Trip Ideas By Activity
There are so many ways to vacation with your children.
City explorations, museum sleepovers, condo-style rentals, road trips, mountain and lake cabins, beaches, cruises, and all-inclusive vacations stretch budgets. Resorts run the gamut from moderate to pricey. Staying midweek or during shoulder season saves money.
Dream trips—African safaris, Galapagos treks, polar bear watches—deliver the thrill of wildlife encounters but at a hefty price. Farmstays, state and national parks, and hikes through Costa Rican rain forests let you enjoy animal encounters at a fraction of the cost.
Time travel fascinates kids. At living history parks, march with the militia and meet pioneers. In Europe, tour centuries-old castles, climb atop medieval walls, and stroll streets laced with 18th-century buildings. Go back millions of years to the dinosaur era. Satisfy your kids’ curiosity by going on a dinosaur dig, walking in dinosaur footprints, and ogling fossils of these fierce critters in museums.
Build sandcastles at the beach, canoe and fish at a lake, get tossed, twirled, and dropped on rollercoasters at an amusement, ski downhill, or snowshoe through snowy woods.
Stay overnight, for a few days, or a week. Plan carefully, allow for spontaneity, know that things will go awry, and maintain your sense of humor. Have fun.
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12 Best Things to Do in Cozumel
Celebrity Cruises||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: A Port Day, Beaches, Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda Destinations, Central & South America Destinations, Cruises & Resorts, Cruising, Family, HistoricThe colorful island of Cozumel is laid back, peaceful, and has a feeling of authenticity about it. Beach lovers, who come for the white sands and the sun, will find plenty of things to do in Cozumel.
Snorkelers and divers explore the abundant reefs, part of the Great Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the second-largest reef system in the world.
If you can tear yourself away from the beach, you could visit the only working pearl farm in the Caribbean, go on a tequila tasting tour, stroll the waterfront El Malecon, or take a day trip by air to explore Chichen Itza, the ancient Maya city-state.
Read the entire article at CelebrityCruises.com.
Family Vacation in Puerto Rico! These Resorts are Good with Kids
Frommers.com||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: Beach Resorts, Beaches, Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda Destinations, Cruises & Resorts, Destinations, Family, Featured NewsPuerto Rico is back! After Hurricane Maria’s devastation and Covid’s exclusion, the best hotels have been rebuilt, refreshed, and reopened—and families are returning.
Some popular resorts line San Juan’s vibrant Condado Beach, but because that area can have rough waves and dangerous currents, we’ll leave those properties off this particular list (although if your kids are old enough and strong swimmers, one of those places might fit the bill).
The family-friendly resorts below give you more choices. Opt to stay near Old San Juan to be close to historic forts and attractions, or book on an offshore island for dazzling beaches and snorkeling. Or resort-hop, reserving rooms in a few locations to explore Puerto Rico’s diversity.
Caribe Hilton, San Juan
For families seeking to mix sightseeing with sand time, the Caribe Hilton (standard room about $325 a night in October) has a location near Old San Juan’s attractions that make the hotel a good choice. Its beachfront is excellent, too: A breakwater mitigates waves, creating a relatively calm cove for swimming and snorkeling, plus there’s a pool. At the Monica Puig Tennis Courts, named for the Olympic gold medalist, kids as young as 3—and anyone else—can pay extra to take lessons with Luis E. Garcia, who served as one of Puig’s trainers. As part of the resort’s rotating complimentary activities, kids learn Spanish phrases and sandcastle building, and the hotel puts on simple family activities such as watching movies and making s’mores. Teens may like the cardio tennis sessions that build skills while burning calories; parents may like the on-property spa.
Families with kids 5 and and older can assist San Juan’s Caribbean Manatee Conservation Center’s staff with preparing food for the creatures, feeding them, and interacting with them. Check to be sure that the program is operating (it may pause for high Covid rates). For more sightings, look for the manatee family that lives in the Condado Lagoon, located a mile from the hotel.
Club Seabourne and Oceania Villas, Culebra
For families searching for a laid-back vacation with thin crowds and fabulous water, the isle of Culebra, 17 miles east of mainland Puerto Rico, is a haven. The local population hovers around just 1,200 and the star attraction, Flamenco Beach, is more than a mile of white sand and generally calm, shallow surf. It deservedly rates as one of Puerto Rico’s best beaches. Unlike in other areas of Puerto Rico, no high-rises mar the palm-tree-lined shore, so it’s an uncomplicated but well-serviced beach experience with lifeguards, bathrooms, showers, chair and umbrella rentals, and kiosks serving burgers, tacos, and pizza. Flamenco Beach even allows camping—the overnight spots are so close to the sea that you fall asleep to the sound of breaking surf. For good snorkeling nearby, the sliver of sand called Playa Carlos Rosario has reefs blooming with tropical fish and colorful brain, fan, and elkhorn coral. Outfitters also offer snorkeling and kayaking tours to pebbly Tamarindo Beach, known for its green sea turtles.
Near this idyllic beachy setting, Club Seabourne (Deluxe Villas allowing free kids cost about $299 a night in October) and its sister property Oceania Villas offer the best family-friendly lodging on Culebra. Club Seabourne, about four miles from Flamenco Beach on a hill, has a view of Fulladoza Bay, a chilled-out pool, and hammocks for napping in its flower-rich garden. Club Seabourne’s rooms are somewhat basic, but all rates include breakfast, and it also has a couple of villas sized for families. At Oceania Villas (pictured above), about a half mile away, there’s a range of one- to three-bedroom units, each with a kitchen, and a beach house for a multi-family trip. Villa guests can use the facilities at Club Seabourne.
El Conquistador Resort and Las Casitas Village, Fajardo
El Conquistador Resort (standard room about $450 in October), in the east, takes a bit of effort to get around—the sprawling 500-acre property sweeps down a hill. But the range of amenities makes it worth it. A 10-minute water taxi ferries you to Palomino Island, the resort’s private beach, where free water toys and calm seas await. At Coqui Waterpark (pictured above), which is about a mile from the main resort entrance and free to guests, you and your kids swirl down a few slides, float on a lazy river, and splash in the pool. El Conquistador handles standard hotel room rooms as well as one- to three-bedroom villas with kitchens at hilltop Las Casitas Village, a sister property. The main resort also has tennis courts and a spa.
Puerto Rico’s eastern attractions are worthy of family exploration. Nighttime kayaking in Laguna Grande Bioluminescent Bay, about one mile from the resort, is magical. Microscopic dinoflagellates in the bay glow blue in response to any disturbance, so paddling creates a bluish streak in the water—the eerie light is most impressive on moonless nights. The towering trees, waterfalls, and trails of El Yunque National Forest, the only tropical rainforest in the United States, is 14 miles from El Conquistador.
Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort, Rio Grande
Set on 500 acres with two miles of beach on Puerto Rico’s northeastern coast, the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort (standard room about $280 a night in October) is also well-positioned for families exploring El Yunque National Rainforest, which is about 10 miles away. Three pools keep kids and teens happy, while parents have a spa, golf, a casino, and a special beer by the local FOK Brewing that only this hotel sells. Sure, you can make s’mores, as you can at countless resort properties, but the real signature dessert is the corn fritters at the on-site Iguanas Cocina Puertorriqueña—they’re stuffed with Nutella and served in a hard chocolate cup with taro root ice cream.
The property is meeting-oriented, but it still has complimentary, kid-friendly evening entertainment, such as dancing with your kids to live music at the Saturday night dance parties and frequent magic shows. Hotel-style family suites have a king bed, a sleeper sofa, and bunk beds stashed in a curtained nook and are good for families traveling with up to three children.
Dorado Beach Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Dorado
Set on 500 acres with two miles of beach on Puerto Rico’s northeastern coast, the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Puerto Rico Golf & Beach Resort (standard room about $280 a night in October) is also well-positioned for families exploring El Yunque National Rainforest, which is about 10 miles away. Three pools keep kids and teens happy, while parents have a spa, golf, a casino, and a special beer by the local FOK Brewing that only this hotel sells. Sure, you can make s’mores, as you can at countless resort properties, but the real signature dessert is the corn fritters at the on-site Iguanas Cocina Puertorriqueña—they’re stuffed with Nutella and served in a hard chocolate cup with taro root ice cream.
The property is meeting-oriented, but it still has complimentary, kid-friendly evening entertainment, such as dancing with your kids to live music at the Saturday night dance parties and frequent magic shows. Hotel-style family suites have a king bed, a sleeper sofa, and bunk beds stashed in a curtained nook and are good for families traveling with up to three children.
13 Best Things to Do in St. Croix
Celebrity Cruises||by Candyce H. StapenCategories: A Port Day, Caribbean, Bahamas & Bermuda Destinations, Cruises & Resorts, Cruising, FamilyThe largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix is a beautiful island with a complex past and alluring attractions. Forts and remnants of sugar plantations attest to the island’s Dutch colonial era, as do the colorful Dutch-built structures in Christiansted.
Underwater reefs rich with corals, sponges, and schools of tropical fish lure snorkelers and divers. You can kayak where Columbus made landfall, walk among fragrant blooms and lush foliage at a botanical garden, and stroll and swim at glorious beaches.
Enjoy these 13 exciting things to do in St. Croix.
Visit Celebrity Cruises to read the full article.