In Mexico, a Spa for the Whole Family
Where are the kids while the parents are at the spa? There are two options: the Barcy Kids Club, where kids get to partake in activities like pool sports and crafts, or the Barcelo Kids Spa.
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Experiencing the Sea Turtles and Other Wildlife in Riviera Maya
This resort is dedicated to protecting the sea turtle eggs laid upon its 1.25 miles of glistening beach during sea turtle nesting season from May through October, and guests of all ages are encouraged to participate in the release of the juvenile turtles when they hatch.
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Three Days on the Mexican Riviera at Barcelo Maya
This is Mayan land, we are told, and there is a lot of mysticism around here. So much mysticism that the superstitious-minded believe the world will be ending December 21, 2012. It doesn’t feel like the world is ending at Barceló, though…
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When a hotel is more than just a place to crash
I didn’t want a hotel that was just a place to sleep. I didn’t want a hotel that was just convenient to the train station. I wanted a hotel that would be part of the experience—a big part of the experience. We were staying in Rome just one night and it was my birthday.
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Next time consider a villa on your family vacation
A villa or condo makes vacationing with kids — no matter what their ages — so much easier. Remember that the kitchen is always open and in some cases you have a staff all to yourself. And you don’t have to share the pool with strangers.
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Exploring Colorado in the summer
The skies are blue, the air is clear and there is no evidence of fire where tourists would go. “Some people watching TV thought the whole city burned up,” one local told me. “Some people thought the entire state burned,” said another in Crested Butte. Fortunately, Colorado’s fire-impacted areas represent less than 1 percent of the state’s 23 million acres of public land.
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Oxygen and champagne at the spa in Aspen
The St Regis underwent a $40 million redesign in 2011 and it shows. They welcome kids and pets with special amenities. The spa is the go to place in town to be pampered –15,000 square feet with 15 treatment rooms. There’s steam and sauna and cold plunge and hot tubs.
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Learning to fly-fish in Aspen’s rivers and ponds
until this morning, Zach Lewis hadn’t been fly fishing—a popular Aspen activity. This morning at his first spot on the Roaring Creek River Zach caught a nice sized trout. It was all catch and release, but that’s not what this is about.
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The Broadmoor — peaceful and relaxing
People are afraid to come to the Springs, locals tell me, saying they think the entire city has burned, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. But the Broadmoor, which has been welcoming families for 19 years, is tranquil and at it should be. So is downtown Colorado Springs, where an outdoor festival is underway.
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A week in Colorado – stop one “The Springs”
I’m also glad to be in The Springs as locals call it for another reason—to tell everyone that the Waldo Canyon Wildfire that destroyed more than 300 homes earlier this summer has been completely contained and the city and all of its attractions are open for business.
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Learning sustainability and eating healthy on a local farm
No, it’s not teens gabbing and texting their way through your family vacation. We’re talking chickens — 250 of white-and-black striped hens to be exact — whose Eggmobile is parked just behind one of the guesthouses at the Inn at Valley Farms in Walpole, N.H., where we spent the weekend recently.
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Camp Denali: a special place in the Alaskan wilderness
We’re on our way to a very special celebration in the wilderness — Camp Denali’s 60th anniversary, which has brought back one of its founders and many who have helped make this small, 18-cabin enclave one of the most iconic National Park lodges anywhere.
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Visiting Orlando’s parks like the One Percent
No waiting for buses, navigating crowded parking lots or walking more than you or your kids can take. Hall whisks you around Walt Disney World in a private car that he parks exactly where you want to be.
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Bushwhacking through the Willows in Denali National Park
What people also don’t realize is that hiking here is far different than hiking in Yosemite or Yellowstone or most other places. There are no defined trails, and no trail signs. You either need to be experienced in the backcountry and know how to use a compass and map or be fortunate enough to be hiking with someone like Brian McCormick who has been guiding visitors for years.
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Camp Denali: fascinating tales from three generations
Wood showed us a film after dinner of the building of “Camp” as they call it—hauling logs with a World War II surplus jeep, sawing huge trees with hand saws, giving climbers who successfully summited the largest mountain in North America (20,320 feet!) a free spaghetti dinner.
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A “moderate/strenuous” hike on the Denali permafrost
They said the views from the ridge at the top of the Tiga Trail are spectacular. We ask can we do a “moderate-slash-strenuous” hike (translation: slower). Everyone laughs and the six of us in our family—three nursing bad knees—head off with the naturalists
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Two weeks in Alaska: Day One on the road to Camp Denali
We’ve already seen a huge Grizzly munching on a ground squirrel, four Dall sheep, Caribou, a moose and two recently born calves, a red fox …and we’d only been in Denali National Park a few hours.
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Lots to do in the mountains and farms of Vermont in summer
The kids have already petted a chicken (and learned they’ll eat cantaloupe, as well as worms) met the baby calves Fiona and Danika and the draft horses Joe and Jim. Certain days of the summer, kids, ages 10 to 15, can become a farm vet for a day…
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To the Caribbean and savings in summer
Come here in summer and you may be able to afford to vacation like the 1 percenters. Like everywhere in the Caribbean, you can save significant bucks on airfare, as well as lodging.
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Healthy food is part of the kids’ adventure at some hotels
Finally, it appears, the hotel industry is paying attention to what traveling families have long been saying: Make kids’ menus healthier; give kids more choices!
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Remembering a friends getaway to Puerto Rico
I’m here with two old friends for a girlfriends’ getaway too and we decide Puerto Rico is a good bet—easy to reach, no passports required and plenty to do (even a big outlet mall, if you are so inclined.)
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Discovering the beauty of the California Coastal region
During our five-mile hike, we see plump yellow banana slugs, the tiny Calypso orchid and blooming trillium, a member of the lily family. But the best part is the conversations with my daughter, Reg, who lives across the country from us in San Francisco. I’d forgotten how conducive hiking is to catching up!
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Farm to table at the historic Ocean House in Rhode Island
Jane Dane, the mom of three, is a modern day Forager. That means it is her full time job to act as the liaison between local farmers and the chefs at the luxe 49-room Ocean House in Watch Hill, RI which is a designated Relais & Chateau property with a focus on farm to table cuisine.
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A Spring Skiing Adventure at Heavenly and Kirkwood ski resorts
Heavenly Ski Resort. We both agreed that this ski area had been aptly named. We looked out over the giant span of beautiful Lake Tahoe from the top of the mountain.
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Day Two – exploring San Francisco’s Japantown
Everyone knows San Francisco’s bustling, busy Chinatown, the largest outside of Asia.
But Japantown? This area is worth exploring and not just for the food. -
Six days in San Francisco and Redwood country
The Fairmont San Francisco’s Executive Chef jW Foster installed the beehives in the hotel’s 1,000-square foot culinary garden to help support the bee population which has dropped 90 per cent since the 1980s.
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Luxe and lots of powder at Deer Valley UT
For those who can afford luxe on the slopes, tt doesn’t get any better than the ski-in, ski-out Montage (with its own Compass Sports rental shop and ski valet where they buckle and unbuckle your boots) and Deer Valley
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Good eats in and around Park City UT
Here as well as at neighboring Deer Valley –which led the industry in providing good mountain eats—we’re seeing ever better food with an emphasis on what is locally sourced.
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Timeout for some spa time in Beaver Creek, CO
Family ski trips can be a lot of work, especially for moms-all the schlepping, all the shopping for groceries and cooking. Certainly moms deserve some “me” time on ski trips and there’s no better place than a spa like this to enjoy that.
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Back to the 19th Century at the historic Hotel Jerome
The glitterati of the day came from around the country for the opening on Thanksgiving eve 1889. The hot and cold running water, flush toilets and electric lights were the ultimate in luxury for a town used to icy outhouses and miner’s camps.
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A trip down memory lane for a pair of ski bum brothers
Years ago, they drove 18 hours from Texas, staying in the cheapest place they could find, eating greasy burgers and paying just $25 for lift tickets. Now they’re back in Aspen with their kids.
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Snow-shoeing to a gourmet meal in the shadows of Aspen, CO
The highlight—after the snowshoe in the wilderness–is the food—Pine Creek Smoked trout, … Colorado elk bratwurst, a smoked trout melt on sourdough and buffalo tenderloin..
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To Aspen-Snowmass for a trip down memory lane
You’re never too old to take the kids. And they’re not too old for a trip with mom and dad. Sometimes, that can include a trip down memory lane—on snow.
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Taking the Kids doesn’t mean leaving the romance behind
I love traveling with my children, their pals and various other pint-sized relatives. I do it all the time. But there’s something deliciously decadent about an adult-only trip, whether you manage just a night away in a nearby hotel or a trip of a lifetime.
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Seven teen boys share NYC penthouse for a weekend
Some of my friends thought I was nuts. When I won a weekend stay at the Hilton New York’s five-bedroom penthouse, I invited along seven teenagers to share the fun at New York’s largest hotel.
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Last day in the BVI – to the new resort on Scrub Island
“This is a place for adventures,” says General Manager Martin Smith, who says the key is organizing your stay—with the resort staff help.
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Into the lap of luxury at Villa Aquamare on Virgin Gorda
The advantage here—besides the privacy and the chance to putter in the kitchen yourself—is that you aren’t paying $5 each time a child wants a virgin colada or $15 for the real thing.
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A whirlwind tour of Hong Kong over the holidays
I can’t believe I’m here. Hong Kong’s famous Victoria Harbor watches as I try to follow William Ng, a 75-year-old Tai Chi master, as he introduces about 20 of us to the ancient art of Tai Chi or “shadow boxing.”
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Last day in Hong Kong — to the spa!
After a frenetic week reporting—not to mention serious jet lag—I figured there couldn’t be a better way to while away my last morning before my return flight than experiencing the Mira Hotel’s spa.
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A visit to an ancient monastery and a giant Buddha
This isn’t just any Buddha but the largest outdoor sitting Buddha in the Po Lin Monastery on the island of Lantau. The Monastery was established in 1906—some 100 monks hidden from the tourists still live here
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Day 3 in Hong Kong – moving into the Mira in the central city
People are choosing the newly renovated Mira for its hip design. The 492-room hotel has been open just a year across the street from Kowloon Park. You walk out the door onto Nathan Road, one of Hong Kong’s busiest thoroughfares
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Eating my way, and cheaply, through the Pearl of the Orient
Today, I’m the only Caucasian face in the jam-packed Tim Ho Wan that has the reputation for being the cheapest Michelin star restaurant in the world. People come here for Dim Sum and are lined up waiting outside.
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Nine days in Hong Kong over the holidays
DAY ONE — I’ve got my eye mask, three different noise cancelling head phones to try, the iPad loaded with my favorite TV shows, my Kindle loaded with new mysteries, healthy snacks, special socks from SmartWool, neck pillow…have I forgotten anything?
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This year do you want new-style holiday gifts, or a family trip?
I’m not filling any stockings this year or piling presents under the tree. No presents for Hanukah either. (We celebrate both holidays in our house.) And my gang couldn’t be happier.
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Last day in Park City – time to “surrender” to the Montage Spa
I’m at the year-old Montage Deer Valley spa—35,000 square feet indoor lap pool, separate mens and women’s facilities with steam room, sauna, whirlpools and more, a private sundeck with radiant heated floors and spectacular mountain views and a big fitness center.
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Four days with the SnowMamas in Park City, Utah
Maybe buying ski boots isn’t that big a deal. But it says something about my desire to invest in myself instead of everyone else in the family for a change. And every season, I say I’m going to hang up my skis because I’m not having fun out there—certainly not when I try to keep up with my family, experts all.
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On a unique mom’s getaway in Jamaica
No I’m not dreaming of an effortless holiday gathering that could never be real — at least in my world. I’m actually wide awake in Jamaica, enjoying a pre-holiday moms’ getaway with my three oldest friends from grade school at the most unusual all-inclusive resort I’ve ever visited.
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Old holiday traditions give way to less drama this year
There’s something to be said for creating a new holiday tradition with no drama, especially when new young friends are part of the equation. We were joined by 12-year-old Enesi Domi, who we got to know last summer when he spent some time at our home through the Fresh Air Fund.
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Meeting the locals around Bluefields Bay in Jamaica
I can’ t stop thinking about Delta when we return to our Bluefields Bay villa overlooking the sea served breakfast—a traditional Jamaican concoction of saltfish with vegetables cooked in coconut milk called Rundown.
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Exploring the area around Bluefields Bay in Jamaica
Our driver Percy Baldwin first takes us to the Black River—at 44 miles the longest navigable river in Jamaica. We’re only going to cruise for about an hour down the pristine river where Crocodiles and birds live and mangroves grow.
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Bluefields Bay Jamaica — an unresort-like resort
Welcome to Bluefields Bay Villas—the most unresort-like resort I’ve ever visited — in Jamaica, about an hour and 15 minut4es drive from Montego Bay in the small community of Bluefields Bay.
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When a hotel is more than just a place to sleep
Where you sleep, eat breakfast and meet other travelers, after all, can be just as memorable as what you’ve seen that day and that doesn’t necessarily mean the hotel has to be the most expensive one in town either. It could be a hostel, or even a tent…
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Tired of cooking turkey? Try a Thanksgiving destination
Whatever the reason, it’s not too late to turn Thanksgiving into a mini vacation with the kids. You’ve already got half the week off from work and school anyway. Tell the relatives you’ll see them at Christmas or, if you like them enough, invite them along.
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To Aulani, Disney’s First Hawaii Resort
Disney employed more than 100 local consultants to advise them on everything from storytelling to music to architecture. Local fish and produce are served at the resort restaurants and children can learn to snorkel with Hawaiian fish in the artificial Rainbow Reef.
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Disney sees Aulani as the place for destination weddings
There are already 1,000 weddings a year at Walt Disney World in Orlando–upwards of 20 per cent among blended families, says Korrie McFann, who oversees Disney’s e wedding and honeymoon business around the world. The company anticipates Aulani to rival Orlando for the wedding business.
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Sitting under the star listening to ukulele music – it’s Disney
We’re sitting on woven mats under the stars listening to the best Ukulele playing I’ve ever heard. Rather than a huge luau with terrible food and hackneyed performances, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa on Oahu has opted to celebrate Hawaiian culture with the Aulani Starlit Hui
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Spas treatments for all ages at Disney’s Aulani
Laniwai (the name means freshwater heaven in Hawaiian) is supposed to embrace the Hawaiian connection to nature. I think it can enhance family connections too both by encouraging families to enjoy the facilities together and on their own
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There’s a lot do on Oahu but so too at the Aulani
There’s so much to keep kids busy right here at Aulani–the water slides and ides and lazy river, the Rainbow Reef snorkel lagoon, the chance to interact with the stingrays and play in the calmest lagoon I’ve ever seen.
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Hawaiian tradition and culture blend with Disney at the new Aulani
Ready to learn the Coconut Walk? “Aunty,” who actually is well known Hawaiian entertainer Sonya Mendez, leads the children as they clap Coconut shell instruments together around the outdoor restaurant. In between songs, Goofy, Minnie and other Disney Pals—all decked out in Hawaiian gear—stop by for photos and hugs
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A visit to Disney’s new Aulani resort and spa in Hawaii
What I like most is that this big resort—when it is fully open it will include 359 rooms and 481 two-bedroom condo units—is that it will up the ante for family resorts in Hawaii and elsewhere, improving the family experience in the process.
