Category: Worth the Splurge

Any vacay after your teens turn 14 can be a challenge. They don’t want to be seen with you, they only want their friends and their phone, and somehow they feel like they are missing out on all the excitement back home. As a parent of teens, this just frustrates the hell out of me. My inside voice says, “are you frickin’ kidding me?? We are going away, on a holiday…you know – time by the pool, time to relax, time to connect.” BUT – guess what, they don’t give a rats ass about those things. My son actually said to me this year – well – I will GO, but we better not be going for the ENTIRE Spring Break, cause I want to see my friends too…

UGHHH!!!!!

Any who – contrary to what our kids might want, we “ruined” their Spring Break this year with a 5 day trip to Scottsdale to check out the newly renovated Phoenician Resort. We have a long history with the Scottsdale area, and have not once stayed at this iconic resort. Mixed reviews, in addition to pictures of a slightly tired, old school style hotel had always turned me off selecting The Phoenician for our hotel of choice. But, this year, with the completion of an amazing 90 million dollar renovation, our family took the plunge. I have to say – I am so glad we did.

Continue reading “Spring Breakin’ in Scottsdale – Checking out the “new” Phoenician Resort with our teens” →

No matter what time of year, I dream of white sand beaches, relaxing poolside, or feeling warm air on my skin. January is always a tough month, so why not dream a little with me and my new favourite vacay spot, Punta Mita, Mexico? I will preface this blog by saying, previous to us finding Punta Mita, I was not a fan of vacationing in Mexico. Quite frankly, I was a baby – nervous about getting sick, safety, and of the many horror stories I had heard about the “Federales” and corruption. As much as the lure of kids clubs, and endless wine did draw us in a few times to the all- inclusive experience as a young family, I never returned from those vacations feeling rested and pampered but rather just, “glad to be back.” Several years ago though, we were lucky enough to have a business retreat in Punta Mita, Mexico and this is essentially when my love affair with this beautiful resort area began.

Continue reading “Punta Mita – A hot place to chill” →