Affordable Aspen – families enjoying the amenities and vibes of the famous ski town
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
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Families & Groups | Backyard Vacations | Destinations | Food and Dining | Lodging | Parks & Outdoors | Snow Vacations | Travel Diaries
Angeleno Goes Full Cowboy in Colorado
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
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In Aspen, a hotel with great vibes and amenities – The Limelight
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.
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The mountain or the ranch – so many great choices
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.
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Combining ski vacation and dude ranch in the Colorado Rockies
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.
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10 ways to save money on spring break
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.
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Meeting the locals in Jamaica: a great family experience
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.
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Bumpkins on a river cruise in Jamaica. Seriously
Seriously. We are at River Bumpkin Farm and have floated down about 1.5 miles of the 75-mile long river.
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Beach Vacations | Cruises & All-Inclusive | Destinations | Families & Groups | Food and Dining | Lodging | Travel Diaries
A private villa in Jamaica with a homey feel and lots of space
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.
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Setting standards for family vacation – Half Moon Resort Jamaica
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
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Safari Clothing Packing List: What women should wear
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.
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Fun in the snow off the ski slopes
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
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The sights, sounds and scents of Tokyo, Japan
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,
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Westin Gets it Right for Families in Berlin
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.”
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The Disneyland Hotel celebrates 60 years of putting families first
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.
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So much invention in Seattle: Inspiration for Kids
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.
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Ireland’s Ashford Castle: very popular with American families
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.
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To a Colorado resort that’s no longer hard to reach
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
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A local tour of Seattle’s Pike Place Market
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 .
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Hotels restaurants increasingly focusing on local food and healthy choices
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.
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What for dinner in Tokyo? How about 14 courses, small but delicious?
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.
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Visiting a traditional Japanese Ryokan — not your ordinary hotel
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
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Touring Kyoto with locals and on bikes: seeing more than temples
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.
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At the Tokyo Fish Market: mixing culture and tradition in unique culinary ways
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.
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A long flight to Japan – jet lag cured with spa treatment at Conrad Tokyo
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.
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Jake and Tobey go on a Safari in Style in Tanzania
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.
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New York City in August – good time for families to visit
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.
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In Edinburgh, where Harry Potter was written and history abounds
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.
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At Gleneagles, falconry is more than for the birds
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.
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Gleneagles: a world-famous golf resort, now family friendly
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.
