusk-time magic, picnic rugs scattered, kids crowned honorary “rabbits”, and adults grinning just as wide. Now in its 39th summer, this Australian Shakespeare Company favourite remains pure playful, nostalgic and gloriously intergenerational, with laughter drifting across the lawns as Mr Toad stirred his familiar chaos; the kind of theatre that sends everyone home lighter.
Later, we gathered around a hearty Polish dinner at the brilliantly bold Eat Pierogi Make Love in East Brunswick. There was plenty to chat about, as my son revealed he’d known nothing about Formula 1 that morning but left the exhibition understanding how the sport evolved from raw danger to data-driven precision. He talked about aerodynamics, the science of split-second pit stops, safety tech that has saved lives, and how F1 is adapting for a more sustainable future.
Getting teenagers to engage in educational experiences is no easy feat. Managing to do it on holiday while also enjoying classic vacation delights like shopping, swimming and delicious food was even better.
A quick tram ride later, everyone peeled back to the hotel, except James and I, slipping into nearby LB’s Record Bar, quietly confirming we’re still cool.
My daughter turned 16, so we kicked off the day with breakfast beyond the premium hotel buffet, at the character-filled Little Gordon Cafe, before a sugar-hit of pure nostalgia at Luna Park, St Kilda.
It was one of those rare, golden days that worked for everyone. Toddlers drifted toward carousels and gentle rides, kids tested their luck at the sideshows (stuffed toys were, indeed, won), while the teens peeled off in search of serious G-forces, their shrieks echoing from the Scenic Railway, the world’s oldest continuously operating roller coaster.
A stinking hot Melbourne day didn’t slow us down; laughter, height-appropriate thrills and old-school seaside charm carried us through. Next time, though, I’d arrive early, we lingered too long at the start and paid for it in queues.
When the youngest hit his limit, the boys retreated to the hotel, while the girls slipped off to South Yarra for a softer kind of thrill – water therapy at the newly opened Soak Bathhouse. Hot, cold and warm pools, steam rooms and the simple luxury of unhurried girl time, exactly what a 16th birthday called for.
As hunger crept in, we regrouped for a family birthday dinner at Teta Mona, sharing a Lebanese mezze feast exactly as it should be, communally, generously, with stories flowing as freely as the plates. The dishes come straight from the kitchen of beloved grandmother Mona, whose recipes and skills were passed down to her twin grandsons Antoine and Charlie Taouk at her side. Rich with love, legacy and flavour, the food filled both the table and the moment.
Looking around at three generations, mid-laugh, mid-bite, it struck me: this is the real luxury of travel. Multi-gen holidays aren’t about compromise, they’re about depth. Different ages, different speeds, yet one shared memory bank. And honestly, there’s no better way to truly experience a place than together.
The writer was a guest of Le Meridien, SEA LIFE Aquarium, The F1 Exhibition by Ticketek Entertainment Group, Australian Shakespeare Company, Soak Bathhouse South Yarra and Luna Park Melbourne.