These action-packed vacations are sure to score your clients cool points with their kids, while still allowing mom and dad time to lay by the pool and soak up the sun with a cocktail in hand.
Surf’s Up
Surfer dudes and dudettes can ride the waves when they sign up for the Boca Surf School at the Boca Raton Resort & Club, a Waldorf Astoria Resort. “Appealing to the savvy traveler and families seeking a unique destination, the resort continues to introduce trendy amenities that enhance the vacation experience,” says Rick Hayduk, president of the Boca Raton Resort & Club. The school offers private lessons for one to three surfers, classes, and special events every Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.
The school also provides a rash guard, a customized video to view online, photos, and a 1-hour rental use of a surfboard. The Boca Surf School is open to all ages and all levels of surfing skills, and run by Coste del Este Water Sports. Surf classes start at $60 pp. But that’s not all kids can do at the resort . . .
The resort’s new Quest Club includes a daily supervised camp; a tweens’ and teens’ nightclub; an arcade center; and Mizner’s Quest, a scavenger-like program around the resort filled with interactive learning experiences. At the Quest Club’s rooftop, guests can play basketball, soccer, or table tennis, race remote controlled boats, and test their skills on a rock-climbing wall. The resort’s Quest Camp, open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., features activities like soccer, yoga, tie-dying classes, fishing, and beachfront kite flying with the kite concierge, among other activities.
Families staying at the resort this summer receive complimentary buffet breakfast as well as lunch and dinner for kids at 501 East, when parents purchase a full-priced entree. Room rates start at $149 per night. For more information, call (888) 495-2622 or visit bocaresort.com.
Up and Away
Daring teens can take part in the Flyboard program at the Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort. This thrill-seeking water adventure, catering to families with children 12 and up, uses the power of a Wave Runner and redirects the thrust, lifting guests out of the water and into the air for an adrenaline-pumping ride. This high-flying adventure is offered through the hotel’s off-site partner, Cabo Adventures, at $199 pp. Now through Aug. 31 your clients can take advantage of a $35 discount on the Flyboard program while staying at the Hilton Los Cabos, all they have to do is mention they saw it on Recommend when booking through the hotel’s adventure concierge.
The 315-room property offers guests experiences in Mexican culture; five dining venues; the Spa Oasis; an infinity-edge pool with a swim-up bar and poolside beds; two tennis courts; and a fitness center. Located near both San Jose del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas along the Sea of Cortez, the hotel has access to one of Cabo’s only swimmer-friendly beaches. Room rates start at $149 per night. The hotel’s Fresh Start package includes accommodations in a Deluxe Ocean View room, daily breakfast buffet at El Meson, a $50 resort credit per day, and a hotel certificate for one free night. Package rates start $239 per night. For more information, visit hiltonloscabos.com.
Wild in Mexico
Kids can marvel at iguanas, flamingos, crocodiles, and monkeys at the Grand Palladium all-inclusive resorts in Mexico’s Riviera Maya and Riviera Nayarit. At the five Riviera Maya properties—Grand Palladium Colonial Resort & Spa, Grand Palladium Kantenah Resort & Spa, Grand Palladium Riviera Resort & Spa, Grand Palladium White Sand Resort & Spa, and The Royal Suites Yucatan by Palladium—families can visit the crocodile habitats during feeding time, see the koi ponds, and the flamingo habitats.
At the eco-friendly Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa in Riviera Nayarit, guests can visit the resort’s small rescue zoo, and walk the nature trails that wind through its park-like tropical acreage. Kids can watch monkeys play, and gaze at ostriches, macaws, parrots, and other tropical birds. The rescue zoo also houses marsupial bandicoots from Australia, turtles, deer, and crocodiles.
The resorts incorporate kids’ programming with their distinctive flora and fauna through educational activities, and offer guided ecological walks for kids at their preserved natural habitats. The programs range for children ages 1 to 19. For more information, visit palladiumhotelgroup.com.
Escape to the Cape
Active travelers heading to New England will have lots to do at the Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Resort. The resort has recently completed a $40 million renovation and debuted a new bike fleet, which can be put to use by guests interested in biking the Cape Cod Bike & Rail Trail—a 26-mile ride that begins in the town Dennis and extends to the Cape Cod National Seashore. The property also features an 18-hole golf course, three outdoor pools and two indoor pools, three dining venues, tennis, s’more campfires, dive-in movie nights at the Arbor Pool, and private beach access for guests staying at the resort’s Mansion accommodations. Guests can also take part in a hike through Nickerson State Park, which has 400 acres of trails for biking and hiking, as well as freshwater ponds for swimming, fishing, and boating; or they can visit the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History.
Accommodations include The Mansion, which feature 90 renovated rooms in the Mansion Guest Wing, and the newly remodeled Presidential Bay Collection villa homes—guests on this side of the resort enjoy exclusive beach access, plus other choice amenities. In addition, the resort offers The Villas with 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom villas with easy access to the golf course or bike trails. Rates for The Villas start at $275; The Mansion, $495 per night; and the Presidential Bay Collection, $1,250 per night. For more information, visit oceanedge.com.
