We review as we travel… destinations, lodging, cruises, resorts, you name it.
In the days of being connected 24-7, there is a place where adults can unplug, unwind and become a kid again.
Kids—and parents–will like that every Kimpton hotel is different. None of their amenities cost the hotel much but they certainly will make a stay memorable—and less stressful—for families.
It’s all in the technique. That’s what we learn when we destroy two borrowed oyster knives at the Tomales Bay Oyster Farm north of San Francisco in Marin County.
Everyone likes being treated like VIPS—especially a four year-old staying at the St. Regis San Francisco with her parents and younger sister
In two hours, we were immersed in an alpine landscape that looked straight out of “The Sound of Music”.
Walt Disney World’s newest attraction—the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train—set to open May 28—is to become the centerpiece of the New Fantasyland area at the Magic Kingdom.
“It’s a Small World” has been entertaining and inspiring millions over the past 50 years since it was first premiered at the 1964 World’s Fair in New York City
I love it when hotels make it easy for parents to get a break on vacation. And there’s no place they need one more than Orlando.
Yes, it’s hot in Arizona in the summer but rates start at just $109. As long as you keep everyone well-hydrated and smeared in sunscreen, you’ll have lots of fun.
The animal crackers and lemonade looked really good sitting there by the front desk in the lobby. A lot of boutique hotels around the world are realizing that making young guests and their parents happy is good business.
Taking young kids to a restaurant on vacation can seem like it is more trouble than it’s worth. The good news is that in Orlando, you can relax.
The water slide that swung out over the sea, a deck dance party, lots of food and ice cream and this club area just for teens called Vibe. So I felt pretty good about taking my first cruise on a Disney ship for three days.
We liked the Disney Dream for our first family cruise because of Disney’s reputation for customer service, the ship’s dedicated teen entertainment area called Vibe and a short three-day Bahamian sail
North Beach, of course, is not a beach but a famous San Francisco neighborhood first settled by Italian fisherman and laborers in the early years of the 20th century.
The Children’s Creativity Museum in downtown San Francisco right at Yerba Buena Gardens, is unlike any children’s museum I’ve ever seen. For one thing, it appeals to all ages.
The Tonga Room and Hurricane Bar has been a San Francisco fixture since 1945, famous for its tropical drinks and band that floats up and down the water on a thatched-covered barge
Don’t worry about buying new ski gear. Just pull your old ski gear out of the box in your garage; you’ll feel right at home at laid-back Monarch Mountain.
New Mexican cuisine is as much a part of Albuquerque as the museums and heritage, and there is no shortage of delicious places for families to dine when visiting the area.
Here are ten activities and destinations you will find in Albuquerque that are ideal for families traveling with children.
Why would three sane adult males drive five hours for a day-and-a-half of skiing and snowboarding with a group of five high school boys when there are bigger and fancier ski areas much closer to home? A guys weekend of course.
We had a lot on the line for our first ski trip out west together. I wanted my fiancé, Jonathan to fall in love with skiing. I knew Winter Park would win him over.
Fútbol: The Beautiful Game is an art exhibition to examine soccer through issues such as nationalism and identity as well as share the human experience through different cultures, according to LACMA.
There’s no need to wait until kids are in elementary school to bring them to Orlando—not when every park has plenty to wow the littlest park goers and their parents, including big, interactive play areas designed just for them.
As the only snowboarder of the family, I constantly have to defend myself and my brethren that we’re not a bunch of sliding reckless criminals one strike from being locked up. I still have two strikes left, thank you.
Until this year, I had never snowboarded in Utah. When I thought Utah, I thought tiny martinis and tabernacle choirs . When I thought Park City, I thought fancy film festivals. Turns out, Utah, and specifically the former silver-mining town of Park City, are pure gold.
With a trip to Mammoth planned back in October, it never occurred to me that in a few months I’d be hearing news about one of the worst droughts in California history. Sure, that’s bad news for the state’s water supply, bad news for agriculture, bad news for just about every facet of life. But most importantly — it’s bad news for ski trips. Call me an only child.
I admit it. When it comes to skiing when the wind is howling and I can’t see in front of me, I’ll pack it in, even at such a wonderful mountain as Snowbird.
When the forecast got worse by the hour for the latest storm primed to hit the East Coast, I figured our flight from New York to Salt Lake City would invariably be cancelled the next morning.
On a recent Tuesday, a group of pre schoolers were busy carving out what looked like pieces of water from the surface of Mars — at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
Everyone visiting Denver—and Colorado should stop at this downtown museum that makes Colorado history relevant and gives those families visiting a way to connect with Coloradoans past and present.
It turns out that some 20 years ago, the Denver Art Museum was the first in the country to not only embrace families but to introduce backpacks-to-borrow as a way to engage kids.
It’s dumping snow on Breckenridge Mountain and we’re above tree line at the new Peak 6 bowls. Some of the terrain is hike-to expert — some of the most extreme at the big resort — but all of the buzz here has been about the above tree line blue terrain.
The mountain—it’s huge, even larger with the newly opened Peak Six that has added 543 new acres of terrain, the biggest ski resort terrain expansion in over a decade. There are Kids’ jumps and small trails through the trees and kids terrain features with names like Rip’s Ravine and Dragon Trail.
With much of the nation covered in snow this week, and temperatures well below freezing, this is a great family cabin-fever-reducing activity. But here in Breckenridge, snow carving is a huge event each winter.
I like that Turks and Caicos is not only safe and that beachfront hotels are just 15 minutes from the airport but that there are so many options—from the all inclusive huge Beaches with over 750 rooms to the Somerset with less than 60.
Families come to Turks and Caicos to relax, but also to enjoy the fishing and water sports, like kite-boarding on South Beach.
It’s not even a holiday week but the Beaches resort on Turks and Caicos is fully booked, including 841 kids running, jumping, splashing and sliding down the water slides at the water play area. “So worth the money,” said Greg Vogel, from Baltimore.
Turks and Caicos is made up of 40 islands and Cays just 575 miles from Miami. Providenciales, where we’re staying, is famous for its beaches, diving, snorkeling and fishing. There are a growing number of resorts catering to families here, including the giant Beaches resort.
In our family, an afternoon away from the resort is fundamental. A 20-minute taxi ride from the luxurious Iberostar Playa Mita brings you to the sleepy fishing village of San Francisco, known locally as San Pancho. In this tiny seaside town, you will find Entre Amigos.
An afternoon visit to laid-back Sayulita, a few minutes drive from the Iberostar Playa Mita on Mexico’s Pacific Cost. The crescent-shaped beach is fringed with tall palms. Fishermen sharing the beach with surfers and hippies.
If you think all-inclusive resorts are nothing but rowdy sun-seekers, conga lines, mediocre buffets and cheap liquor, meet the new Iberostar Playa Mita. A vacation here should do wonders to change any preconceived notions you may have about all-inclusive hotels.
The holiday season is an excellent time to visit Colonial Williamsburg and see firsthand how 18th Century Virginians celebrated.
If you arrive at night, you might not recognize Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. The millions of lights that cover 1,500 Christmas trees give the theme park a fantastical holiday makeover and transform it into Christmas Town.
Taking the Kids correspondent Allison Tibaldi and her teen-aged son Alec enjoy their last day on the Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas with a port of call in St. Thomas, USVI, and ride on the Kon Tiki Sightseeing and Beach Cruise.
Day three aboard Royal Caribbean Freedom of the Seas starts with the Dreamworks character breakfast for Taking the Kids contributor Alison Tibaldi, and ends with Italian food at Portofino.
Taking the Kids contributor Allison Tibaldi visits the gym on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas and first port call at CocoCay in the Bahamas.
Taking the Kids contributor Alec Tibaldi describes his first cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas and provides another excellent video.
Taking the Kids Contributor Allison Tibaldi finds Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas to be huge, but easy to navigate with interactive screens all round.
Taking the Kids contributor Alec Tibaldi, who joined his mother on a Royal Caribbean cruise and visit to Universal Orlando, describes his first visit to the theme park and provides an excellent video.
Taking the Kids contributor Allison Tibaldi reports on a two-for-one holiday with her son on a Royal Caribbean cruise along with a visit to Universal Orlando Resort.
A vacation can inspire you to take a different path—or in some cases, inspire a new industry. That’s what happened when Clemente and Claire Poncon vacationed at Lapa Rios Ecolodge on Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula.
At Morgan’s Rock, one family visits a local school to donate supplies the day before Thanksgiving, while others visit the farm for a look at the cows, chickens and ducks and a breakfast feast of fresh eggs, gallo pinto and hand-made tortillas.
Morgan’s Rock in southwest Nicaragua is about as far from a typical beach resort as you can get, from waking up to the howler monkeys to activities that include jungle walks, horseback riding on the beach and zip lining nearby.
At Jicaro Island Ecolodge almost everything is locally sourced and sustainable. The food is delicious. And the scraps from the kitchen feed the pigs on a nearby farm whose waste produces methane cooking gas for the local farmers.
Karen Emanuel came to Nicaragua on vacation. She left with an island — and a new dream — Jicaro Island Ecolodge, a beautiful resort on the largest lake in Central America.
We’ve followed our 22-year-old daughter Melanie here to Nicaragua, which many say is poised to become the next eco tourist’s must-see destination with volcanoes, cloud forests, pristine beaches and tiny eco resorts like Jicaro Island Ecolodge.
this time of year also means winter fun and what better way to ring in the season than to go ice skating in Bryant Park in the heart of Manhattan.
We’re seven strangers ranging from 22 to 60-something standing in a Paris afternoon outdoor market trying to decide. We’ve signed on for a cooking class with La Cuisine Paris, one of just a handful here that offers classes in English.
Today, we’re touring this hip foodie neighborhood with Edouard Morhange who live nearby and is on the board of the Paris Greeter organization, which offers some 3,000 free tours every year given by 360 greeters.
We’re in Gerard Merlot, a shop famous for macarons in the St Germain district of Paris, with guide Genevieve, who we’ve met through a terrific company called Tours by Locals.