Destinations the whole family will love!

El Cosmico, outside Marfa, TX, features refurbished RVs, yurts, tents, a teepee (pictured above) and tent camping sites. 

EVERYTHING IS BIGGER, BOLDER AND WEIRDER IN TEXAS. AND EL COSMICO IS THE GOOD, ARTY, GREAT OUTDOOR, OPEN-ENDED KIND OF WEIRD THAT’S FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY.

EL COSMICO WEBSITE

From the group that brought you Austin’s hipster havens, HOTEL SAN JOSE  and HOTEL SAINT CECILIA comes the wild outlaw property, El Cosmico, a gathering of lovingly renovated RV trailers, yurts, teepees and camping sites located just outside Marfa. One warning before you head out to this ruggedly beautiful outpost, you may never come back (or at least never want to leave). (more…)

Steven Alan’s Perfect Bag, created in conjunction with Australia’s V Airlines.

Hey hipsters, sorry to get  all mom on the your downtown style but here I go: The  new Perfect Bag by NYC’s boutique/label Steven Alan and Australia’s V Airlines has a lot of family-friendly features going for it. It’s made of a water-repellent waxed cotton top, a leather bottom and features lots of zipper compartments, including an easy-access (but protected) sleeve for your laptop. The straps also allow the bag to convert from shoulder to tote to backpack. But what I think makes it an especially great fit for families is the zippered bottom compartment. Alan and V Airlines (which I believe is Australia’s version of Virgin, but they do a pretty spot-on imitation of Target in Australia, so I’m not going to bet up my first born or anything on that) tout this area’s wet section as a great place to store bathing suits, but when I saw it all I thought was, “instant access to juice boxes and Goldfish! Genius!”

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So, on our last trip to Palm Springs, our friend Bethany Nagy was nice (and thoughtful and generous) enough to give us a gift of these awesome car bingo games. I have no idea where she got hers, but I managed to find them online. And even better, I found them at the ST. JUDE GIFT SHOP. We all know how absolutely important St. Jude is, and any time I can find something to buy from their gift shop, I absolutely do. (And of course donate!).

Refreshingly non-electronic, Car Bingo is a classic that goes down in the books with other car games we all used to play like Punch Bug and my new personal favorite, The Quiet Game.

BUY TRAVEL BINGO AT ST. JUDE HERE

KIDS ART WEEKEND AT THE ACE HOTEL, PALM SPRINGS
EVENT INFO WEBSITE

MARK YOUR CALENDAR AND GET OUT YOUR CRAFT APRONS AND CRAFTANS FOR THE ACE’S FAMILY ART RETREAT APRIL 23-25, 2010

As if it couldn’t get any better for families at the Ace Hotel, it just did. They’re hosting an extraordinary arts event April 23-25, led by artist, (and how I first knew her), owner of the now shuttered LA boutique, K-Bond, Karen Kimmel. She’s rounded up a stellar roster of her artsy friends to lead a weekend of arts, sun and fun. Treat yourself, I mean your child, to a weekend of classes and interactive workshops led by artists David Alvarez, Clare Crespo, Confetti System, Elizabeth Halpern, Erik Ian and Geoff McFetridge.

Besides creating projects like dioramas, macramé, miniature gardens and knitting, the retreat will feature poolside barbecues, outdoor movies and s’mores and a takeaway tote by Kimmel Kids.

I know, could you just die. I can. Scoot over, kids. Make room for mom to macramé with an A-list artist.

The package rate of $650 for the weekend includes 2 nights stay, art instruction and supplies, Friday night s’mores, Saturday night movie and popcorn and takeaway tote. Oh, and also memories that will last a lifetime.

Segue into mindless blathering: I was trying to remember where I knew Karen Kimmel from, then I remembered that I had covered her when I was an editor at Surface magazine, all those years ago. And that my friend Brent Haas had one of the launches for his perfume, spacescent there. I still have the evian rubber ducks we were giving away.

 ACE HOTEL WEBSITE 

I agree with FREE WINE (who took this shot), “call me old fashioned, but I think kids need a good paddling from time to time.”

Crazy nights of debauchery and excess. Shallow social interactions. Parents gifting kids with tawdry designer goods in lieu of real emotional investments. Questionable moral choices being exhibited at every turn.

All of the things you love about the O.C. (at least the O.C, as seen on TV) are not part of this deal.

Instead, you can teach your children a little bit about caring for the environment, the delicate balance of our ecosystem and the wealth of wildlife on our gorgeous planet.

The Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort, a gorgeous stretch of beachfront property where you can rent cabins, tent and RV spots—and probably the only place you’ll get a decent vacation rental with a view for under $100 anywhere in the area—has just announced guided eco kayak tours of the 750-acre wildlife preserve adjoining the resort.

Starting April 2010, The Newport Dunes is taking over kayak tours from Newport Bay Naturalists & Friends and they’re pretty excited to offer this activity to their already exhaustive list of family activities available at the resort (Volleyball tournament or Rice Krispie decorating anyone? Movies on the beach? Tie-dying? Limbo contest?…) These kayak tours will showcase a decidedly un-augmented side of Orange County as you paddle among the preserve’s over 200 plant and wildlife species. So, no, you’re not going to spot a frolicking Kardashian or a Lohan, and probably not even a Real Housewife (but no guarantees on that one), but you will be up to your oars in a ‘water saturated riparian coastline’ I’m looking that one up right now..not exactly sure what ‘riparian’ means, but it sure sounds exciting!

 NEWPORT DUNES WEBSITE

As you can see from the shot of Merrit, poolside, you can’t help but have a stylishly-good time at the Ace. Check out the hotsy photog in the reflection of Merrit’s sunglasses. It’s Ken Barlage of the trés cool, NYC-based agency, BYRDBARLAGE.

The Ace Hotel, Palm Springs, your desert oasis.

The Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs CA   WEBSITE

FUN IN THE RETRO-HIPSTER SUN AT THE ACE, PALM SPRINGS

I just got back from the Ace hotel in Palm Springs. With the entire family. For a wedding. In the car for over 8 hours each way. With the entire family (did I mention that? And the 8+ hours in the car with 4-yr old and almost 2-yr old?). The hotel was so awesome that I’m still on a vacay high from it! And it’s been three days already. It is seriously that good.

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