Accommodation for traveling kids: Best Western Airport Executel, Seattle

On our trip to Sweden this past summer we stayed overnight in Seattle before taking our Iceland Air flight from Sea-Tac to Stockholm, through Keflavik. The hotel we chose was the Best Western Airport Executel, located outside downtown Seattle.

At Sea-Tac airport.

The room
Our double-queen room was nice and big with two very comfortable queen-sized beds, a fridge, coffee maker, kettle, TV, bathroom with bath-tub, and plenty of space for our many suitcases and bags.

Having a fridge was handy for storing some milk, yogourt and snacks in for the kids. The bathtub got a complete workout since my children entertained themselves by having 2 baths each in that one day, and why not? There are worse ways to spend the time than having baths and watching TV!

Free wireless internet was provided and worked well during our stay. (I really hope every hotel is providing this service free by now: I keep reading that some hotels charge for it, but I really don't understand the reasoning behind that.)

Amenities
One of the selling points when I chose this hotel for our stay was that it had a pool. It was easy to get to and had a small change room/washroom adjacent to the pool and gym area. We had a nice dip and if I hadn't been by myself with the kids, I would have also used the gym. We spent most of our time in the hot-tub and the kids really loved that.

There are a lot of restaurants in the surrounding area, but we ate both dinner and breakfast in the hotel restaurant and the food was very good. For dinner, the kids' menu had a good selection, service was great and the food arrived promptly. The breakfast buffet had a nice selection of hot and cold foods (make your own waffles!), and it was a great way to start off a long day of travel.

The hotel provides a free shuttle-service to the airport, and even though the first shuttle bus had some technical difficulties, another bus was brought out quickly and we made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare.

Service
The staff was unfailingly helpful, polite, and friendly. I felt very welcome with my kids, and little touches like a supply of free, fresh fruit in the lobby, and helpful service in the restaurant made things even better. Checking in and out was a breeze.

Verdict
I'd stay at this hotel again in a heartbeat. It was a good deal, and a perfect fit for our needs. The kids had fun, and we got a good night's sleep which really helped get us on our way for the long flight to Sweden.

Accommodation for traveling kids: Hotell Kung Carl, Stockholm, Sweden

On our recent trip to Sweden, I spent two nights in central Stockholm at Best Western's Hotell Kung Carl, right near Stureplan.

This hotel is about as centrally located as you can get in Stockholm. It's an easy walk to the shopping district on Drottninggatan, to the park at Kungsträdgården, and to Old Town. Right next door and across street there are some great restaurants, and Spy Bar, one of Stockholm's prime late-night party spots.

The only problem with the location is that there will be some noise: we heard cars and the occasional siren both nights, but it was not enough to really disturb our sleep.

The skylight-"tower" with chandelier.

The room
Kung Carl is a beautiful hotel in one of Stockholm's older buildings. Our spacious family room had everything we needed: a fridge for snacks and drinks (none were provided but we bought some from the stores inside the nearby subway station, a couple of bunk beds for the kids, plus two very comfortable regular beds. We had free internet access, TV with a couple of kids' channels (none in English though), a nice bathroom (though it had only a shower and no bathtub), and lots of space for bags and clothes.

Adding to the experience was that the room was just beautiful. We were on the top floor with a high ceiling and a tower-like skylight. A small round window looked out right over Stureplan outside, with all the hustle and bustle going on there.

View across the street from our window.

Amenities
The one thing we missed was a pool, mainly because the kids really like playing in the water, but we were plenty busy sightseeing and might not have had time to use one anyway.

A buffet breakfast was served in the restaurant inside the hotel and there was plenty of great food: Swedish specialties like "filmjölk" and crisp bread, as well as bacon, eggs, and pancakes, and a whole lot more, including fresh fruits, cheeses, and baked goods.

The restaurant was closed except for breakfast when we were there, but at other times of the year they also serve lunch and dinner.

Service
The staff at the front desk was friendly and helpful, and our room was kept spotlessly clean every day. However, my parents who were staying at the hotel with us, did have some issues with their room. It was not cleaned every day, but seemed to be "forgotten" a couple of times. Not a good thing, especially at a relatively fancy and expensive place like this.

Verdict
I liked our room a lot, and thought the location was great. However, the hotel didn't necessarily feel all that kid-friendly. A bath tub in our room, a pool, maybe some more kids' channels or the ability to rent kids' movies at the front desk would have been much appreciated. I'd probably recommend this place more for travelers without children, but we did have a very good stay.

Traveling with kids: vacation home rentals

Finding good accommodation at a reasonable price is a big part of planning a family holiday. When you're traveling with kids, it's nice to have access to some amenities that make your life easier: dishwasher, a washing machine and dryer, and a kitchen equipped with fridge, microwave and stove can improve your quality of life if you have small children along.

View from our rented condo in Maui, a couple of years ago.

Hotels are one option of course, and there are some great family-oriented hotels all over the world. Another option is to rent a home, meaning a condo or house, as your vacation accommodation. I have had great experiences in hotels, but I still prefer the vacation home rental. There are three main reasons for this:

• Size - A vacation home is usually roomier than a hotel room, and that's nice if you have one or more kids in tow. I know my kids can feel a bit confined in a hotel room, so more space is definitely a plus.
• Amenities - Usually a vacation home has pretty much the same amenities you have at home, including TV, couches, more than one bedroom, a kitchen, washer and dryer, and so on. That makes the kids feel more at ease, and it helps make the vacation go smoother for the adults as well. When you have young kids especially, being able to cook a meal at home, even a simple one, can be a lot more relaxing than having go out for dinner every night.
• Value - For the price you pay, I've found that you often get more for your money when renting a vacation home than when paying for hotel accommodation. A good family-oriented hotel definitely has its perks (as I found out when we went to Gran Canaria last year), but renting is often a better deal in my experience.

There is a wealth of companies that can help you find a vacation rental home, wherever you're going in the world. Here are some of them. Check out my Pinterest page for more ideas and tips!

• VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner)
• FHBO (Furnished Housing By Owner)
• Homeaway
• Owners Direct
• Evolve Vacation Rental Network
• Vacation Home Rentals
• FlipKey
• New York Habitat (specializes in NY, Paris, London and South of France)
• Discover Vacation Homes
• Room for 5 (specializes in accommodation for families of 5 or more)
• Rent and Play Vacations
  

Traveling with my kids: 10 memories of 2011

There are not a lot of days left of 2011, and even though I still have some more traveling to do with my kids before the year is all done, I am feeling kind of reflective. Here are some of my most memorable travel moments from the past year.

1. Spring break in the Canary Islands
Our trip with extended family to the island of Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands was a definite highlight of the year. So many great memories of good food, good beaches, good company, and family time together.

2. Sun & sand
Gran Canaria was a great place for our beach-loving family. Two favorite spots were the dunes near Maspalomas and Playa del Ingles. 

3. Drive on the wild side

One of the best day trips we did while on Gran Canaria was to drive around the island. We saw the wild, steep western coastline, had lunch by the ocean, visited the caves at Cuatro Puertas and had a wonderful time. The winding mountain roads did induce some car sickness, but the scenery was worth it!

4. Pyromaniac roaches
One of my weirdest travel experiences occurred on our last morning in Gran Canaria when I woke up very early and smelled smoke. I got up and found that one of the elements on the stove had somehow turned on by itself and had burned a corner of a lunch bag that had been left on top. Everyone was asleep, but two seconds later I saw a cockroach run over the stove top, very close to the touch-activated controls... Yeah, that was one of the things I learned this year: cockroaches can be a fire hazard!

5. Picking strawberries with the kids
This was not a long trip: it only took about 30 minutes to drive to our place to Westham Island and the U-Pick strawberry farm. But it was definitely a trip worth making. Six months later I am just using up the last of the freezer jam we made from all those berries (and we go through a lot of strawberry jam in this house!).

6. Sheep fun
This even at North Vancouver's Maple Wood Farm was another wonderful close-to-home trip this past year. We got to see all the farm animals, sheep being expertly clipped, and we got to see what happens to the wool once it comes off the sheep: I'll definitely be returning for this event in the future!

After the meltdown. Zzzzz.

7. Traveling with my kids to Sweden
Taking the kids all the way to Sweden by myself was not a relaxing endeavour, but I was so impressed with how travel savvy they were, and how well they handled themselves for the majority of the trip. Yes, there was that major meltdown (both kids at the same time) at Arlanda Airport, but hey, 20 hours of travel time can do that to you... and other than that they were good as gold.

8. Spending time with family in Sweden
The last few years we have spent the first part of summer with my parents in their summer house, and the kids always have a great time. Fishing, boat rides, sleeping in, beach time, picking blueberries, swimming, splashing... It's pretty much unbeatable.

9. Harrison Lake beach & boat fun
We did a few day trips to Harrison Hot Springs this year, but the one when we rented a boat and drove around the lake was the best one. It's such a nice spot: gorgeous scenery, child friendly beach, and a lot of fun on the water as well. Can't wait for summer to arrive again so we can go back for more!

10. Heading up the Sunshine Coast
Taking the ferry from Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver, heading across to Langdale and then on to Earl's Cover for the ferry to Saltery Bay made for a great weekend trip and a great time with family. It's a real treat to see British Columbia's coastline from the deck of a ferry on a sunny day. And when you get a home-cooked turkey dinner once you arrive, it makes the trip even better!

Accommodation for traveling kids: Radisson Blu SkyCity, Arlanda Airport, Sweden

Map of Arlanda Airport, with SkyCity right in the middle.

I've stayed at Radisson Blu SkyCity more times than I have at any other hotel. That kind of sounds impressive, except that I don't think I've ever stayed more than once at any other hotel, ever, anywhere.

The reason why I've stayed so many times at this particular hotel is its location: it's located right inside Arlanda Airport, between the domestic and international terminals. My trips to my family in northern Sweden always involve a short flight between Skellefteå  and Stockholm, and on the way back to Canada those flights sometimes leave really early. Because of that, it sometimes makes sense to sleep over at the airport rather than taking an early morning flight.

For example, when we visit Sweden for Christmas this year, we will be staying over at this hotel on our way back, a) because it is more convenient with our early morning departure from Stockholm, and b) because it is actually cheaper (even with the cost of the hotel) to fly down the night before, rather than early the same morning (sounds crazy, right, but then the variation in flight prices is pretty much impossible to figure out).

• The main feature of SkyCity is its convenient location: it is very, very convenient if you're flying out of Arlanda Airport early in the morning. If you're catching a flight, you can walk to the check in counters in about 5 minutes: no taxi or shuttle bus needed. This is even more convenient if you're traveling with kids, since it makes your early morning way less stressful.
• There's an excellent breakfast buffet served in the hotel restaurant every morning. Breakfast is served from 5 am until 9.30 am (10.30 on weekends), so even if your flight is early you should be able to eat before you go. The buffet is of the extensive, somewhat over-the-top kind with hot and cold dishes, lots of pastries and bread, and heaps of fixings.
• The rooms are clean, comfortable and somewhat generically Scandinavian in style: good beds; nice, sparkly-clean bathrooms, crisp sheets. A standard room isn't particularly spacious, but since you're probably only going to spend one night there, it doesn't really matter.
• Service at the front desk is, as far as I've experienced, always prompt, friendly and helpful. 
• Internet access, including w-fi, is free (a big plus these days).
• Services for families with children include a kids' menu in the restaurant (there are also lots of other restaurants and cafes throughout the airport you can try out), and you can get a crib put up in your room if you're traveling with a small child. (We scored a free stuffed animal when we stayed there some years ago too!). I wouldn't call this hotel super child-friendly, because it's really mainly a hotel for business people and travelers staying overnight. However, it is comfortable and conveniently located for air-travel which can count for a lot when traveling with kids.
• There are things to do at the airport for kids, though there's not a lot for kids to do inside the hotel. Just outside the hotel, in the main area between the international and domestic terminal, is an excellent spot to watch planes with the kids if they're into that. There are also lots of little shops in this part of the airport, including a pharmacy, a small convenience store, clothing stores, gift shops, and more. Another idea is to catch Arlanda Express into Stockholm for a quick sightseeing visit.

Overall, Radisson Blu SkyCity is a very nice, comfortable, business class-ish hotel. For families, its main feature is its convenient location if you're traveling to or from Arlanda Airport and need a good night's sleep before your next-day flight. It's not cheap, and it's not a particularly interesting place to stay, but it's nice, clean, comfy and (again) really convenient.

Map of Arlanda Airport terminal, thanks to arlanda.se.

Accommodation for traveling kids: Kaanapali Royal, Maui

When my family stayed in Maui two years ago, we rented a two-bedroom condo in the Kaanapali Royal complex in Kaanapali. I found our condo using the VRBO website and was initially a bit worried about renting privately, but it turned out to be a great experience.

The condo was exactly as it had been described in the online ad, and had all the amenities I was looking for to make our lives easier when staying there with two kids (2 and 6 years old at the time):

• It was spacious and clean with comfy furniture throughout and was cleaned every day, plus the grounds outside were beautifully kept and landscaped. There was both air-conditioning and fans to help keep everyone cool. (I usually prefer using the fans rather than the a/c if at all possible.)
• One bedroom in our condo had a king-size bed, the other a double bed, and there was a sofa bed in the living room (which we didn't use). All the beds were comfortable and there were even a couple of nightlights provided: a great thing to have when you've got kids who might get up in the middle of the night.
• The lanai had loungers and patio furniture for us to veg out on.
• The bathrooms were both roomy and clean, one with a bath tub, the other with just a shower.
• The full kitchen had everything we needed for our stay: stove, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, and all the cutlery, plates, glasses, bowls, and other utensils needed. I find it so much easier to have access to a kitchen when you're traveling with kids!
• There was a full-size washer and dryer, and that really helped keep us in clean clothes and towels in spite of a lot of sand and salty ocean water getting all over everything every day.
• The complex had a beautiful pool we often used when the sun got a little too hot, and the waves a little too big for the kids in the afternoons.
• Other amenities included several barbecues available in the pool area, a Jacuzzi, and tennis courts.

I would definitely recommend Kaanapali Royal for families with kids. It was a quiet location, with a nice green-space surrounding the buildings. It's close to the town of Lahaina, the Sugarcane Train is just nearby, and beautiful Kaanapali beach is within walking distance of the complex. (Even though it is walking distance, I personally would recommend families to rent a car for their stay if possible, since there are so many great beaches and places to visit in Maui.)

Just next to Kaanapali Beach is the Whaler's Village mall with a wide selection of stores, including a small grocery store. There are many great restaurants near the beach, including The Hula Grill.

There are several restaurants, both eat in and takeout, just up the street from Kaanapali Royal. We especially loved Roundtable Pizza, and ordered pizza there a few times during our stay.

Accommodation when traveling with kids: Hotel Frón, Iceland

Group of statues in Reykjavik.

A couple of years ago, my family spent a few days in Iceland on our way back to Canada with Iceland Air. The airline offers free layovers if you fly through Iceland, which is a really nice perk, and a great way to see this little country that you might not otherwise visit.

We stayed in Hotel Frón, a hotel located in the centre of Reykjavik on the main street Laugarvegur. I didn't know anything about this hotel before we made our reservation. I'd found it online, and thought it looked like a nice hotel in a good spot. Turns out I was right!

Hotel Frón fulfilled all my expectations:

• The room was clean, and the furniture was not fancy, but nice and new-ish. I loved the hardwood floors since I'm always a bit suspicious about how clean carpets really are.
• The room we were in had two separate, small bedrooms with a double bed in one, and two twin beds in the other. Perfect when you're staying with kids.
• The beds (and pillows!) were really comfortable.
• The bathroom was small but clean, and there was a nice shower but no bathtub. Be advised that the tap water in Iceland does smell suplhur-ish. It's just the way things are, unless you're in a place that filters its own water. It did take a little bit getting used to a shower that smelled like that, but the water was warm and plentiful so I had no great complaints.
• The kitchen area had a small range, a sink, and a fridge.
• The staff was friendly and helpful and helped us organize some excursions.
• A buffet breakfast was served in the downstairs restaurant each morning. It was a basic breakfast without any hot dishes, and not the kind of insanely big spread you might see in some hotels. But there was various kinds of bread, cheese, cold cuts, yogurt, fruit, milk, cereal, juice, coffee and tea: not fancy, but definitely good enough for the kids and us adults.
• The location was unbeatable: right outside  the hotel is the centre of Reykjavik with little shops, restaurants, cafes and sights to see.

So, all in all, it was clean, comfy and convenient. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone traveling with kids to Iceland.

If you go, I'd also recommend a visit to the Tivoli restaurant, just a short distance away from the hotel. Service there was friendly, they had a good kids' menu and the food was really good: lots of Icelandic specialties as well as more "international" fare.

For more on Iceland, check out my other blog posts:

• 10 fun things to do in and around Reykjavik, Iceland
• An Iceland layover