Reports and advice on stays at hotels, resorts – any form of lodging
The Grand Canyon, set aside as a national monument by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1908, became a national park in 1919. Today, it remains one of the most visited parks, drawing more than 4.3 million visitors a year. Families from around the world come here to experience what is widely considered one of the great wonders of the world. Like I said, wow!
One of the best preserved coastal Maya sites — it was at its height between the 13th and 15th Centuries — Tulum is built along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea –the high cliffs protecting the city from hurricanes even in ancient times. Tulum was one of the last cities inhabited and built by the Mayans.
Four days on Mexico’s Riviera Maya (Yes, it’s safe!)
Family vacations, of course, are a lot about memories. But there’s something to be said for returning to places where things might not have gone as planned and let’s face it, they often don’t on family vacations. Returning gives you an opportunity to measure how much you and your kids have grown and to create new memories.
I don’t think there is anything you might want to try that you can’t find in San Francisco. Last night, we sample a restaurant on the Embarcadero, about a block from the restored Ferry Building home to the bustling farmers market selling and explaining their local goods
I’m at San Francisco’s Exploratorium (www.exploratorium.edu ) which, when it opened in 1969, served as the prototype for museums becoming places for an interactive experience. That continues today as the museum staff work on what the museum will be when it moves to its new digs on Piers 15 and 17 on the Embarcadero in 2013
Ready to play dress up? If you stay in a kids’ suite at the Hotel Diva (www.hoteldiva.com) on Union Square, your little princess can do just that with sparkly shoes, a pink boa, jewelry and a drawer full of “gowns.” If you have a prince, he can play Wii among other things. Whimsical wall art suggests “Keep calm and eat a cupcake” Or “Keep Calm and Rock On.”
Well-heeled families are opting for services that offer convenience — even delivery and pickup of ski and snowboarding gear to your hotel room and Black Tie Ski Rentals will even swap them out on the mountain too. Kids rent free till the end of the season and private family lessons are available for about $600 a day. “Parents want to see the kids learning,” explains Sue Way, director of Children’s Programs for the Aspen Skiing Company. They also love the convenience of having the ski instructor meet you at your hotel and tailoring the experience to your family.
The restaurant at the luxe new Viceroy at Snowmass is the kind of place where the dinner menu includes exotic entrees over $30 and an extensive wine list. Yet last night nearly every other table was families with kids who likely were dining on organic chicken nuggets ($11), pizza with fresh mozzarella ($10) or cheeseburger ($11)
Though this is a busy week—following President’s Day weekend—there are no lift lines at Aspen Mountain and it feels like on some runs we have the mountain—famous for its glades, bumps and steeps—to ourselves. If you want a day off from skiing, sign on for a two-hour guided snowshoe tour with a naturalist from the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies
Was this young woman ever that difficult a teen we wondered as she showed off her college digs (yes, she admitted, she’d cleaned up just for our visit.) Vacations, of course, are a lot about memories. But there’s something to be said for returning to places where things might not have gone as planned—and let’s face it, they often don’t on family vacations.
Skiing these days isn’t only about skiing with an ever growing array of spa services, including some for teens and younger children. Take your pick of massages, scrubs, wraps and more. This trip may be a record for me — three Spas in a week.
I sent my crew — my daughter Mel and six of her college friends to check out Adventure Ridge — a veritable winter play ground at 10,350 feet atop the Eagle Bahn Gondola at Vail. There’s tubing. You can slide down the hill sitting on your big tube (couch potato style) or lay across it (Superman style). Couch Potato is scarier they declare.
The $11 million nightclub has everything — the latest technology, a DJ every night, young stars who stop by for meet and greets, specialty drinks, a cafe. Like the latest megaships, gargantuan Atlantis on Paradise Island, just 180 miles from Florida, with nearly 3,500 rooms and 8,000 employees — the largest employer in the Bahamas besides the government — wants to be all things to all vacationers, including those not old enough to vote
We’re ensconced in a spacious two-bedroom, steps from the chairlift that doesn’t seem crowded even though my daughter Mel brought along six of her college friends. I love that the place is small — just 88 units ranging from studios to four bedrooms. I love that so many of the amenities are complimentary—from valet parking to WiFi to a bowling alley (that’s right a two-lane bowling alley)
You need a plan because the place is so huge –from the state of the art Dolphin Interaction Center at Dolphin Cay, the biggest casino in The Bahamas, the Predator Lagoon where you are in an underwater acrylic viewing tunnel watching barracuda and sharks, kids can get introduced to snorkeling in a calm lagoon –7 acres
Welcome to CRUSH, Atlantis’s brand new teen club in Nassau (www.atlantis.com). The place is huge—14,000 square feet with multi-touch computers and surface tables (want to send an e-post card to a friend? Post a photo on your face book wall?) Check your email (internet is free). They can order a snack on the table-sized tablet (pizza bagel, Panini or smoothie?) or a CRUSH T shirt and pick it up on their way out.
We’re sitting at an elegantly set table for two in a private “tower” overlooking Sandals Emerald Bay pool which incidentally is the largest zero entry pool in the Caribbean. The fire pit—yes the pool has a fire pit—reflects light. We’re being served a special candlelight dinner. Our young waiter in white gloves tells us he wants to get an MBA in the United States
There’s still snow on the ground in many areas of the country but spring break is just around the corner. Should you head for the beaches, mountains, vineyards, ballparks? The choices and deals are endless.
We kayak through Mangroves where the path is so narrow we must go single file. The Mangroves, Rolle tell us, “always” have been there. We stop at a small windswept beach called Mariah Cay. There are some 365 Cays that make up Great Exuma and if you want to feel like a Castaway, Rolle says, a boat captain can drop you off with chairs and lunch and pick you up several hours later.