HOTEL DEL CORONADO (San Diego)
VIBZ is a contemporary lounge dedicated to teens. It offers billiards, foosball, darts, karaoke, computers, movie-time media, Dance Dance Revolution and, most importantly, the opportunity for teens to meet others their own age.
Hotel del Coronado is a Virtuoso member hotel, which means my clients receive exclusive amenities: an upgrade on arrival (subject to availability), daily buffet breakfast for two, VIP services, and a $100 daily spa credit if they are staying in the Beach Village.
RiuLand, a children’s entertainment program, has been launched at some all-inclusive RIU resorts in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico. The programs provide entertainment and activities for kids ages 4 to 7 and 8 to 12, revolving around a series of 12 themed days. Themes include Aqualand Day with games in the pool, Riu Olympic with group sports, Piratesland with pirate contests and treasure hunts, and Ecoland with environmental activities.
CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE
The Carnival Dream will debut in November, featuring a water park with a 303-foot-long, four-deck-high corkscrew water slide (the longest on a cruise ship), and twin 80-foot-long racing slides. Carnival is offering an online contest for children ages 7-12, where they can win a trip to NYC to christen the WaterWorks aqua park. To enter the Virtual Book of Dreams contest, children must complete the thought, “I’m always dreaming up fun stuff. Wouldn’t it be awesome if…” in 250 words or less, from now until Sept. 18. Go to
www.carnivalbookofdreams.com/ to enter.
BREEZES CURACAO
Breezes Curacao, the only all-inclusive on the island, has been undergoing renovations throughout the year. The property’s three swimming pools now include a misting pool, a children’s pool and an adults’ pool with swim-up bar. A new playground for kids has also been added just outside the expansive Kids’ Club. In addition to SuperClubs’ trademark Breezes feature, a professional circus workshop with a swinging trapeze, Breezes Curaçao also has the island’s first ice-skating rink, as well as a 30-foot rock-climbing wall.
BEACHES TURKS & CAICOS
Beaches Turks & Caicos opened Pirate’s Island Waterpark this past spring. This 10 times bigger waterpark features a lazy river, a surf simulator, seven new waterslides, water cannons, pop up jets, and a zero-entry pool for little travelers. Other features to keep the kids happy are an ice cream machine, disco, game room, 50’s style diner, and swim-up “bar.”
Beaches also unveiled the all-suite Italian Village, featuring five new restaurants, a 7,000-square-foot retail area, the island’s largest freshwater pool and the Caribbean’s largest Jacuzzi. Spacious two-bedroom suites have a bunk bedroom for kids with a play area and XBox 360, a master bedroom and sitting area for parents, and a balcony or patio. Flexible configurations allow various size suites to be connected together, and some are large enough to accommodate a family of 12!
CAYMAN ISLANDS
Black Pearl Skate Park, located on Grand Cayman, opened this summer with 60,000 square feet of challenging, multilevel concrete skateboard terrain. Beginning in June, an 11-week Skate Cayman day camp program was offered, the first skateboarding camp of its kind in the Caribbean. The challenging but rider-friendly park offers three main courses — expert, intermediate and beginner — with concrete bowls, half- and quarter-pipes and flow and street courses for each level. Adjacent to the skateboard park is Black Pearl’s surf park, a self-contained wave machine that generates 11-foot waves in a 16,000-gallon wave pool. For more information visit
http://www.blackpearl.ky/.
For more information about planning the family vacation of your dreams, contact Suzette Mack, Family Travel Specialist, at suzette@family-treks.com.
