Kids Free at Hard Rock
Once again this summer, children stay and eat free at Hard Rock Resorts in Cancun and Punta Cana.
Two children 12 and under will stay free with just on paying adult. You must stay at least 3 nights and book by August 27 for stays from June 1-August 31. This is for new reservations only. The special is combinable with other current promotions as well as the resort credit deal. We were recently notified that the conversion of Aventura Palace in the Riviera Maya to Hard Rock is being delayed to 2014 in order to increase the amount of amenities and recreation such as a bowling alley, yoga platform over the resort waterways, waterslides, zip lines and more.
Viceroy Zihuatenejo
Families looking for luxury and authentic local experiences can take advantage of Viceroy Zihuatenejo’s new variety of family activities. 
Sit down to story time with a local Mexican grandmother telling traditional Mexican fairy tales, take an organic Mexican cooking class or relax with a movie accompanied by s’mores and Mexican hot chocolate. The area’s local market, set up on the beach, also boasts a special area for children to make their own churros or tamales. The resort’s concierge will work with your family to make the most of your Mexican getaway. The intimate resort features 70 rooms and suites including spacious one and two bedroom options and features two restaurants, three pools, tennis, spa, gym, free internet, water sports and more. Just 20 minutes from the airport, your family can also explore the nearby jungle, town and other ocean adventures.
JW Marriott in Panama
JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts opened the 118-room JW Marriott Panama Golf & Beach Resort, the brand’s first resort and first hotel in the country. 
The resort is located within the Buenaventura beachfront community, near the town of Rio Hato, two hours from Panama City. Each of the resort’s 118 guest rooms offers private balconies or gardens, including five suites and four residence-style villas. The resort features five restaurants, and an 18-hole Nicklaus Design course. Available activities include surfing at Playa Rio Mar, zip-lining at El Valle de Anton, and jet skiing and snorkeling at Farallon Island. The property also features a fitness center, spa, kids club and a beach club with an infinity pool and waterfront butler service.
St. Croix Beach House
Many of our larger family groups enjoy staying together in one accommodation on their vacations. 
But so many times we talk family groups out of renting a large, self catering villa in the Caribbean as we know the overall experience is not the vacation they had in mind. Most large house rentals on the beach are very high priced, don’t have good recreational access and don’t offer enough services. But now more resorts are adding large family units and we are thrilled! The Buccaneer Resort in St. Croix will debut its new 6-bedroom Beach House on Whistle Point on January 4. The house, which includes a two-bedroom main house, a master-suite villa, a two-bedroom cottage and a one-bedroom cottage, is the latest addition to the 340-acre, 144-room resort. Each portion of the house has its own kitchen. This past June, the resort also added a two-bedroom, three-bath beachfront Ficus Suite which includes a full kitchen, patios, seating areas, vaulted wood ceilings, whirlpool tubs and separate showers. Facilities at the resort, which began life in 1947 as an 11-room inn, include three beaches, a golf course, a tennis center, two pools, three restaurants, children’s program, free water sports, family activities, art classes and a spa and fitness center. We have several families who have become return guests to this charming resort.
Fijian Family Getaway
Experience paradise with Shangri La’s Fijian Family Getaway Package. 
Available through March 31, 2013, the package includes daily buffet breakfast, roundtrip airport transfers, a 30 minute beach body massage for two adults, a one hour bike rental, a round of 18 holes of Putt Putt Mini Golf, 20 % savings on laundry services and your 2nd room at a 25% saving. The Yanuca Island property features a spa that fuses local techniques and treatments using home-grown produce, three pools, gym, water sports, tennis, several dining options, bike rentals, golf, children’s programs and the Shangri-La Marine Education Centre – a collaborative project with the community where you can get up close and personal with the coral reef. The resort is not only a sanctuary for you, but for the delicate marine life too.
Family Friendly Maldives
Anantara Dhigu Resort and Spa in the Maldives is showcasing a 4-night or longer Family Special package valid through Jauary 6, 2013. 
Your rate includes accommodations in a Sunrise Beach Villa or Sunset Family Villa, daily buffet breakfast for two adults and two children, return speedboat transfers between Male airport and the resort (35 minute ride), kids’ cooking class, unlimited daily ice cream, one time evening babysitting, a family Dining by Design including selected wines and dolphin cruise. Upgrades to a two bedroom unit are also available. The luxury resort features an over-the-water spa, water sports, tennis, cooking school, several dining options, beachside yoga, morning meditation and a Coral Adoption program to help accelerate regeneration and protect marine life and the resort’s beaches. Their kids club for ages 3-11 provides supervised programs that allow your children to discover and delve into the local flora and fauna while also enjoying fun arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor sports and games (some culturally inspired), island exploration, and a chance to visit a coral nursery and reef regeneration project with the resident marine biologist. The Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, is the ultimate tropical beach location with 1,192 islands and year round sunshine.
All-Inclusive Villas
Did you know that your family groups can experience the spaciousness of a villa AND the benefits of an all-inclusive resort experience? 
Azul Hotels by Karisma marked the opening of their newest six-bedroom Azul Villa Esmeralda on Mexico’s Riviera Maya that joins the six bedroom Azul Villa Carola. The 11,000-square-foot beachfront property features ocean views, two private pools, Bose home theater, tennis court, business center and a private spa and gym facilities. Amenities include the services of 8 dedicated staff including a a 24-hour Majordomo (head butler), executive chef for in-villa dining, housekeeper, waiter, kids club attendant (for up to 8 hours per day for a maximum of 4 children), groundskeeper, gardener/pool attendant, 24-hour security guards and available masseuse. For children, strollers, cribs, baby bathrobes and bath tubs, playroom, beach games, coloring books, lawn games, ping pong table, Wii, Playstation and more are available. Villa guests also have dining privileges at the five restaurants and bars at the adjacent Azul Beach Hotel and access to their watersports, evening entertainment and daily activities. Rates begin at $10,000 per night for up to 12 people, including dining.
Kosher Costa Rica
We are proud to announce that our San Jose, Costa Rica based tour operator, Horizontes, is now offering tours in Costa Rica to meet the needs of families who keep kosher. Our trips to Costa Rica are 
completely customized to meet your family’s budget and interests with moderate to luxury hotel options and a variety of destinations to explore. Through a relationship with the Orthodox Jewish Community of Costa Rica, Horizontes can supply kosher certified lunch and dinners (meat or dairy options with a wide variety of choices) that can then be reheated at your hotel. In San Jose there are a number of restaurants serving kosher food for dine-in and take out and there are numerous hotels within 10 blocks of the Orthodox synagogue which is open to visitors with advance notice. Horizontes can even supply a Shabbat kit with kosher wine, candles and a challah. Contact us for more details.
Club Med Update
Club Med is now offering new week-long packages with nonstop service from New York/JFK airport to the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo International Airport in Mexico, starting from $1,856 per person for travel dates February 9 to March 30. Direct flights are available every Saturday at 8:00 a.m. with the following Saturday departure at 2:20 p.m. from Ixtapa. Another current Club Med promotion includes free stays for children 4 and under for travel from April 27-October 26, 2013 to resorts in Florida, Mexico and The Caribbean when booking by October 29.
Thanksgiving in Panama
Eco Circuitos is offering a 5-night Family Thanksgiving Package in Panama for only $735/person per double room land-only. Experience the contrasts of Panama in a short adventure program which combines historical tours, the amazing rainforest at Soberania National Park, experiencing Gatun Lake surrounded by tropical rainforest and a visit to the Panama Canal. Your trip includes round-trip airport transfers, choice of Panama City hotels, half day Historical City Tour, hiking Soberania National Park, kayaking Gatun Lake, stay at the Radisson Rainforest Resort, free day for relaxation or optional tours and a visit to the Miraflores locks to understand the operation of the Panama Canal and view of the expansion project.
