What's better than going on a trip with your kids? Having your parents take your kids on a trip so you can relax in peace and quiet for once in your home!
So in honor of National Grandparents Day this Sunday, September 7, here are some vacation ideas to send to your parents, or in-laws. Tell them it's a way of making it Grandparents Day everyday. Wink, wink.
Head out west to Montana to the 37,000-acre authentic working cattle ranch that houses the Resort at Paws Up. In honor of “glamping grannies”, the Resort is offering families a stay in one of their five luxury tented camp sites, each of which consists of six canvased tent suites (four two-bedrooms and two one-bedrooms) that include ensuite bathrooms, a dining pavilion, and even electricity. Buying one of these tented camps for five nights also includes a personal family Camping Butler, three meals per day, two half days of “Kids Corp of Discovery” (for each child ages 5-12), a daily massage for your Granny at the white-tented Spa Town and more. Rates start at $599 per person per night.
The luxury tour guide operator is celebrating grandparents (and all adventurous traveling families, really) with $400 per-child saving on their 2015 family departures which range from safaris in Kenya to an eco-friendly cruise through the Galápagos (pictured) to various adventures through the major cities of Europe. There are minimum age requirements for some trips (typically around 6-years-old) but children under 12 are eligible for the $400 per-child savings. You can call Abercrombie & Kent directly at 800-554-7016 from 8am-7pm CT during the week and from 9am to 1pm CT on Saturdays.
If the grandparents want to give the kids a bit of a history lesson during their trip, consider these hotel selections from Historic Hotels of America. All hotels in the collection are at least 50 years old, have “faithfully maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity” and have either been designated a National Historic Landmark or are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Some of the hotels are now part of major hotel chains and the interiors have been spiffed up to modern day hotel standards but there are quite a few truly authentic hotels on the list to try like the Omni Bretton Arms Inn, in New Hampshire (pictured) which was originally built as a private home in 1896.
WALT DISNEY WORLD SWAN AND DOLPHIN HOTEL
It's nearly impossible to talk about grandparents and not include Disney somewhere. At this Epcot Resort area hotel, which is affiliated with Starwood Hotels (SPG Points!), grandparents and their families can get a connecting guest room for just $109 a night, about a 50 percent discount off the standard rates. Of course, you have to book one room at the standard rate to get the connecting room. The deal is only good for stays in September so you'll have to act quick. Call 888-828-8850 and reference promotion code GRPRNT to get the deal. If you're not able to do a stay in September, you can always book a family room which includes either a king or two double beds and a pull-out sofa. Those rates start around $287 a night in October.
[Photos: Resort at Paws Up; Abercrombie & Kent; Historic Hotels of America and Walt Disney World Dolphin & Swan]
