Recipe for the perfect family vacation

[gittebotero]

We have 2 kids, 5 and 7. I have traveled with them regularly since they were 1 month old and have probably done all the mistakes that can be done - now and the last 3 years we have rented houses in Montauk over the summer and this works because:

1) Great outdoor sports and kids camps in Montauk
Montauk is filled with outdoor and indoor activities, e.g. surfing, golfing, fishing, tennis, camping and horseback riding. Pathfinder teaches everything from boating to tennis, there is the cool surf camp and from 2009 the Cowboy Horse Camp at Deep Hollow - the oldest ranch in the USA - allowing parents some time off too

2) Eating out is fun - because the restaurants focus on your kids as a customer
All the restaurants in Montauk are child friendly - however our favorite is Ricky's Cowboy cafe which is on East Lake Drive not far from Gin Beach. They started kids disco on Saturday’s - great entertainment for kids so the parents can relax too

3) Affordable. You can rent a house for a month. Sign the kids up for camp every second day and work part time for a while. Go to www.homeaway.com and bring your friends and family too.

4) There are things to do for the grown-ups
There a tons of things to do in the Hampton’s over the summer - experience the Hampton’s Film Festival, go the polo tournament, put on your Ralph Dress and your Marnolo's and go to East Hampton or another of the Hampton’s for fine dining and a great party.

I am so not a Disney world person - I prefer to spend time with the kids without a cartoon creature joining in. My most hilarious experience was with Thor then 4 at the Museum of Natural History enjoying the Darwin exhibition walking around a montre with skeletons of different animals all related, Thor pointing to them going, that’s a bird, and that's a monkey, and then I asked, so what is this pointing to another monkey, and Thor replying: That is Mickey Mouse!

Do you have ideas/places like this - I would love to hear.

Commets? E-mail me at howtosurvivemotherhood@gmail.com

[HarperKsMommy]

I went with my best friend and her kids to the Nick Hotel in Orlando florida and it was Awesome!! They have a "Nick at Night Bar" for adults and they have different drinks everyday. A couple of nites we would send the kids to this daycare thing were they have a big party and we wwent and drank margaritas. [before i had harper] I cant wait until mine are old enough so i can bring them. P.S.-The Pools were Great!!!

[momschart.com]

We stayed at Tanque Verde Ranch in AZ. and same type of thing....the kids had a blast at the kids club we hardly saw them...a couple of times we made them come with us because we missed them www.tvgr.com

Also in Kansas at the Wolfe lodge...so fun for the kids not a lot to do for the parents though

[danielhenry]

Well its a vacation time, So everyone have plan to go for holidays. I think this is best way to know the idea form various people on this thread. Enjoy your holidays.