Vacations Blog

Manarola from the hiking trail

The Cinque Terre region of Italy is one of the most beautiful spots in the country. Cinque Terre means “Five Lands” in Italian and is a collection of five small villages nestled into the cliffs on the Ligurian Sea. The villages were founded on agriculture and fishing, but now survive with the help of tourists dollars.

Cinque Terre is an easy day trip from Florence, Pisa or Milan (Pisa is the closest airport), but you should plan at least two days on the shortest trip, and more like 4-5 if you really want to relax. There’s not a whole lot to do in Cinque Terre really, but that is its charm.

Each of the five villages has its own distinct personality. Monterosso is the most resorty of the towns. It is the only one with full-service hotels and a true beach – though it is a rocky one. Just south of the town is Vernazza, another village popular with tourists and known for its picturesque harbor (it also has a very small beach).

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Courtesy of Wikimedia

So now that the weather is getting warmer in Southern California and the whales are near the end of their southward migration through the Pacific, it’s a good time to take advantage of pre-summer rates and thinned out crowds for adventures and sightseeing.  The off-season is considered mid-September through April, so you still have a month to hop on to some good deals.  But be forewarned:  even with discounts a trip to Catalina can add up quickly.

Courtesy of Catalina Ferries

Just getting there is no joke.  The most popular way to make the jump is by ferry.  At this time of the year Catalina Ferries runs a high-speed catamaran between Marina del Rey and Avalon or Two Harbors on Catalina Island only on the weekends.  Adult tickets are $75.00 and the less than $10 bump is worth the cost for the time you’ll save NOT sitting in traffic on the 710, which will get you down to Long Beach where Catalina Express departs from three ports, and one in Dana Point.  The Long Beach company operates more frequently, however, and that would be the way to go if you want to depart during the week.  All trips are advertised as taking one hour to an hour and fifteen minutes but you have to allocate time for parking and boarding and getting settled, especially if you are bringing children who walk and can run away from you.

View from Island Express helicopter

If your children are seaworthy, you can sail to Catalina from either point with companies like Mariner Sailing Charters , but that ride takes 7 to 8 hours and can be pretty expensive, so you should really know that you love the water.  If lack of money or fear of heights are not issues for you, you might as well take a helicopter.

The two main places to land are Avalon (check it out on the webcam!), the quaint little town filled with hotels, restaurants, shops, and vacation outfitters that cater to your every whim, or Two Harbors, a much less-populated landing with a smaller harbor and more rugged lodgings.  Hikers, sailors, campers, and people who don’t like people will be happier in the latter spot.  If it’s your first time visiting the island, you should probably check out Avalon, especially if “camping” to you means a roof over your head and flush toilets.

Avalon is home to plenty of hotels ranging from cruddy and thin-walled to luxurious, but like everything else the hotels are on island scale, since everything there had to be brought in on a barge.  Just beware that some hotels are specifically NOT for children.  There is also one campground near Avalon, if “camping” to you means “camping.”  There are very few cars on the island, so people get around on foot or on bicycles, or you can rent a golf cart.

Avalon Bay and Village

Once you are there and settled the list of things to do with your family is as long as the inevitable line outside Big Olaf’s Ice Cream Parlor.  Many of the tickets or fees for activities can be purchased in combination with hotel costs or ferry tickets.  Here are just some of the possibilities.

Kayaking
Beach combing and swimming (althought right now the water is pretty cold)
Touring the island by bus – you might see some bison which roam the less peopled hills
Underwater sightseeing by submarine
Glass bottomed boat tour
Enjoy a buffalo burger
Snorkeling and scuba diving – at Lover’s Cove the fish will eat right out of your had
Fishing – those are some fat, tourist-fed fish!
Dining and shopping in the village

Courtesy of Descanso Beach Ocean Sports

So enjoy.  And don’t forget your sweater.  It gets chilly.

Bench with a view, Lake Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

National Geographic called Lake Coeur d’Alene one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.  I might be a little biased since I live right next to it, but I’d certainly have to agree.  Located in the panhandle of Idaho, far from the state’s population center of Boise, the alpine beauty of Lake Coeur d’Alene offers a wide variety of fun family activities, whether you’re on a budget or you have money to burn.

To me, it’s just about the ideal place to spend a few carefree summer days on the water.  With a length of over 25 miles and a shoreline measuring over 109 miles, the lake is big enough that it never feels crowded, even on the busiest Saturday in August.

The obvious place to begin your family vacation is in the city of Coeur d’Alene, which sits on the north shore of the lake and is your best bet for lodging.  Your hotel options range from the luxurious Coeur d’Alene Resort, which juts out over the water near downtown, to a Holiday Inn Express less than a mile from the city beach.

Summer fun in the water

During the summer months, mainly July and August, the water temperature of the lake is perfect for any activity you can imagine.  My kids and I swim at least two or three times a week during these warm days.  Coeur d’Alene’s city facilities stretch out across the north shore, so you don’t have to go looking for a spot to set up your beach chairs.  City Beach offers the safety of lifeguards, but if you want to get away from the crowds there, simply stroll down to the adjacent beach in front of North Idaho College.  You’ll feel like you have the lake to yourself.

If you want to do more than just sit on the beach and take in the beautiful view, you don’t have to go very far for a refreshing hike.  Right smack dab in the middle of downtown Coeur d’Alene is what can only be described as the jewel of the town.  Tubbs Hill is a 135-acred forested peninsula with a 2-mile loop trail that takes you all along the shoreline, where you can find secluded beaches, scenic overlooks, rocky coves, and woodland habitats.  My family hikes Tubbs Hill regularly, and I’m always amazed at the beauty of the place, not to mention the fact that the city was able to save this urban wilderness from development.  We pack a picnic lunch, hike out to the tip of the peninsula, and find a quiet spot for the afternoon.

Tubbs Hill

If you want to get out onto the water, there are several options.  At Independence Point, next to City Beach, you can rent jet skis, kayaks, and paddle boats.  Many different businesses in town offer reasonable rentals on everything from jet boats to luxury yachts.  Well, I’m not so sure if the words “reasonable” and “luxury yacht” go together.  The Resort also offers daily lake cruises, ranging from 90 minutes to 6 hours.  There’s even a parasail boat and a float plane if you want to see things from a different perspective.

If your kids are waterlogged and tired of hiking, you can rent some bikes and head down any number of paved bike trails that hug the lake shore.  The Centennial Trail runs right through downtown, heading east all the way to Higgens Point and west along the Spokane River, across the border into Washington, all the way into the city of Spokane.  Or, you can explore the prairie north of the lake on the new Prairie Trail, which connects with all the other bike trails.  Come to think of it, there are so many miles of trails around here, you might actually get lost.  But a good kind of lost.  If a park is what the kids are hoping for, there’s the City Park which, naturally, sits right next to City Beach, and contains a huge castle-like play structure for the kids to run wild on.

Hiking, biking, boating, and swimming.  What more could you ask for in a relatively inexpensive family vacation?  You’ll find it all here, in one extremely centralized location at the north end of Lake Coeur d’Alene.  Like I said, though, it’s a big lake and there’s certainly more to explore.  But I’ll save that for another post.  I could talk about “my lake” endlessly.  I’m sure that if you bring your family to this part of Idaho, you’ll also be talking about one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Kayaking on Lake Coeur d'Alene

Scenic overlook on Tubbs Hill

Cliff diving in Idaho

All photos by Phil Corless