Travel ideas and reports for families and groups, including multigenerational families
I wish I were at the beach.I’m guessing so do a lot of people right about now when it is freezing across the country. At least I can think about the fun times on the beach in recent months:
Locals are quick to tell you Anguilla, a British territory, isn’t only about the beaches, though their motto is “tranquility wrapped in blue.” “I have lived in Anguilla for 20 years and the thing that never changes is the people,” says children’s book author Jo-Anne Mason, originally from Brooklyn.
Even in the most terrific locales, nothing goes as planned. Someone gets sick (we’ve had lots of ear infections). Someone ends up in the ER (me, here three years ago after a bad fall). Someone has a meltdown. And someone just doesn’t want to spend that much time with mom and dad.
No we’re not at a ski resort –there isn’t even a ski lift or any other skiers anywhere in the vicinity. That’s because we’re on some of the 8,000-plus acres at nine thousand elevation at the C Lazy U Ranch in Granby CO.
Dog sledding, is just one of the ways you might not have thought of to have fun in the snow here in New Hampshire’s Mount Washington Valley that includes 27 towns surrounding Mount Washington, the pinnacle of the 6,288-foot White Mountains
“The people are what make this place so special,” said Hearon. In fact, much of the staff is culled from young people who came here for vacation with their families. No wonder more than 60 per cent of the guests return to this 8, 500 acre ranch that is about 20 miles north of Winter Park.
The Hotel Jerome has just reopened before Christmas in the heart of downtown Aspen after a multi-million dollar renovation (every one of the 93 rooms and suites has its own luxurious bathroom, of course) and its not unusual in ski season for room rates to be over $800 a night.
I’ve always thought Snowmass was terrific for families with younger kids—its Treehouse kids’ learning facility is a standout in the industry complete with indoor climbing wall. There’s a climbing room, teen activities like movie night, and six interactive themed rooms for infants 8 weeks and older.
When we mentioned San Francisco to our kids Ethan (10) and Hannah (8) they both immediately were excited because it has so much to offer, and mostly, for the chance to go and visit Alcatraz Island.
Our past trips to San Diego and New York have been made more enjoyable, and more cost-effective by using the great benefits that CityPass offers. Our hope was that our holiday trip to San Francisco would be enhanced by using the CityPass book.
Sue and Robin Ricketts started Anguilla’s flourishing villa business—ideal for multigenerational families and now manage some 80 villas on the island from the most luxurious ($1,000,000 a week) to totally affordable (a few thousand). Now they also run the boutique 27-room Anacona where rooms can be as low as $150 a night and all kinds of special programs—tennis, sailing, wellness, biking, yoga, art……
The Anguilla Youth Sailing Club that teaches local as well as visiting kids to sail (look for programs through the Viceroy Hotel and others) “Kids really rally round the boat racing…we start to teach them at age four,” says Paul Koeniger, who oversees the youth sailing club.
This January, of course, also marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation and I can’t think of a better time than this winter — February is Black History Month — to explore civil rights in Washington and beyond.
We spent the afternoon at the stunning Viceroy Resort down the road from where we are staying that employs 600 people for their 166 rooms. Did I mention the five-bedroom villas that rent for as much as $17,500 a night?
At the CuisinArt Resort in Anguila. I indulged in a facial (anti-aging of course) and a soak in the “healing waters” pool that offers a combination, I’m told, of mineral sea salt and fresh water that is supposed to help my aching knee.
We’re here on a girlfriends’ getaway ensconced in a huge three-bedroom villa with its own pool, kitchen, and beach. I’m sitting aside the pool and hear the crashing waves as I write this. Did I mention the mile-long beach?
There is no better time than the week we celebrate Martin Luther King Day and the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation to embrace teachable moments with kids about slavery—no more so than at the Lincoln Memorial and Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington DC.
No, you’re not dreaming. Welcome to Fowl Cay Resort in the famous Bahamian Exumas that boast more than 300 tiny islands. This is the most unique Caribbean all-inclusive resort that I’ve ever seen.
I wish the travel industry would stop trying to convince us that if we only stay at this hotel, chose that cruise line or use a particular credit card, the kids won’t bicker, rooms will be ready when we arrive without any delays, of course, and all will be wonderful every moment.
Africa and in particular Ethiopia may not cross many minds as being a number one choice for a family holiday. What you should know is that with 8 world heritage sites, some stunning scenery, and many opportunities to inspire and educate the children, Ethiopia may well be a fantastic destination for a family holiday.
You can have as much fun off the slopes as on at a snow resort, especially in January, which is designated as Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month with special programs at resorts around the country.
Charlottesville, VA and the surrounding Piedmont region offers remarkable history, breathtaking scenery, a dining scene that blends upscale with down home and boutique inns that make for a uniquely charming getaway for your family.
Yhe Bretton Woods Ski Area Canopy Tour is a combination of nine progressively thrilling zip line rides, two hikes across suspension bridges way up in the trees, and a couple of incredible rappelling experiences. It was the latter that really tested our mettle.
There is plenty to do at this historic resort—from NH largest ski area, plenty of groomed cross country and snow shoe trails, dog sledding, sleigh rides and indoor and outdoor pool and gargantuan spa where my daughter and I indulged in blissful massages yesterday.
We’re hiking in the snow—micro crampons on our feet on the Crawford Trail in New Hampshire, with a guide from the Appalachian Mountain Club’s Highlands Center. In case you are wondering, the needles on the spruce are spikey–thus “spikey spruce” and the needles on the balsam are soft (“friendly fir”!).
Welcome to the Appalachian Mountain Club Highland Center, a short drive from Mount Washington, New England’s tallest peak. Some of the families we meet the weekend before Christmas have made a visit here an annual tradition, like the Canes, who have come nearly every year since their nine year-old was a baby.
As I thought back about this past year’s trips, I realized that each one enabled us to challenge ourselves in different ways, whether in the outdoors, navigating in an unfamiliar culture, or learning a new skill. That’s not counting the challenge of getting along with each other along the way — not always easy, especially these days as families who don’t spend a lot of time together gather for vacation.
Did I mention this resort is owned by Sandals? Yet it couldn’t be more different than Sandals expect that your stay is all inclusive. That means your villa is stocked with every food and drink you want. We fix our own breakfast and hot freshly baked muffins and fruit are delivered every morning.
Did you ever think it was possible to eat too much chocolate? If you are a chocolate lover, The Chicago Fine Chocolate Festival might just be the challenge for you.
We creep up on them. Clifton casts in a line with a gob of hermit crab for bait. There’s a small tug, them a bigger one and then “Wham,” a bonefish takes the bait and runs. And I mean runs. The drag on the spincast reel screeches as the fish tries to get off the line. Clifton hands me the rod and says “hang on.” I’ve had a lot of fish on the line in my day and this one fights better than most, if not all.