Costa Rica Review Coming Soon!

Spring Break our family spent a week in Pura Vida paradise. I am working on the review now, but will have it up soon. Costa Rica is an amazing country and very family friendly- perfect for children of all ages.

Vacation Mama in Family Travel Magazine

Check out the latest edition of Family Travel Magazine to see one of Vacation Mama's tips for flying with infants.

Pack 3 extra diapers and an extra outfit in a separate ziploc bag. Carol Aubin of http://www.vacationwithkids.blogspot.com/

Thank you so much Family Travel Magazine for quoting Vacation Mama in your article!

YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado

For the past four years our family has traveled to Estes Park, Colorado and stayed at the ultimate family vacation destination- YMCA of the Rockies. With reasonable lodging from hotel type rooms, 2 to 3 bedroom cabins, 3 to 4 bedroom vacation homes and retreat lodges that sleep up to 88 people, there is something for everyone at the YMCA.

Our family particularly enjoys the Day Camp. For $26 per child ($14 for half day for 3 to 4 year olds), per day, children ages 3 through entering 8th grade, attend camp from 8:15 to 3:15 Monday through Friday. This fee includes snacks and various activities. Sack lunch, horseback riding, and cook out are an additional fee. Children are grouped according to their uprising grade and activities range by age and can include horseback riding, arts and crafts, all day hikes in the Rocky Mountain National Park, overnight camping, ropes course, rock wall, swimming, cook outs and endless games and camp style songs lead by college aged counselors. Personally, I think this is the best deal around. At pick up my children are dirty, exhausted and excited to tell me about their daily adventure.
The Y also has camp for teens (entering grades 9-12), but rates vary daily by activity.

Note: The YMCA Day Camp is affiliated with Christianity. Citing the YMCA Day Camp Parent Handbook: Their mission is to "strengthen the character of campers and staff through our activities, actions, and words by living Christian values in an enriching and fun environment." The camp promotes honesty, respect, caring, responsibility and faith. Children of all faith and backgrounds are welcome.

The Day Camp allows my husband and I to spend time together, exploring Rocky Mountain National Park, horseback riding with Jackson Stables, mountain biking, trail running, shopping in downtown Estes Park, walking around the historicalStanley Hotel, and indulging in a massage at Riverspointe Spa.

Of course there are so many other things to do at the YMCA that your kids do not need to attend camp. Hourly activities in Sweet Memorial, swimming pool and slide, arts and crafts building, endless trails, guided hikes, spin and fly fishing, tennis courts, mini golf, mountain bikes, Frisbee golf, zip lining, wild life spotting (at anytime during the day you can see deer, elk, chipmunks and ground squirrels) and through Jackson Stables- horseback and pony rides and evening hay rides. These are only a few of the countless activities available at The YMCA.

As far as lodging, we rent a 2 bedroom cabin. Sometimes we get the higher end cabin with a fireplace and other times we get a basic cabin which includes a kitchen with a microwave, refrigerator and stove, local telephone and linens including towels. Some cabins have a coffee maker, toaster and disposal. The vacation homes have dishwashers, TVs and some have Internet. That is something else of note- the YMCA has wi-fi that is weak in most areas except the Administration Building. If you do not want to be "unplugged", this family vacation may not be for you. During your reservation request, you can specify sleeping arrangements (bunk beds, twin bed, king bed, etc.). Requests are not guaranteed, but every year I have had friendly reservation agents that help as much as possible. Cabins are located throughout the YMCA with plenty of parking, open spaces, decks with picnic tables. Some cabins are near gathering areas (small playgrounds with boulders to climb, tether ball and horseshoes)and have great views of the mountain ranges.

Reservation Process: For the summer months, the YMCA of the Rockies cabins are in demand, therefore the reservation process can be tricky. There are 3 ways you can make a reservation - Cabin Donors, Members and Non-Members. Cabin Donors receive top priority for reservations. Member ($200 annual donation or $500 for a 3 year donation), requests are accepted beginning January 1st. Reservations are placed in piles based on year of continuous membership, with the oldest standing membership having top priority. Beginning March 1st, reservation staff take the first pile's reservations (oldest membership) and begin fulfilling requests. Once the entire pile is confirmed, the reservation staff moves on to the next year's pile and so on until the newest members pile's is filled. Once all cabin donors and member reservations have been attended to, the Non-Members submit their reservations, which is April 1st.

Note: There was one year that part of my family who was a member did not get a confirmed cabin and had to make other arrangements. My advice is to be flexible with your dates and provide 3 different options with cabins and dates.

Overall, this is one of my favorite family vacation destinations. I think this will be a tradition we will continue for many years to come. It is an easy drive for us, the YMCA is a warm and welcoming environment, families at the Y have always been very friendly, and we make lasting memories as a family. What more could you ask for?

Westin Kierland

Westin Kierland in Scottsdale, AZ was wonderful! The kids had so much fun with the kids camp and kid friendly activities. The hit of the week was 'Kids in the Kitchen". My children donned aprons and chefs hats and used the hotel's commercial kitchen to make cookies as "big as their face". There was a nominal fee for this activity. This program gave my husband and I some adult time to explore the beautiful hotel.Kids Camp was fun for this kids. Located in a converted hotel room, the Kids Camp had a lot of toys and activities to keep my kids entertained for the day. Animals to pet, arts and crafts, bins of legos and train tracks, my children seem happy and exhausted by pick up. Price was $80 per child for full day, including lunch and snacks.

While Kids Camp and Kids in the Kitchen cost money, there are plenty of Family Fun activites that do not cost money. Two big hits were the Kierland Scavenger Hunt and petting zoo. At check in kids receive Kierland Passports and a map of the hotel. The kids are encouraged to follow the map and collect stamps and pins on their passport. This was a great way to see the entire hotel and get acquainted with the hotel layout.

The Petting Zoo was so fun for us as a family. Well, except the python. I hate snakes. . . A fun one hour show and tell from the Phoenix Zoo, several animals including a hedgehog, hawk, hissing cockroach and python made an appearance. Also in the evening, a Scottish Bagpiper plays during sunset and complimentary s'mores are roasted in the firepits.

Let's not forget the big highlight of the Westin- the pool! The pool has a water slide, lazy river and shallow kids area. During our spring break, there were many free activities around the pool including volleyball and limbo. There is a kids menu (quesadillas, chicken fingers, macaroni and cheese, etc.) with enough variety for a 5 night stay. Food can add up quickly though, especially with eating out every meal. Another nice touch was the store located at the front of the pool. Upon showing your key to get in to the pool, there is a store with pool necessities for parents. Water wings, intertubes, and sunscreen, and other emergency item are for sale at a mark up. You can always drive across the street to the grocery store and save a few dollars.

Rooms were nice and basic- your typical hotel room with two double beds, double vanity and separate shower, toilet and bathtub. It was a sweet surprise to see our kids names in the bathtub as a warm welcome. Overall, this was a wonderful family friendly vacation. I loved having family time and adult time. The Westin Kierland has so many family focused activities for all ages, a wide variety of restaurants, a fun pool, and a lively bar for the adults. We will definitely visit again!

It's been awhile!

I apologize. It has been over 2 years since I updated this blog. Life with 2 children got in the way of my free time. But with summer coming to an end, I have more time to dedicate to one of my favorite hobbies- vacation with my family! I promise I am back and have great reviews to share!