Recommend September 2011 - (Page 10)

hotel desk FAMILy FUN at hilton Hilton properties in the Caribbean, Mexico and Latin America offer a slew of kids’ activities, including cooking classes. H stacey zable Hilton Hotels & Resorts and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotels in the Caribbean, Mexico, and Latin America take family fun seriously, offering exciting amenities and services that range from kids’ clubs with nonstop activities to cooking classes and beachfront play. For this hotel company, it’s all about “...welcoming children every day to a dream vacation made of memorable moments,” says Karla Visconti, director, corporate communications, Caribbean, Mexico, and Latin America for Hilton Worldwide. Family-friendly amenities at Hilton and DoubleTree differ by property, but many include such kid favorites as children’s pools with waterfalls, lazy rivers and super slides and dedicated children’s check-in areas. Parents can get together with their kids and enjoy bicycle riding, onsite hiking trails, dance lessons, snorkeling and more. Most of the properties do their best to incorporate some of the local culture to the kids’ clubs, such as at the Hilton Papagayo Costa Rica Resort & Spa, where the kids’ club has its very own volcano slide and nature trails. Meanwhile, the highlight of a family stay at Hilton Los Cabos Beach & Golf Resort in Mexico is the chance to participate in Cabo Kids, a specially designed program for guests ages 4 to 18. At the Cabo Kids Vacation Station for ages 4 to 12, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., kids are busy with such activities as decorating cakes and cookies and make-a-piñata bingo. Incorporating the culture of the destination, Cabo Kids Escuela gets kids ages 5 to 18 participating in a 1-hour Spanish 101 class. Those who want to follow mom and dad to the spa, get their own Cabo Kids Oasis with treatments designed exclusively for them, and can enjoy spa parties at certain times of the year. Private yoga lessons for the family and special spa packages make it a multi-generational day of pampering. Other family activities include scavenger hunts, Mexican cooking class and outdoor movies by the pool. At DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Costa Rica-Puntarenas, mom, dad and the kids join together during family bingo, or enjoy the water fun including the over-sized inflatable water slide. Many take advantage of the sports activities, such as beach volleyball or soccer and water polo or volleyball. The kids’ club at the Puntarenas property is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for children ages 4 to 12. Older kids now get to have their own fun, with a new teens’ club that opened in July. Here they can hang out with friends, or even mom and dad, and play pool, air hockey, foosball, and video games. There is also free Internet and they can enjoy snacks and non-alcoholic beverages. In the Caribbean, Hilton Barbados’ Kidz Paradise club caters to children of different ages and is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Upon arrival, each child receives a personalized welcome pack including calendar of activities, “kidz” menu and a “Kidz Paradise” Tshirt. The club offers children an array of entertainment options including arts and crafts, drawing, reading, video games, movie nights and educational tours to Charles Fort and hawksbill turtle walks. The resort’s pool complex and white sand beach is a family favorite as well. calling all kids Hilton and DoubleTree properties in the Caribbean and Latin America, including those listed above, are “calling all kids” with a package that makes spending time at one of the 15 participating Hilton properties all about fun for the youngest guests. The package helps to offer some of these memorable moments, including evening storytelling and a children’s movie. When kids check-in, they receive a welcome gift and a children’s activity schedule and amenity list, getting the family fun started immediately. In their room, cookies and milk are waiting for them upon arrival. Parents get connecting room accommodations for added space, and they will also like that at the resorts that are not allinclusive, they’ll receive breakfast free and 50 percent off all other meals for their children ages 5-12 years old when accompanying adults eat a regular meal at selected restaurants. Kid’s club access is also included in the package where available. Sample starting rates for the Calling All Kids package are $179 per room, per night dbl at Hilton Los Cabos and $239 per room, per night dbl all-inclusive with one child ages 4 to 12 at the DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Costa Rica-Puntarenas property, with additional child rates starting at $50 per night. The Calling All Kids package is available through Dec. 31, 2011. Other family packages may be available at other Hilton and DoubleTree properties depending on the region. n contact information Hilton Hotels & Resorts and DoubleTree by Hilton Hotels: (800) HILTONS; hilton.com recommend.com 10 september 2011 http://www.hilton.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend September 2011

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: Hilton Hotels & Resorts
Tour Talk: Abercrombie & Kent
Sunset Key Guest Cottages, Key West
Can't Get Enough of Jupiter Beach, Florida
Hanging Out in the Outer Banks
Aloha to Families in Hawaii's Resorts
Cruise Stockholm
Galapagos Islands- Cruising 101: Back to Basics
The Ultimate Family Adventure in Costa Rica
Flanders Travel Planner
Fabulous Family Voyages
China: A Wonderland for Kids
India: Pure Wonderment
An African Adventure
Dreams Punta Cana Resort & Spa, D.R.
The Bahamas: Islands of Adventure
Cayman Islands: A Home Away from Home
Mazatlan Reinvigorated
CasaMagna Marriott Cancun Resort

Recommend September 2011