Four Seasons Resort in Vail. (www.fourseasons.com)
Planning a vacation with your family this summer? It’s never been easier with hotels and resorts offering special mom and kid friendly amenities to make traveling a little less stressful.
According to Corinne McDermott, a travel agent and founder of the website havebabywilltravel.com, many destinations are wising up to the fact that women are waiting to have children later in life, and “once the children come along, they don’t necessarily want to give up everything they enjoyed pre-kids,” she said.
Check out some hotels that are making trip planning a little easier and vacations more fun for the whole family.
1. The Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach in Florida is an all-suite hotel that offers full kitchens, climate-controlled poolside cabanas with flat-screen TVs, private restrooms, Wi-Fi and call-button service for refreshments. Camp Hyatt offers daily activities and adventures, and the Toy Box program provides a variety of age-appropriate toys and games for kids to choose from. The hotel also offers the Babies Travel Lite program which provides vacationers with everything from diapers and wipes to cribs, strollers, and baby food. Babysitting is also available.
2. If you’re breastfeeding or need a place to pump, the Nursing Mothers Amenity program at the Hard Rock Hotel Chicago has you covered. For just $30, the hotel provides a Medela hospital grade breast pump – a breastfeeding accessory starter set which includes the Quick Clean™ Micro Steam™ bags, Quick Clean Wipes, Pump and Save™ Bags and disposable bra pads. The hotel also offers an in-room microwave, mini-refrigerator, ice packs and mini cooler bags. Plus, the staff is trained in how to ship expressed milk and will FedEx it to your home for an additional fee. All proceeds from the program benefit local families with children in the neonatal intensive care unit at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital.
3. The Four Seasons Resort in Vail, Colo., caters to the littlest traveler with amenities like a mini-refrigerator, a microwave, a bottle warmer, sterilizer and cleaning brush, a step stool, baby bathtub, crib, a pack and play, or a toddler bed. Is it nap time? You can coordinate housekeeping and laundry service around your kid’s schedule. An “angel,” staff member is also available to help you plan activities and provide support for your nanny.
4. The Mark Hotel in New York City provides a complimentary Maclaren stroller, a tote bag with a teddy bear and bath toy, unlimited in-room movies, breakfast, and tickets to the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Central Park Zoo or The Museum of Natural History.
5. When you arrive at the Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa in San Diego, your kids will be welcomed with chocolate chip cookies, a stuffed animal, a hand-illustrated coloring book, and their own backpack. The resort also offers an all-day kids summer camp and they will find you a babysitter so you and your partner can enjoy some alone time.
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