Enjoy a Family Staycation This Weekend

Making Memories

The Breakers Palm Beach perfectly marries style and fun to ensure families make forever memories. The adventure begins at a luxury poolside bungalow, where a concierge is available to bring tropical drinks (the skinny piña colada in a coconut is an adult favorite, while kids adore the frozen lemonade) and food from Ocean House.

The resort’s Family Entertainment Center is a haven for families. With its 4,500-square-foot playground, mini golf course, arcade with classic games and a video game lounge, and endless activities for kids, the center offers fun for all, including parents, who can dine leisurely at the adjacent Italian Restaurant while the little ones play.

Children also can tee off with the John Webster’s Junior Golf Academy or hit the courts with The Breakers’ Junior Tennis Academy. And little girls have their own Spa Petite for mommy-and-me time. Ice cream mani-pedi, anyone?

Playtime with a Purpose

Acqualina Resort on Sunny Isles Beach takes children’s programming seriously. The resort has partnered with Ayana Rodriguez, founder of Miami-based childcare company Itavi, to revamp its AcquaMarine program into a premium learning experience for kids aged 4 to 12.

Based on the concept of meaningful diversions, the program incorporates five child development “pillars” with activities structured around exercise, reading, arts and crafts, playtime, and cultural immersion. For example, salsa dancing would satisfy both the exercise and cultural pillars, while a marine life puppet show would qualify as playtime with a learning component. As its name suggests, AcquaMarine is ocean-themed, so many activities center around the sea and all its creatures. From seashell arts and crafts to beach cleanups, children learn about ocean sustainability while having fun.

The best part is that it allows parents to have an adult vacation, secure in the knowledge that their children are well looked after and enriched on multiple levels.

Animal Instincts

Hawks Cay Resort in the heart of the Florida Keys indulges the family that craves up-close-and-personal interaction with local sea life. It’s the only resort in the contiguous states to offer a variety of programs to get in the water with a pod of bottlenose dolphins, including the chance to be a trainer for the day. It also hosts family-friendly fishing outings for the angling-oriented crowd, including tarpon, redfish, and snook excursions on the Florida Bay.

For kids-only adventures, the resort’s Camp Hawk invites young vacationers to the Coral Cay Activity & Adventure center to learn about local sea life (including feeding tarpon!), coral reefs, and the chance to be a pirate or mermaid for the day. The kiddos may never want to go home.

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