Most of us think of “kid-friendly” as being anything welcoming of tots or pre-schoolers – after all, they’re the ones most likely to cause an embarrassing scene.  But teens go on family vacations too, and although they’re just shy of adulthood, they’re not mini-mes – they have their own interests, some shared with parents, some not.

Loews Hotels has some excellent teen-focused Edu-Cations being featured at several of their properties around the country.  These cool packages allow teens to explore a new world or delve deep into a current interest.  At Loews Santa Monica, for instance, your hipster can move one step closer to living like Lohan, with a 2-night stay in a premium suite, limo service for the duration of the stay, an acting lesson, meeting with an agent, and a makeover.  (Can we sign up?  We swear we’re 16, really…)

If your teen is less into the meat market of LA and more into the stock market, the Loews Regency in NY offers an inside view of the financial markets, with a tour of the NASDAQ, a power breakfast featuring a financial speaker, and a photo of your budding broker on the NASDAQ tower.

Other packages include surfing in San Diego, a tour of the National Press in Washington D.C, and a music and lyric session in Nashville, all with inside scoop and/or access to people really connected in their respective fields.  With vacations like these, you might actually get some (begrudging) respect from your know-it-all kid.

Trying to make last minute Memorial Day plans? Good – then it’s not just us. We kept thinking “Gee, we should do something for Memorial Day”, but somehow the thought never translated into action. Now here it is, just 3 weekends away – and we have no plans. Which is, to us, absolutely unacceptable. So, as usual, we started looking to see what could possibly still be out there for people like us, and here’s a sampling of what we found:

Hawaii
The LA Times recommends trips to Oahu for Angelenos: needless to say, the beach is always a big draw for children. The Sheraton Moana Surfrider and the Royal Hawaiian (also a Sheraton property) are offering reduced rates for Memorial Day weekend: $239 for a double that’s normally $380 at the Surfrider, and $269 for a double at the Royal Hawaiian, down from $445. The Keiki Aloha Program is available to guests of both hotels, where kids 5-12 are treated to a daily itinerary of fun. (While the Times recommends booking via Expedia to get deeper discounts for booking air and hotel together, we’ve found that this is not always the case. Do your homework to be sure of getting the best rates overall.)

Sheraton Moana Surfrider, copyright Starwood Hotels (more…)