ELOISE IS
BACK
This summer the newly renovated Plaza
in New York City welcomes back its most
famous and mischievous guest, Eloise.
Your family can Live Like Eloise
with an overnight package in a gorgeous
Deluxe Rose Suite, complimentary upgrade
to the next available suite category at
the ti
me
of booking, a copy of Kay Thompson's
Eloise book, a Super Duper Sundae
from in-room dining and Eloise postcards
with postage. Butler service is
also included with suites (they will
unpack for you and prepare your bath)!
Eloise was first published in 1955
and remains in the hearts and
imagination of children and adults
around the world. The $400 million
renovation of The Plaza, now part of the
Fairmont chain, includes a new champagne
bar, lounge and lovely tranquility
garden. Other hotel promotions
include a Third Night Free
through September 7.
The Plaza is back!
Photo courtesy of The
Plaza.
HIP TEEN
CLUB AT LOEWS
Loews Hotels
has teamed up again with PBteen (Pottery
Barn's teen furnishing store) and
created a hip and vibrant
teen
lounge at the Loews Miami Beach.
The new PBteen Cabana is decorated with
colorful chairs, plush couches, area
rugs and wall murals, creating an ideal
spots for teens. At the club,
teens can have fun with weekly Nintendo
Wii competitions, rent DVDs or order
specially created tropical frozen
smoothies. In the summer, the
hotel will also offer a PBteen Game
Lounge. There is also a PBteen
lounge at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort
in San Diego. Don't forget that
Loews is also dog friendly; so bring
along the entire family for a great
getaway.
Bring your teens
to Loews!
Photo courtesy of
Loews Hotels.
BEACH
BREAK IN SAN DIEGO
Speaking of San Diego,
the
Hotel del
Coronado is
showcasing a terrific
Beach Break package
thr

ough
September 5. Rates
include a breakfast
buffet for two adults
and two children age 12
and under, two adult
passes valid for
unlimited admission to
SeaWorld, the San Diego
Zoo and the Wild Animal
Park for five
consecutive days, one
session at the hotel's
kids camp (for ages
4-12) and a special
welcome gift.
Rates start at $440 per
night and a 4-night
minimum stay is
required. You can
also save with a
U.S.
Savings Bond
package through
September 7. You
will receive a $50
savings bond for each
room you book per night
and $100 for each suite
booked per night!
This popular and
historic beachfront
resort now showcases a
new Beach Village with
luxury accommodations
ranging from hotel rooms
to three-bedroom villas.
The hotel will also
unveil newly renovated
kids and teen clubs this
summer.
Photo courtesy of
Hotel del Coronado.
Call for more
details!
SEADREAM
SAVINGS
Enjoy savings of up to 67 percent with
SeaDream Yacht Club cruises in
the Caribbean for late October through a
December 20th holiday sailing.
There has never been a better time to
experience 5-
star
luxury service at an affordable price
with visits to small and unique ports
throughout the Caribbean.
Five-night sailings begin at $1,499 per
person and week-long cruises start at
only $1,999 per person. Your rate
includes all meals, wine with lunch and
dinner, open bar with selected premium
brands, watersports and tips! Port
charges and taxes are additional.
SeaDream Yacht Club operates two
identical 110-passenger "mega-yachts"
offering a casual yet upscale yachting
experience. There is no formal
dress code, an unstructured onboard
atmosphere and even the flexibility to
stay in a particular port longer if the
passengers request it.
Other features include a gym, spa,
casino, library, indoor and outdoor
dining with open seating, pool and
whirlpool. Cabins average 195 sq.
ft. and suites are also available.
Book your SeaDream cruise today!
Photo courtesy of SeaDream Yacht
Club.
HAL FOR
THE HOLIDAYS
Holland America is offering
holiday sailings for as low as
$799/person (1st and 2nd in the cabin)
and $399/person (3rd and 4th in a cabin)
for a 7-night Caribbean cruise from Ft.
Lauderdale on the beautiful and new
Eurodam. The ship will sail to
their private Bahamian island, Aruba and
Curacao from December 19-26. A
10-day holiday sailing from December
18-28 on the Maasdam will depart
from Ft. Lauderdale to six ports in
Central America and the Caribbean
including Cozumel, Costa Maya, Belize
City, Santo Tomas de Castilla, Roatan
and Grand Cayman with rates starting at
only $1,099/person (1st and 2nd in the
cabin) and $499/person (3rd and 4th in
the cabin). Rates do not include
port charges and taxes. Holland
America now offers reduced deposits, no
longer requires a deposit on the 3rd and
4th passenger in a cabin, 25% off trip
cancellation insurance and 25% off their
pre- and post- cruise hotel packages.
Nice!

Book now for the
best availability!
PRINCESS MOVIE
CLUB
To celebrate five years of success with
Movies Under the Stars,
Princess Cruise Line has
teamed up with celebrated film critic
and historian Leonard Maltin to bring
passengers yet another way to experience
movies with an exclusive
Leonard Maltin Movie Club.
Debuting fleet wide, the new club gives
your family the opportu
nity
to join fellow film buffs to discuss
specially selected motion pictures
during your cruise. Each month a
new film will be selected (the film
schedule will soon to be available at
the Princess website) with a special
video introduction from Mr. Maltin.
Films will be shown poolside or in the
Princess Theater. A group
discussion, guided by questions and
trivia from Mr. Maltin, will take place
in one-hour movie club meetings during
your sailing. Classic and popular
films chosen by Mr. Maltin will also be
showcased on your cabin television
line-up. Mr. Maltin will
also be traveling aboard select sailings
to be announced at a later date.
Movies Under the Stars, a giant LED
screen more than 300 square feet in
size, has a 69,000-watt sound system and
sufficient lighting power to be seen
clearly at mid-day and heard even while
the ship is moving at full speed.
The screens are currently available on
the Caribbean,
Crown, Emerald, Ruby,
Grand, Star, Golden
and
Sea Princesses and will be on all
ships by 2011. The screens are
also used to showcase special sporting
events, concerts and midnight cult films
such as Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Enjoy the show!
Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises.
SUMMER
CAMP FOR ALL
This summer your family can participate
in special tennis, golf and horseback
riding camps at Casa de Campo in
La Romana, Dominican Republic. For
$169 per adult and $119 per child (up to
age 17), you will receive two hours of
daily instruction and learn progressive
skills in one sport. Or
become a tri-athlete and try all three
sports! The resort's
Family Sports Sampler is available
for ages 4 and up for golf and tennis
and age 8 and up for riding.
Through September 30, book a superior or
luxury room and get a fourth night free
and a $100 resort credit. If you
add an inclusive plan with meals and
some recreation, your children stay, eat
and play free including children's
programming! If you want more
space, book a classic villa and get a
$200 resort credit. The resort
also features a full service spa, the
unique sport of clay pigeon shooting,
lovely beaches and watersports, pools,
bike rentals, gym, daily family
activities as well as children and teen
programs for age 1-17 along with daytime
and nighttime nanny services. Villa
rentals, some with their own pool, are
available with up to six bedrooms making
for a great family reunion experience.
Villas include breakfast daily and golf
cart to get around the expansive
property while maid/valet services can
also be added.

Renew your sports skills at Casa de
Campo!
Photo courtesy of Casa de Campo.
FAMILY
ADVENTURE IN COSTA RICA
Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge in
Costa Rica is luring in families with an
alternative to the crowded beach
vacation with its
awesome
Family Adventure package.
Starting at $940 per person for four
nights or $1,420 per person for seven
nights, the package includes
accommodations in a private cabin or the
Mango Guest House, three daily meals,
unlimited hiking and use of kayaks,
snorkeling and fishing equipment.
Also included is one educational seminar
and a variety of adventurous tours
(kayak and snorkel tour, jungle river or
dolphin tour, waterfall tour, a visit to
an animal sanctuary, fishing excursion
and night hikes). Children ages
6-12 receive a 25 percent discount while
teens age 13-17 get 10 percent off.
Located on the shore of the Golfo Dulce
and only accessible by boat, the
property lies right in front of a
165-acre preserve in the last remaining
lowland rainforest in Costa Rica.
The preserve is full of exotic wildlife,
plants and trees and a terrific network
of trails to explore. Other
activities include yoga and massage
treatments and nearby you can enjoy
horseback riding and mountain biking.
Don't miss out on this amazing
adventure!
Photo courtesy of Playa Nicuesa
Rainforest Lodge.
CLUB MED
REUNIONS
July is Family Reunion month at Club
Med Sandpiper, Punta Cana, Columbus
Isle, Cancun and Ixtapa. With a
group of eight or more people, your
package will include the use of an
onsite planner, room upgrades, group
photo, games, entertainment and a money
saving discount. Club Med staff is
available to assist you with making your
trip a vacation to remember with
reserved family seating for dinner, a
special reunion dinner at the resort's
specialty restaurant and tailored family
events just for your group such as
scavenger hunts, sports tournaments,
etc. Club Med resorts are terrific
for multiple generations with a variety
of activities, recreation, baby through
teen programs (vary by resort), dining
and entertainment for all. Many
rooms are large family suites without
paying much more than for a standard
hotel room.

Call now to plan your reunion
getaway!
SUSTAINABLE ROME
Attention Foodies! Context Travel
now offers a truly unique 5-day tour
called Farm to Fork, Roman Food
Culture for Families. This
small group tour (maximum
8
people) is designed to introduce
families to Roman food and how it is
grown, harvested, prepared and eaten.
The emphasis is on sustainability.
The trip combines farm visits with
market tours, cooking lessons and
wonderful meals. It is designed
around your children and their
interests. The trip includes
activities organized for younger
children to get them thinking about
where good food comes from and how it is
prepared. There is more in-depth
hands-on learning for older children
too. Your trip will include visits
to Ancient Rome to discover its culinary
roots, a visit to Pompeii, pizza making
workshops and more.
Food lovers
unite!
Photo courtesy of Context Travel.
ASIAN
PARADISE
Shangri-La
Hotels and Resorts' new Kids on
Us offer allows children under age
12 to eat, play and stay free!
Through September 30,
your
family can get an extra bed in the room
for no additional cost and free meals
(breakfast, lunch and dinner) from the
resort's children's menu. In
addition, various recreational
activities such as the adventure zone (a
multi-level playground with children's
activities), trapeze, jet-skiing,
horseback riding and nature trail
walking are free! This promotion
is available at seven Shangri-La
properties in Singapore, Malaysia and
the Philippines. You will also
receive a free room night for a future
stay within one year.
Paradise awaits. Discover
Shangri-La!
Photo courtesy of Shangri-La Hotels
and Resorts.
HYATT'S
CLASSIC FAMILY VACATION
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts announced
the revival of the Classic Family
Vacation, a new global package for
your family seeking to get more savings,
more fun and more memories from your
getaway this year. For travel
through September 7, more than 175 Hyatt
destinations around the world are
participating. The hotels and
resorts are offering unique and
authentic local experiences paired with
discounted accommodations, dining, spa
and children's activities. Full
breakfast is included as well as 15
percent savings on restaurant dining and
spa services. Your stay also
includes a free half day at Camp Hyatt
(for one child), welcome snack and half
off a second room for children.
Plus add in a 20 percent discount valid
for National Geographic's online store.
Choose from Hyatts in the United States,
Canada, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa,
the Middle East, Asia/Pacific and Latin
America.

Hyatt delivers great family
vacations!
Photo courtesy of Hyatt Hotels &
Resorts.
TRAVEL
TIP
For beginners and experienced travelers
alike, Fodor's recommends 12 tips for
Planning a Perfect Day of Sightseeing.
We concur...
1. Don't over-schedule-Overcome
the fear that you may never return to a
destination and focus on activities and
attractions that truly appeal to your
family.
Take the time to enjoy festivals,
markets, parks and other local events.
2. Vary your activities from day to
day-This helps keep each day new and
fresh. With so many touring
options, try to mix it up instead of
dragging to museums day after day.
3. Reconfirm hours and admission-Call
the day of your visit to be sure.
No guidebook or website is always
completely updated. Local
holidays, renovations, etc. can affect
hours.
4. Plan for inclement weather-Rainy
days shouldn't damper your vacation.
Check the climate ahead of time and plan
accordingly. Plenty of indoor
activities abound.
5. Carry a bit of change in local
currency-Little unexpected payments
may be required for entry fees, etc.
6. Pack light-One backpack is
great for your daily outings.
Don't forget your guide book, maps, cell
phone, bottled water, ID's, sunscreen,
portable umbrella, etc.
7. Don't forget your cell phone or
phone card-Very useful when trying
to confirm museum hours, directions,
dining reservations, etc.
Cell phone rentals are very economical.
Call us for more details.
8. Write down your hotel name,
address and phone number on a slip of
paper-You can also do this for
restaurants, attractions and other sites
that you are planning to visit in case
there is a language barrier. Have
the addresses in the local alphabet
where needed.
9. Find out when museums offer free
admission-Many large museums offer
free or "pay-as-you-wish" admission one
or two days per week, often for just
part of the day.
10: Plan an evening museum jaunt-Many
major museums extend their hours one
night a week. This makes for a
nice evening activity along with dinner
out. Sometimes museums offer
special evening programs as well.
11. Consider a theme park-This
can be a unique cultural experience in
any destination.
12. Check out theme-park
discounts-Local tourism boards
almost always have coupons for big theme
parks. Check out other applicable
discounts such as AAA. If you go
after 4pm, many parks charge half price.
Off season rates can be even lower.
TRAVEL
REVIEW
The Lacour family of Frisco, TX recently
returned from a wonderful 9-night
getaway to the beautiful Barcelo Maya
Palace in the Riviera Maya, Mexico.
The family stayed in a premium club
junior su
ite
with oceanfront views. The premium
level afforded them additional amenities
and services including use of a special
club lounge, VIP check-in, priority and
unlimited restaurant access, pillow
menus, upgraded bedding and bath
amenities, pool towels in the room and
more. The entire family (2 adults
and a daughter age 10) truly appreciated
the length of their vacation and met
many other wonderful families. The
highlight was definitely the pools with
a phenomenal children's waterpark with
slides and waterfalls and loungers right
in the water. They also really
enjoyed the buffet restaurants, beach,
excellent medical care (to take care of
an ear infection) and they thought that
the evening entertainment was highly
professional with a variety of shows
available in both indoor and outdoor
theaters.

Experience the
World One Trip at a Time!