Reports and advice on stays at hotels, resorts – any form of lodging
It’s easy to see why these vacations are so popular with multigenerational families. No one is doing all the chores that typically come with a house rental.
Lest you think Aspen is only for celebs and wealthy Hollywood types, there’s plenty affordable here—starting with the Limelight Hotel with rates under $200 a night
At the Vista Verde Guest Ranch, it turns ranch life ain’t so bad. It also turns out, a city slicker can really look really really ridiculously awesome wearing a Cowboy hat.
At the Vista Verde Guest Ranch
We’re atop Ajax—as Aspen Mountain is known—with just a handful of others for “First Tracks” at 8:15 a.m.—before the Mountain has opened.
The staff at Vista Verde Ranch, about 25 miles outside the ski town of Steamboat Springs has obligingly left us an Evening Sky Map for this month.
This year, I decided to mix it up—opting to spend half our winter ski week at a dude ranch, Vista Verde Ranch, on 500-plus gorgeous acres about 25 miles outside of Steamboat Springs and as far away from the crowds and tumult of a major ski area as you can get.
on vacation, free is great — a lot better than paying for meals the kids don’t eat, theme park tickets when they’d rather play in the hotel pool or museum entry fees when they are ready to leave in less than an hour.
We were brought together by a volunteer program called Meet the People, which has been bringing tourists and locals together for more than 50 years over a shared interest — in our case, cooking and food. meeting the locals in Jamaica Did I mention the program is free? The volunteers will even come and pick you up.
Seriously. We are at River Bumpkin Farm and have floated down about 1.5 miles of the 75-mile long river.
We are eating dinner on the terrace listening to the ocean, feasting on Caribbean lobster. No we aren’t at a tony restaurant in Jamaica. We are at Serenity on the Beach, one of the 100 private villas in Jamaica managed by Villas by Linda Smith.
John Bartels has no interest in going home. He, his two sisters, and his parents have been spending a vacation week at Half Moon, a Rock Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica, that has been setting a high bar for resorts here for more than 50 years
The result of packing for a safari cannot be the scene of Meryl Streep traveling to the Ngong Hills in Out of Africa, and it doesn’t need to be.
It may be Christmas week, but we’re as far from a mall and city crowds as we can get. We’re hiking the Crawford Trail, the longest continually used trail in the country, snow crunching under our feet
It is eight in the morning and we are a few blocks from the hotel at Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji Fish Market, Japan’ largest. More than 15,000 people work here; international tourists line up in the early hours of the morning for the chance to watch the famous fish auctions,
Westin and Le Meridien Hotels have just introduced new family programs, they say, in response to a changing global demand for family travel. Rather than focusing on a kids club, this idea stresses that playing “knows no borders or language barriers but rather inspires kids to explore learn and build relationships.”
At a time when hotels catered to businessmen, not families, Walt Disney thought there should be a place where families could continue the fun they had in Disneyland. On the same day.
The Museum of History and Industry, now in the historic Naval Reserve Armory at Lake Union Park, boasts the largest heritage organization in Washington State with nearly 4 million artifacts. It is a good place to start any family visit to Seattle.
Ashford Castle, in western Ireland on 350 acres along the shores of Lough Corrib and the River Cong, is famous for its fishing and falconry but if you’re a boy just staying in a bona-fide castle is the real attraction.
Tiny Telluride is a popular place. Nestled in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado, the mountain range has the highest concentration of 13,000 and 14,000 foot peaks in North America
We’ve signed on for Seattle’s only chef-led tour of the market with Elizabeth McClure’ new company Eat Seattle Tours. She also does cooking classes in the Market’s Atrium Kitchen, shopping with the students first for ingredients .
It is Friday night in Seattle. But what’s interesting is the Sazerac with its distinctive chandeliers and hip-but-casual vibe and food best described as modern South meets Northwest is in Kimpton’s Monaco Hotel.
If you think a 14-course dinner might be a little much to handle, come sample Chef Kenichiro Ooe’s fare at Kozue on the 40th floor of the Park Hyatt Tokyo with stellar views of the city.
Welcome to the traditional Japanese Riokan. There are these hotels all around Japan, some in the mountains, which offer the chance to try the Japanese hot springs baths called onseng
Kyoto is famous for its Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. This morning, we’re cycling a 14-mile loop with Kyoto Cycling Tour Project with stops at the Golden Pavilion and Ryoanji Temple with its world-famous rock garden – two of the city’s and Japan’s top tourist attractions.
It is eight in the morning and we are at Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji Fish Market, Japan’ largest. More than 15,000 people work here; international tourists line up in the early hours of the morning for the chance to watch the famous auctions of the fish, including the tuna.
The Mizuki Spa at the Conrad Tokyo is the largest spa of its kind in Tokyo and boasts Tokyo’s only true Hinoki bath. Treatments are inspired by the moon and the water.
Jake and Tobey Bill, ages 12 and 13 from Weston CT, went on a “Safari In Style” tour of Tanzania with the tour operator Abercrombie & Kent. They had heard great things about Africa and watched a few PBS specials about it, but nothing prepared them for what them saw and experienced in this amazing place.
New York, of course, is always tops on tweens and teens lists of wanna-go places. If you have a few days before school starts, it turns out August is a good time. Sure it may be hot, but with business travelers scarce, you are likely to get a good hotel deal.
Welcome to Daigon Alley. No, this is not at Universal Studios Orlando. It’s here in Edinburgh, where JK Rowling famously wrote the first book in a coffee shop.
Margo is a Harris Hawk at the British School of Falconry here on the grounds of the historic Gleneagles Hotel, the first in the country and extremely popular with kids. In fact, we had an audience as I was learning to hold Margo and let her fly.
Of course, Gleneagles is known for golf — it is home to three of Scotland’s best championship courses and it is where the 2014 Ryder Cup was played. But today, only 30 percent of guests play golf — and some of them may be kids taking lessons.
What is vacation without good food and Gleneagles Hotel certainly delivers. It is home to Andrew Fairlie, chef of Scotland’s only two Michelin-starred restaurant. But the other restaurants offer something special as well—maybe trying Scottish food for the first time.
Gleneagles is known for golf—it is home to three of Scotland’s best championship courses but today, only 30 per cent of guests play golf and Gleneagles is a kid-friendly resort that draws families from the United Kingdom as well as the United States back year after year
The great food at Ashford Castle in Ireland is inspired by Lord Ardilaun, a scion of the Guinness family, who insisted on only the freshest and most varied of local produce, a tradition continued by new executive chef Philippe Farineau
We are at Ireland’s School of Falconry—the oldest in the country—at Ashford Castle that dates back to 1228 on the shores of Lough Corrib, the largest lake in Ireland, and the River Cong, which is reputed to have the best salmon and trout fishing in Europe.
It’s not that I need to be treated like a VIP. I just want to de-stress experience as much as possible—especially with kids. That means not having to wait to be served breakfast or a snack or paying through the nose for food the kids won’t eat.
In Britain these days, one young local explained, tea “is for a special occasion—like a birthday. Maybe it’s going to see your first West End Play—say Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
If you think Mexico is only about all-inclusives, think again. The Westin Resort & Spa Puerto Vallarta, with its contemporary décor and just 280 rooms, offers all-inclusive options, though many also like to explore Puerto Vallarta’s lively dining scene.
The kids want to stay right where they are because they’re having way too much fun at the expansive Explorer Island pool-water play area at the New Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World,
Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, is a city webbed with narrow cobblestone streets, opening onto squares of medieval cathedrals and monasteries overlooking the Rio Tejo. With its yellow trams, open parks, 1930s cafés, and ghostly spirit, Lisbon is a city that has plenty to offer every member of the family.
Like one in four American couples getting married this year, according to research by TheKnot.com, my daughter, Reggie Yemma, and her new husband, Dan Foldes, opted for a destination wedding
Lake Tahoe is one of the largest alpine lakes in the world, with a full menu of recreational options to match its grand size. Combine the cobalt blue water with miles of pristine nature trails and you’ve got a perfect match for lovers of the great outdoors.
Ten-year-old Hannah Sitzman is a serious and competitive gymnast who only gets one week off her training a year. So she and her Dad Mike made the most of every day on a whirlwind visit to the parks and beaches around Los Angeles recently.
As Father’s Day coincides with the start of the summer vacation season, I figured there’s no better time to offer some suggestions to up dad’s fun quotient on vacation, which is a much better idea than yet another Father’s Day tie, or an IOU, accompanied by a charming kid’s drawing.
Looking for a summer beach bargain?
You know, somewhere with white sand beaches, clear blue water and plenty of activities to keep everyone happy — paddle-boarding, giant sand castle building, boogie-boarding and snorkeling. Let’s not forget kayaking.
HomeAway, the world’s leading online vacation rental marketplace, has found in a new survey that kids are wielding increasing influence on where families go and what they do not only in the United States but in Europe too.
In Puerto Vallarta, all-inclusives account for 80 percent of the hotels and they are especially popular with families in Mexico and the Caribbean. They’re certainly upping their game to appeal to families.
Giovanni Arredondo holds up two huge Pargos—a kind of snapper—that had just been caught this morning, more than enough to feed the 10 of us.
At the Iberostar Playa Mita in Riviera Nayarit on the Pacific Coast of Mexico they feel they’ve gotten as close to family vacation nirvana as they could possibly get. “We’ve never had free room service,” joked Troy Nathan.
There are dolphin discovery programs run by this company all over the Caribbean but this park is different because for the same price (a little over $100) there is a challenge course, water slides, a water play area for younger kids, even a zipline over the slides).