Pictures of our babies. When we travel, we are so fortunate to have the help of our in-laws to care for our babies while we are abroad. Both of our Pyrs are afraid of other dogs, no matter how many trips we take to the dog parks. We’re always a little jealous of hikers who bring their dogs on the trails. I’m curious if anyone travels with their big dogs?
Wow. We spent five days in The French Polynesia during spring break, March 2024. My husband, two sons, my in-laws and l flew from Chicago to Los Angeles to Tahiti to Bora Bora. While this post will be dedicated to Bora Bora and Tahiti, we also:
We boarded our 11 pm plane to Tahiti after hiking all day at Joshua Tree National Park. We were tired from climbing boulders and ready for an overnight flight with pillows in hand. We landed at Tahiti airport at about 6 am the next day. We traded pjs for summer clothes and gladly hung out in their outdoor waiting area until boarding “Air Moana” (“No one goes beyond the reef!”). Once landing in Bora Bora (and taking SO many photos from the airport dock), we took a water shuttle to the shuttle area for the hotels, where they loaded our luggage and we arrived by car/wagon to our hotel for the four days in Bora Bora, which was Maitai Polynesia Bora Bora. We were greeted with beautiful flowers and just in time for an early lunch and drinks.
We had two free hotel.com nights to use, so OF COURSE, we had to book a cabana over the water. They were so expensive, so this was the only way we would ever do this. I am usually the cheap one on vacation, but even I can admit, this was so worth it with kids. We spent our whole time on that private deck. We used the dock all day for fun in the sun, but also used it at night for star viewing (INCREDIBLE). My son fell asleep on a beach chair each night that week while we listened to the waves and watched for shooting stars.
After spending all of our hours on the outside deck, we finally made plans to leave our beloved cabana. We did two amazing excursions; 1) a private boat tour that required a boat reservation from a third party (swimming with reef sharks and giant sting rays and tour of the island views), and 2) kayaking to the Coral Gardens from our hotel. First are pictures and videos of the private boat tour:
Private boat tour snorkeling. Video from my father-in-law’s camera 😀
While I loved the boat tour for the kids, I have to say I personally preferred the next day’s free kayaking because of the real sense of adventure (we tend to do these types of unguided activities… see Holbox post here: https://bigfamiliescantraveltoo.com/2023/04/02/holbox-mexico-in-5-days/). Considering the price (free), the coral gardens were the most amazing snorkeling I had ever seen! My mil/fil might have preferred the boat tour with the guided swimming with sharks and sting rays. We have snorkeled in the Caribbean, Mexico, and even the Indian ocean, but the Coral Gardens were something else entirely. I finally understood the pattern of forests: we have the trees above ground and the coral forests below sea. It was as if I was swimming through an underwater forest. Imagine being up so high and looking down on a large oak tree (or broccoli crown) and then looking into the distance to see endless tops of trees. Of course I did not take my phone with me when kayaking to the Coral Gardens, but I will include the route that we took on kayaks on the map below (blue star is our cabana, blue line to the yellow smiley face “Coral Gardens”). My two sons, husband and I ventured across the darker blue water to the Coral Gardens since my in-laws did not trust their kayaking skills. Word of warning: I brought sunscreen to re-apply for the kayak ride back (over 20 minutes) however I still got severely burnt on my legs (THANK GOODNESS we all wore sun shirts). My legs were blistered and so painful after it, but I gotta say, it was worth it. I would highly recommend covering up your legs for after snorkeling, bring a towel even if it gets wet in the kayak. I know better (snorkelers are prone to severe burns because you lose track of time in the water), but didn’t consider the kayak ride back and sun damage to my legs.
Our four days and three nights in Bora Bora were sadly at an end. But the next morning we boarded our 45-minute flight to Tahiti, where we had about a 24-hour layover. We arrived in the afternoon (12 pm) and went to our hotel for the night, Te Moana Tahiti Resort (https://www.temoanatahitiresort.pf/). My husband arranged for a driver to/from the hotel. This last day was about relaxing, so we spent the entire afternoon and evening at the hotel, swimming in the hotel pool until sunset and finishing with dinner at the hotel restaurant, Taapuna. Our nine-year old fell asleep at the dinner table, haha. The next morning we boarded our flight back to Chicago, which had a small layover in Phoenix. Pictures of our beautiful day at Te Moana hotel below:
The perfect end to our vacation!
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Every year, we take a small five day trip before feasting with in-laws and traveling to visit family. It is the perfect combination of time off: sun, family, and food. This year, we stayed at the amazing Mia Reef Resort for four days Sunday, November 29 to Thursday, November 24. We were pleasantly surprised that Chicago O’Hare airport was not very crowded on our travel dates.
In September, we snagged tickets to Cancun for $250. We had a layover in Miami on the way there. On the return trip, American Airlines gifted everyone with a surprise of removing the Philly layover and our return flight became a direct flight from Cancun to Chicago. First time that’s ever happened for us. It usually pays to book the flights with layovers (unless it’s a layover in NY or NJ b/c of price of ubers and hotels).
Additional expenses included:
– Miami hotel “Even” ($109 with free shuttle from/to airport)
– Cancun Airport Transportation from Cancun airport to the ferry (round trip $100). This was kind of pricey.
– UltraMar ferry rides to Isla Mujeres ($135 roundtrip for four people)
– Mera lounge passes in Cancun ($60 for four people due to benefit from American Express Platinum cc). These reservations were well worth it since it included unlimited food/drink, and Cancun airport is so expensive.
– We did not redeem any hotels.com rewards since they changed their ways of applying rewards unfortunately. We may need to find a new hotels booking website.
We also saved on transport walked from the ferry to Mia Reef Resort (15 minute walk through the cute northern downtown, an $8.50 cab ride). Mia Reef is pretty much its own island off of Playa del Norte.
We spent most days in the water snorkeling, swimming, and kayaking. The resort had complimentary snorkel gear, paddle boards, and kayaks, although we brought our own snorkel gear. We all loved the snorkeling at the Mia reef. We saw numerous schools of both big and little fish, sting rays, and so much beauty under the sea. We saw tourist groups come through to explore the snorkeling at Mia Reef while we were there. You could see some fish from above the water even:
One day after dinner, we ventured across the bridge and walked into the downtown area for souvenirs. It was cute.
We also explored “King’s Pool”, which was a natural cove at Mia Reef Resort on the eastern side of the island for snorkeling. The snorkeling here, and in addition to the beach snorkeling, was just amazing. We used swim shoes that we had packed.
We also spent a good amount of time at the giant chess board:
We started in a villa room with double beds, but the front desk was more than accommodating by upgrading our room to the Ocean Villa, which included a king and a sofa bed, but most importantly– the outdoor bed. Plus, the ceviche bar brought us the lunch ceviche due to our close proximity. It was the most luxurious thing I have experienced.
My husband and I were so happy with the food choices including quality seafood cuisine for the adults and a nice variety for the kids. We don’t usually go back to the same place, but we may make an exception for Mia! It was everything we wanted in a vacation.
During covid in November 2021, my husband and I escaped with our five year old (me helping him do remote learning during part of the eight-hour road trip) to explore the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. This was to be our first of many trips to the UP (yet we didn’t know it at the time!) We fell in love and had to come back with the rest of the family.
We rented the cutest little cottage right on Lake Superior in the small town of Paradise on the east side of the Upper Peninsula. The chilly fall days were perfect for exploring sin bugs. After morning coffee on the deck, we spent our days hiking and nights lounging by the fireplace watching Christmas movies.
Since we were on the eastern side of the UP (we could see Sault Ste. Marie in the distance), we planned for daytrips to the eastern side state parks (Tahquamenon) and central parks (Pictured Rocks, Craig’s Lake) while saving the western parks (Porcupine Mountains) for when we would head home. Unfortunately we didn’t make it to Estivant Pines old growth forest in Copper Harbor during this trip due to logistics and limited daylight.
Summary of five day trip across the Upper Peninsula
In November 2021, we took our first vacation via airplane since COVID. We were eager to travel big, and O found $600 tickets to the Maldives (an unheard of price). My in-laws, four children, husband and I packed our luggage and prepared for the journey across the world and 14-hour layover in Abu Dhabi.
O arranged transportation through an agency that recovered us from Abu Dahbi and drove us the two hours to Dubai for the layover. While in Dubai, we ate near the the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, which was fun for our three children.
Walking around for a bit in Dubai Creek Harbour:
After walking around a bit, the driver met us in the busy area and drove us back to the airport, where it was freezing cold inside, and we slept for a few hours before boarding our plane to Malé, Maldives.
We fell in love immediately upon arrival to our hotel for the week, Adaaran Select Hudhuron Fushi- All Inclusive.
We had one “family beach house” and one “romantic cabin on the water”. We spent the week swimming in the pool, exploring the beach, snorkeling in the Indian Ocean, and enjoying the all-you-can-eat-and-drink. This was by far the best snorkeling we had experienced, and all available by walking into the beach with the snorkeling gear we had packed.
Exploring an island- easily the best vacation for all!
Orlando and I discussed how Maldives was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We will cherish our time there, but most likely not return because of the time it takes to travel half-way across the world! Mexico is a four-hour trip for us, so next on our list is to find a similar island in Mexico (e.g. Holbox…??). See future posts to find out!
During the summer of 2020, we carefully planned an escape to the mountains with our kids, parents, in-laws, and sister-in-law. We drove from Chicago to Colorado in two vehicles. My mother hadn’t been back to Colorado since her early 20’s, so we planned a week of sightseeing at Pike’s Peak, Royal Gorge, Sand Dunes National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Telluride, and Aspen.
From Colorado Springs, we drove 1 1/2 hours to Royal Gorge Bridge & Park. It was $20/adult, and while I prefer National Parks, it did make for a fun activity for all ages, exploring the bridge, zip lining for the teenagers (extra cost), and a bird of prey predator show for the youngest.
After that, we left Canyon City and drove through 2 1/2 hours to reach The Great Sand Dunes National Park before dark. The drive had no places to stop (gas/food), but thankfully we had snacks in the car. We arrived to the dunes before dark, but stayed well past dark, as it was amazing in the moonlight. My husband and kids climbed the dunes while I walked at the base with my mom. This was my husband’s favorite national park experience! There was no extra room in our car, but we noticed other travelers brought their own winter sleds for the dunes, which seemed like a fun idea for kids. Our kids are pleasantly surprised when there’s an activity other than hiking 😉
We stayed the night in Alamosa, and in the morning drove about four hours to Mesa Verde National Park, which was my personal favorite. I took many pictures with the kids, but here are a few:
We drove to the ski resort town of Telluride, where we booked a cabin for two nights in Mountain Lodge Telluride. This by far was everyone’s favorite part of the trip. Mountain Lodge was a very family friendly resort. We took the complimentary gondolas to Telluride, and some of us hiked a 15-mile trail (Bear Creek Trail) to a beautiful waterfall. The cabin we stayed at really made these two nights beautiful; walking out on the deck in the morning and smelling the evergreens with our coffee. We all fell in love with this area.
Next we had plans to check off another national park, The Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We didn’t have much time to hike, so we mostly drove through and took a few beautiful pictures of the plummeting canyons. Highly recommend.
We made our way to Aspen, where we stayed in Snowmass Mountain, which was in the heart of the commercial area of Aspen. Our teenagers liked this more, but my husband and I escaped on a hiking trail through a gorgeous grove of aspen forest. We had considered biking to see Maroon Bells, but we had to make rental reservations in advance due to covid, and it was alright that it didn’t work out. We took the gondola up to the roller coaster and rock climbing wall, where the kids had fun.
Lastly, we had time after check out from Snowmass Mountain to explore White River National Forest, which was nearby. It was beautiful! The kids enjoyed stretching their legs before the long drive home. It was too long of a walk for my mom to the ice caves (in the summer, “grottos”), but there was plenty of benches in the shade to sit next to the river. We saw others swimming and jumping in from the boulders in the water. Of course our teenagers lamented the opportunity.
After we returned home, I recognized a few places advertised in the Colorado magazine that we receive!! It made me want to go back. We loved visiting in the summer. Onward to the next adventure!
December 2019
In the fall we welcomed a Norwegian exchange student to our home, and it was a wonderful experience. We truly enjoyed hosting him, and thankfully this was prior to covid. We had hosted a short-term summer student from Spain before, and our rotary club asked about a long-term student. We got so lucky because it was a great semester. We traveled more than ever too, since we wanted to show him around the states. We drove to Niagara Falls and New York City over winter break, and on a free weekend in November, we ventured out to Park City.
How did we get there?
We ended up using Delta miles for some of the kids and the companion certificates we get yearly through Delta. We ended up paying for two tickets only. Salt Lake City is a Delta hub, so there are plenty of affordable direct flights from Chicago. We also rented a full-size SUV through Advantage RAC, and it was a pretty good experience (and affordable).
Where did we stay?
We stayed at the Lodge at the Mountain Village. The cost of a two-bedroom unit was only $200/night, which was a steal, given how spacious the condo was. The property was also right at the park, so we didn’t have to worry about transportation there.
Lessons learned
The lift tickets were pricey when not bought in advance, and our kids gave up shortly after their first try. We have found that more affordable skiing trips are a better fit for us since we don’t ski/snowboard often. (E.g. A few years later we drove to a closer place in MI and brought some used snowboard items to save on the cost of renting). On this trip, however, we spent the next day exploring Antelope Island. It was so cool! Like a giant playground for climbing. It also serves as a conservation area for rebuilding the buffalo population, so we were on the lookout for the herd.
Conclusion
Park City is a beautiful mountain town and if we were *billionaires*, we would buy a house here! We have been to other ski resorts such as Breckenridge, Aspen, Telluride, Whitefish, and others in WI and MI, and we highly recommend Park City!
It was 9 pm when our driver pulled into a small alleyway in the historic center of Seville. The kids were exhausted from the day of travel but peering out their windows- unusual for teenagers. A pleasant woman from Seville Luxury Rentals welcomed us and gave us a brief tour of the condo, a map of the old town and new town, and some recommendations for supper. Seville was like another world. We quickly descended the iron staircase with map in hand to enter the beautiful historic old town, and walked down a lively street to find a late night supper. Our kids were falling in love as they questioned why so many families and teens were out late at night. We ate at a small tapas place that welcomed us like we were family they were expecting. That night, we all fell in love with the culture, flavors, glass window panes, and historic city of Seville.
The kids eventually found sleep, which began a new sleep-wake cycle for our family (late nights, late mornings). We started our day at a simple breakfast place across from the Seville Cathedral. We planned to spend the day at the Cathedral and the following day, at the Plaza de Espana and Parque de Maria Luisa.
We did some shopping and found amazing deals on Spanish clothing brands. If you’re familiar with any Spanish brands, they were even more affordable from the Spanish stores. My favorite clothes are still my five-year old’s Spanish sweaters. Such good quality and so detailed. After much shopping, we steered towards Bartolomea restaurant for tapas. They were everything we had hoped for. Also- the Sangria in Spain is like no other.
The next day, we began with a simple breakfast, but discovered our youngest’s little cough had developed into a dysfunctional cough and subsequent wheeze. As he spewed his microbes to poor unsuspecting breakfast diners, we altered our plans for the day to include a stop at the hospital for a quick check-in. Many hours later, we shuffled grumpy teenagers to the pharmacy to collect the doctor’s prescribed medicine to treat our youngest’s wheezing and constant cough. Looking back, we do wonder if Henry had contracted the Coronavirus, as he had fever, wheezing, and flu-like symptoms. We ended the long day the best way we knew how; renting scooters that our teenagers could whiz around Plaza Espana and Parque de Maria Luisa.
We were able to turn the day around and headed back to the Seville Cathedral neighborhood. We had made reservations a month ahead at Milagritos. It was for tapas and a Flamenco performance. It. Was. Amazing.
It was easily the coolest experience for me. We walked back to our hotel and prepared ourselves to say farewell to the amazing experience that is Seville.
Happiness is Seville.
I had a lovely chat with a Parisian woman, who happened to be a speech-language pathologist too, before we boarded the underground train to London. We spoke about our two countries politicians and my youngest’s artwork. I love meeting people during our travels. We parted ways and followed the many signs and guards pointing us in the direction of our train. We arrived at King’s Cross Station in London to a rainy afternoon and the surprise that our oldest had left his luggage back in France. He submitted a missing item form on their website and we hoped for the best. Unfortunately, we never saw that backpack again.
We made our way to the condo that we rented south of the River Thames for the entirety of our stay. The rain let up and we walked to get supper near Buckingham Palace. I made the mistake of taking my four children to a traditional Pub, thinking it would be a cool experience and better than the chain-looking restaurants we were passing. There were many older gentlemen smoking cigars and no other children around. The polite host gave us a quizzical look and promptly seated us in the back room. The food was delicious, but still my teens were relentless.
We walked to Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey that night. Big Ben was unfortunately closed for repairs. We spotted old telephone booths and picked up a sweet treat for the morning.
Next morning, we walked to the most amazing free museum I have ever visited: The Natural History Museum. Our dear Chicago has incredible museums, but for our family, it usually costs $200 to enter. My husband wasn’t too jazzed about going to a museum, but it was rainy and he conceded. No regrets!
We walked the rest of the day through Kensington Gardens from the museum and ended up in Piccadilly Square, where we bought a few souvenirs at a Christmas market and ate a giant meal. We walked back home and slept very well. Our place at Chelsea Bridge apartments ended up being in close walking distance to the sights in London. The next morning we left for Seville, Spain.
Overall, the kids enjoyed seeing the sights in London, but the weather was very rainy most days. This was a fun trip for teenagers. I can’t recommend the Natural History Museum enough, especially for a rainy day.
We loved Paris. During our three days in the city, we walked and photographed all the major landmarks in the city (Notre Dame, Louvre, Eiffel Tower, Luxembourg Gardens, Seine River), which were all close to our hotel, Grand Hotel St. Michael, in Place St-Michael. I used various walking tours of Paris from Pinterest to walk efficiently to the best spots in the various arrondissements.
My favorite parts of the city were the playgrounds where my four-year old could play and the older kids snacked on decadent pastries and espresso purchased from a nearby cafe. See pictures below!
Once we were done walking through Luxembourg Garden, we toured the Eiffel Tower. Henry and I played in a park near the tower while the older kids and dad tried to find a bathroom. Hint: searching “public bathrooms” on Google Maps saves a lot of time! We watched the night show of the Eiffel Tower before walking back to the hotel for the night. The kids were exhausted and slept so well needless to say!
The next day we enjoyed brunch and more sight-seeing. We missed the Paris Catacombs, however, which were something the older kids really had their heart set on. My regret is that we didn’t buy tickets in advance. That night, the kids were relieved when we took an Uber to the Christmas Market outside of the city. The kids tried (and enjoyed!) escargots before we inhaled a box of beautiful macaroons. We visited Santa and bought a few souvenirs before leaving the festivities to return home before our early morning train ride to London.
All the macaron flavors you could imagine! Lessons learned in Paris:
