The Fairmont Resort in Scottsdale

There’s always stuff going on in Scottsdale, Arizona – which is why it’s such a popular vacation destination. Plus, the winter weather in this area of Arizona just can’t be beat – you can indulge outdoor dining (or any other outdoor activity) in December with just a light jacket or sweater! My husband and I live just a few minutes away in Chandler, and we usually find a reason about once a week or so to head into Scottsdale for some food, culture, and entertainment.

The Grill at the Fairmont Scottsdale is partnering with CleanFish Alliance, an organization that supports sustainable fishing practices, and is offering “Clam Bakes on the Patio” every Friday evening. For $28 per adult ($12 for children ages six through twelve, children under six are free) diners are treated to clams, mussels, and shrimp, as well as a variety of desserts. Homesick for Maine as I am, you can rest assured I’ll be heading on over there this weekend!

Sunrise over Scottsdale

If steak is more your thing, Rawhide Western Town & Steakhouse at Wild Horse Pass revamped their entire menu. Utilizing local ingredients from the Gila River Indian Community and Rawhide’s own Akimel Basho Farm, guests will be delighted with such offerings as sweet corn polenta cakes, lamb chops, fried chicken, and of course their award winning hand cut steaks. Make a whole evening of it and enjoy all of the entertainment and attractions that Rawhide has to offer – Rawhide’s Country Christmas is in full swing, plus they host Friday Night Bull Riding, and Sundown Cookouts every Saturday night.

The golf course at The Phoenician

The W Scottsdale Hotel is teaming up with The Phoenician to offer a great hotel and golf package. The offer includes transportation to and from the properties, full access unlimited play on The Phoenician’s award-winning golf course, golf balls, and complementary drinks and cigars. Rates start at $269 per night and run through April 18th, 2010.

In an upcoming article I’m going to regale you all with an ENORMOUS amount of events and deals happening in Scottsdale for this coming spring, including some great ideas for Valentines, so stay tuned!

Photo Credits (in order of appearance):
- “Fairmont Resort Scottsdale” by HH Studio on Flickr Creative Commons.
- “Good Morning, Arizona” by Dru Bloomfield on Flickr Creative Commons.
- “The Phoenician” by 26 Twice on Flickr Creative Commons.

St. Thomas Harbor from Paradise Point

High above the town of Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas. The St. Thomas Skyride takes you 700ft. up for a stunning view of St. Thomas Harbor, a must-see destination of many cruise lines.

We were happy to discover that our visit coincided with two extremely popular exhibitions currently on display in the Gardens. One was the Butterfly Pavilion, which runs annually from March through May, and which keeps us coming back every year. It adds an extra $3 to our general admission (we’re not Garden members, otherwise it would be free), but it’s always worth it.

The pavilion is accessed through an “airlock” so none of the inhabitants can escape. With a gentle warning from the administrators we were instructed not to touch any of the butterflies, but to allow them to come and go as they pleased (and sometimes they were “pleased” to land on us).

The other exhibition currently on display throughout the park is the collection of Chihuly Glass Sculptures. This exhibit has been present in the Gardens since November 22, 2008, and runs through May 31st, 2009. They truly add a unique and beautiful element to the lovely features of the Gardens.

The use of such vibrant colors against the desert landscape was truly dramatic.

There was another fine example of exquisite glass artwork around every corner.

The Gardens are lovely at any time of year, though they truly shine in the spring months when all the desert plants are blooming.

The Desert Botanical Gardens are part of a park complex that includes the Phoenix Zoo and Papago Park. Admission for non-members is $15.00 for adults, $5.00 for children under twelve, and $7.50 for students aged 13-18. Self-guided audio tours are available for an additional $3, and special exhibits and events (such as the extremely popular Spring Jazz in the Garden concert series) may also be an additional charge.

Whether you’re looking to create a unique family memory, or you want to spend a day in solitude and quiet contemplation, or you wish for a romantic outing to share with a loved one, the Desert Botanical Gardens are an excellent choice to wile away a sunny afternoon.

If you’re planning a trip, check out flights to Phoenix.

But what about traveling without your kids?

For couples with children, a getaway as adults and not as parents can be rare.  And the longer you’ve been parents, the easier it is to find yourself alone with your significant other in a hotel room asking “what should we do now?”  (I mean, you know, after you’ve done that.)

15 Things To Do On A Vacation Without Your Kids

(And for those of you without children who get to travel with adults frequently, don’t laugh at our need for some guidance!)

1. Go to an amusement park

While it’s true that most amusement parks market themselves as gateways to “family fun”, they are also great places for adults to have fun.  Imagine going on the roller coasters together – without having to worry about height restrictions or taking turns sitting with the stroller.  When you visit an amusement park with other adults, you almost never find yourself crawling out of a ride that’s just started because someone is afraid of the dark.

You’re never too old to throw your hands up in the air and scream at the top of your lungs.

2. Go to a casino

You don’t have to gamble your life’s savings to enjoy a trip to a casino.  Even if you only play the penny slots or place the minimum bet at the tables, it’s nice to spend some time in a place that caters to adults.  And casinos are masters at making sure grown ups have a good time.

3. Lay on the beach

I adore taking my kids to the beach.  Truly, I do.  But it’s also nice to be able to lay on the sand and close my eyes without worrying about someone drowning.  Take a book and allow yourself to get lost in it, or venture out into the water and enjoy the waves that would normally be too big for children.

4. Eat dinner late

As a parent, meals are about getting people fed before they get cranky and overly tired.  When you take a vacation without your kids, take the opportunity to skip the early bird crowd and enjoy a restaurant with ambience.  This is your chance to take advantage of the available 8pm reservation slots at a place you’d never get to enjoy otherwise.

5. Take a nap

A great vacation should allow time to relax.  One of the most indulgent things to do on a vacation is head back to your hotel room and take a nap.  Don’t set the alarm or feel guilty about all the things you’re not accomplishing.  When was the last time you slept until you woke up all on your own?

6. Have drinks in a restaurant you can’t afford

When I go to a place like New York City, I tend to get most of my nutrition from street vendors.  What can I say – I usually travel on a budget!  But when you’re not traveling with kids, you can get dressed up and be part of that trendy restaurant, even if it’s just to grab a few drinks at the bar (before you head off for hot dogs on the corner).

7. Visit a museum

I’m a huge proponent for exposing children to art and culture.  Museums provide great learning opportunities for kids.  But going as an adult without kids provides a great opportunity for you to enjoy the exhibits without shushing anyone or having to enforce the “no touching!” rule.

If you go to a museum alone, you’ll have plenty of time to sit and ponder without interruption.  If you go with another adult, you might find you have something totally new to talk about together.

8. Attend a dinner theater

Dinner theater is good, cheesy fun.  Let yourself laugh at corny jokes.  Revel in being in a room full of other adults and not having to cut anyone else’s meat.

9. Take a walk

When you get to explore a new city without having to worry about little ones darting off into traffic or running into strangers, you find you notice details that would otherwise get ignored.  Allow yourself to get lost in the architecture.  Stroll hand in hand with someone who isn’t tugging to break free.

10. Get a spa treatment

A trip to the hotel spa is rarely on the family vacation itinerary.  Taking a vacation without your kids provides the perfect chance to pamper yourself with a spa treatment you’d never splurge for at home.  If you’re traveling with your spouse, I highly recommend couple’s massages – even if one of you scoffs at first at the idea of fluffy robes and candles.  You’ll both come away relaxed and grateful for the time to unwind together.

11. Take a carriage tour

One of my favorite ways to learn about a new place is with a guided carriage tour.  A good guide will provide you with all sorts of information and interesting details about the things you’ll see.  And you can’t deny there’s something romantic about riding around in a carriage.

12. See a concert

When I was younger, I used to save for months to see my favorite band play.  Even the best iPod and home stereo system can’t compete with the thrill of live music.  One of the greatest vacations I’ve taken as an adult was a trip to Vegas planned around a Prince concert.

The next time you hear your favorite 80s band is doing a come back tour, consider booking a room and making a vacation out of seeing them perform one more time.

13. Go skydiving/bungee jumping/zip lining

In other words, be adventurous!  Do something that scares the crap out of you!  Get your heart racing and your adrenaline pumping in ways you can’t experience when you’re being the responsible adult.

14. Go shopping.  Together.

Yes, really.  Maybe a husband and wife shoe shopping marathon isn’t ideal.  And maybe one of you cringes at the very idea of stepping into a mall.  But when was the last time you visited a store with breakables?  Your everyday trip to Great Clips and the grocery store is not the same as browsing through antique shops or fawning over fancy electronics.

When my husband and I get the chance to shop together, we find ourselves talking about things we want, things we love, and things we can’t imagine anyone being interested in buying.  But we’re talking - and not about work or school or whose turn it is to fold laundry.

15. Go dancing

Who cares if one – or both – of you has two left feet?  The mantra on vacation is “I’ll never see any of these people again!”  Let your hair down and don’t be afraid to make fools of yourselves.  There are few things more romantic than spending a night together on a dance floor.

As an avid traveler, I wholeheartedly support frequent vacations with your kids.  It’s important to let them see the world and get exposed to new places – and experiencing those places as a family is great.  But it’s also nice from time to time to remember who you are without your kids and nurture the parts of you that have nothing to do with nurturing other people.  Get out there and live a little!

Sanibel Island is a great place for a unique beach vacation in southwest Florida.

Getting to Sanibel Island

Sanibel Island is about a three hour drive south of Tampa.  It’s only 45 minutes away from Southwest Florida International Airport, which is accessible by non-stop flights fom major cities all over the United States (look for airport code RSW).  To get onto the island, you’ll need to cross a causeway road and pay a $6.00 toll.

Sanibel Island’s Famous Sea Shells

Sanbiel Island is best known for the ample supply of sea shells.  Of course, all of Florida beaches have sea shells.  What makes Sanibel Island beaches unique is that it lies east to west instead of north and south.  This makes the island act as a scoop in the Gulf of Mexico.  Travelers come from all over the world to hunt for unique sea shells on the beaches of Sanibel Island.

Sanibel Island Beach Permits

The only free beach parking on Sanibel Island is along the causeway getting to the island.  All other beaches will require a beach permit or a $2 per hour for parking.  If you’re planning to stay on Sanibel Island for several days and visit multiple beaches, it’s a good idea to do some advanced planning and figure out which permit will give you the most beach bang for your buck.  Beach permits must be purchased at the Sanibel Police Station.  This site gives a great breakdown of what permit is needed for which beaches.

Sanibel Island Romance

Sanibel Island is a frequent favorite among the travel industry’s “most romantic” lists.  Spend a weekend on one of the beaches and you’re likely to see a beach wedding or a couple strolling hand in hand.  The turquoise water and remote feel of a tropical island make it a perfect place to escape for a romantic vacation.

If you’re looking to enjoy the quieter side of Florida, you can’t go wrong with a vacation to Sanibel Island.

Last spring I got to live out my fantasy and ride in a red open cockpit bi-plane. Vintage Aircraft Company has been around for ages. If you drive to the wine country on a regular basis, you will recognize them because their sign and location is on Highway 121 just before the final turn towards Napa Valley.

They have several different vintage planes including a World War II Warbird. My choice was definitely one of their Boeing PT-17 Stearmans, and on the day I went up they had a bright and shiny red one ready for me! It can accommodate two passengers but I wasn’t about to share this ride, so I had a great time sliding about the 32″ seat.

When we got there I learned they offered aerobatics for an additional fee of $50 on any of the planes including my open cockpit bi-plane. Of course I said yes to that and I think they gave me a “famous Cuban Eight” but I couldn’t tell you because unlike regular planes, you don’t get a headset with a mike connected to the pilot. It is a bit like water skiing, just tap your head to ask them to slow down or give the slashing across the neck if you are done.

My 20 minute tour over the beautiful Sonoma Valley was the best. After I stopped thinking about the reality of my possible death, I loved soaring just a few hundred feet above the fields and vineyards.

If you want more they also offer 40 minute flights:

The Wine Country tour: Catch an Eagle’s View of the world renowned vineyards of the Sonoma and
Napa Valleys, heading east across the bucolic Carneros region to Napa, Turn north to St. Helena, West
to glen Ellen then back south through the lush Sonoma Valley. Grapes galore.

West to the Pacific: Aviate over rolling hills and open pastures of Sonoma, Novato and Petaluma;
then head out to Tomales Bay and absorb the Majestic magnificence of the Pacific Ocean.

Spires of “The City”: Drift south toward San Francisco. A panoramic outlook of the Sausalito and
Tiburon Harbors: outlying views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the Marin Headlands,
then circle Mt. Tamalpais en route to Point Reyes and your safe Sonoma return.

And this adventure is also available for kids too. They can accommodate a child about 40 inches tall with their booster cushion, though all kids under 10 years must fly with an adult.

When your ride is over there are lots of great Sonoma Valley restaurants nearby or drive a little further into Napa Valley for world class restaurants or maybe just a slice of pie at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen.

Here is me "Amelia Snoopy Earhart" in my shiny Boeing PT-17 Stearman

A delicate kiss at Delicate Arch, Utah

Deer 'Kiss' at Mt. Rainier National Park

Love shows through on top of Mt. Rainier

Men of action are often silent and appreciate a good brunch buffet.

Ask millions of people, two mice and me. Disney is more than you think. Yes, there is magic in the air, that’s a given.  And there is childlike wonder and troubles forgotten. There are smiles and sighs and moments of pure joy. And through it all there is romance.

Flowers in Disneyland

Just go with me here.

Surely, Walt must have known what he had created. He must have strolled those streets and understood what he had done. The lands of Disney, lit by stars and lanterns and backed by an endless soundtrack of memories and promise, are pure romance in its most innocent form.

Of Mice and Moments

Miles Davis knew this.  So too, Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck and Gene Simmons.  Yes, that Gene Simmons.  That’s why you’ll find the songs of Disney in their respective canons.  They bought what Walt was selling and in turn they peddled it themselves.  Some people want to fill the world with silly love songs and there is nothing wrong with that.

You get lost here, in the Happiest Place on Earth. You let yourself go.  In quiet moments your mind wanders to dreams and smiles and the girl on your arm, and you find yourself, as I did, on one knee beneath the shadow of fireworks, kneeling at the base of a castle surrounded by streams and beds of roses and bated moments of silence.

Planned Spontaneity

The longest moments live between knees and yes.

It is a place of magic and fairy tales.  There is a hope of possibility in the air and it engulfs you with every breath. For a brief time the lines between your life and your dreams blur and become one. You are drunk without drink, and it spreads with rapid and loose abandonment.

It is as if you have been picked up out of the cubicle of daily routine and placed in your favorite movie, alongside dreamers, stars and champions. It feels right. You belong. Everything you did before your arrival was but a stepping stone to get you here. To get you to this moment. You are reminded of the plans you once had and who it was that you thought you would grow to be.  And maybe you are, if just for a moment.

Perhaps you spot a Princess out for a stroll, deep in thoughts of kingdoms and ballrooms. Perhaps you spy your hosts sharing a private moment away from their guests. They too can feel it. It is not the romance of lust and the meaningless fancies that fill our daily lives between commercials for Las Vegas and lingerie. It is the romance of knowing that there is good in this world and that you want to share it with someone, even if it is just holding their hand across a moonlit bridge. It is the magic of promise for better days and the righting of wrongs. It dares you to imagine what life should be and encourages you to make it so.

It is family, like Walt intended, if such a thing can be considered romantic. I like to think that it can.

Fearing the Fireworks

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For more on the Happiest Place on Earth please read the following:

Disney’s California Adventure in Anaheim, California – Family Fun

Pressed Pennies – The Ultimate Disneyland Souvenir

Disneyland Family Vacations: The Happiest Place on Earth

7 Secrets You Might not Know About Disneyland

Things I Learned at the Disneyland Resort – A Thursday Thirteen

Family Imagination at Disneyland, California

All photos by Whit Honea, Tricia Honea or some Cast Member with my camera.