To the Caribbean in Summer

To the Caribbean in Summer

Finally, a Caribbean beach that’s everything a Caribbean beach should be – quaint, with hammocks strung from palm trees, crystal-clear water perfect for snorkeling, white sand, a first-rate beach bar and enough water toys to keep the kids happy (banana boat ride anybody?)

Lots of great food on Nantucket Island

Lots of great food on Nantucket Island

Yum! We’re at American Seasons run by husband and wife team Michael LaScola and Orela Murphy-LaScola, who juggle the restaurant with being parents to their toddler.

Nantucket, once the world’s whaling capital

Nantucket, once the world’s whaling capital

There is a lot of history we learn on this small island. In fact, the entire island is a historic district designated as a National Historic Landmark and has more buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places than anywhere in Massachusetts, including Boston.

A getaway to Nantucket Island

A getaway to Nantucket Island

It’s that perfect beach day… blue skies, warm but not too hot. Colored umbrellas dot the Nantucket beach. Kids play on boogie boards while smaller ones build sand forts until… the two pups discover each other.

Taking the Kids – To Clean Beaches and Avoiding the Oil

Taking the Kids – To Clean Beaches and Avoiding the Oil

As vacation season gets into high gear — with officials yet to figure out how to stem the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in the worst oil spill in U.S history — families who planned to head to the Gulf Coast are worried too about clean beach waters — as are those who count on their business.

Ready for some sand and surf?

Ready for some sand and surf?

The way it sounds, oil is washing up on shore at every beach along the Gulf Coast. But that’s not the case, folks in the Southeast want us to know

TO BERMUDA

TO BERMUDA

The iconic pink Fairmont Hamilton Princess with spectacular gardens that overlook the water and well-stocked Koi ponds is THE place for a traditional English Tea in the oh-so-British-feeling Bermuda.

Taking the Kids — On Spring Break

Taking the Kids — On Spring Break

Who says college kids have all the fun? I’ve spent spring breaks hunting for the “perfect” Sand Dollar on a Sanibel Island beach, watching major leaguers at spring training games, along with my little leaguers, and exploring the Grand Canyon with a couple of young hikers who were thrilled to become Junior Rangers.

Grabbing Some Time for Yourself

Grabbing Some Time for Yourself

Such a tough decision! Should I stay stretched out on my lounge chair, waiting for the smiling beach boy named Ben Pierre to bring me a frothy concoction or make my way across the white sandy beach for a dip in the clear, turquoise water? Maybe I should go to the infinity pool — 7,000 square feet lined with blue mosaic — where the chairs are set right in the water.

To St. Lucia

To St. Lucia

Boiling mud pots, rain forests, and a drive-in Volcano. All that and spectacular beaches, too, on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, which promises a lot more than your typical resort getaway. With a culture that has borrowed from both the British and French — the small island midway between Martinique and St. Vincent changed hands some 14 times before finally gaining independence in 1979.