Cream teas, blue seas and only a few hours in the car: Cornwall voted the most family-friendly holiday destination... in the WORLD

By Emily Payne for MailOnline

Published: 08:22 EDT, 18 April 2014 | Updated: 15:33 EDT, 18 April 2014

Cornwall is the most child-friendly holiday destination in the world, according to a poll.

The home of pasties, mild weather and the South West Coast Path had more recommendations in a poll of 2,000 parents than anywhere else in the world.

It came out top thanks to its beautiful beaches, child-friendly restaurants and the short journey time to reach it.

Family favourite: Beautiful beaches such as Porthgwidden beach in St Ives are one reason we love Cornwall

Devon, Somerset, Dorset and the Isle of Wight were other UK destinations to make the top ten.

Cornwall pipped Orlando in Florida with its vast theme parks and near-constant sunshine which was marked down for its long flying time of around nine hours.

The Spanish islands of Majorca, Menorca and Tenerife and the Costa Del Sol on the mainland made up the rest of the top ten.

A spokesman for Holidaylettings.co.uk, which commissioned the research, said: 'If you have young children, there is so much to consider when deciding when to go on holiday, where to go and what accommodation to stay in.

Top ten: South Beach in Key West, Florida, which was voted the second most popular family holiday destination

'Not only do you need to choose somewhere that is safe for children, but you also want somewhere that has plenty of things to do, food that fussy kids will be happy to eat and also a journey which will be as stress-free as possible.

'And it seems Cornwall is the place that fits the bill. It only involves a few hours in the car and you can be confident there will be the right food and plenty of activities to keep your children busy.

'While Orlando might have the theme parks that children dream of, the high temperatures and long travelling time can push it down a parent's wish list - at least until the children are a little older.'

Rolling hills: Britain's famously beautiful Lake District came in at number fifteen in the poll the top fifty family holiday destinations

The Canary Islands were also named as good family destinations with Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura at 11, 12 and 14 respectively.

Brittany came 13th while the Lake District and North Wales region followed close behind.

Cyprus, Ireland, Corfu and Crete also made the top twenty.

Other UK destinations to feature in the top 50 include West Wales, the Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and the Scottish Highlands.

Norfolk, the Cotswolds and Snowdonia also rank highly among parents.

Lapland featured at number 24 while, Ibiza came in at 30.

The study also found that parents reckon the ideal child-friendly holiday would last an average of 10 days and involve less than five hours of travelling time.

And while 60 per cent would like to travel by plane, more than one in four would prefer somewhere where they only have a car journey to worry about.

For a destination or resort to be perfect for a young family, half of the parents polled said it must have nice beaches while 28 per cent said kids' swimming pools are essential.

Other priorities when choosing where to go for a family holiday include nearby play areas, a good choice of food to cater for fussy eaters and a shallow sea.

It doesn't always go to plan though as the survey found that almost three in ten parents have gone somewhere and found it was completely unsuitable for children.

Family fun: Pretty Snowdonia rated highly among among parents

More than half said they find it stressful trying to find somewhere that is suitable for the whole family with worries about whether the accommodation and activities available are right for children.

Six in ten parents also worry about the food that will be on offer in their destination or resort and whether their young children will be happy eating it.

Researchers found that 88 per cent of people say it is important that any holiday they book is child-friendly.

And more than eight in ten even said making sure a destination or resort is child-friendly is their main priority when booking a holiday.