Four Seasons Expansion
Four Seasons Resorts will open two new domestic properties this year. The Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley is located in the charming town of Calistoga. It will feature 85 luxurious accommodations, two outdoor pools, a children’s program, and a spa along with the highly anticipated TRUSS Restaurant and Bar led by Michelin-starred Chef Erik Anderson. The Four Seasons Hotel and Private Residences New Orleans is partnering with award-winning chef Alon Shaya, who is developing a signature restaurant concept for the new 34-story riverfront hotel in the World Trade Center on Canal Street, which will also feature a spa and rooftop pool. We also look forward to hearing more about opening a new Four Seasons property in Ft. Lauderdale.
Duvine in the USA
DuVine Cycling + Adventure Co., a luxury cycling tour operator, has recently launched a series of new itineraries across the United States, including both group and private departures in Hawaii, Vermont, Virginia, Maine, and New York. DuVine also introduced a new backcountry ski tour in Aspen that targets winter-sport enthusiasts and private villa rentals in Hawaii with custom bike tours and other adventures included. Their dedicated tours in the United States for families now include Maine, Santa Barbara and Santa Fe/Taos. Each tour is chock full of great biking, other outdoor adventures such as kayaking and hiking, and an array of cultural activities to really experience each destination such as boating with a local lobsterman in Maine, surf lessons in Santa Barbara and rafting down the Rio Grande in New Mexico. Recently Lindblad Expeditions bought a majority stake in Duvine Cycling adding experience and resources to the biking company’s operations.
Glamp It Up in Florida
LaPlaya Beach & Golf Resort in Naples, FL wants to turn your overnight stay into a special memory for your children. The beachfront resort is now offering child-friendly and themed tents to create a unique and fun in-room sleeping experience. In partnership with Kids Dream Factory, you can choose from three adorable tent themes: Mermaid, Nautical, and Beach. The in-room camping experience includes a hand-crafted tent, real mattress with themed bedding, themed decor, rug, lantern, breakfast tray, and more. La Playa is a deluxe, beachfront resort with plenty of amenities and recreation for the entire family. It showcases 189 rooms and suites, plenty of dining options, pool with cabana rentals, watersports, spa, gym with fitness classes, golf, bike rentals, beach butlers, nightly bonfires, and more. As Noble House Advisors, we can also offer you $100 in resort credits and breakfast for two daily!
Business-of-Play Lounge
The Chicago Children’s Museum has been closed throughout the pandemic; so they are bringing their exhibits to a unique pop-up experience at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel through May 31. Your family will find a variety of interactive favorites in the Business-of Play Lounge (the converted business lounge) including puffball catapults, a large-scale playground with areas for climbing, and building a fort city. Children and adults can play and learn together. Each family will be given a private visit to the lounge for an hour at a time. Children will also receive a gift bag full of fun activities, books, and more to enjoy in your room and at home. The stylish hotel is located in The Loop and features an indoor and outdoor pool, huge gym, restaurant, outdoor terrace with firepits, and is close to a variety of local parks. A portion of every package booked goes to support the Chicago Children’s Museum!
Paws Up Family Offer
Receive $500 per person in resort credits and 10 percent off rates when booking an all-inclusive package this summer at Montana’s Resort at Paws Up. Just stay a minimum of five nights. Your lodging, all meals and drinks (including alcohol), daily activities, and Kids Corps of Discovery activities for ages 3–12 are all included! You can choose to stay in a luxury home that sleeps up to 8 or a butler-serviced glamping tent that sleeps up to six. Your resort credit may be used for excursions, spa treatments and more. The upscale resort encompasses 37,000 beautiful acres in the Montana wilderness, but is only 35 miles from the Missoula airport. Ranch activities are endless and include trail riding, fly-fishing, whitewater rafting, mountain biking, cliff rappelling, and even cattle driving. The property is also opening adult-only treehouses this June.
Under Canvas Enhancements
We are excited that glamping provider, Under Canvas, has announced two new locations opening this spring. In Acadia, Maine, their first waterfront camp will debut May 13 with a 100-acre property, tents that sleep up to seven, daily activities, and water sports. Also, your family can enjoy coastal-style activities such as weekly waterfront lobster bakes and night sky astronomy on a boat. Cadillac Mountain and Acadia National Park are 35 minutes away. Their third Utah location, Under Canvas Lake Powell – Grand Staircase, will open April 1. This camp provides easy access to such amazing natural attractions as Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, Horseshoe Bend, and its own on-site Elephant Slot Canyon. In an update to the brand’s typical tent design, all safari-style accommodations at both new locations will include en-suite bathrooms and private decks, in addition to king-size beds, luxe linens, USB charging packs, bedside lanterns, and a wood-burning stove. Each property will also feature main lobby tents. Next up is a camp near Yosemite!
Chilling Out in NYC
The Caribbean comes to Manhattan this spring with the new Margaritaville Resort Times Square. Scheduled to open in June, the 234-room hotel will feature an island-inspired casual design that will instantly transport your family to the iconic Margaritaville state of mind. The property will feature Times Square’s only year-round outdoor hotel pool (weather permitting) located on the 4th floor and several food and beverage concepts including Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville restaurant, LandShark Bar & Grill with outdoor seating and where the pool is located, and the License to Chill Bar with expansive city views on the 31st and 32nd floors. There will even be a synagogue on the lower levels as the congregation originally rented from the building’s previous owners. Grab your margarita and l’chaim!
Luxury in Big Sky
True luxury is coming to Big Sky, Montana, and opening later this year. The Montage Big Sky will be nestled within the ski resort’s 3,530-acre Spanish Peaks enclave. It will feature 150 rooms and suites plus 39 spacious residences with 2-6 bedrooms…all with ski-in and ski-out access. Big Sky is an avid skier’s dream. It showcases 5,800 skiable acres with 38 lifts, a 4,350 vertical drop and 42% of the runs are advanced, but with plenty of beginner and intermediate options. The resort will also feature golf to enjoy in the milder times of the year. A day outing to Yellowstone can be reached in an hour. Also nearby are world-renowned fly-fishing spots along with an abundance of hiking, wildlife viewing, mountain biking, and plenty of summer and winter sports action. Big Sky is only an hour from the Bozeman airport which this winter has direct flights from 18 cities around the US with 20 in the summer.
Remote Field Trip
Are your children itching to get out of the house and outside as part of their virtual education? The Ritz Carlton Amelia Island has partnered with coral reef conservationists, the Reef Institute, to offer an exciting, five-day Barrier Island Ecology Field Trip. The instructor-led class is for school-age children. It is designed to complement earth-science studies and foster a passion for both marine ecology and biology. Your children will witness and explore the native dune ecosystem by kayak and boat to sample and study the region’s complex water system and estuaries. They will also examine the local wildlife, learn about wave systems, do a microscopic analysis of beach wildlife, and more. The course dates are February 21-26, March 21-25, or April 19-23. The program includes teacher fees, course materials and supplies, breakfast/lunch/snacks, and more. Hotel stays are additional, but the resort has a dedicated study room for children. While your children are engaging in science, parents can enjoy great golf, tennis, spa, indoor and outdoor pools, fine dining, bike rentals, and more!
Day Trip in the USA
For several years, The Family Traveler has booked Day Trip for point-to-point private transfers for our families traveling throughout Europe. We have also used the service many times ourselves. The beauty of a pick-up and drop off at your hotel or accommodations along with recommended stops along the way make traveling to multiple destinations so easy and fun. It’s also cost-efficient and avoids having to schlep your bags through airports and train stations. We have learned a lot about local culture and history from our drivers as well. Day Trip has recently landed in the United States! Services are available from and to locations in various parts of the country. For greater flexibility, cancellation is available 24 hours prior.
