There is much drinking and partying, but as I learned, the drunkenness that outsiders associate with Mardi Gras is done by the tourists and others who use Mardi Gras as an excuse to practice the phrase “what happens in Mardi Gras stays in Mardi Gras.”   Mardi Gras is in fact a family celebration that is steeped in tradition, custom and history.  It takes over the entire city and everyone is in a celebratory mood.

There is celebrating–food and family parties by locals–and then there is celebrating by tourists (as in another word for getting fall-down drunk) . Because we stayed in a hotel on Canal Street, right downtown and near the French Quarter, we saw the drunken tourists in action.   We made the mistake of walking down a few blocks of Bourbon Street at noon and it was full on debauchery.  At noon!  Can you imagine what it’s like at night?   Here’s a shot of Bourbon Street from our hotel balcony.  Remember, this is in the afternoon.  As it got later, it just got more crowded.

As long as we stayed off Bourbon Street, the French Quarter shops and restaurants were fun to explore .  The balconies were decorated and people threw beads to the crowds below.  That’s my son in the right corner trying to catch some beads.

There are parades every day and every night and this is very much a family-friendly activity.  At night you have to watch the parades in the right place (away from the tourists) to avoid the drunkards.  We were invited to Mardi Gras by a family very much involved in the traditional celebrations and very well connected in New Orleans, so we watched the parades with them.  During the Bacchus Parade, we were in the mayor’s box, which was great because most of the marching bands stopped to perform there and King Bacchus made his toast to the mayor.  The king of Bacchus is Will Ferrell this year.  Here’s a photo and video of him toasting the mayor:

The floats are amazing to see, but you had better keep your head up or you might get beads flung at your head.   All the floats have riders that throw beads, cups, stuffed toys and if you’re really lucky, a coconut, to the crowd.    This is so much fun and my kids quickly caught on to the phrase, “Throw me something mister!” as they kept their hands up in the air.  One time I wasn’t paying attention and two strings of heavy beads clocked my knuckles – ouch!  These photos only show about an 1/8 of the beads we have.  I think we came home with about 10,000 beads and other throws.  What ever will we do with all that Mardi Gras booty?

No matter.  My kids had so much fun; they had never seen anything like Mardi Gras before.   Thanks New Orleans for showing us a good time!  Happy Mardi Gras!

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© 2012, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

Club Med is one of my favorite family vacation spots because it is all-inclusive and there is so much for the kids to do (and so the parents get to have their own kind of fun). Because our kids are such different ages, it is hard to find vacation resorts with activities of interest to both of them. We have taken a cruise before and with my apologies to the cruising fans, we all hated it. Club Meds are perfect for us. The price is all-inclusive, the food is good and plentiful, the staff is fun and the destinations are sunny. The atmosphere is very casual, kind of funky and very international.

On our first Club Med vacation, my son and I went to Sandpiper, Florida when he was 4 years old. My husband couldn’t take time from work and I wanted a vacation that was easy to do with a four year old and a quick flight from New Jersey. By the second day in Florida we had a routine: we would eat breakfast together, I would drop him off at the Mini Club and I then I wouldn’t see him again until 5:00 p.m. My son made fast friends with several boys his age and had a blast doing all the activities planned by the G.O.s He played tennis, participated in Circus School, built sand-castles, tye-dyed a tee shirt, won a prize in a talent show and was in several theater productions. I had great plans for myself during the day: roller-blading, tennis lessons, circus school, maybe even some golf, but all I managed to do was yoga class every morning before I parked myself by the pool for the rest of the day. Sometimes I found my son at his activities and joined in, but mostly I enjoyed my much-needed time alone.

When he was six years old we went to Club Med in Punta Cana with my husband as well and again my son had a blast. My husband had a great time too playing basketball, working out in the gym and lounging by the pool with me (7 months pregnant). Punta Cana had a lovely beach, good food and a great pool. The G.O.s at that Club were just as fun as at Sandpiper.

Although we really wanted to go back to Punta Cana or try Ixtapa, Mexico, we couldn’t find any reasonable flights.   Sandpiper Bay is near West Palm Beach, Florida, just a short 90 minute flight from Atlanta; flights are plentiful and inexpensive.  For a last minute vacation, it was perfect.  We were also curious to see the new renovations.

I made a short video while at Club Med Sandpiper Bay so that you can see the renovations too:

As you can see, it’s a lovely resort and the renovations were extensive.  This is what I liked:

• There were many food choices.  While red meat and pork were plentiful for meat-lovers (that would not be me), there was plenty of seafood and salads as well.
• The adult only section in the restaurant.  Since my kids were not with us for lunch, it was nice to be able to sit far away from other people’s screaming kids.
• The adult only pool and hot tub.  No explanation needed.
• The “beach.”   It’s still on a river, not the ocean, but I can see a big improvement over the old beach.  They made it wider and brought in more sand.  The effect is very relaxing and soothing for lounging, if not for actually getting in the water.
• The Mini Club.  This is the primary reason to visit a family Club Med.  You don’t get that level of activity and engagement with the children anywhere else.
• The Teen Club.  It’s a brillant idea to have a place for the older kids to congregate and meet other kids.
• There was so much to do: tennis, golf, basketball, sailing, volleyball, pool games, circus school, trapeze, dance lessons and several exercise classes.
• Or there was nothing to do.  There were plenty of comfy places to lounge: in the bar, outside the bar, at the beach or at one of the 3 pools.
• The White Chocolate Bread was still at every meal and still delicious.  This is a Club Med staple and worth every indulgent calorie.

This is what I didn’t like:

• The restaurant doesn’t do “theme nights” anymore.  Now there is international food at every meal, but it was nice to have French Night or Italian Night.   The restaurant used to decorate to reflect the country and the food was elaborately displayed.  My son (at the age of four) tried frogs legs on French Night.
• The renovated Family Club Room: the way the kids’ bunk bed cubby is configured, it makes the whole room chopped up and claustrophobic.   The bathroom is tiny and there is no lid on the toilet (I was sure something was going to fall in there).   Next time we will spring for the Deluxe Family Room with a real bedroom for the kids and 2 bathrooms.
• The bar was very far from the adult pool.  By the time you got a drink and walked all the way to the pool, the ice had melted.
• The towel exchange window was basically in the parking lot, far away from the pool or beach.  It took me 2 days to find it.  It just doesn’t make sense.
• I have mixed feelings about “feel” of the renovation.  While it is very nice and modern, it feels like Miami.  This is a criticism of the new Club Med in general because I could have been at any American resort, vs the old Club Med, which was very funky, crunchy and distinctly not American.  Remember, I used to be a G.O. back when Club Med still had bar beads as currency and no phones or televisions in the rooms.  All the G.O.s wore pareos and no shoes.  Now they wear golf shirts and shorts.  It’s very different and I prefer the old Club Med ways (but with the updated amenities).  Only old school Club Med vacationers can appreciate this criticism, everyone else will like the Miami vibe.
• With the exception of the Mini Club and Teen Club staff, I found the G.O.s to be just “meh.”  They were not as engaging as G.O.s should be.
• There was no boutique.   Club Med has wonderful boutiques; I have gotten some beautiful pareos in the past.  I don’t know if they are going to add one at a later date or not, but I found the lack of a boutique baffling.

Despite my grievances, it was a great vacation.  My kids had a ball.  My daughter was in the Mini Club everyday with the other 8-10 year olds, the Manatees.   The Mini Club opened at 8:00 a.m., but we usually dropped her off about 9:30 a.m., after leisurely waking and eating breakfast.   She played all day and then we picked her up at 5:00 p.m. only because the Mini Club closed at that time–she would have stayed all night.   This was her first time at Club Med and I knew that she would love it; she’s very active and she prefers being with kids rather than adults.  As you can see from the schedule, the kids are busy all day:

I was a little more worried about my son.  The Club has a teen lounge, Latitude 27, but kids this age come and go as they please and it’s up to the kid to decide how much they want to be involved.  Luckily we met Wren, the G.O. in charge of Latitude 27, as soon as we checked in so my son felt comfortable checking out the lounge.   By the second day he had found a gang of friends to hang with in the lounge and around the Club.  He ate breakfast with us and then he was gone for the rest of the day.  Sometimes we happened upon him playing water polo or sailing on the river, but he was having too much fun to notice.

With both kids occupied all day, my husband and I had rare time to ourselves. We exercised, sailed, ate lunch together–in the adult only section of the restaurant–and laid around talking.  We never, ever, ever get to do that for days on end.  It was fantastic.

The song attached to Club Med’s new campaign is addictive and perfect for dreaming of sunlit skies and sandy beaches.

Listen.

I can practically feel the fruity drink in my hand.  Aaaah….we’ll be there again soon!

© 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

© 2010, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

We vacationed in New Mexico because we were fortunate to be invited to Jane Fonda’s ranch, which has quite an interesting history.  Besides Jane, our housemates were her daughter, grandchildren and their father.  And I can’t forget Jane’s constant companion, Tulea.

The house is amazingly beautiful. Built in a traditional adobe style, it is very spacious with soaring ceilings and an open floor plan.  Rustic wood beams and doors, brick floors, and traditional New Mexican features like silver and inlaid wood make the house a spectacular showpiece, but it is also warm and inviting.  All the furnishings are beautiful, but completely comfortable.  Everything about the house is wonderful, but my favorite part is the art—it’s everywhere and outstanding.  It was so special being surrounded by such beauty everywhere I turned.

I love this bed on the back porch!

Everyone in the house ate dinner together every night (delicious meals prepared by Jane’s chef Sandra), but during the day we did whatever we wanted to.  Jane exercised every morning for over 2 hours (she is in incredible shape) and then spent the rest of the day writing her new book.   The rest of us hung around the house reading, talking, watching movies, playing board games and swimming.

That is, when we weren’t exploring the ranch’s absolutely breathtaking 3,000 acres: mountains, canyons, trees, desert and the Pecos River.  Although we hiked arroyos, mesas and caynons, driving an ATV was the preferred method of getting around the property.  Jane’s dog Tulea is never left behind when she’s on the ATV; she has a dog carrier strapped on the front and Tulea seems to love it.   There was plenty of fishing in the river too.  Jane is quite a fisherman herself and has worked hard to make sure that the river is full of trout; consequently all fish that are caught must be released. The one thing I was afraid of, rattlesnakes, didn’t show themselves to us (thank God!), even though we climbed rocks and I knew that they were always nearby, as well as coyotes and bears.  The family tells quite a harrowing story about a bear breaking into Jane’s bedroom a few years ago—while she was in there!  I’m glad he didn’t repeat his performance.   And while we heard the coyotes at night and caught fish, the only other wildlife we saw was a prairie dog on the sidewalk in Santa Fe.

However, I did get quite a scare when I let my son drive me on the ATV.  Truthfully, he was a good driver, but it was very disconcerting to have him be in control of a large piece of machinery propelling us both through space.  I think I got a glimpse of what I have to look forward to in 15 months when he starts learning how to drive a car.

I love horses, so I was happy to have the opportunity to ride one of the 9 horses at the ranch.  I rode Jane’s horse, a beautiful Arabian named Gitan, who was always trying to be the leader of the pack.   On our second day of riding, we rode up to a mesa that provided an incredible view of the valley and river below.

The barn.  Look at those clouds!

We are very high on a mesa.  Can you see the valley below?

We went into Santa Fe a couple of times and had lunch at Cowgirl BBQ (home of the world famous ice cream potato) and the historic La Fonda Hotel.  We walked around Santa Fe plaza, toured St. Francis Cathedral and shopped a bit.  I was in heaven when I found Overland and their downstairs full of UGG boots.  We had fun trying on cowboy hats and my son bought a really cool leather Indiana Jones-type of hat.  That boy looks good in hats! (He takes after his mama in that respect.)

At Cowgirl BBQ: it looks like a baked potato, but it’s all ice cream!

Inside St. Francis Cathedral

Santa Fe Plaza

Downstairs in Overland….UGG heaven!

We are being silly trying on hats.

Another afternoon we went to a local “store” (I use this term lightly because it was more of a auto shop garage/sometimes store—if their was someone there to let you in) recommended by Jane for their custom-made leather and silver items.  It was quite an adventure of local flavor, but Jane was correct; we found a beautiful necklace made with beads from the 1800’s.   This was the perfect gift for our friend who had been watching Chili Dawg during our vacation.

The “store”

Our last day in New Mexico came all too soon.  While we were anxious to get home to see Chili Dawg and prepare for the start of a new school year, we didn’t want to leave New Mexico.  What was first a shock to our senses—the big open sky, low adobe architecture, vast open land and wilderness—quickly became our preferred view.  It’s no wonder that Jane is able to do all that she does (and she never stop moving) with such a wonderful place to go replenish and refresh herself.

© 2009 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

Did you know that you can book vacation packages on the Ritz-Carlton website?  I booked my flight and hotel as a package for considerably less than if I had bought them separately.  The only drawback to this arrangement is that the reservation is paid in full at the time of booking and is non-refundable (however, travel insurance is an available option for purchase).  I was emailed my travel documents; it was all very straightforward and easy.

A short flight from Atlanta, a 30 minute taxi ride from Miami International Airport, and I was in Key Biscayne in no time.  Check-in was not so pleasant as my room was not ready (at 4:00 p.m.) and the desk clerk seemed confused and unsure about her duties, but at least my wait was nice in the opulent hotel lobby.

Finally I made it to my room and while it was very nice and newly renovated, it was small and dark; I wouldn’t be spending much time in this room.  No matter, I had come to Key Biscayne to be on the beach anyhow.   The bathroom, by contrast was a very nice size with a separate shower and bathtub and nice bright, lighting.  I had requested a balcony and received one; it had a “bay view”—the bay being way off in the distance—so it really was a view of the front of the hotel.  Since I wasn’t in my room but to sleep, I didn’t sit on the balcony at all.

After checking out the hotel boutique, spa and various lounges, I made my way to the beach—just a short walk along the fountain, past the Great Lawn and pools.   The beach is very narrow; there isn’t much room between the dunes and the water, but it’s very nicely kept.   The Ritz hotel staff will set you up with a lounge chair and towels, while an umbrella could be rented for $20/day.  I do think that the umbrella rental fee is very steep, but there was no way around it for me; I don’t like to bake in the sun.   Although it was very hot in August, the beach breeze with the shade of the umbrella made for an enjoyable time outside. The ocean water was warm and shallow for a long time and the waves were gentle; there were many kids and adults in the ocean playing games and wading around. Both days of my stay I got the to beach in the morning and didn’t leave until the evening because I loved it so much.   I mostly read a book and people-watched.  The view, breeze and total beach experience compensated for the lack of great service by the Ritz beach employees; once they set up my chair and umbrella, I never saw them again.

Preferring to spend my time on the beach, I didn’t use the pools at all; however I checked them out for future reference.  The family pool has a waterfall; it was always full and families were having a ball.   The adult pool on the other side of the Great Lawn was quiet and not very full at all.   I don’t know why, but the hot tub was next to the family pool, so I never used that.

But I did use the hot tub in the spa several times; the spa can be used by hotel guests, even by those not receiving a spa treatment.  Like the other Ritz-Carlton spas that I have visited, this one was very nice and well appointed with a lounge area, hot tub, sauna, steam room, showers, locker room and all the toiletries that you could ever want.  The cold cumber-laced towels are my favorite.  I received a massage one day and while it wasn’t that great (she hurt me pretty bad), the lounge area for awaiting treatments is worth the price of admission—cushy chaise lounges, tea, coffee and fruit—I could have stayed there all day.  Although I didn’t use it, I toured the gym and concluded that my husband would have loved the weight area and cardio machines with televisions and complimentary headphones.

Besides the beach and spa, I hung out in the hotel lobby lounge one night and listened to a Cuban band; they were great!  Unfortunately, there was only one night of entertainment, so I would assume that guests looking for nightlife drive to Miami.   Dune, a burger lounge, was pretty happening but it closed at sunset.  Located right on the beach, it was very groovy and also served a fantastic burger.

I paid for the Club Level and I think it was worth it.  Unlike the beach employees, the staff working the Club Lounge was fantastic.  The continental breakfast was sufficient and very good; I ate breakfast every morning on the lounge balcony while reading The New York Times.  Most days I brought sandwiches from the Club Lounge lunch display down to the beach with me.   Sometimes I made the before-dinner appetizers my actual dinner and I never missed the dessert buffet.   The lounge itself was very lovely and a nice place to read a book.  But the real reason I loved the Club Lounge was the champagne that I had every evening!

While the hotel had iffy customer service and it’s not as family-friendly as Amelia Island Ritz-Carlton, the location, beach, and hotel amenities makes me want to visit this Ritz-Carlton again either alone or with my family. With such a short flight and inexpensive last-minute fares from Atlanta to Miami, I’m sure that I will soon return.

© 2009 – 2010, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

We’re on another road trip to Florida; this time to Orlando to see our favorite mouse.  The problem is, everyone has the same idea and traffic is ridiculous.  If you follow me on Twitter, you would see that I’m not handling it too well either.  The kids, they’re fine; it’s me who’s going crazy.  So in an effort to get my mind off the fact that we have traveled five miles in one hour, I made a video and did a Skirt! 24/7 interview.

Road Trip Beats

24/7 with Funkidivagirl and Family

Skirt! is one of my favorite monthly newspapers; I always read it from cover to cover and I particularly enjoy the 24/7 page.  I have known a couple of people featured: Gretchen Hollingsworth of Paddywax Candles, Britt Menzies of StinkyKids, and I was happy to read about my Twitter pal Tami of Talking With Tami in the latest issue.

But since I have yet to be featured on the 24/7 page, each moth I interview myself.   While stuck in the car, I thought it would be fun for all of us to answer some of the 24/7 questions.  (”All of us” means me, husband James and 7 year old Girly; The Boy was being all “teenage-ry” and didn’t participate.)

Words I live by:

James: “The difference between me and you is that I make this look good.” -Will Smith, Men in Black

Me: “It is not enough to do your very best; you must do what is required of the situation.” –Cathy Hughes

I can’t live without:

Girly: Marcus (my stuffed dog)

James: music, my iPhone

Me: sunshine, sleep, Eboost

One thing I never want to do again:

Girly: be sick in the hospital

James: leave for Florida during Spring Break late in the morning

Me: be a teenager (although it was much easier than being a parent of a teenager!)

If I could be totally wild:

Girly: I would stand on my head all day

James: quit my job and coach AAU high school basketball

Me: be a beach bum in St. John

The most important thing I ever lost:

Girly: the cutest dog (Tiger Lilly, a therapy dog who helped me when I was in the hospital)

James: my Grandfather’s WWII uniform

Me: my trust in people

I’d like to learn to:

Girly:  knit

James: speak Portuguese

Me: play the guitar

I wish I’d known:

Girly: Funkidivagirl before I was born

James: that Google was going to be so big (I would have bought stock)

Me:  that I might have wanted a third child

Something most people don’t know about me:

Girly: that I can dance really good

James: that I am irrationally afraid of birds

Me: I spilled my guts already

My first job:

James: a paper route for the Oakland Tribune, as a teenager I worked in a deli and my  first “real” job was for Wild West records

Me: a Keebler Elf, as a teenager I worked in a candy shop and in college as a Teaching Assistant

Never…..

Girly: forget to Twitter once a day    *(now that’s funny..is she our kid or what?)

James: start the day without a game plan

Me: be afraid to speak your mind

I’m guilty of:

Girly: eating too many sweets

James: keeping my phone on during the whole airplane ride

Me: speaking my mind maybe too much

If I were a super hero/heroine I would:

Girly: be Animal Girl and translate animal talk

James: go inside people’s minds and look at their motives

Me: be Funkidivagirl and save the world from mediocrity.  Oh wait…I already do that!

And now, for the rest of the car ride–QUIET!

We finally made it to Disney World after a very long drive.  You can read all about our vacation in How To Do Disney World Like Funkidivagirl.

© 2009 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

This was supposed to be a simple road trip to Savannah; a mere 4 hours away from Atlanta.  Our goal was to leave about 8:00 a.m, but since I was wiped out from Christmas, I didn’t even finish packing until about 10:00 a.m.  We started loading the car about 11:00 a.m. and that was when our road trip comedy of errors began–our rental car was too small for our luggage.  What do we do?  Watch and see:

After that crazy trip, we did manage to have a good time in Savannah.  I had been there before on a solo vacation and I was eager to show my family some of my favorite things and experience new things as well.

Since Savannah has such lovely architecture, we didn’t want to stay in a traditional hotel, but in a neighborhood.  The last time I went to Savannah I stayed in a lovely B & B right on a square, but many of them don’t allow children.   The Mansion on Forsyth Park seemed like a good compromise.   I had heard good things about it and since I found a good rate on travelzoo.com, we decided to give it a try.

The room décor for some could be over the top, but for us, it was fun.  The beds were great and the big red velvet sofa and chandielers were Alice in Wonderland-ish.  The room was large enough to accommodate my family and also had room for my daughter to play.  It was very dark though; not a room that you want to be in all day relaxing, but since we weren’t there to relax, it was okay.  We were in the Bohemian room over-looking the park.  Which sounds great, but actually I am a light sleeper and could hear traffic whizzing by all night long; no one else in my family seemed bothered at all.

The bathrooms were very large, BUT there was no door to the bathroom, only a curtain!  So there really isn’t any privacy.  The toilet is separate from the sink and tub, but the door is made of glass, so someone can’t brush their teeth and someone else use the bathroom with any privacy.  The tub however was fantastic!  The water stayed hot and the tub was nice and deep.  The whirlpool jets were just what I needed after a long car ride!  I loved it!

We toured the rest of the hotel and loved looking at all the art on the walls.  There was a fascinating exhibit on display with hats from several decades.   The common areas in the lobby and bar lounge were small, but cozy.  Although we didn’t swim in the pool, we went outside to look at it.  It was very stylish, if very small.  It was more of a lounge area to take a quick dip in the water–not to swim in.   We didn’t eat in the hotel restaurant or use the spa.

Our first meal in Savannah was dinner at Tubby’s on River Street (we were driven there in a town car by a hotel employee, a very nice feature of the hotel).   I actually don’t care very much for River Street in Savannah because I find it to be very touristy, so I didn’t expect much in the way of food.  But several hotel employees had suggested Tubby’s so we gave it a try.  I was wrong; food was very good.  The seafood was fresh and lightly fried in a seasoned batter.  I try to stay away from fried food so I didn’t order mine that way, and I was very sorry; I ended up eating the rest of the family’s meal.

We didn’t do much site-seeing that evening because we were so wiped from the drive.  We called the hotel for a ride back and they were there to pick us up in no time at all.

The next morning we had breakfast at the Gryphon Tea Room on Bull Street.   The food was just okay, but the atmosphere is great and the décor is lovely.

Since the tea room is right across from Shop Scad, after breakfast we browsed around before continuing our walking tour of downtown, and particularly the squares.   The squares are my favorite part of Savannah by far.  Stopping at each square to read about the featured statues, we learned many things about historic Savannah that we didn’t know before.

When we reached Broughton Street, we browsed the many shops.   The Paris Market was wonderful, filled with great coffee table books, lotions, furniture and all kinds of unique household items.  There was a snack bar where we bought homemade French marshmallows that were divine.  The kids and I gobbled them up before even leaving the store (my husband doesn’t like marshmallows, which we just don’t understand).

Our next stop was Savannah Bee Company where we stayed quite a long time tasting all the different honeys and talking to the employees and co-owner.

What a beautiful store!  We learned so much about honey and bought a few jars to bring back to Atlanta.

After Broughton Street, we headed to City Market for lunch, but we didn’t like the atmosphere there very much so we ended back on River Street again.   Once again we had some really good seafood, this time at Dockside .   After lunch we walked all of River Street, ducking in and out of the touristy shops and  toured The Peacemaker, a ship with an interesting history and current ownership.

Leaving River Street and making our way back to the hotel, I talked my family into walking through Colonial Park Cemetery, which I think is beautiful and historical.  My family disagreed and walked through as fast as they could.

Not far from the cemetery we came upon The Cathedral of St. John The Baptist and found out that we could go in and walk around.  If we thought the outside was beautiful, the inside was absolutely breathtaking–the windows, ceiling, alter, piper organ–everything was spectacular.

What a wonderful end to our day spent exploring the streets of Savannah’s Historic District!   Another night at The Mansion, a tasty breakfast at a great neighborhood diner, Clary’s Cafe , and it was time to say good bye to Savannah.    We had a good time and will be back again soon, but it was on to the next leg of our vacation, Amelia Island (read about it here).

© 2009 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

The day after Christmas my family took a vacation to Amelia Island, after a couple of days first spent in Savannah (read our adventures in Savannah in another blog post).  This was our first time on Amelia Island and really our first family vacation in Florida that didn’t include The Mouse.  The weather was really nice, most days there was a high of 68 degrees; jeans, a tee shirt and a hoodie were our everyday attire.

The Ritz-Carlton, Ameila Island

We stayed at The Ritz-Carlton (we are brand loyal fans of The Ritz), which is right on the beach and very casual.  Our room was very comfortable; the closet and drawers were big enough to hold ALL of our luggage and clothes (if you saw the video from the Savannah blog post, you would know that’s a big deal).   I found the beds comfortable and there always enough towels.  The bathroom was large and accommodated all of our toiletries.   We started off with a coastal view room of the dunes and the ocean around the corner, but we were upgraded to an ocean view room and it was very nice (we could see the sunrise).  Every room has a balcony with a table & 2 chairs.  There is a mini-bar in the room (that we didn’t use).   I’m not sure if there was a dvd player because we barely turned on the TV.  There was space near the terrace door for Girly to play on the floor.

The the rest of the hotel was just beautiful and decorated to evoke an elegant, yet relaxing atmosphere.  Because it was Christmas, all the common areas were  beautifully decorated for Christmas with greenery, lights and a Christmas tree; there was even a HUGE gingerbread ship in the lobby.  Unfortunately the decorations were taken down without warning overnight on Dec 30^th and we didn’t get to take any photos. The hotel had 2 pools, 2 hot tubs (indoor and outdoor) and a kids’ pool with a rain umbrella.  There was also a playground near the pool.    Outside of the lounge on the patio was a big firepit surrounded by sofas.  Beyond the patio was a lawn perfect for playing and used for various programs.  Surrounding the green space were lawn chairs and fire pits.  We really enjoyed sitting by our own fire pit each evening talking and gazing at the stars.

There are 2 restaurants on site and food could be ordered in the lounges and at a poolside grill as well (the poolside grill was closed for the winter).  We ate at the lobby lounge a couple of times; there is a limited menu of burgers, cheese plates, salads and chicken wings.  We ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at Café 4750 and it was very good, if expensive.  The breakfast buffet was the best!   The lunch and dinner menus were similar, so  it was good that we were able to eat outside the hotel for variety (and less expense).  We did not eat at Salt, the 4 diamond restaurant, although we heard it was very good.  There was also an adult sports bar with a pool table.  We didn’t go in there because of our kids, but we did poke our head in; it was very nice and had a more contemporary vibe than the hotel lobby bar.

This Ritz-Carlton is very family-oriented.   Although my kids didn’t take advantage of it, there is a Ritz Kids room that looked very welcoming and fun (for an extra fee); it was located just beyond the pool.  In addition, there is an unsupervised teen space for ages 13+ called “Our Space”; my son hung out there a bit and really enjoyed it.  There were video games, table games and a fantastic movie theater showing movies all day long; in the evening there were snacks and drinks as well.   Besides the dedicated kid spaces, there were 3 drop-in unsupervised ball rooms set up all week: a toddler room, a family game room (ping pong, pool table, basketball shot, air hockey) that we utilized every night and a movie room filled with bean bags, a popcorn machine and drinks; a different family movie was shown every night.  I got the feeling that these rooms are not in operation during non-holiday times.

If that wasn’t enough entertainment, there was a list of (complimentary) activities available throughout the day like shark tooth hunting, a puppet show, zoo animals brought in from the Jacksonville zoo, pool and beach games and an astronomer with a powerful telescope.  Daily activities were listed in the lobby or a schedule could be had from the concierge.   And my favorite: just about every evening there was a bonfire either on the beach or on the hotel lawn with marshmallows, s‘mores fixings and hot cocoa.  Sometimes these bonfires were accompanied by a ghost story-telling pirate lady.

Most of our time at the hotel was spent on the beach. The beach was right outside the hotel accessed by 2 boardwalks that crossed over the dunes.  There were lounge chairs already there and on the warmest days a hotel employee was available to set up beach umbrellas, distribute towels and bring water.   There are many shells on the beach up near the chairs, which some people don’t like, but since collecting shells is one of Girly’s favorite things to do, it was perfect for her.  Just know that you will need shoes on this part of the beach, although the sand was smoother near the water.   The water was freezing, so we didn’t go in, but some people did.   We absolutely loved the beach and it was perfect for flying our kite, collecting shells and making sandcastles.  The beach was pitch black at night, and when we went to the bonfire, we could have used a flashlight to find our way.   However, I believe that at certain times of the year, flashlights are forbidden at night because of the turtles hatching eggs.  The hotel has a sunrise watch every morning on the beach, but we didn’t make it (although we did watch it from our balcony).

The spa was awesome!  Check-in was friendly and gracious.  Next I was taken on a tour of the facilities, shown how to use my locker and given a robe and spa slippers.  After putting on my swimsuit I went to Wet Lounge for a soak in the huge hot tub before my massage.  This room also has a steam room, sauna, showers and lounge chairs.  Cold towels laced with ice and cucumbers were a welcome treat after my soak.  Refreshed, I went into the lounge to wait to be called in for my appointment.  The lounge is very soothing, decorated in green and white tones, with spacious and comfortable lounge chairs.  There was tea, water and banana chips for snacks.  I got to peek into the co-ed lounge; it has a fireplace and looks very inviting also (James and I have to come back for a couple-only trip).  There is also an outside private spa pool and hot tub; you could really stay there all day.  My massage–a Signature Massage with hot stones on my back–was fantastic.

We were at the hotel for New Year’s Eve; there was so much going and it was packed.  There was a big bowl game the next day, so it was a strange mix of football attire and New Year’s Eve glamour.  The big deal at the hotel was the Masquerade Ball and people came dressed to the nines in tuxedoes, ball gowns and masks.   Salt also offered 2 prix-fix dinner seatings.  We didn’t do either of those things, but hung out in the lobby and had dinner there.  Ritz Kids and Our Space had special programs going on that night (pre-registration was required and it was an extra fee).  Even though it was expensive, it would have been nice to register our kids because all the children in the hotel were there and they looked like they were having fun.  After dinner we went to the bonfire, family game room and movie room.  Promptly at midnight the hotel had a fireworks show on the beach; we sat on our balcony and had a perfect view.

Restaurants on Amelia Island

Even though the food at the hotel was good, we enjoyed other restaurants on Amelia Island as well. Brett’s in historic downtown Fernandina Beach served the best fried shrimp basket that we ever had!   We stopped in there between meals, so it was a limited menu; we need to go back next time for lunch or dinner.    Sitting outside on the pier, watching the boats and huge pelicans, Brett’s was really nice.

Another day we ate at The Happy Tomato Café, also downtown.  We were surprised that they served BBQ as we thought they only served sandwiches, but it was very good and we were impressed.  The Happy Tomato is very casual with counter ordering and courtyard (outside) seating.

Not very far from The Ritz was Gourmet Gourmet near American Beach.  Although we didn’t eat there (we stopped in the use the bathroom and bought key lime bars), the food looked very good .  There is a small dining room, but this would be a good spot to get take-out to bring to the beach (we should have done that when we went to Fort Clinch).

Our Activities on Amelia Island

Besides eating in historic downtown Fernandina, we browsed the shops lining the main street.  It’s a cute town to walk around, but there weren’t really many stores that we would actually shop.   I bought an ornament at the Christmas shop and some books about seashells in the bookstore for Girly.

For us the highlight of downtown was the fudge at Fantastic Fudge.  Seriously this was the best fudge that we have ever eaten and we went back a few times!   To stop each other from giving sharp elbow jabs, we had to carefully equally divide the fudge; it was that good!

The island is small and easy to get around, so we were eager to explore.  One day we went to Fort Clinch State Park; we were not sure what we would find, but eager to stay away from any alligators.   Initially we didn’t intend to go inside the fort, thinking that it was just a bunch of stones, but when we did go in we were pleasantly surprised by all the history and details (staged rooms, real canons and even a costumed soldier present to answer questions).    We really enjoyed the experience and stayed quite a long time (until the Confederate soldier started talking and we had to leave before my husband felt compelled to bring him back into the present).

In the rest of the state park there are nature trails for bike riding or hiking, but after the fort we headed straight for the beach.  The beach was beautiful!   We stayed all day trying to fly a kite and collecting seashells (the sand was smooth and not full of shells like The Ritz-Carlton beach, but still plenty of shells to hunt).   We met a wonderful family on vacation from New York and the highlight of the day was seeing a beached jellyfish.

Another day we went to American Beach.  Tucked away in a little neighborhood of the same name, it was hard to find but we were determined because this beach is part of African American history.

The beach was mostly deserted and we didn’t stay long–here’s why:

There’s so much that we didn’t get to do on this trip to Amelia Island (more beaches, horseback riding on the beach, ferry to Cumberland Island, tour of the lighthouse, bike riding), that I’m sure that we will be back soon!

© 2009 – 2010, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

The vacation adventures continue in Amelia Island on American Beach when my husband has to use the bathroom; oh boy!

I hope that you had a good laugh.  Family–you gotta love ‘em!

*I finally wrote blog posts about our trip (the normal parts) to Savannah and Ameila Island.

© 2008 – 2010, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

Volunteering in my daughter’s classroom a few months after Christmas, I overheard this conversation:

Girl 1: What did you do over Christmas break?

Girl 2: I went to The Ritz-Carlton in Puerto Rico

Girl 1: Oooh, I love The Ritz-Carlton!

My Girly: Me too; it is the best place to stay!

Several other kids in the class chimed in that they too had been to several different Ritz-Carltons around the world and they all agreed that it was the best place to stay.

We are creating monsters.  No Holiday Inn for these kids!  As we often tell our son (who has champagne tastes on a $10/week allowance), plan a lucrative career now to support yourself because this gravy train stops soon.

But really, you can’t blame the kids; Ritz-Carltons are nice.  Recently we went to The Ritz-Carlton Lodge at Reynolds Plantation on Lake Oconee.  It’s here in Georgia, about an 1 1/2 drive from the city of Atlanta. This was our second visit there and once again we had a wonderful time.  True, we had to get over the fact that the resort has plantation in it’s name (which is why I think my husband “accidently” calls it Reynolds Town instead of Reynolds Plantation) and an incident during this last visit did remind us that we were indeed in Greensboro Georgia, but still it is a wonderful place.

Our first visit was taken in December 2007 a couple of days before Christmas.  We just wanted to relax and reconnect as a family before the hustle and bustle of Christmas fully descended upon us.

This is a review of our first experience at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge:

The Atmosphere: The hotel looks like a lodge; it is new, but it was built to look old. The lobby is huge and was decorated for Christmas with a gigantic (real!) gingerbread house and several Christmas trees. There are also Christmas trees throughout the whole hotel. We loved the atmosphere in the lobby lounge and spent most of our time there on the sofa right in front of the huge (real wood-burning) fireplace. There is also a terrace outside the lobby lounge with rocking chairs that overlooks the grounds and lake. Outside at night thousands of white lights twinkle from the hotel and on all the trees. We went for a walk in the night just to see all the lights. The bellhop told us that the Ritz deliberately has “smells” piped in all over the hotel and it did smell wonderful everywhere.

The Room: We stayed in a standard room and while it was not very large (460 square feet), it was very well appointed. The beds were incredibly comfortable with feather toppers, fluffy pillows and down comforters. We had two double beds, an arm chair by the terrace window, a desk and chair, an armoire with the TV, dvd player and drawers for clothes and a huge closet. In addition there was a unique coffee and tea maker and a honor bar (that we didn’t use). The bathroom was beautiful and spacious with a separate toilet, marble shower and a huge tub. There were 2 adult robes hanging and when my son tried to wear one, I noticed a note saying that housekeeping will deliver child-sized robes upon request. Right away they brought a robe sized for my daughter and another one sized for my son to our room. A request for more towels was met immediately as well. Sliding glass doors opened up onto a small patio with two chairs.

The Club Level: While I had wanted to book the Club Level initially, my husband talked me out of it. But upon arrival he wanted to stay on the Club Level and when we tried to book a room, there were none available. The front desk manager (Gail) was so kind and obtained Club Level keys for us to use the Club Lounge at no charge. The lounge was beautiful with sofas, chairs, a fireplace and a Christmas tree; more intimate and much quieter than the lobby lounge. There were tables and chairs and large windows with a view of the grounds. There was also a computer with internet access and several newspaper publications available. Five “snacks” per day were served: continental breakfast, afternoon snacks, afternoon tea, cocktails & hors d’oeuvres and chocolates & cordials. There was always soda, water, coffee, wine and cookies (delicious!) laid out. The “afternoon snack” was really fixings for sandwiches and salads; that was our lunch one day and the hors d’oeuvres were great. We didn’t have the continental breakfast or afternoon tea, but we did go to the lounge often for drinks, cookies and dessert. If you can swing the price, especially if you drink alcohol, the Club Level is worth the extra charge.

The Lodge Restaurants: The food was excellent. We only ate at the Lobby Lounge and Georgia’s during this trip. We ate burgers and pizza in front of the fireplace in the Lobby Lounge one night (we really tried never to leave the fireplace) and all was very good.  Both mornings we had breakfast at Georgia’s. There is a menu, but we chose the buffet. There was an omelet station, grits and biscuits with all the fixings, pastries, meat, eggs, potatoes, fruit and a chef’s choice of the day.  Everything was delicious and plentiful. One night we ate dinner at Georgia’s, a 4 diamond restaurant. Although it was the same restaurant that we ate breakfast in, the atmosphere was different with candles, dim lighting, and the fireplace burning. We requested a table by the fire. The service was incredible and the food was excellent. Of course my son ordered the single most expensive thing on the menu. It is a fancy restaurant, but kids are welcome and there was a kids’ menu; my daughter ordered the “bento box”. Although we dressed up and most people were dressed in a similar fashion, the official dress code is “resort casual.”  We didn’t get to experience the famous and romantic Chiminea Dinner on the lake with our own private fire pit and blankets. At $125 per person that will just be for my husband and I!

Hotel Activities: The grounds are beautiful—even in the winter. There are walking and biking trails and a playground. Although it was too cold to be in the lake or pool, the pool was open and heated; it is an infinity pool and gives the illusion of dropping into the lake. There is a hot tub near the pool and lots of lounge chairs. Our favorite activity was the bonfire every night! That was so much fun roasting marshmallows and eating s’mores; everything is provided by the hotel as well as hot cider.  We don’t golf, but I’m sure most guests come to this particular Ritz-Carlton because of the world-famous golf courses.

Indoors we spent most of our time in the lobby lounge and bar sitting by the fireplace reading books aloud and playing card games. There was a nearby table stocked with checkers, chess and playing cards. There was live music every night, flat screen TVs (my husband was in heaven watching sports), and plenty of comfortable leather sofas.

Especially for Kids: While this is a great hotel for adults alone, it was great for us as a family too. Upon arrival my daughter was given a light-up ring and the both kids were enthusiastically welcomed. Besides playing on the playground, grass and lake beach or swimming in the pool, there were several activities just for kids. There was Milk & Cookies with Mrs. Claus in the lobby; an elf passed around sippy cups full of milk and a basket of (delicious) gingerbread cookies to munch on as Mrs. Claus read Christmas books. Breakfast with Santa was available and kids were encouraged to come in their pajamas. There was a Gingerbread House Workshop that we didn’t attend because the advanced reservations were full. At $75 per house (2 kids per house) I was skeptical anyway (especially since my kids had already made a $10 gingerbread house from Target), but I later saw someone’s house and it was very impressive. The parents said it was worth the 2 hours that their kids spent doing an activity. There were two ballrooms with kids’ activities going on: one showed movies all day and one was laid out with board games and air hockey.

The Spa: This was the best spa that I have ever gone to. The service was incredible. Upon my arrival I was given a tour of the facilities, a key, locker, robe and slippers. In one area there is a dry sauna, steam room, hot tub (in front of a fireplace), cold plunge pool and several terry cloth-covered lounge chairs.  In another area there are several showers with towels at the ready outside each shower stall and all the toiletries that you could possibly need. I arrived about an hour earlier than my massage appointment and took a dry sauna, steam bath and shower. Afterwards I just read a magazine and relaxed on a lounge chair. With candles lit, the fireplace going and soft music playing, I was almost asleep. After my massage (not the best one that I had, but good enough), I browsed the well-stocked boutique. There is an indoor pool downstairs with a hot tub in front of a fireplace and several poolside lounge chairs. I saw a towel station, kickboards and noodles as well. We did not go swimming, but I did see kids in the pool. I think the spa service charges are a little steep, but if you are staying at the hotel you can use the spa amenities without getting a service.

This is a review of our most recent trip in October 2008:

Our latest trip to The Ritz-Carlton Lodge was taken during a different season, so we experienced different things. It wasn’t quite warm enough to use the outdoor pool, but our kids swam anyway (with the parents sitting on the edge) and we all used the hot tub. There is a small beach on the lake and many kids played in the sand and in the lake. The fireplaces throughout the property were not lit at all during this season, although it was fall and sort of cool at night. There were canoes ($20/hr.), fishing poles ($20/hr.) and bikes for rent ($20/hr. or $35 for ½ day; no trailers for kids), but we didn’t do any of that.  Mostly we walked the trails and sat on the edge of the lake just talking and laughing. Next time we have to bring our fishing poles and bikes.

The lounge was again lively at night with a great jazz band playing. Friday night there was a chocolate buffet for $15 per person; we bought 2 buffets and ate chocolate until we were sick. It was delicious and worth the money. During this time there was also a chef sculpting a chocolate sculpture for 2 hours; that was a wonderful show and like watching a Food Network Challenge live. The next night we indulged in the nightly s’mores at the bonfire.

This was the first time that we ate at Gaby’s on the Lake (it was closed last winter). It is a large open-air restaurant and bar right on the lake and it is the only restaurant on the property that is open continuously from early lunchtime through late dinner. The atmosphere and view were great and the food was delicious. I’m not sure if it is open year-around because there aren’t any walls, but there were many fireplaces in there (although not lit). This was the most popular spot to watch the many football games shown over the weekend.  We also ate at Linger Lounger Steakhouse; it’s right on the golf course and a short walk from the main lodge. It has more of a “manly/club house” atmosphere with big leather chairs, but we all enjoyed it. A valet took us back to the lodge in a golf cart; that was a fun ride for the kids.

Our only disappointment with The Ritz-Carlton was when we took the kids to the spa pool to swim (at about noon) and we were told that Family Swim time was from 7:30-9:00 p.m. I was annoyed for two reasons: 1) I had asked when I called if the kids were allowed to swim in the spa and was not told that there was a special time for Family Swim and 2) the assigned time too late to have Family Swim as most kids are in bed during that time.  Or they are outside making s’mores. I understand that the spa is for adults and they don’t want a bunch of screaming kids in there, but they need to find a better solution.

A few tips when staying at The Ritz-Carlton at Lake Oconee:

• The ceilings are very high and the hotel is huge and therefore very cold.  Bring a heavy sweater to wear in the lobby or snag the sofa by the fireplace (in the winter) and never move.

• There wasn’t a sign telling people of the $15 charge for the chocolate buffet although there was an employee stationed there. A sign would have been nice. I also ran into this problem during our first visit; I participated in a holiday workshop with my daughter that was $20 (and not worth it) and wasn’t aware that there was a charge. In general, just assume that there is a charge for everything and you will be pleasantly surprised when they say “it’s complimentary.”

• There are many things to do and several special activities everyday at the hotel, but they are not readily marketed.  I don’t know why.   Ask at the concierge desk and pick up a calendar so that you won’t miss out on anything.  There is also a map with all the walking and biking trails, but again you have to ask for it.

I’m interested in visiting The Ritz-Carlton resort at Amelia Island.  If you have stayed there and have an opinion, let me know.  Meanwhile, I will continue to bring you updates from my travel log in hopes to make your vacation experiences all the more enjoyable.

© 2008 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.

I can’t believe that my family won’t be able to take advantage of this SPECTACULAR offer from Club Med! Unfortunately we have already made our vacation plans, but this price is absolutely unbelievable, so do your family a favor and book this vacation. Club Med is one of my favorite family vacation spots because it is all-inclusive and there is so much for the kids to do (and so the parents get to have their own kind of fun). Because our kids are such different ages, it is hard to find vacation resorts with activities of interest to both of them. We have taken a cruise before and with my apologies to the cruising fans, we all hated it. Club Meds are perfect for us. The price is all-inclusive, the food is good and plentiful, the staff is fun and the destinations are sunny. The atmosphere is very casual, kind of funky and very international.

On our first Club Med vacation, my son and I went to Sandpiper, Florida when he was 4 years old. My husband couldn’t take time from work and I wanted a vacation that was easy to do with a four year old and a quick flight from New Jersey. By the second day in Florida we had a routine: we would eat breakfast together, I would drop him off at the Mini Club and I then I wouldn’t see him again until 5:00 p.m. My son made fast friends with several boys his age and had a blast doing all the activities planned by the G.O.s He played tennis, participated in Circus School, built sand-castles, tye-dyed a tee shirt, won a prize in a talent show and was in several theater productions. I had great plans for myself during the day: roller-blading, tennis lessons, circus school, maybe even some golf, but all I managed to do was yoga class every morning before I parked myself by the pool for the rest of the day. Sometimes I found my son at his activities and joined in, but mostly I enjoyed my much-needed time alone.

When he was six years old we went to Club Med in Punta Cana with my husband as well and again my son had a blast. My husband had a great time too playing basketball, working out in the gym and lounging by the pool with me (7 months pregnant). Punta Cana had a lovely beach, good food and a great pool. The G.O.s at that Club were just as fun as at Sandpiper.

I have a soft spot for Club Med because I used to be a G.O. long before husband and kids. I worked at both Sonora Bay, Mexico and Copper Mountain, Colorado. I don’t believe that either of these Clubs are in existence anymore and Club Med as a whole has changed a lot. It is more “Americanized” than it was before, and while I do miss the old bohemian Clubs with no televisions, alarm clocks or door locks, the newly renovated Clubs look very nice. One of the exciting additions to the Family Clubs are the teen centers–perfect for my pre-teen son who is too old for the Mini-Club, and wants some independence on vacation, but could still benefit from planned activities with kids his own age. Ixtapa and Cancun in Mexico are on our list of Clubs to visit in the future.

Listen to this song; it is addictive.  I promise that you will want to jump on a plane and get to a beach as fast as possible!

© 2008 – 2011, Funkidivagirl.com. All rights reserved. Republished only with permission.