Complimentary daily breakfast, “Nanny-On-Call” service and children’s cooking classes highlight the five-night “Family Fun in the Sun” package offered at the exclusive, 29-suite Esencia estate in the Riviera Maya. The package, available through Oct. 31, features five nights’ complimentary accommodations for up to two children under the age of 12 in the same suite as parents, breakfast each morning, two hours of “Nanny-on-Call” service each day while parents enjoy a treatment at Aroma Spa or dinner at Sal y Fuego, and a two-hour children’s cooking class for each child. Roundtrip transportation to and from Cancun International Airport is also included in the package. Rates start at $1,999 for accommodations in a Garden Room. Taxes and service fee is additional. For reservations, please call 877-528-3490 or visit www.hotelesencia.com.

Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico (June 16, 2008) – In celebration of schools being out for the summer, families heading to Cabo San Lucas save 40% on suite accommodations at Casa Dorada Los Cabos, Resort & Spa, with the “Verano in Medano” (Summer in Medano) Package. Kids 12 and under stay and dine free, the Casa Kidz club, activities at the resort, and daily buffet breakfast at Maydan beachfront restaurant are also included. At the newest resort in Cabo San Lucas’ Medano Beach, families can share luxurious ocean-view accommodations in a 2,000 sq-ft two-bedroom suite complete with separate living and dining areas, kitchen, grand terrace, marble bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub. Families looking to spend quality time together enjoy a myriad of Los Cabos’ activities including zip-lining, swimming with the dolphins, golf, and spa treatments. Available through September 30, 2008, the package starts at $2,580 USD for four days/three nights for up to two adults and two children. All taxes and service fee are included. For reservations, please call 1-(866) 448-0151 or visit www.casadorada.com. (more…)

Children can be downright picky when it comes to food, but most of them love to help out in the kitchen. While many families think of a culinary vacation as an adults-only experience, the truth is that a trip centered around a kitchen can be a great way for families to spend time together amassing some new skills, and, of course, having a lot of fun.

At the Forconi estate in Tuscany, the whole family can pitch in when it comes to cooking. Featuring Fabrizio’s Kids Cooking Course, the family-run estate offers kids the chance to get their hands “dirty” making gnocchi, pasta, and pizza which they then, hopefully, will eat. Budding Emerils and Rachael Rays can also learn the tricks of the trade for non-alcoholic aperitifs and easy hors d’oeuvres (making them a lot more helpful when you entertain!) (more…)