We recently spent a long weekend at Embassy Suites by Hilton St Augustine Beach Oceanfront Resort and loved our stay. The oceanfront hotel opened in December 2018 and looks like a brand-new property. It’s modern yet comfortable and the staff is attentive and friendly. There is great signage with social distancing and mask requirements and the hotel ensures Hilton’s CleanStay cleanliness protocols are adhered to.
The resort offers gorgeous views of St. Augustine Beach and spectacular sunrises (see photo below) and is mere steps away from the sand. Old Town St Augustine and popular attractions like Castillo de San Marcos are easily accessed, 10 minutes away.
Sunrise on the Hotel Beach
Embassy Suites St Augustine Beach Oceanfront Resort would be appropriate for couples’ getaways, family vacations and even meetings and events as it provides over 25,000 square feet of meetings space.
Hotel exterior from the pool area
Accommodations
The resort features 175 guest studios and suites. There are even suites with bunkbeds for the ideal family accommodations. We stayed in a 2-room suite with partial ocean views. Our suite had a balcony with chairs that were perfect for reading my book and relaxing.
The hotel is working on an expansion with the addition of a new building which will house 44 new rooms on the north side of the property. While there was construction while we were there, it was contained and didn’t bother us and wasn’t loud. The project is expected to be completed by June 2021.
Amenities
As is true of Embassy Suites properties, this resort offers free breakfast and complimentary evening socials. The hotel offers valet parking with in and out privileges for $28 a day.
Seating at Castaway Cantina
The property features a great ocean-facing outdoor pool, a hot tub, a fitness center and a business center.
The expansive lobby is light and airy and provides comfortable couches and seating. There are even firepits with seating in a space between the lobby and the pool area where we sat in the evening and relaxed.
Hotel lobby
Food and Beverage
The hotel showcases several food and beverage options.
Harvest & Reel – this modern and inviting restaurant specializes in farm-to-table dining and in fresh seafood. It’s an open kitchen concept and popular with guests of the hotel and with locals. The space is used for the complimentary breakfast in the mornings.
Rhum Bar – this is the lobby bar and, as the name implies, it features a variety of rum-based drinks and other tasty libations. It has indoor and outdoor seating.
Firepits near Rhum Bar
Castaway Cantina – this is a combination of pool bar and an outdoor Latin-inspired dining venue. We enjoyed the setting with a long bar area and with table seating when we had lunch a couple days. There is also poolside service and we tried several frozen cocktails and some local beers.
Drinks at Castaway Cantina
Provisions of Ponce – the convenience market is open 24/7 and provides an array of sundries, food items and beer and wine.
Starbucks Coffee Bar – the hotel offers a full-service Starbucks adjacent to the lobby with all the favorites.
Location
Embassy Suites St Augustine Beach Oceanfront Resort is located at 300 A1A Beach Boulevard, St Augustine, Florida 32080, USA. Less than 10 miles from St Augustine Airport, 57 miles from Jacksonville International Airport and 45 miles from Daytona Beach Regional Airport.
Happy travels,
Veronique
I’m a travel industry veteran currently employed by Hilton. The views and contents of this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer. I wasn’t compensated for writing about this subject and these accommodations weren’t complimentary.
I recently spent a leisurely weekend at The Diplomat Beach Resort (www.diplomatresort.com) and had an outstanding stay. I’ve always loved staying at the property located in Hollywood Beach, Florida (between Ft Lauderdale and Miami) because of its prime beach location, great food outlets, world-class spa and great rooms with amazing views. The hotel recently underwent a $100 million remodel and the results are spectacular – new, grandiose lobby, modern, chic rooms and award-winning food outlets.
The Venue
This is a large property with a 200,000 square foot conference and events center attached. The Diplomat completely overhauled its food and beverages program and offers 10 food outlets ranging from the award-winning Monkitail to casual Bristol’s Burgers (see my recap on that here).
Lobby Level Pool. Photo by The Diplomat.
There is a 14,000 square foot spa overlooking the Atlantic Ocean with a variety of indulgent services.
There are two beachfront pools at the Diplomat and the property offers The Ocean Ambassador’s Kids’ Club with Kids’ DIP + SLIDE. One pool is located at lobby level depicted in the image I’ve included here. The pool I typically sit at is on the lower level and adjacent to the pool bar (coincidence?). I love sitting at a pool and looking out at the beach and ocean. This pool is ideal for this.
For more active, adventurous guests, the hotel offers Jet Ski, ocean kayak, paddle board rentals and volleyball. There’s a private marina with water taxis and city trolleys for local exploration.
The Rooms
Presidential Suite. Photo by The Diplomat.
The resort has 1,000 guestrooms including 96 suites. The style of the accommodations is bright and coastal contemporary. Each room and suite offers views of the Atlantic Coast and/or the Intracoastal Waterway (see a video of the gorgeous accommodations).
We stayed in the north tower in connecting rooms: a king room and a double bedded room decorated in shades of creams and blues. Some of the features of the rooms are floor-to-ceiling windows, vintage-inspired art, plush bedding, luxe robes and Bigelow bath amenities. The hotel offers several types of rooms with ocean front, partial ocean front, Intracoastal and partial Intracoastal views. Rooms are approximately 400 square feet and suites range up to 2,500 square feet.
King Room. Photo by The Diplomat.
The Diplomat Beach Resort is part of Curio by Hilton so guests can earn Hilton Honors points for their stays.
With easy access to Ft Lauderdale and Miami Beach, The Diplomat and its prime beachfront location and great beach and Intracoastal views is a fantastic accommodations option for both leisure and business travelers.
Happy travels,
Veronique
I’m a travel industry veteran currently employed by Hilton. The views and contents of this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer. I wasn’t compensated for writing about this subject.
I recently spend an R&R weekend at the newly re-imagined The Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, Florida and must say that the food program has been taken to a whole new level. The resort boasts a variety of food outlets to please everyone from families to couples to groups.
The 10 food venues range from the signature steakhouse Diplomat Prime to celebrity Chef Geoffrey Zakarian’s Coastal American restaurant Point Royal to award-winning Monkitail to grab-and-go spots and waterfront casual places.
Knowing the outstanding restaurant lineup would draw a crowd of local foodies, the resort smartly extends four-hour complimentary valet or self-park at Point Royal, Diplomat Prime or Monkitail and four-hour complimentary self-park at Bristol’s Burgers and Portico Beer & Wine Garden. For those arriving by boat, all dockage at Diplomat Landing, where Bristol’s Burgers and Portico Beer & Wine Garden are located, is complimentary for up to 4 hours.
Point Royal
Point Royal. Photo credit: The Diplomat.
Point Royal is the popular Geoffrey Zakarian-backed Coastal American Restaurant & Bar. The restaurant offers indoor and outdoor seating with approachable food and the property’s only raw bar. In the mornings, Point Royal offers a buffet with an array of breakfast and lunch favorites (an a la carte menu is also offered). For dinner, the buffet transforms into a bar serving fresh juice-based cocktails and one of the largest wine lists on property. Point Royal is open for breakfast and dinner daily. View the various menus here.
Diplomat Prime
Diplomat Prime is the resort’s luxury steakhouse by Executive Chef Nicolay. The restaurant boasts a dinner menu of prime beef aged in-house, some of the freshest seafood dishes in the area and signature dishes. The wine list showcases old world and new world wines by the glass and by the bottle and a creative offering of classic cocktails.
Monkitail
Just a few months after opening, Monkitail was voted Best Hotel Restaurant 2017 by USA Today and Best New Restaurant 2017 by the Sun Sentinel. The accolades are due to celebrity chef and restaurateur Michael Schulson’s take on modern Japanese food. The menu features classic izakaya with a modern flair, sharable small plates and sushi. There’s also an open robatayaki kitchen with a 15-seat sushi bar and a private dining area overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
Located near the Monkitail entrance is Nokku, a discreet cocktail lounge with four private rooms, each outfitted for karaoke. NOKKU is open Thursday to Saturday – 9PM – 2AM.
Playa
Playa. Photo credit: The Diplomat.
Playa is a fun, casual poolside and beachfront Nuevo Latino restaurant by chefs Sue Torres and Darren Carbone. Playa’s popular bar highlights Rum and Tequila specialties to compliment well-executed tacos on house-made tortillas, an array of fresh salsas, guacamoles and more. ViewPlaya’s menu here.
Counter Point
Open all day, every day, Counter Point is an extension of Geoffrey Zakarian’s Point Royal offering various coffees, fresh juices, smoothies and a daily selection of house baked breakfast pastries, salads and sandwiches for dine-in or take out.
Canteen
The Canteen is a market offering convenience food and beverage items to-go. The market sells beer, wine, fruits, chips, nuts and other snacks as well as prepared salads and sandwiches, cookies and brownies and more.
Bristol’s Burgers. Photo credit: The Diplomat.
CANDY AND CONES
CANDY AND CONES features freshly-churned ice creams that can be folded into sundaes or one of hundreds of varieties of ice cream sandwiches and pops. There’s also a modern penny candy wall with dozens of candies sold by the pound.
Bristol’s Burgers
Bristol’s Burgers is located at The Diplomat Landing Marina overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. The menu features world-class burgers made using a proprietary signature blend of beef, addictive shakes and an extensive selection of shareable appetizers. Bristol’s Burgers is a modern take on a fast-casual burger restaurant with an open kitchen, red leather booths and tables indoor and outdoor. The space also has a free arcade near the entrance to amuse big and small kids.
Portico Beer & Wine Garden
Portico. Photo credit: The Diplomat.
Portico, also located at The Diplomat Landing, is a waterfront beer and wine garden that serves sharable, light-Italian favorites with an exclusively on-tap beer and wine program. Seating is both covered and uncovered with canopies draped throughout the area. Several styles of seating are available including Adirondack chairs, picnic tables and round tables. View thePortico menu here.
Note that private dining is available at all food outlets making it convenient to entertain in a variety of settings from casual to upscale.
Room service is available from 6AM – 11PM from any of the restaurants.
For your next getaway where you simply don’t want to have to leave the hotel, The Diplomat Beach Resort is a delicious option.
I’m a travel industry veteran currently employed by Hilton. The views and contents of this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer. I wasn’t compensated for writing about this subject.
Christmas Village in Philadelphia (http://www.philachristmas.com/) is back for its 10th anniversary season. I visited the Christmas village on Black Friday and it was simply magical. The event started on Thanksgiving Day and runs daily through Christmas Eve. Philadelphia’s LOVE Park (15th and JFK Boulevard) is transformed into a traditional open-air German Christmas Market.
There’s fun shopping for international and local gifts and decorations, lots of food and drinks, live music and cool children’s activities, including photos with Santa Claus. Admission is free!!
New surprises for 2017 Holiday season:
Dog Fridays with specials for our furry friends
Meet St. Nikolaus and get your boot filled with treats
Guided tours through the market for senior citizens
New mascot Phil, the 10th reindeer of Santa
Anniversary weekend with a huge birthday bash and a cake sponsored by Whole Foods
New vendors
New restaurant partnerships for HoHo Happy Hour with The Little Lion, Dim Sum House, Tir Na Nog and Revolution Taco
Collector Mug with a new design for 2017
Theme Weekends
Theme weekends will be filled with music, performances and entertainment. Full schedules and additional info can be found here: http://www.philachristmas.com/events
November 25 and 26 – Opening Weekend
December 2 and 3 – 10th Anniversary Weekend
December 9 and 10 – German American Weekend
December 16 and 17 – Charity Weekend with Make-A-Wish® Foundation
December 23 and 24 – Christmas Weekend
Love Park – 1500 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
We just went on a family vacation to the Las Vegas area. Since we were 7 guests and had two kids ages 11 and 13, we didn’t want to stay on The Strip, so we opted for a vacation rental home in nearby Summerlin. Here’s a link to the house we rented for a week.
There are several things we loved about this rental, including:
We liked that it was near enough to The Strip but far enough from it also. The neighborhood was quiet but near major highways. It was also close to tennis courts and great golf courses. For me, it was near a renowned spa where I took a $6 Uber to get a massage.
The backyard was ideal for a large family getaway. The pool is super with its diving board and slide – kids loved it. At night, there were lights that changed colors in the pool and hot tub that were so relaxing! The kids are avid basketball fans and the court was the greatest for them. My golf-crazed hubby practiced his putting on the brand new putting green. There were plenty of pool toys, basketballs, putters and golf balls also.
The kitchen was huge and included everything this cooking aficionado could have dreamed of. From pantry items like spices, coffee and paper goods to small appliances like a crockpot, a blender and even a toaster oven, this was a dream kitchen and I enjoyed cooking and grilling almost every night (there are numerous restaurants nearby and delivery menus if cooking on vacay isn’t your thing).
The amenities were super like premium bedding, plenty of towels – both bath and pool, tons of pillows and more. There was laundry detergent and we did a bit of laundry during our stay.
There is a double car garage with a remote door opener where we could park our car to keep it cool(er).
Home Exterior
Gourmet Kitchen
Downstairs Living Room
Master + Upstairs Living
Basketball Court
We could not be happier with our stay in this ultra-clean home. The host was there to greet us, even with our flight being 2 hours late. She walked us through how things work (TVs, pool, hot tub, etc…) and was great at communicating with us during our stay.
We highly-recommend this house and look forward to staying here again.
I recently stayed at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, TX where I learned of the recent opening of its $20 million JadeWaters Resort Pool Complex. Since I was at a business function, this was my view of the amazing-looking complex!
About JadeWaters at the Anatole
Exclusive to hotel guests, JadeWaters features:
4,000 sq. ft. Leisure Cove Pool (adults only on weekends)
Beach entry family pool
Splash zone for kids
630-foot long lazy river
Two 180-foot winding water slides
Private cabanas and daybeds
23-seat swim-up bar
JadeWaters Grill & Bar
JadeWaters offers scheduled activities for families on the weekends, such as cooking experiences, duck races, gold plunges, family movies on Friday and Saturday nights and s’mores parties.
Hours of Operations
2017 Summer Season — May 26 – Sep 4, 2017 (Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day)
JadeWaters Resort Pool Complex: Open daily from 9:00am – 9:00pm
JadeWaters Grill & Bar: Open daily from 11:00am – 8:00pm
Photo by Hilton Anatole
Photo by Hilton Anatole
Photo by Hilton Anatole
Visiting JadeWaters
JadeWaters Resort Pool Complex is an exclusive amenity for Hilton Anatole guests. Per reservation, guests receive:
Up to two wristbands per King guest room
Up to four wristbands per Queen double-bed rooms or guest rooms with King and sofa bed
*Guests will receive wristbands at the hotel, which will be required for daily entrance into JadeWaters.
*Up to an additional two wristbands per room are available for purchase for $25 each per day.
Cabana and Daybed Rental
Cabanas and daybeds are available to hotel guests for daily rental at JadeWaters during the summer season.
Cabanas — $325 per day and include:
4 reserved chaise lounges
Table and chairs
55-inch TV
Mini-fridge
8 bottles of water
Locking drawer
Ceiling fan
8 towels
Tropical fruit platter
Note: $425/day Friday – Monday on following holiday weekends: Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day
Daybeds — $195/day, with seating for 2-4 guests.
Hilton Anatole – 2201 North Stemmons Freeway, Dallas, TX 75207.
Happy travels,
Veronique
I’m a travel industry veteran currently employed by Hilton. The views and contents of this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer. I wasn’t compensated for writing about this subject.
I’ve traveled to Las Vegas for work more times than I could ever count. Before this year, I’d never thought about taking kids to Sin City, but with family coming to visit from Europe and yearning to visit the west coast, Vegas ended up on the itinerary.
In researching family-friendly hotels in Las Vegas, I found that there were many great options – surprise! There are multi-room accommodations, kid-friendly shows, amazing pool complexes and various activities perfect for the little ones.
We were looking for hotels on the Strip, and found everything from lazy river pools to shark aquariums to giant circus-tents to knights jousting.
Regarding price, there are options ranging from budget-friendly to break-the-bank luxurious, so travelers with any size wallets will find the right property for their families.
Circus Circus
Photo courtesy of Circus Circus
Photo courtesy of Excalibur
Circus Circus is an iconic Las Vegas hotel has been one of the most family-friendly properties for decades. There is a wide variety of accommodations available from the most basic room to luxury suites to even an RV park. What really attracts families at Circus Circus are the attractions. Adventuredome, a five-acre indoor theme park, offers everything from rides to clown shows to arcade games and will keep kids busy for hours. There is a midway with over 200 games and the popular daily free circus with its daring acts.
Elara, a Hilton Grand Vacations Club Hotel
Photo courtesy of Elara
Elara, a sleek 52-story glass tower offers spacious studios, plus 1-, 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom suites and is a member of the Hilton family. The non-gaming hotel is set back a bit from the Strip and offers adjoining access to the Miracle Mile, which has 21 restaurants and bars and 100 retail shops, and is adjacent to the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino complex featuring a renowned casino, nine restaurants and the Mandara Spa. For families, perhaps the best part of staying at Elara is access to kitchenettes in studios and full kitchens and separate living and sleeping spaces in larger units. That means cost savings through breakfast and snacks in the units and adult beverages in the fridge for the parents.
Excalibur Hotel & Casino
It’s hard to miss Excalibur with its center-Strip giant King Arthur themed castle. Accommodations range from standard rooms to 2-bedroom suites, perfect for families. Fun Dungeon, the Excalibur arcade, is a favorite with the kids. The resort has four pools with 30,000 square feet of deck space making it easy to find seating for the whole family. There are also a water slide and 19 well-stocked cabanas with all the essentials to keep cool. The ultimate family dinner adventure awaits at the medieval Tournament of Kings dinner show where guests sit in an arena style theater and watch and cheer on the knights as they battle with sword fights and jousting.
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
Mandalay Bay is a fantastic property for families on so many levels. First, there’s Mandalay Bay Beach, the hotel’s pool area that features a quarter mile lazy river, a gigantic wave pool and a beach area with real sand. Another must-visit attraction is the 1.6 million gallon Shark Reef Aquarium with 15 species of sharks, Piranhas, stingrays eels and many other fish numbering over 2,000 animals. Room types vary from a standard room to multi-bedroom suites and there are dozens of restaurants to choose from for families.
Photo courtesy of Mandalay Bay
Photo courtesy of Mirage Last Vegas
Mirage Las Vegas
The Mirageis perhaps best known for its volcano with waterfalls and palm trees. Kids are fascinated by the volcano show that erupts nightly starting at 8 p.m. complete with a sound effects, 150 fireshooters and a giant eruption finale shooting 60 feet into the air. Children will also enjoy the 20,000-gallon saltwater aquarium and the tropical rainforest atrium that has waterfalls, a lagoon and lush foliage. Another must-attend exhibit at The Mirage is the Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat where guests can explore, learn and play in an enchanting world of bottlenose dolphins, white tigers, white lions and leopards. Accommodations are very wide ranging from standard rooms to three-bedroom villas with their own yards and pools.
Happy travels!
Veronique
Veronique Deblois is a travel industry veteran who’s currently employed by Hilton. The views and contents of this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer. I wasn’t compensated for writing about this subject.
San Diego, with its nearly perfect weather and tons of family activities, is an ideal place to bring the kids. A must-visit spot is Balboa Park with its renowned San Diego Zoo, miniature train, 14 museums and beautiful gardens – check out the kid-friendly itineraries. TheNAT, San Diego Natural History Museum, offers an Ultimate Dinosaurs exhibit where kids can meet new and exotic dinosaurs and for the first time outside Washington, DC., Photo Ark a multimedia exhibition that showcases National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore’s project documenting the world’s animal species. Visit TheNAT website for info on monthly family days. The New Children’s Museum is filled with various art installations to keep kids and their families entertained for hours. While not the most wallet-friendly activity in San Diego, SeaWorld San Diego with its coasters, rides and sea creature exhibits is a popular option. Know what is affordable? San Diego’s pristine beaches for a day of surf and sand.
Where to stay: Hilton San Diego Bayfront has a toddler pool and kids-only water slide. Embassy Suites San Diego Bay – Downtown modern suites include separate living rooms with pull-out sofas plus free amenities like made-to-order breakfast and evening appetizers and drinks – near kid-friendly activities.
Happy travels!
Veronique
Veronique Deblois is a travel industry veteran who currently works for Hilton. The views and contents on this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer.
A family vacation does not mean discerning parents need to do away with luxury accommodations. World-class resorts have smartly developed kids programs to keep the little ones entertained while providing their parents with much needed R&R of their own.
Here are ten luxury hotels with amazing kids programs where guests will easily create family vacations to remember.
The Cloister at Sea Island – Sea Island, GA
Sea Island’s Camp Cloister is fun-filled with activities for the kids, like baking classes, archery lessons, themed dinner night, baby sea turtle viewing, fishing, nature walking, swimming, scavenger hunts and storytelling.
There are also endless activities for teens like sailing, paddle boarding, swimming in the ocean or the pool, beach volleyball and more. Teens 15 through 18 years old will also enjoy Waterfront Lounge, Sea Island’s haven made just for teens where they can watch the game, play pool or shuffleboard and meet other teens from different destinations.
Grand Summit Hotel at Mount Snow Resort – West Dover, VT
Grand Summit Hotel is owned by the Mount Snow ski resort making all ski school programs very conveniently located. A full day of ski school is offered to kids ages three (Cub Camp), found through six (Snow Camp) and seven through 14 (Mountain Camp for skiing, Mountain Riders for snowboarders). Non-skiers can enjoy snowshoeing and tubing.
In warmer months, there is Adams Farm, a working seven-generation farm with seasonal activities and agricultural experiences. Kids can enjoy feeding the farm animals, wagon rides, sleigh rides, paintball, and with many other seasonal special events. There is also bowling, fishing, boating, miniature golf and more.
Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria Resort – Wailea, HI
The Grand Wailea kid and teen program, Camp Grande is a supervised children’s program for kids ages five to 12 years old. The program is held at The Rock, a 20,000 square foot facility that also houses Ohana Hale – the gaming lounge with countless video games and The Spot – a lounge for teens 13 through 17. At The Rock, kids can find activities like fresh orchid lei making, hula lessons, video games, the Lego wall and much more. There are also a whale-shaped outdoor wading pool, a play kitchen and tool set, a private movie theater, snack bar, craft room and a full-sized soda fountain. The game room offers foosball, ping-pong, pool and an arcade.
Photo by Hawks Cay Resort
Hawks Cay Resort – Duck Key, FL
Hawks Cay Resort offers kids’ activities for young ones five to 17 years old. Camp Hawk at Hawks Cay Resort is for children five through 12 years old offers activities like nature hikes, scavenger hunts, swimming in the resort’s two pools, snorkeling and kayaking in the resort’s saltwater lagoon, and feeding tarpon from the marina’s dock.
Teens (ages 12 through 17) can play basketball, volleyball and kickball. They can also hit the ocean and kiteboard, kayak, snorkel and fish. For teens looking to just unwind, the five pools are perfect for laying out and video games in the play area are where they can make new friends.
Hotel Del Coronado – Coronado, CA
At the DelVentures activity center atHotel Del Coronado, children four through 12 years old can enjoy beach-themed activities and play rooms, underwater murals, funhouse mirror and more. Exciting 1-hour activities and 3-hour evening adventures are popular with this age group, The free adventure pack provided at check-in includes a treasure map and compass to use to explore the property and uncover the hidden clues, leading kids to a “treasure” at the end.
The resort also has a space dedicated to teens ages 13 to 17 – VIBZ, a hip lounge with computers, karaoke and foosball tables. Teens over 14 years old can also visit the spa for special massages and facials.
Summertime activities for the whole family include dive-in movie nights, surf camps and family s’mores night.
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa – Santa Ana Pueblo, NM
Hyatt Regency Tamaya takes great care to develop its children’s program with local culture and flavor. The 500-acre property is located on part of a Native American Pueblo and provides kids three to 12 years old the opportunity to experience the art and history of this culture within prearranged activities at Camp Hyatt. Camp Hyatt works with National Geographic Kids to construct eco-friendly and locally inspired activities.
The Stables at Tamaya, where over half of the horses at are rescue animals from the Tamaya Horse Rehabilitation Program, is another popular place with kids. The stables offer free pony rides to kids three through eight years old and lead-arounds for children ages four through eight.
Photo by Langham Huntington
Langham Huntington – Pasadena, CA
Modestly priced at $30, The Langham Huntington Kids Program offers kids 12 years old and under a teddy bear backpack filled with goodies like a special kids’ craft from Little Junebugs, Langham newsletter which includes family-friendly dining and activities in the area, free kids’ dinner in The Terrace restaurant (must dine with an adult who orders an entrée from dinner menu and a complimentary Langham chocolate bar from the Flavours of Langham Luxury Gift Boutique.
There is also the Imagine Tea, designed for kids and featuring junior performers from the famed Magic Castle who do close-up magic while the kids dine on a specialty tea menu of sandwiches and fun desserts, accompanied by pink lemonade, milk and a selection of fruit-infused, caffeine-free teas.
Photo by Mohonk Mountain House
Mohonk Mountain House – New Paltz, NY
The Mohonk Mountain House, a National Historic Landmark resort, is nestled in the private woods of the Hudson River Valley. The resort’s castle-like appearance is sure to fascinate kids and parents alike and the kids’ program is built in a way that puts children in touch with nature and area wildlife through a variety of outdoor activities. Mohonk accepts children two years and older and the full-day program is available from mid-June through Labor Day for kids two to 12 years old. Activities range from nature hikes, to pony rides, to swimming and boat rides.
There are also activities for kids from seven to 12 years old that include learning rock scrambling, tennis and golf clinics and sporting events and tournaments. The Teen Lounge accommodates teens from 13 to 17 years old and entails listening to music, watching movies, playing video games and simply hanging out. In the winter, children can take ice-skating lessons, go snow tubing or snow shoeing.
Photo by Resort at Paws Up
The Resort at Paws Up, Greenough, MT
At The Resort at Paws Up, families will get reacquainted, reconnected and revitalized. The resort offers activities ranging from horseback riding, fly-fishing, river rafting, paintball wars and chuck wagon riding. Families can stay on luxurious homes with wrap-around porches or plush family tents outfitted with separate sleeping quarters for the children and full bathrooms with heated floors. The property has a newly added perk of complimentary kids club – Kids Corps of Discovery, an immersion program that “replaces screen time with serene time” for children. Age-appropriate itineraries are available for toddlers, teens and tweens.
The Ritz-Carlton Naples – Naples, FL
Ritz Kids at The Ritz Carlton Naples is a nature center with 11 aquariums and touch tanks (home to eels, baby alligators, sharks, and jellyfish), a laboratory and a computer room. The program, available to children from five to 12 years old, is a place where kids can learn about and discover nature in a colorful, living eco-sanctuary.
The full and half day program provides hands-on discovery activities in the Nature’s Wonders facility that use a science-based curriculum and kid-sized lab featuring microscopes and visual stimuli like preserved reptile skeletons—all the tools to help a budding marine biologist explore a new world.
Happy travels!
Veronique
Veronique Deblois is a travel industry veteran who’s currently employed by Hilton. The views and contents of this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer. I wasn’t compensated for writing about this subject.
National Air and Space Museum. Photo by The Smithsonian Institution.
In Washington, D.C., most of the family-friendly attractions are free making this popular city a bargain for families. Three stops on the National Mall that are must-visit are part of the Smithsonian Institution: the National Air and Space Museum, the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History and the National Museum of American History. The National Air and Space Museum offers many educational opportunities for children and adults and features thousands of objects on display, including the 1903 Wright Flyer, Charles Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis, the Apollo 11 Command Module Columbia and a lunar rock kids can touch. The National Museum of National History has a compelling display of dinosaur bones and artifacts and also features the wildly-popular Butterfly Pavilion, which is a paid exhibit. At the National Museum of American History, families will be able to view the Star Spangled Banner and visit hands-on kid-friendly exhibits. A short metro ride away is the National Zoo with its more than 2,000 animals and many informative educational classes.
Where to stay: The Embassy Suites Washington DC Convention Center is within walking distance to the Smithsonian museums and White House and has an indoor pool. Hampton Inn Washington, D.C./White House has an indoor pool and offers complimentary breakfast and internet. The District by Hilton Club offers a touch of luxury with family-friendly amenities like free hot breakfast and an indoor pool.
Happy travels!
Veronique
Veronique Deblois is a travel industry veteran who currently works for Hilton. The views and contents on this post are my own and in no way in partnership with my employer.
