When you get tired of herding your little ones to and fro, you can practice those skills during a special getaway on a ranch, with horses and cows that may actually prove to be more pliable than your own offspring. Rancho de los Caballeros is located northwest of Phoenix, a drive of approximately 1.5 hours. Open from October to May, the ranch is spread out over 20,000 acres, with 100 horses to explore the trails and a golf course to provide non-equine related activity. Relaxation is offered in the form of a labyrinth walk and a multitude of treatments offered by the spa. (more…)

Sydney Solis, author (copyright World Family Yoga)

As you know, we love our children and drag take them anywhere we’re off to. Thank goodness for World Family Yoga, started by two moms, Peggy Profant and Christine McQuardle-Oquendo, who’ve devised a way for entire families to quest for nirvana (sort of). They offer family-friendly yoga vacations 2 or 3 times a year: thus far they’ve done California and Costa Rica and have plans for retreats abroad in Spain, Peru and Bali.

Note that the luxury here isn’t the accommodation, as most retreats are held at eco-friendly simple lodges in remote places. What you do get, however, is a chance for an authentic and priceless cultural experience and a yoga program that embraces the entire family in several ways: there’s a separate program for children 3 and up (with babysitting provided for smaller babes), so while you’re doing Downward Dog and limbering up your Anusara, the kids are off learning kidcentric yoga and engaging in other fun activities. Also, if only one adult is into yoga, the other parent can still attend for $200 less. Finally, while you’re certainly encouraged to participate in all the activities, the program is not rigid; you attend the sessions you want, with no frowns if you decide to sleep in one morning.

If you’re looking for something more upscale, the luxury resort Caneel Bay, on the island of St. John in the USVI, has a Self Centre that offers instruction in yoga, Pilates, meditation and more. You can create your own wellness program from a wide variety of daily group classes and private instruction, and the resort’s Turtle Town program for kids 3-12 will look after the kids while you find yourself. Even in your room you’ll find it easy to decompress: the resort’s sumptuous rooms lack telephones and televisions, meaning less real-world intrusions and more family (and self) time.

Caneel Bay, copyright Rosewood Resorts

This week we look ahead to November when Telluride’s environmental issue push goes on tour to Florida – specifically, the Watercolor Inn in Santa Rosa Beach. The festival, held in May of this year, was a 4-day extravaganza of symposia, special events and films. The films shown there are on tour to different venues around the country. At Watercolor you’ll view the movies in an amphitheatre under the stars, with age-appropriate children’s screenings to enjoy too.

Watercolor Inn’s Telluride Mountainfilm on Tour package is valid from November 2 to November 4 and is based on availability. The package includes tickets for Friday and Saturday evening shows. Children under 5 get in free. For more information on the tour, click here. To book, click here.