Fairmont Barbados Offer
The Fairmont Royal Pavilion in Barbados is offering a second room at a deeply discounted rate when you book two rooms for your family 
for travel between March 15 and October 31. If you are traveling with children up to 12 years old, the hotel will also provide guaranteed interconnecting rooms (based on availability) at time of booking. This 72 room luxury hotel, located in St. James, recently underwent a major renovation and debuted new beachfront junior suites that can also connect. VIP Fast Track service at the airport, butler service and evening canapes in your room are added benefits when you stay in these suites. Room rates include non-motorized water sports, afternoon tea, internet access, movie nights, valet parking, tennis, kids club, weekly cocktail party, garden tours and more.
Montage in Maui
Upscale Montage Hotels & Resorts is in the process of renovating The Residences of Kapalua Bay which will 
become the Montage Kapalua Bay in early 2014. The multimillion-dollar improvement includes a 50-room, all-suite Montage Hotel along with 56 residences for sale. The hotel suites will feature spacious living rooms, large private lanais, fully equipped kitchens, elegant master suites and luxurious bathrooms. The resort is well suited for active families with 1-4 bedroom suites, lagoon pool and Montage’s signature children’s program, Paintbox, along with two championship golf courses and golf academy, spa, five bays with three white sand beaches and watersports.
Bali Jungle Paradise
In September, AYANA Resort and Spa opened sister hotel RIMBA Jimbaran Bali, a 282-room property on the Karang Mas Estate, overlooking Jimbaran Bay. The name RIMBA was derived from the Indonesian word for forest, paying tribute to the property’s forest-like setting and use of sustainable materials. Since AYANA is on the ocean, guests at RIMBA will also have access to the private Kubu Beach, as well as priority access to the popular Rock Bar perched about 46 ft. above the Indian Ocean. The hotel also features six swimming pools including children’s pool with waterslides, restaurant, rooftop spa rooms, Kids Club, cooking school and complimentary WiFi. The resort is now offering the RIMBA Jimbaran Bali’s Family package which includes connecting rooms, complimentary dinner for children under 12 and daily breakfast. It’s valid for travel through March 31, 2014 for a minimum of four nights, but blackout dates apply.
New Riviera Maya Luxury
The all-suite Grand Residences Riviera Cancun, an affiliate of Leading Hotels of the World and part of the Royal Resorts chain, is set to debut on December 7. 
The 103-suite property is nestled in a private enclave between the Riviera Maya and Cancun. The suites are designed as private residences with kitchen facilities. Other amenities include a spa, a fitness center, personalized beach and pool service, tennis, bike rentals, watersports, an Activity Center, kids club, teen hang out as well as a selection of classes on Mexican cooking, tequila and wine tasting, Mayan studies, Spanish, nature programs and community volunteering. Accommodations range from studios to the property’s top-notch Presidential Suite, a four-bedroom penthouse that sleeps up to 13. It comes complete with a private roof garden, ocean views, a pool, Jacuzzi and a bar and grill for entertaining.
Cooking in Fiji
Children who love to help in the kitchen will have the opportunity to be a chef’s assistant at the new children’s program at Jean-Michel 
Cousteau Resort, Fiji. The resort’s award-winning Bula Club children’s program will offer the Chef’s Junior Assistant program for ages 6-12. Children sign up the day before and have the chance to suggest a meal for the following day, which could end up as an item on the day’s menu. During the program, children dress in a chef’s jacket and hat and learn about safety in the kitchen, take a tour of the organic garden with the chef, pick herbs and garnishes, assist the chef with the final meal preparations, and plate and serve the meals to the Bula Club. The program is available daily, open to one or two children per meal. The complimentary kids’ club also features activities such as hiking, rock pool exploration and glass-bottom boat excursions.
Club Med Update
Club Med Cancun will undergo a $14 million renovation, which is slated to be completed next summer. Plans call for 60 new beachfront accommodations and a new Petit Club Med for kids ages two and three. The renovation will also expand the resort’s restaurant offerings. The new accommodations will include 30 Family Club Rooms and 30 Family Deluxe Rooms, bringing the total number of rooms at the property to 436. The guestrooms will feature one-and-a-half or two baths and terraces. The Maya Lounge will blend a lounge, bar and nightclub. Las Cazuelas will feature two new buffet areas and expanded seating options while La Estancia, an Argentinean Grill and wine cellar, will also be added.
Club Med also sent us this helpful graph that shows how rates goes up the later you book. This will occur at most resorts in the Caribbean, Mexico and elsewhere and relates to airfares as well. If you can, plan early and SAVE!
Grand Velas Teen Club
The AAA Five Diamond Grand Velas resorts in the Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit have opened new high tech teen lounges. Features, which vary by resort, range from games like billiards, air hockey, football and arcade games, to video game systems Xbox and PS3, special seats with built in speakers for enhanced game play, and individual cubicles with a 40” LED TV. When evening sets in, the fun continues with a disco dance floor with surround sound and special lighting, and karaoke complete with 45,000 songs in multiple languages. A separate bar area serves teen friendly soft drinks and concoctions and favorite snacks, or teens can order room service if the dancing works up an appetite, with all food and beverage included in the daily room rate. Four 55” LED TVs project current sports programs and music videos, while Apple TV lets them connect their iPhone or iPads. At Grand Velas Riviera Maya, younger kids ages 4 to 12 can enjoy an expanded kids club complete with seven video game consoles with Xbox, Wii and more than 30 games as well as equipment for projection of Blu-ray films, and comfortable tables and chairs for all kinds of board games and craft projects.
Make Room for Teens
The Fairmont Mayakoba on the Riviera Maya has partnered with Sony Mexico to launch a Teen Room by PlayStation. 
The interactive entertainment facility, aimed at the 10-to-17 age group, has a lounge setting. Game stations feature PlayStation 3 consoles, wireless controllers and 42-inch TVs. Use of the room is included in the daily resort fee; operating hours are 9:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Through September 27, the resort offers an Adventure Passport to families that allows up to two children ages 0 to 17 to stay free sharing the room with you (and do not pay the resort fee), children ages 0 to 12 eat free when ordering from the delicious children’s menus at La Laguna, Las Brisas and El Puerto and children ages 4 to 12 enjoy three hours per day of supervised activities at the Kids Club. Additionally, your entire family will enjoy the following complimentary services: On-property bird watching boat tours, use of bikes to tour the property, use of tennis and paddle courts, rackets and balls and on-property use of sea kayaks.
Limitless Resort Credits
No limits on resort credits! The All-Inclusive Collection introduced its revamped $1,800 Limitless Resort Creditpromotion at its three Hard Rock Hotel properties in Nuevo Vallarta, Cancun and the soon-to-be-rebranded Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya as well as at its resort in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The new and higher credit level for a seven-night stay is available for booking September 1 through December 15, 2014, for travel through December 23, 2014. The credit can be applied toward an array of services with zero limits on any one service. Guests can choose from various off-site tours and on property activities including Rock Spa treatments, beauty salon services, Rock Shots Photography, romantic private beachfront dinners, upgraded wine selection, lessons at the Nicklaus Golf Academy, swim with the dolphins experiences, snorkeling and much more. The combination of options is unlimited, and the longer the stay, the larger the resort credit. Credits range from $500 for three nights up to $2,500 for 12 or more nights. The credits can be combined with other promotions, such as Kids Stay Free.
Club Med Punta Cana Upgrades
Club Med Punta Cana recently unveiled enhanced amenities at its Dominican Republic property, Club Med Punta Cana. Additions will enrich your family’s experience, from its innovative Mini Club Med educational child programming and refurbished conference center, to the latest sport equipment and facilities. The resort also includes enhanced lounge and dining experiences and a new shuttle service for all guests – making it fun and easy for families with children of all ages to get around. Leveraging nearly 50 years of experience in educational childcare programs, the new Mini Club Med is designed to improve the creative and cognitive skills of children ages 4 – 10. The expansion now features three themed rooms, the Music Academy, Art Studio and Game Factory. In addition the kids club facilities feature a spacious water park, enhanced baby gym and an array of sports classes to encourage physical activity and sportsmanship among the little ones. New partnerships with nearby golf courses is a new enchancement as well.
