It’s not that we’re against tradition but, after years of doing the same thing for the holidays, maybe it’s time for your family to try something new. This year, experience true togetherness by taking the celebration on the road. The four trips we feature here are guaranteed to provide holiday cheer and unforgettable memories for all. So whether you’re trying to escape the cold, or pining for true Christmas spirit, it’s never too early to start planning your winter getaway.
Say Aloha to Santa
By Marty Wentzel
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Hawaii, visitors will say Mele Kalikimaka
to Santa this season. // © 2009 choicegraphx
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Like everything else it does, Hawaii celebrates the holidays with crosscultural cheer. Locals greet each other with Mele Kalikimaka (Merry Christmas), Santa arrives by outrigger canoe and folks ring in the New Year with serious fireworks. Package all that with great value, aloha spirit and guaranteed sunshine and you’ve got an incomparable year-end destination.
This year, Hawaii promises fresh appeal for families eyeing an island holiday. On Oahu, Kandoo Island — a floating entertainment complex — has debuted with watersports aplenty. The 5,000-square-foot Paradise Pool, now open to Grand Waikikian and Hilton Hawaiian Village guests, boasts the longest slide in Waikiki. The renovated Outrigger Reef on the Beach gets the generations involved in cultural pastimes like hula dancing, ukulele lessons and lei making. Jimmy Buffett’s at the Beachcomber adds a fun twist to island dining, and the day ends on a high note at the Hilton Hawaiian’s new rooftop Waikiki Starlight Luau.
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Hawaii’s Big Island lures holiday visitors in sizeable fashion. On Blue Sea Cruises’ new 70-foot glass-bottom catamaran, families marvel at marine life from above or below the surface. A novel Ride the Rim tour provides Waipio Valley thrills by ATV and, for the younger set, buggy. The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, restored and reopened, courts clans with candy leis on arrival, game areas, children’s programs and Hawaiian activities. Family-friendly meals await at the new Akoni’s at Kanaloa, and live shows delight parents and kids alike at the Waikoloa Bowl at Queens’ Gardens.
Families heading to Maui enjoy high-flying adventures at the island’s latest zipline operations, based at Piiholo Ranch and Kapalua Resort. For Valley Isle accommodations, suites — with their multiple rooms and full kitchens — find increasing
favor with families. Among the options: the renewed Whaler at Kaanapali Villas, the all-new Honua Kai and elegant Wailea Beach Villas. Come evening, the Westin Maui’s red-hot luau dazzles all ages with Polynesian song and dance.
On the Garden Isle, the Grand Hyatt Kauai’s voluntourism program lets mom, dad and the kids give back on their vacation. One of Kauai’s newest properties — the St. Regis Princeville — features Hawaiian cultural activities for young guests. And, families keep current with the culinary scene at Merriman’s in Poipu, the hottest offering from 50th State super-chef Peter Merriman.
These and other Hawaii innovations make it easy for visitors to create tropical memories as they wish their loved ones Hauoli Makahiki Hou (Happy New Year).
Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau: www.gohawaii.com
Big Cheer in the Big AppleBy Kenneth Shapiro
Visitors to New York this holiday season will find more excitement than ever and, if they make their plans soon, at prices they probably won’t see again for a long time.
According to Chris Heywood, vice president of travel and tourism public relations for NYC & Company, the city’s marketing, tourism and partnership organization, the season from Thanksgiving to New Year’s is one of the most popular with travelers.
“Visitors coming here during that time should be sure to make their plans early,” said Heywood. “There are a lot of holiday traditions that take place in the city, and people get very excited about some of the things that have become hallmarks of the holidays.”
Of course, the kick-off holiday event in New York City is Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. This year, visitors should be aware that there is a new route for the parade; instead of traveling down Broadway, the parade will take Seventh Avenue.
What a lot of visitors might not know is that the night before the parade, New Yorkers have a tradition of going to watch the parade balloons being inflated. The event takes place near the Museum of Natural History, on Central Park West.
While Thanksgiving marks the traditional beginning of the holiday season, New Yorkers mark the start of the Christmas season with the lighting of the giant tree in Rockefeller Center. The lighting ceremony takes place around the first week in December — the actual date will be announced later in the year — and the tree stays lit until New Year’s. While you’re there, give the open-air skating rink at the base of the tree a whirl. Many visitors are surprised at how small the rink actually is and, in fact, there is a much larger open-air rink, Wollman Rink, just a few blocks uptown in Central Park. There is also a free open-air rink in Bryant Park.
Of course, no trip to New York would be complete without a Broadway show, and families should feel especially welcome given the number of kid-friendly productions. Shows such as “Shrek the Musical,” “Mary Poppins,” “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King” often provide discounted tickets to the public through the recently refurbished TKTS ticket booth in Times Square.
In addition, there are special holiday-themed shows throughout the city, including the famous “Christmas Spectacular” at Radio City Music Hall, featuring the world-famous Rockettes, and “The Nutcracker” by the New York City ballet. Locals also try to catch one of the many public Christmas-caroling performances that take place around town during the holidays (in Washington Square Park, for instance).
At any time of year, New York is a shopper’s paradise but, during the holidays, visitors have a great excuse to hit the stores. Shoppers should be sure to check out the window displays at some of the city’s department stores, and on Fifth Avenue the famous FAO Schwarz toy store is a must for families. The Toys “R” Us in Times Square is also a treat for little ones, complete with its life-size Lego creations, a toy-themed indoor Ferris wheel and more.
For gift hunters looking for something more unique, the many holiday markets — located throughout the city, including at Columbus Circle and Union Square — are hidden gems as well.
Finally, a nighttime trip to the top of the Empire State Building gives visitors a bird’s-eye view of the city’s twinkling holiday lights. The building itself is often bathed in green and red lights for the season (or blue and white for Hanukkah) — just another reason why I heart New York for the holidays.
NYC & Company:www.nycgo.com
Teen Dreams in the CaribbeanBy Mark Rogers
It’s just like the Jimmy Buffett song “Christmas in the Caribbean” says: “It’s Christmas in the Caribbean — got everything but snow.” The Caribbean’s version of a white Christmas is an endless expanse of glittering white-sand beaches — a perfect backdrop to enjoy the holidays.
For all its joys, the holiday season can be stressful. Families can take a breather with an all-inclusive Caribbean vacation that is easy to plan and even easier to enjoy. While Caribbean resorts present plenty of options for adults and children, there’s one age group that sometimes gets short shrift — teenagers. Here are two resorts that go the extra mile to make sure teens also have a great time.
Beaches Turks & Caicos, on the island of Turks & Caicos, is well known for its Sesame Street characters and its Red Lane Spa, but tweens and teens haven’t been left out of the mix. They’ll enjoy the new hip-hop-inspired Trench Town, where they can listen to Sirius Satellite Radio and dig in to unlimited play on the latest Xbox 360 games.
The resort also features a teen disco called Liquid at Beaches, complete with VIP sections. You have to be under 21 to enter.
Beaches has joined forces with the Scratch DJ Academy and teens can get tips on how to mix, blend and scratch on classic vinyl, CDs and iPods. They’ll get their own on-deck time and the chance to throw down in an authentic DJ battle.
Teens will also appreciate it if their parents opt for one of the family suites with a separate kid’s room. The fully equipped suite has a second kids’ room with a trundle bed, 27-inch, flat-screen television and a game table. (Many suites also come with an Xbox.)
The folks at Club Med understand that teens like a place they can call their own as well. To this end, the all-inclusive Club Med Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic created The Ramp solely for guests between the ages of 14 to 17. That’s right — if you’re older or younger keep on walking. The Ramp is a two-story, open-air lounge that gets its name from a roof that doubles as a sloping skateboard ramp. The top-floor deck has telescopes for star-gazing and a giant hammock where kids can kick back. Each teen gets their own private mailbox, perfect for receiving info about the day’s activities, but also great for passing notes back and forth. How do you know which mailbox is which? Each one has a slot for the mailbox holder’s photo. Inside The Ramp, the party is powered by a customized jukebox and a soda fountain where teens are encouraged to create their own concoctions.
Beaches:www.beaches.com
Club Med: www.clubmed.us
Europe’s Christmas Markets
By Deanna Ting
When you think about your favorite Christmas traditions, from gingerbread cookies to fanciful Christmas trees, chances are they originated in the heart of Europe hundreds, even thousands, of years ago. Those traditions continue today and, for families who want to feel that holiday cheer, there’s no better place for a visit than the Christmas markets of Europe.
“When you’re there, you feel like you’re part of the local atmosphere and local culture and you feel like you’re immersed in the European tradition of celebrating the holidays,” said Steve Born, vice president of marketing for Globus Family of Brands.
Europe does Christmas a little differently than the U.S., with less malls and more merrymaking that appeals to all five senses.
“It’s the kind of Christmas experience you read about in fairy-tales or you think of when you think of Santa Claus,” Paul Wiseman, president of tour operator Trafalgar said. “Christmas day in California is going to be 80 degrees and you’re going to be in an air-conditioned mall. In Germany, you’re standing in a Christmas market with music playing while you sip a cup of mulled wine.”
Germany, in particular, offers a treasure trove of Christmas markets for families. In Hamburg, a market hosted by Roncalli’s Circus features old-fashioned carousels. Munich’s Himmelswerkstatt taps into children’s creativity by allowing them to create their own handicrafts, free of charge. And while New York may have the giant tree in Rockefeller Center, Erfurt has its own 82-foot fir in the town square, flanked by a nativity scene recreated by 14 handcarved, almost life-size, wooden figures. Foodie families will love visiting the Strieselmarkt in Dresden, which dates back to 1434. Here, an enormous cake weighing four tons is ceremoniously wheeled out and shared among market goers. And in Nuremberg, the town’s medieval setting is the perfect backdrop for kids to enjoy the famous Christkindlesmarkt on Hauptmarkt square and the city’s Toy Museum.
Both Wiseman and Born recommended that clients make the most of a European holiday vacation by booking an escorted tour that allows them to explore as many different markets as possible. Wiseman recalled Salzburg, Austria, as one of his most memorable Christmas markets, while Born said Globus’ Christmas in Rome & New Year’s Eve in Venice tour is a favorite.
This year, Globus’ river cruise brand, Avalon Waterways, added a new holiday itinerary, the nine-day Christmas in the Heart of Germany. The tour includes a five-night cruise on the Main River and visits Wurzburg, Bamberg, Miltenberg and Wertheim, as well as Prague in the Czech Republic.
River cruises, in particular, have become a favorite way for families to explore the Christmas markets, offering great value and a relaxed, hassle-free travel experience. Most ships cruise along the Danube, Rhine or Main rivers and, during this time of year, the ships themselves are often decked out in holiday cheer.
“Onboard, the decoration reflects the celebration of the holiday season,” said Guy Young, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection president and CEO. “Enjoying a hot chocolate or apple cider onboard a warm, inviting and luxurious ship during the winter holiday season is a very special experience.”
This year, Uniworld has a new holiday itinerary, Parisian Winter Holiday, which travels to Les Andelys, Rouen and Paris where they can visit a Christmas market on the Champs Elysees.
Avalon Waterways: www.avalonwaterways.com
Globus:www.globusjourneys.com
Trafalgar:www.trafalgartours.com
Uniworld: www.uniworld.com
