So simple question… our family of 5 can stay at The Springs for about 6.5K for 3 nights in a simple 2 queen room OR stay in our own large 3 bedroom villa at Arenal Kioro for about 5K for 3 nights.
Which would you pick? I heard The Springs is amazing and the place to be which makes this more difficult.
Traveling with 3 kids aged 4, 6 and 7.
We have some time off of school that I’m trying to plan a quick getaway from Chicago for my husband, myself and our 3 kids 4, 5 and 7.
Looking for mid October or early November weekend trips. Nonstop flights from Chicago are a must.
Any suggestions? We’re doing Florida in December and then Costa Rica for spring break 2027.
Hi! My husband and I are visiting Healdsburg in late September. I’m looking to book one extra special tasting for the weekend, with a bunch of smaller tastings sprinkled in between.
I booked the private tasting at Aperature Cellers, but my social media keeps recommending Flower Winery.
Which would you pick? Or any other recommendations? Thanks in advance!
We’ll be staying at Healdsburg in September. Auberge du Soleil is about a 50 min drive from our hotel, one way. Thinking to do dinner there but is it worth the drive?
Planning a Costa Rica trip next spring break with three kids.
Kids are aged 4, 6 and 7.
6 nights.
Flying from ORD.
Hoping to do 2, max 3 hotels while there.
What would you recommend? Kids are adventurous they love zip lines, wildlife, slides, horseback riding etc. Mom and dad want to get the most luxurious hotels within budget that are still super kid friendly. Budget is to keep it under $1000 nightly.
What city/towns would you recommend? What hotels? What activities?
Im aware that there are two Ritz properties in Naples FL. One on the beach and one with a waterpark about 10 min away.
I understand that the one by the beach is much nicer, but the Ritz Tiburon is undergoing renovations right now to all the rooms and the lobby. The prices for winter break are very low at this hotel (low for Ritz standards). We have kids that love waterparks so that’s a huge draw, we can take a shuttle to the other ritz property to enjoy the beach and the amenities if we want. Seeing as all of the rooms will be new, do we think it would be a horrible idea to book the Ritz Tiburone for our stay? We do enjoy lux accommodations so we don’t want to regret this decision, which is why I’m reaching out to see everyone’s thoughts.
Hi All - looking to book a winter break family trip for a family of 5. We considered the following: Baha Mar in Bahamas, Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Aruba, Grand Cayman.
We've been to Baha Mar once an absolutely loved it, so we wanted to try something different this year.
Grand Velas sounds great, but flights from ORD (nonstop) for winter break are astronomical. We're looking at a little under 1K per person. The grand total of the trip comes out to 15K for 4 nights and that seems to be a little high for such a short trip.
Flights to GC and Aruba also seem super high. Any tips as to if we should wait on the flights?
Also, any recommendations on somewhere else we could try to travel to? We're just looking for a fun warm family friendly luxury resort somewhere we've never been.
I have been trying to find a travel agent that could help but no luck finding someone reliable.
Thanks!!
So I took tirz for two months and lost the stubborn weight that I have had all of my life. I also have been the calmest chillest mom ever the last two months. I’m trying to wean off now and I am so irritable and the food noise is back.
How in the world am I supposed to continue without the meds? I don’t want to take it much longer because I’m scared of long term side effects but what can I do to keep feeling this good? Most important my mood - it’s been so good since I started the meds I feel so sad now that I have been back to my moody irritable self :( I lost it on my kids and husband twice this week and I just put it together that it’s probably because I stopped taking the meds.
Hi all. I had a small amount if stubborn weight to lose and went on tirz for 2 months. I lost the weight and just decided to stop using it. It’s been either 2 or 3 weeks since my last dose and I noticed now that I have been extremely moody, snappy, angry etc. Now that I’m thinking about it more I feel like the two months before then I was extremely calm and regulated (basically since I started taking tirz) but the last two/three weeks I’ve been super irritated and losing it at my kids and husband.
Could this be related? If yes, what do I do? I loved the calm version of me the last few months but don’t want to keep taking the medicine. Any advice? Thanks!
We’ll be staying at the Montage Healdsburg in September.
Please recommend BEST dinner spots, best wineries and best spa. Thanks!!!!!
So I have a slightly anxious and sensitive 7 year old whose really been crying a lot lately. Usually at home he’ll lightly bump himself or fall and he ends up crying SO hard. I find myself quickly losing patience with him and wanting him to handle his emotions a little better.
Lately, it’s been happening in public too. We were at a family party today and he constantly kept crying… it was a group of 20 kids and mine was the only one constantly crying. His reactions were valid - he got hit with a ball, someone scared him or he wasn’t allowed to play volleyball with his older cousins… but the intense loud wailing just seemed like a lot for me.
I was bullied when I was younger so I’m so nervous that if he’s deemed a “cry baby” he’ll also end up getting bullied. I try to get him to calm down when we are in public usually. But I also don’t want to make him feel like he needs to shut down his emotions or like crying is not ok.
How do I approach going forward? Also, I did find myself trying to tell him to keep it together today and that he’s the only kid crying but now I’m nervous I did more harm than good. Any advice on how to fix this and how to approach the situation in future scenarios?
Thanks!
Alright, you are booking a 10 year anniversary trip for yourself and your spouse. This is your first kids free vacation since having kids 7 years ago. You want the most luxurious resort you can find that hits all the points. You only have 3 nights. Traveling late September (Thursday to Sunday). You are flying from ORD so must be nonstop to save time. Your budget is approximately $1500 per night. Hotels you LOVE but are out of budget are… rosewood Miramar, the lodge at blue sky, and montage Laguna (just to give you a vibe of what we’re in to).
Where do you go?! Can be international, can be anywhere in the US although warmer weather is preferred.
Alright, hubby and I had a wonderful 10 year trip planned for August to The Montage in Laguna Beach. But things didn’t work out and we now have to move our trip to late September.
The montage is out because it doubled in price so now I’m looking for another hotel. It’s only 3 nights. We don’t HAVE to be on the ocean but it’s a plus. We love beautiful, spacious grounds. We are foodies, we would love to relax, take walks, maybe play some tennis? Eat good food. We’ll have a rental car so we’d drive around the area to sight see and can take a short drive to a town for some shopping and food. We’ll def be enjoying the spa so that’s a plus. I love luxury travel and luxurious rooms as well.
My choices are between:
- calamigos ranch and spa
- the ranch at Laguna
- Carmelo valley ranch
Which do we pick? Or any additional recs? Thanks in advance!
Really struggling here… our original August 10 year anniversary trip had to be rescheduled to late September.
I only have 3 nights and am traveling from ORD. Where would you recommend we go?
Original plan was Montage in Laguna but it ended up being 4x more expensive in September than what we paid in August.
Leaning towards Mexico because of how easy it is to get to but super nervous about the weather…
Ang other tips ? Needs to be nonstop from ORD, romantic, budget is up to about $1300 per night if possible.
We have 3 young kids so getting away is a really big deal for us! Hoping to really relax, unwind and reconnect. We are not “sit on the beach all day” people but also not super active. Love to have restful days with sprinkled activities throughout like hikes, walks, shopping, sight seeing etc.
Thanks to all!
Hubby and I are planning a ten year anniversary trip to Mexico for 3 nights in late September. We considered Mayakoba area.. maybe rosewood or banyan tree ? But also I’m open to any other part of Mexico (Cabo??). I’m trying to find the best, most luxurious and romantic hotel that I can get :) we have three young kids (7, 5 and 4) that we love to travel with often, so we’re really trying to find something we’d typically not do with them if we could. Thanks!!!!
Looking for an anniversary trip destination with my husband. Can’t decide between these three.
For the Rosewood room, we’d get the overwater lagoon with plunge pool option. For banyan tree I guess I’m not sure which option is the best? And I was thinking of doing the ocean suite in etereo.
Any recs between these three?
We are leaning more towards Banyan tree because we really love the Bali vibes.
New owner here. Attaching photos of the tail. She’s currently basking.
Hey all - hubby and I were originally scheduled to to go ti Montage in Laguna for a 3 night 10 year anniversary trip in August. Because of my son‘s school schedule, we had to move our trip to the end of September. The price of the Laguna trip has now increased exponentially… to the point where it’s not worth spending that much money for three nights.
And you recommendations where we can go? I needed to be nonstop from Chicago. We’ve done Napa a few times so trying to avoid that.
We loved the idea of Laguna because it had both rest/leisure and adventure - we were going to rent a convertible and drive up and down the coast, go shopping etc.
I’m considering rosewood in Mayakoba but I’m concerned about whether in Mexico at the end of September?
Any other recommendations?
Currently sending our oldest to first grade and deciding between Catholic or public school. I’m leaning significantly more towards Catholic. Hubby was leaning more towards Catholic too but recently he’s gone more 50/50. I think if I said I’m leaning towards public, we’d send to public.
So it really feels like IM the one making the decision. He claims that it’s not true because he’s fine with the catholic school too but it really feels like it’s all on me.
I feel super stressed out and kind of like the entire decision is up to me. I hate it. It’s a big deal and a huge decision and I’m scared what if I’m wrong and it’s not a good fit? Etc. I wish I was one of those super confident women that was 10000% confident in her decision, but I am not and this is what’s making this difficult.
Any advice?
Young family with three kids aged 7, 5 and 4 looking for a quick (4 nights) warm trip over winter break.
We’ve been to the Bahamas both Atlantis and Baha Mar and absolutely loved Baha Mar.
We’re considering either the Fairmont or Banyan Tree in Mayakoba for our next vacation. Rosewood is a bit steep for us over those dates.
We love the lux vibes and from all my research Banyan Tree seems much more up our alley. The Bali vibes, the private massive heated pool in our villa, the food etc.
But everyone says the Fairmont is more family friendly and that’s the only reason I’m second guessing my decision.
Any thoughts or opinions?
Finally, I did take a peek at Grand Velas in Riviera Maya and that one seemed to be a similar price point as the other two if anyone has thoughts. We aren’t huge AI people but I did hear this resort is amazing.