Time to relax and enjoy the facilities

Time to relax and enjoy the facilities

“We just want to relax,” my adventure-loving crew says. So that’s what we do, and there couldn’t be a better place to do it—with or without kids—than this Hyatt Resort with its network of pools–one with a water slide we all love and one just for adults, a gentle salt water lagoon for the youngest vacationers.

Exploring around the Na Pali Coast

Exploring around the Na Pali Coast

Hanalei and beyond makes me think this is what Hawaii used to be like—one-lane bridges, narrow winding roads, shaved ice stands selling flavors like Li Hing Mui (sweet Asian plum) and Guava, small shops with colorful Hawaiian shirts hanging outside.

On Kauai and more adventures

On Kauai and more adventures

Not bad for a morning on vacation. Other adventures include the chance to paddle along the Na Pali Coast along 2,000 foot sea cliffs, through sea caves, bike down Waimea Canyon, paddle the Wailua River or a kayak trip along with a zip line adventure.

Exploring botanicals and turtle nests of Kauai

Exploring botanicals and turtle nests of Kauai

It turns out that of all the endangered species of plants in the United States, two thirds are from Hawaii, and this research effort is designed to help these plants once again flourish

A week in Hawaii with the girls

A week in Hawaii with the girls

I’m traveling with my two daughters, Reggie and Melanie, my 15-year-old cousin Eva Weinberg, and my best friend, JoAnne Cagen. It is our last gasp of summer before the girls scatter back across the country to jobs in San Francisco, school in Colorado and Connecticut. The trip is especially poignant for JoAnne.

Taking the Kids, and the doggie, to Nantucket

Taking the Kids, and the doggie, to Nantucket

Nantucket — the only place in America that has the same name for the island, the county and the town — does have a well-deserved reputation for being preppy. “It is the only place you can wear pink pants and get away with it,”says one local.

Day Two in Provincetown — kids in discovery mode

Day Two in Provincetown — kids in discovery mode

We’ve started off on a morning walk on our second day in Provincetown and about a mile from town. We come across an inn at the top of a hill so striking we have to stop for a look. Land’s End Inn is not only spectacular with amazing ocean views but kid friendly too with a pile of kids’ games.

To the Caribbean in Summer

To the Caribbean in Summer

Finally, a Caribbean beach that’s everything a Caribbean beach should be – quaint, with hammocks strung from palm trees, crystal-clear water perfect for snorkeling, white sand, a first-rate beach bar and enough water toys to keep the kids happy (banana boat ride anybody?)

Lots of great food on Nantucket Island

Lots of great food on Nantucket Island

Yum! We’re at American Seasons run by husband and wife team Michael LaScola and Orela Murphy-LaScola, who juggle the restaurant with being parents to their toddler.

Nantucket, once the world’s whaling capital

Nantucket, once the world’s whaling capital

There is a lot of history we learn on this small island. In fact, the entire island is a historic district designated as a National Historic Landmark and has more buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places than anywhere in Massachusetts, including Boston.