Don't sweat it, summer vacation is on the calendar
Life is getting tough all over. Car trips for running errands are particularly measured due to high fuel prices. As visits to the groomer dwindle, the dog announces his presence more forcefully as his distinctive eau de canine perfumes the air. The most painful -- no warm-weather destination over spring break. Like a lot of families, we stayed home and kvetched about our persistent winter.
With some insightful planning, you'll be enjoying a sunny summer vacation, despite an economic gloom casting a cloud over the country.
You know all those warm-weather places that families frequent during winter and spring? Sketch out a trip to those spots during the summer when prices plummet as the mercury climbs. With hotels and resorts offering discounts up to 60 percent off high-season rates, Scottsdale, Ariz., beckons with a variety of affordable vacation packages as well as an attractive list of family activities and ways to cool off.
Resorts with water parks include the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess and the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch. In addition to a water park, Westin Kierland Resort & Spa asks kids to don a toque and apron to bake up chocolate-chip cookies with the resort chef.
The FireSky Resort & Spa's Married With Children package includes patio accommodations, fireside s'mores and a welcome amenity (frosty beers with chips and salsa for adults and milk and cookies with pool toy and Kimpton Kids Pack for the youngsters). The resort offers two pools with cascading waterfalls and a sand beach. This package is available May 28 to Sept. 8 starting at $155 per night. For more information, visit www.fireskyresort.com or call (480) 945-7666.
For more ideas and details about summer packages in the Valley of the Sun, visit www.SummerInScottsdale.com or call (480) 421-1004.
Can't cut it to ski in the winter with the likes of Tom Brady and Giselle Bundchen? Ski resorts make wonderful and affordable summer vacations.
Five of the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association's (GCBTA) lodging and outfitting partners offer summer-to-fall vacation packages booked directly so vacationers receive the best deals available. As a matter of fact, GCBTA is one of Travelzoo's five finalists in the Most Outstanding Achievement in Marketing of Travel Deals for a Destination.
Mix a great bargain with authentic Western heritage; friendly, unaffected people; natural beauty; and locally owned shops and restaurants. Packages include Mountains & Memories on Horseback; Fly-Fishing School; and Cowgirls Getaway.
For other Stay & Play packages, visit www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com or call the GCBTA reservations center at (800) 814-8893. (During summer and fall, air access to the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport is provided by United Airlines.)
This might be the summer to do a bed-and-breakfast, especially if your family is on the small side, for the extras these properties offer. Penny pinchers will appreciate complimentary breakfasts, afternoon and evening snacks, free wi-fi, free parking and innkeepers' inside scoops on low-cost dining and attractions.
Check out www.BedandBreakfast.com, the largest online bed-and-breakfast directory and reservation network worldwide, for free gas promotions, midweek discounts and more. To find a complete list, visit www.BedandBreakfast.com and click on Search then Special Packages.
Now is the time to scour discount travel sites such as TravelWorm.com for deals to destinations such as Las Vegas, California, Florida and Hawaii. Click on Family Fun and you'll find vacation villas in Orlando's Sheraton Vistana Resort (book early and save 10 percent on nightly rates); a deal at Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort of an exclusive 25 percent discount on summer rates plus a 50 percent discount on Kid's Camp; and various dining credits and free night deals at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui.
The Sheraton Vistana Resort in Florida features seven outdoor heated swimming pools, on-site car rental, free shuttles to all the Walt Disney theme parks, free wireless Internet access throughout, three arcade/game rooms, DVD rental library and restaurants.
Surrounded by mountains, Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort is a family-friendly hotel that has four restaurants, spa, children's camp, two swimming pools, golf on two championship courses and an adventure concierge who coordinates excursions to the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River for kayaking and Hummer tours of Nevada's Valley of Fire.
Explore and book at www.travelworm.com or call (888) 321-9676.