The special touches or the unexpected are often what make vacation experiences memorable. Here are five places where you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
1. A New York City holiday. There are few places that embrace the holidays like New York City. Eager to maintain Manhattan’s high standards for seasonal joy, the staff at the Waldorf Astoria will make your stay memorable. Your family’s stockings can be hung by the chimney and a tree delivered to your room ready for trimming. And if you don’t want to miss caroling with the clan, a piano can be delivered to your room. 800-925-3673;
2. Early morning bliss. Waking to the sound of Idaho’s Middle Fork of the Salmon River tumbling and splashing a few dozen feet from your head is bliss for an outdoors lover. Here’s how one company adds to the moment: Far & Away Adventure guides arrive at dawn to take the chill off the early mountain morning. The greeting includes a friendly smile, welcome hot towels and steaming mugs of fresh coffee and hot chocolate. It is a grand way to start a day that will later include fly fishing, rafting or careening through canyons in your kayak. 800-232-8588;
3. Paradise found. Check into the One & Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island in the Bahamas and find casual and elegant surprises. Bicycles sized for your crew can be delivered for mornings when you take a break from beach and water activities. The younger set can relax in the villa each evening, wrapped in cozy, junior-size pink or blue bathrobes listening to music thanks to iPod docking stations. Meanwhile, steps away, grown-ups enjoy cocktails on the patio, washed in the evening light, while the chef prepares family dinner nearby. 888-528-7157;
4. Seaside pampering. Learn culinary secrets from Villa Estancia’s chef Eugenio Villafana during a family-style cooking lesson in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. Relax by the pool or lounge on the pristine stretch of Pacific Ocean beach. Ride horseback in the surf, enjoy water sports or luxuriate in an afternoon at the Tatewari Spa. Then return to your family-friendly and spacious villa suite where a warm bubble bath will be waiting. 888-844-8169;
5. Pajamas rule. The JW Marriott at Cherry Creek is an ideal location from which to check out the extensive shopping opportunities in the upscale Denver neighborhood. But who would guess the kids can choose to hang out with Clayton the Moose on Sunday mornings — in their jammies? Pad downstairs to the Second Home Kitchen and Bar’s Pajama Brunch where there is free food for kids 8 and younger still in their PJs. While the kids sample goodies from the Waffle Bar and play games, watch movies and do art projects in the Clayton the Moose Den, adults can relax with, coffee and the Sunday paper. 303-253-3000; ;
