Category Archives: Advice And Resources

Hotel Review: Westin Verasa Napa

Westin Verasa Initial Impressions

On arrival at the Westin Verasa in Napa, Murph and I both remarked on the similarity of the hotels’ exterior to properties we’ve stayed at in various ski resorts – not what we’d expected on arrival in California wine country. The earth-toned colors used in wall coverings and carpeting extend a great outdoors feel through the hotel hallways. Most of the rooms in this 180-room property are suites which made it feel even more like a ski lodge – but that might be just me since most of the all-suite hotels I’ve stayed at have been ski lodges. I walked into the hotel expecting a quiet, serene National Park-like feel which was unfortunately dispelled immediately by the lively chatter and music coming from Friday evening revelers at the Bank restaurant and bar. I didn’t have a chance to lament…
“They play good music here”
Apparently we were traveling with a music critic (BigB). Who knew?

Westin Verasa Rooms

Our two-bedroom suite in the Westin Verasa might be the largest hotel room we’ve ever had. I’m serious. The living room and kitchen area seemed larger than our first apartment – with plenty of room for at family of four to hang out in comfortably. The room also had fabulous high ceilings which added to the overall airy, spacious feeling. Just to be clear here, I think one of the biggest challenges for traveling families with hotels is having enough space. The large suites at the Westin Verasa are a huge bonus and one reason why we’d certainly consider returning here.

The xbox 360 in the living room got a big thumbs up from BigB. I was impressed at this as an in-room entertainment system option, one which is particularly welcome for families like mine, traveling with tween and teen boys. Murph was thrilled to see that the Westin has selected the product he’s been working on since 2002.

The bedrooms themselves are moderately-sized and the decor is simple – possibly even a little too sparse – but it does lead one to focus on Westin’s Heavenly beds which isn’t a bad thing at all. BigB practically fell into his bed.

Our two-bedroom suite had two bathrooms, one master, both spacious with piles of fluffy white towels, complimentary Heavenly Bath toiletries and inviting double-headed showers.

Westin Verasa Location

The following morning we walked the short three blocks to the Oxbow farmers market passing the station from which the Napa Valley Wine Train departs and the enticing smells of fresh-baked goodies coming from Model bakery. We stocked up on treats and headed off for a fun day cycling and visiting vineyards.

I’m sure there are people who are passionate about the optimal place to stay when visiting Napa Valley. Personally I’ve been here on day trips (from San Francisco), stayed in St Helena which is at the northern end of the valley and now here, in Napa, at the southern end. As a weekend visitor, coming from a Bay Area airport and arriving late into the area, the location of the Westin Verasa at the southern end of the valley certainly wins in terms of convenient access. It’s also not so far away that you feel like the drive to wine-tasting rooms in the valley proper is a haul.

Westin Verasa Special Features

As we relaxed by the pool later in the afternoon, the boys happily playing in the water, Murph and I agreed that the resort feel of the pool area and central courtyard was hard to beat. The Napa River winds through the area behind the hotel giving a pleasant, rural feel to the location. It’s the perfect combination of town and country.

Our room opened on to this courtyard. I could imagine relaxing here in the early morning or late afternoon if we return to the Westin Verasa for a longer stay. There’s also a bocce court at one end of this space. That and the ample gym are just a couple of the fitness amenities provided at this hotel.

Westin Verasa Restaurants and Staff

While staying at the Westin Verasa we ate at the Bank restaurant and at the Michelin-starred La Toque restaurant. The food was delicious, imaginative and beautifully prepared using – as you would expect since we were in Napa – fresh, local ingredients. That said the I’ve already almost forgotten the details of the meals but what will stay with me for a long time is the friendliness, professionalism and just plain good fun we had chatting with our waiter at the Bank and the Wine Director at La Toque – particularly the Wine Director, Scott Tracy. We opted for the paired menu and as he served every pour, we were educated about every wine – with embellishments on the story of the people or the vineyard involved. He answered our questions about Napa, the menu, the wines and making wine in Napa with patience and gusto. It made for a fantastic dining (and drinking) experience.

Do you have a favorite property in Napa Valley? Leave a comment and let me know what it is – I’ll be happy to check it out on my next visit to the area (hopefully soon…)

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My stay at the Westin Verasa was provided by Starwood Hotels as part of the Starwood Hotels LoveYourFamily package, which includes a complimentary suite upgrade, or adjoining room, daily $50 resort credit and an optional SPG Kids Pass program, where at this hotel, you can get all of your kids’ meals for only $16 per child per day with www.spg.com/kidspass Book online, or call 866-716-8147, and reference promotion code FAM50 to make your reservation.

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Information on Kids Passports

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Getting a kids passport is required before traveling internationally with your child. This week I’m starting with information on how to apply for or renew a kids passport, then I’ll share a couple of passport-related stories from our year-long trip around the world.

Since January 2007 all travelers entering or leaving the U.S. by air must have a passport – even infants. Passport cards are required for sea and land travel to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean region, and Bermuda as part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

Get used to checking your passport and your kid’s passports as the first step in planning a trip outside of North America. A valid passport has an expiration date that is more than six months beyond the departure date of your trip. There should be between two and four blank visa/stamp pages available. If you’re flying, not meeting one or both of these requirements could cause you to be denied boarding. If you’re traveling via car, not having passports could lead to unwanted hassles and a delay getting back into your country at the end of the trip. Adult passports are valid for 10 years. Passports for children under 16 years of age are valid for 5 years.

If you look closely at the photo above, you’ll see that we were not so careful on one of our trips. One of those passports has an issue location outside the U.S. Trust me, the experience of being denied boarding on your flight home is not one I’d wish on anyone – with or without kids!

HOW TO APPLY FOR KIDS PASSPORTS

If you are applying for passports for the first time for your children, read through the instructions provided on the Department of State website thoroughly before you complete the application. Their requirements for applying for a child’s passport include:

1. Proof of U.S. citizenship
2. Evidence of relationship to parents
3. Parental identification
4. Parental permission to apply for a passport

The parental permission requirements are very important. Both parents must be present when the passport application is submitted. If one parent cannot be present either proof of sole authority to apply or notarized permission from the non-appearing parent must be provided. In addition to all the above paperwork, you’ll also need to have two photographs of each applicant which conform to the State Department requirements (provided on the passport form and on the website).

Passports for children under 16 cannot be renewed by mail. Treat each renewal as a new application i.e. bring original documents with you each time – the expiring passport is not valid as proof of citizenship for children under 16.

If you’re renewing a passport for you or your child over 16, you can do so via mail by sending form DS-82 along with your most recent passport, two passport photos, and funds to cover the fee to the National Passport Center. Mail-in passport applications can be expedited for an additional fee and extra shipping charges. (See travel.state.gov for current fees).

WHERE TO APPLY FOR KIDS PASSPORTS

The many locations where you can pick up passport forms are post offices, city halls and courthouses. Passport applications are not processed at these locations. There are 13 regional passport agencies where you can submit passport applications in person at which applications are processed on site. These applications are treated as expedited passport requests – with the associated fees. You must have an appointment to apply for your passport at one of these agencies and appointments are issued only if you can prove that you will be traveling within 14 days (by showing an airline ticket or similar documentation at the appointment). Applications submitted at passport agencies are fulfilled within 48 hours.

These days with e-tickets, automated check-in machines and ground staff who are very busy, it’s important to take responsibility for your own paperwork – so you don’t end up stranded somewhere. Be particularly vigilant with your children’s passports. Five years can pass so quickly.

If you are a U.S. citizen (or the parent of a U.S. citizen) applying for a passport for the first time, you can pick up passport application forms at one of many locations across the U.S. These form(s) can also be downloaded from the Department of State website and submitted by mail. The processing time for passport applications is about six weeks.

Once you submit your application, you can use either the Online Application Status Check tool on the Department of State website or call the National Passport Information Center to get information on your application. Don’t leave your applications or renewals to the last minute. If you think you might be traveling within the next 12 months, send in the application.

LOOKING AFTER YOUR KIDS PASSPORTS (AND YOURS)

Your passport is the most valuable item you’ll carry with you when you travel. Keep copies of the front page of your passport and your children’s passports both at home and in your luggage. Some countries require that hotels register guests with the police and will ask for your passport as ID. While this is a normal procedure, the U.S. government recommends you retrieve your passport the very next morning. If possible, leave a copy of the passport rather than the original.

For our year-long trip we scanned our passports and stored those digital copies on internet-accessible storage (e.g. Google docs or DropBox). We also carried paper photocopies of the passports – which we had to re-create at least a couple of times along the way as the originals got battered from too much use.

If you lose a passport while traveling abroad, immediately contact the local authorities and the nearest embassy or consulate for your country. If you have a copy of the lost passport, it will make the replacement process go much more smoothly. If a valid passport is lost or stolen while you are at home, alert your passport agency and apply for a new one.

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Top 5 Ways My Family Benefited from a Summer of Outdoor Play

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Today’s guest post is from KaBOOM!, in support of their 2012 Summer Playground Challenge. As a mom of two very active boys I spent hours of my life in the many playgrounds in my neighborhood when those kids were younger. Given that there was no playground in the town that I grew up in, I often wondered how my Mom and other Moms who don’t have playgrounds nearby survive.

As the national nonprofit KaBOOM! kicks off its 2012 Summer Playground Challenge — which challenges
families to explore as many playgrounds as you can this summer and offers prizes for your playground
visits — past Challenge participant Sarah Brown shares what she and her family gained from a summer
full of outdoor play.

1. I think the biggest joy of last summer came from watching my children’s relationships with each
other grow. I watched age differences slip away as they played chase, made up games, and
lent a helping hand to a younger sibling. Suddenly, the barrier of age or ability had no bearings
among the tree limbs and monkey bars. This character development carried over into their daily
life at home and they were always eager to retell stories of their adventures over dinner each
night. Families that play together have more fun!

2. Because we feel outdoor play and time spent in nature is so important, it was a lot of fun to find
various new places to go. Everyone enjoyed locating new parks, playspaces, nature preserves
and even State Parks to visit. We learned being in a city can be quite different from rural areas,
but there are still plenty of play places to visit.

3. It was so nice watching their reactions to parks in different areas of our town and how they
noticed the conditions of or amount of equipment (and lack thereof) at others. Their eyes were
opened to our community needs and the children who should be provided with a safe place to
play.

4. Their natural curiosity about the world around them was heightened. Instead of passing along
an area unfamiliar and hitting the swings, I watched all of the kids gravitate to a new apparatus
or area of the park. They wanted a space for free thinking adventure and fortunately, some of
our visits provided just that.

5. I found the more opportunities provided to my children to be outdoors, with place and space
to roam and PLAY the more they CRAVED it!! It became a nightly ritual to talk about what
new adventures lay ahead and if something like a rainy day prevented playground play, they
would be so disappointed and frustrated. You see they were not satisfied with video games or
indoor activities, after a short time of making the effort to provide them with what I feel is a
child’s natural outlet of PLAY, they wanted it and more of it, and I think that is how children are
designed and loved every second of the transformation!

We look forward to expanding our horizons this summer in other parks, playgrounds and play spaces.
We also look forward to serving our community through park cleanup efforts and of course enjoy adding
to the KaBOOM! Map of Play so others can easily find places to get outdoors and PLAY!

Get motivated to visit more playgrounds with your kids this summer by joining the 2012 Playground
Challenge! The three top Challengers will win a trip for two to DC and all participants can win great
prizes throughout the summer.

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Whistler Canada Accommodation Primer

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We’ll be visiting Whistler in February. That’ll make 12 years of fun family ski memories at this expansive Canadian mountain resort. I shared this with a friend here in Seattle who immediately came back and asked for help in planning his first trip to Whistler with his kids. His primary concern was where to stay given that Whistler is a large resort with many different “neighborhoods”. Here’s the advice I sent to him.

The Whistler Village area is where the hotels (Pan Pacific, Westin, Hilton) are located. On this map, “Skiers Plaza” is the area in front of the lift entrances. This is a busy spot before, during and after the ski day. Crowds gather at the Longhorn Bar (#7) from lunchtime on and this, and the Dublin Gate in the Pan Pacific (#16) are apres-ski central. Village Walk, the main pedestrian thoroughfare through the village starts from behind the Carleton Lodge (#7 on this map). It’s about a mile-long walk from here to the edge of the village i.e. the intersection with Hwy-99. The Village Walk is lined with shops, bars and restaurants and is the heart of the village.

The Whistler Kids drop-off/pick-up area is inside the Village Gondola building. The kids load up in the gondola (too cute when all you can see is the top of their ski helmets) and go up to mid-mountain to the Whistler Kids on-mountain base.

With small kids I’d avoid staying in this section of the village since it does get noisy at night.

This where we usually stay. The accommodation is mostly condo complexes some with communal pools or hot tubs. You’re still in the thick of the village action but not likely to be disturbed by late-night revelers. My favorites here are the Delta Whistler suites, the Town Plaza Lodge or Glacier’s Reach (this last because they have private hot tubs).

It’s a bit of a hike from say Town Plaza to the Whistler Kids drop-off especially with young kids in ski boots but if you give yourself an extra 30 minutes you can make it.

Whistler Upper Village aka Blackcomb is where you’ll find the really fancy accommodation: the Four Seasons, the Fairmont and Club Intrawest. There are regular shuttles between Blackcomb and Whistler and it’s really only a 15 min walk between the base areas, but the “village” in Blackcomb is much smaller. There is a single street – maybe 500yards – with no more than 10 shops. On the other hand, the Whistler Kids facility at Blackcomb is at the base area which is logistically easier especially with younger children and children who might need a little more time with Mom or Dad before heading off for the day.

Club Intrawest, with a pool and hot tub, a movie room and a games room is a luxury condo experience in the Upper Village.

The Creekside area is actually the original Whistler base. It’s a 5-10 minute drive to the village proper from here. The Creekside gondola can be excellent because the lines are shorter than the other gondolas but there are limited restaurant choices here and limited shopping.

There are free shuttles between all the village areas.

The maps on this post are all from Whistler resort accommodation information.

I’ve had great success finding good accommodation at reasonable rates using alluradirect.com and from specials on the whistlerblackcomb.com website.

If you have questions about Whistler or skiing with kids, leave your question in the comments below.

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Summer Vacation 2012 – Planning

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If you’re like me, you’ve just about put away your holiday decorations. You’re shocked that the stores have Valentine’s candy out already and you haven’t even considered what you’ll be doing for Spring Break yet. Summer? Summer is months away!
I know, I know, we’re all rushed and short on time. But, to get the best deal for your summer vacation in 2012, I encourage you to take a little time now. Follow the steps below and do a little homework now (Yes!, I do mean in January). It’ll put you in the best position to get the most out of your time and budget this coming summer.

Pick your summer vacation dates
When does your child’s school break up for the summer? Would a family vacation at the start or the end of the long summer break suit better? Or maybe in the middle to break up the time?
Keep in mind that there isn’t a worldwide master school vacation schedule. Summer vacation starts and ends at different times in other countries – and that can work to your advantage. In the UK for example, schools only break for six weeks from mid-July. In Germany, the summer break start date and duration varies by province. If you plan to travel internationally, timing your vacation to happen when local families are still in school will help your budget.

Set your summer vacation budget
The budget. Unfortunately forward planning doesn’t remove the hard dollars and cents constraints around vacation planning but at this early stage you can have a little fun (no, honestly, I mean it). Make a list of your desired vacation destinations. Research costs for food, transport and entertainment at those destinations – all the information you need is available on the internet, in guidebooks or from tourist information services. Create an approximate daily budget as (# people X # days X $ food+transport+entertainment). I know, you’re waiting on the fun part – we’ll get there…

Here’s the thing – which is a little counter-intuitive: you don’t have to pick a destination yet. If you’ve got this far, you’ve now pulled together vacation costs for number of destinations. With this data you might already know that Destination A is too expensive or you’re surprised at how affordable Destination B is. Now, you can narrow your list down to a two or three possible destinations and let the internet work for you to get the best vacation your money can buy.

Look for summer travel deals
This is the fun part. You’re ahead of the crowd. You’re an early bird. There are tools out there to help you use that to your advantage – particularly to help your budget. Use YAPTA or FareCompare to help you find the best price for flights. Register for deals emails on Expedia, Kayak, or Vayama. If you have a favorite hotel brand, see if they have a newsletter or email list where you can sign up for special offers. These days many travel vendors use Facebook or Twitter to post internet specials. Enroll in any and all of these that are relevant for your search and sit back and watch the information come rolling into your inbox. In the meantime you can research fun things to see and do on your vacation.

This is where the budgeting exercise above really helps. Since you already know the vacation costs without any deals, special offers or discounts, you’ll be able to identify the best offers from the dross when you see them. Remember that deals aren’t always price discounts, sometimes a deal means more goodies (breakfast, drinks, a larger room) for the same amount of money.

So there you have it. Join the early-planning crowd and save money planning your summer vacation 2012 – and let me know how you get on, won’t you?

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Gifts For Travelers

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Today is the official start of the 2011 holiday shopping season. Some people will shop and some will have a “no-shopping day”. Me? I’ll be hanging out with friends and studiously avoiding all shopping opportunities because I do all my holiday shopping online. But, in the spirit of the season, I have some travel-themed gift ideas for you.

Murph and sat down towards the end of our trip around the world with kids and, like good project managers, critically review the trip – particularly the products we carried and depended on for a full year. If we were to start again tomorrow, the products listed below are what we would bring with us. I can’t think of higher praise or a better recommendation for great gifts for travelers.

This list is in priority order.

	Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6″ E Ink Display – includes Special Offers & Sponsored Screensavers We could not have completed our trip (sanely) without our Kindles. This wifi-enabled vanilla-plain 3G Kindle is our top pick for a travel gift.
	Sennheiser PXC 250 II Collapsible Noise-Canceling Headphones On long bus journeys, in noisy hostels and on airplanes with chatty seat-mates a good pair of noise-cancelling headphones can be the only thing you have to preserve your sanity. Sennheiser make headphones with audio quality that makes you feel like you’re in Carnegie Hall. The collapsible style helps conserve important backpack space.
	Canon G12 10 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.8 Inch Vari-Angle LCD The G12 is a great compact camera that takes dSLR-quality photos. If you don’t want to fuss with lenses and the complications of aperture and ISOs, this is a souped-up point-and-shoot that’s worth the extra cost. (We started our trip using a G11 but it was stolen in Santiago. We upgraded to a Canon EOS XSi but I still haven’t figured out how to use it!).
	ASUS Eee PC 1015PX-PU17-BU 10.1-Inch Netbook (Blue) You don’t need a netbook to travel – or a mac or a laptop. There are internet cafes everywhere and sometimes it’s just easier to use an internet café than futz about with trying to get wifi access on your own computer. But, I love my ASUS netbook. It’s small, light and easy to use – and affordable at $275. In it’s neoprene sleeve it fits in the top of my backpack.

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Hotel Review: Central Boutique Angkor Hotel

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The Central Boutique Angkor Hotel was a gem. We didn’t discover it ourselves, it was recommended to us by fellow travelers we met in Ho Chi Minh City. They raved about the relative comfort and luxury of this boutique property on the outskirts of Siam Reap. I admit, initially I was tentative since I was nervous that anywhere with such great reviews would be way out of our $15-per-person-per-day budget.

We had just come from a three-day cycle tour of the Mekong Delta where we got utterly rained out and stayed in some very odd homestay properties. Budget aside, the thought of a pool and spacious rooms with crisp clean sheets and western-style bathrooms was very, very appealing. I sent off a booking enquiry on the hotel’s website.

The hotel has single, double and triple rooms with or without pool views. They also have interconnecting double rooms for families. For the princely sum of US$70 per night we stayed in one of these. That’s $17 each for two full rooms. Each room actually sleeps three (one king, one single) but that just meant that my boys didn’t need to share a bed. We felt like kings. (The room rate also includes a generous breakfast).

The Central Boutique Angkor hotel is a 5-minute tuk-tuk ride from downtown Siam Reap. It’s in a quiet neighborhood with a couple of backpacker hostels and the French-style Sala Bai Hospitality School nearby. The property is down an unpaved side street – which might make you a little nervous – but once you’re through the gated entrance, the peaceful garden setting seems to emanate calm.

The rooms are spacious. The linens literally gleam. There are some Cambodian decorative accents but everything is stylishly understated. Rooms have TVs with cable, free wifi and coffee-making facilities. The bathrooms are a dream. OK, maybe they’re just a dream if you’re coming from budget-backpacker-land. The large tiled bathroom has an American-style tub and shower. There’s a hair-dryer, refrigerator, safe deposit box and (whoo-hoo!) bathrobes.

The friendly owners live on-site with their vivacious little girl. We found the staff welcoming and helpful for everything from ordering food to booking onward transportation. There’s a small restaurant on site where you can get Khmer and Western food. Our kids ate there every evening and we felt comfortable enough with the hotel overall to leave them at the hotel while we went out for a date night dinner.

The pool was where we lounged after our dawn visit to Angor Wat and all the next day as we took a break from our travels just to enjoy this peaceful garden oasis.

If you are visiting with very young children, be aware that the hotel does not have any pool guards or alarms but the hotel does have baby-sitting services on request.

The Central Boutique Angkor Hotel provides pick-up services from the airport (and the bus station if you’re traveling cheapo-style like we were). The drivers will also do tours to Angkor Wat. There are a lot of hotels in Siam Reap but this one is a great base for visiting this area or just relaxing between temple rambles.

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Some Catch-up Posts

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I put up yesterday’s post on our Thanksgiving at the Posada Salentein in Argentina and immediately thought, “Hmm, that’s going to be pretty confusing to any friends or family who read our blog to follow along with where we are and what we’re doing.”

We are in Koh Lanta in Thailand, we’ve been here for nearly a week as a travel break before heading into China. It was also supposed to be a beach break, but the weather isn’t cooperating on that front – it’s warm here, but it’s been raining a lot. We’ve had a couple of good beach days and a great day diving, but mostly we’re holed up in our hotel room. (A spacious family room at the Lanta Residence guesthouse for $35 a night, thank you very much!).
The kids are catching up on schoolwork. I’m catching up by writing up reviews of some of my favorite places where we’ve stayed in the past few months. Both Murph and I are reading, researching and planning the next segments of our trip.

We arrive in Hong Kong April 2nd. Normal posts about where we are and what we’ve been doing should continue around then. If you have suggestions or ideas for how we should spend our time in China, do leave a comment below.

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Hotel Review: Posada Salentein Argentina

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The map showing wineries, campsites and hotels was on my lap as we trundled into the Valle de Uco, about 80km south of Mendoza in Western Argentina, in our less-than-spacious campervan. It was the day before Thanksgiving and I was on the lookout for a special place to stay to celebrate the occasion.

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Hostel Review Arequipay Backpackers

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I chose the Arequipay Backpackers Hostel because of their advertised fun facilities: a movie room, games tables (pool and table tennis) and, as a special reward for my boys after the Inca Trail hike, a PS3.

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