Located on the southwest side of Maui, the Fairmont Kea Lani Maui overlooks the amazing waters off of Polo Beach.  The beach here is the center of all water activities such as snorkeling, sailing, kayaking, and even windsurfing.

Visitors here can play on any of the Wailea Golf Club’s three championship golf courses or enjoy a game of tennis at any of the 14 courts the tennis center offers.  Parents that are tired can get some much deserved personal time with a massage at the Spa Kea Lani.

The resort accommodations are either suites or villas, so there is no need to squeeze your entire family into a tiny room.  There suites here are a minumum of 840 square feet and offer a separate living room and marble bathroom with a separate tub for soaking.

The private two levels villas here are minutes away from the beach and are between 1,800 – 2,200 square feet as well.  The villas are ideal for larger families as they offer a full service kitchen and a private courtyard with a plunge pool and barbeque for grilling out.

Keiki Lani is also the hotel’s activity center for kids as well.  It’s a state licensed facility for children between the ages of 5 and 13, giving parents a break from watching their kids.  Here, children can enjoy painting coconuts, building sand castles, exploring the tide pools, learning how to dance hula, and even making real flower leis.  The activity center can accommodate up to 19 children, so be sure to call ahead and reserve a space for your children.

Rates
The rates for stay start at $325 per night for a suite.  One of the benefits of a family vacation here is the special deals that are almost always available.  The Fairmont Kea Lani Maui has several packages available for family vacations.

If you are planning to explore the island with the kids, you’ll save a lot of money by taking a package that includes a free rental car.  This way, you can explore the island at your will without having to worry about paying any extra money.

For a family vacation, Maui is truly a one of a kind destination.  There are many different things to do here for everyone in your family, even if they are indeed hard to please.

Once your family experiences Maui and everything there is to offer, you’ll never look at beach vacations the same way again.  Maui has that kind of power – especially when it comes to warm weather and pleasing people from all over the world.

Offers, Amenities, Awards Have Guests Doing a Double Take

Having reigned as the premier golf and beach resort on Florida’s Gulf coast for more than three decades, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort knows a thing or two about creating the perfect beach vacation.

Whether returning for an annual week at the beach or visiting for the first time, here are 10 timely reasons why Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort continues to top the list of beach destinations.

1. Vacation at One of the Best Places in the World – No Passport Required! – Tunisia, Vietnam, Paris, Argentina, and……the Northwest Florida Gulf Coast? Absolutely! Northwest Florida joins the coveted ranks of these international dream destinations on the Frommer’s 2010 list of twelve Top Destinations in the World. Citing stunning beaches, nature trails, great restaurants, and a cozy, yet quirky, sense of community, Frommer’s makes a compelling case to include this vacation destination among the world’s best. Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort is “destination central” with its seven miles of miles of beaches, charming Destin beach rentals, restaurants and a multitude of activities.

2. A New Meaning to Family Values – Sandestin packs in value with a host of complimentary amenities including free rental of bicycles, canoes, kayaks, tennis courts; free fitness center access; free children’s activities (in season) and complimentary resort-wide tram service- offered every day of a guest’s stay. Also, take advantage of the Spring “Stay Three and Get One Night Free” promotion, which is good through May 26th.

3. A-Z Amenities – Beyond the beautiful beaches, Sandestin features four championship golf courses, 15 world-class tennis courts, a full- service, 98-slip marina with an array of water sports, a fleet of bicycles, an action-packed Baytowne Adventure Zone with a Zip line, Ropes Course, Euro-Bungy, Rock Wall, Adventure Landing Playground, and more. After a day of play, guests can even indulge in the day spa and salon featuring more than 50 professional services.

4. Stay a Week and Never Eat at the Same Place Twice! – With more than a dozen restaurants on the Florida beach resort property, not only will guests never go hungry, their palate will never get bored! From the surfside fare of Finz Beachside Grille to the family friendly atmosphere of the Village at Baytowne Wharf, it is all within walking distance or on the resort shuttle route.

5. Park the Car and Forget About It! – Covering 2,400 acres from the beach to the bay and everything in between, the luxury beach resort’s complimentary shuttle service is always just a phone call away. Guests can simply pick up the house phone and request a shuttle; it will be dispatched. Kind of like having a personal driver. Let someone else take on the mantle of “Family Chauffeur.”

6. Listen to the Stars – Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort’s Free Wednesday Night Concert Series features fun music and entertainment at a price that is music to your ears – Free! Held at the resort’s Baytowne Village every Wednesday from March through summer, the series showcases new talent from a variety of genres from southern rock to the legendary Florida pop/reggae sensation Heritage.

7. You Only Live Once - At least that is the motto of Y.O.L.O. board founders who developed this fast growing sport fusing surfing with paddling. Perfect for any age and skill level, standup paddling offers a whole new point of view: from paddling to Jolee Island to sneaking up on blue crabs, to dropping in at a favorite surf-break, the act of YOLO-ing or stand up paddling has evolved from its surfing roots to a far more extensive means to enjoy time on the water from a new perspective. Available at Baytowne Marina.

8. Far From Your Average Guestroom – Forgo the standard room with two double beds. Here, the majority of Destin accommodations come in the form of studio, one-, two- and up to five-bedroom cottage, villa, and condo rentals. High-rise condominiums, townhomes, and villas include fully-equipped kitchens, living areas whirlpool spa baths, laundry facilities and more. With more than 1,500 accommodations serving up
views of the beach, bay, fairways and village, Sandestin offers a variety of options.

9. Wine Down - With a cool wine bar, wonderful wine menus and award- winning wine events, Sandestin is the toast of the town for wine lovers. The award-winning Sandestin Wine Festival held each April (this year April 23-25, 2010) hosts nearly 3,000 people who gather to learn about, taste and purchase more than 600 domestic and imported wines. Now in its 24th year, for wine lovers this festival is considered the “Kentucky Derby” of wine events.

10. New Airport Brings Direct Flights from Southwest Airlines – The Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport opens May 23, 2010 with new direct service by Southwest Airlines making Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort more accessible than ever. Most major airlines are already offering affordable airfare from many markets into Northwest Florida Regional Airport (VPS) and the Pensacola Regional Airport (PNS).

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is the premier destination resort in the Southeast. Located in Northwest Florida between Pensacola and Panama City, Sandestin is nestled on 2,400 spectacular acres, including seven miles of pristine beach and bay front. The resort features 1,500 condominium, villa, town home and brand-name hotel accommodations within 30 charming neighborhoods. Sandestin also features four championship golf courses, 15 world-class tennis courts, 19 swimming pools, a 98-slip marina, a fitness center and spa, 65,000 square feet of meeting space and The Village of Baytowne Wharf, a 29-acre village featuring boutique shops, casual and fine dining restaurants and nightlife. Sandestin is part of Intrawest, a leader in destination resorts. www.sandestin.com

When it comes to go on your beach vacation, it can be very hard to pick a destination.  There are many places you can go, whether you want to explore the beaches of Hawaii or just play golf in Georgia.   Below, you’ll find 9 ideas to help you decide on where to go for your vacation.

1.  Hawaii resort
You can choose to put your frequent flier miles to good use and take a beach vacation on the island of Hawaii.  Here, you can relax on the beach, swim in the ocean, play golf, and even indulge in one of the many innovative spa treatments.  Hawaii enjoys some of the best weather in the world – making it  a great choice for your beach vacation.

2.  Golf and Beach in Georgia
Popular among the East Coast, the Cloister at Sea Island in Georgia offers you 54 holes of championship golf, sandy beaches, and a wide array of things for you to do.

3.  Oahu beach vacation
At the Kahala Mandarin Oriental you can expect to be pampered like never before.  You can visit the spa, take scuba diving classes, or choose to swim it up with the dolphins.  The resort is conveniently  located 15 minutes away from Honolulu and Waikiki Beach.

4.  Virgin Islands vacation
At this vacation destination you can enjoy blue waters and sandy beaches.  The Ritz Carlton, and St. Thomas resorts offer you the best of luxury
hotels during your beach vacation in the Virgin Islands.

5.  Half Moon Bay California
Located just 30 minutes by car away from San Francisco, the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay is a quick beach vacation away from the normal busy lifeof the city.

6.  Luxury Beach Resort of Bermuda
Two hours away by flight from New York City, Bermuda is a quick and ideal vacation away from the East Coast.  Ariel Sands offers you 47 guest rooms with gourmet food and breathtaking views.

7.  Romance and seclusion in Jamaica
With unique rooms and splendid views of the Caribbean, gourmet cuisine and amazing beaches, The Caves resort in Jamaica helps to set the beachvacation mood like never before.

8.  Lakeside Resort Georgia
Near Atlanta Georgia, the Lake Lanier Islands offers a golf course for golf lovers and a waterpark with several water rides, slides, and water attractions the entire family will enjoy.

9.  Family fun in Hawaii
The Kona Village Resort in Hawaii offers you several vacation activities that include snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, volleyball, tennis, fishing, scuba diving, and glass bottom boat tours.

Here’s a really simple way to save on beach vacation travel. We are going to show you 3 ways to save you some bucks when booking your next beach vacation.

The beach is an incredible experience. No matter whether you’ve traveled to far western Australia or taken a quick weekend trip to the Jersey Shore, barring rain, the beach is usually a really enjoyable experience. We’ve taken trips all over the world we’ve missed giant opportunities of money savings that were seemingly all around us if we had just taken the time to do a little extra research. Well, you are in luck. The travel research has been done for you, all you have to do is be willing to keep reading. Before you know it, you’ll be taking the beach vacation of your life, for a steeply discounted price.

Here we go:

1) Buy it used. Well, not really used: more like discounted (or unused actually). Sometimes, people can put their vacation opportunities up at real discounts. Did you know that there are all sorts of people out there who own time shares but can’t use them for various reasons? Maybe the season isn’t right, or they can’t seem to get the flight that they need. Ebay has a thriving market for timeshare opportunities. A lot of the listings are permanent (e.g. people looking for others to buy their times shares out completely), but sometimes people are just looking to monetize a weeks worth of timeshare that they can’t seem to use themselves. Their loss can be your opportunity. Ebay is an auction, and the highest price wins usually.

2) Compare everything. Guess what? Expedia and Orbitz seem like they are juggernauts of internet travel and they control a lot of the market. BUT, they don’t have every vendor available. A lot of the discount airlines like SouthWest and JetBlue don’t use either of these massive companies and you can only get their deals by going directly to their website. Don’t’ tell anyone, but from what we’ve heard JetBlue is supposed to have really nice seats and monitors on new planes with really good prices. We haven’t used JetBlue ourselves yet, but it’s supposed be really good (especially at delivering good value on Northeast to Florida routes). That tip alone could save you some bucks while getting you a really nice flight.

3) The first 2 points are perfectly valid in any trip planning but almost worthless when you consider that you might have to shell out a lot more bucks for destinations abroad. There is a beautiful beach state located not too far from anyone East of the Mississippi. That’s right. Florida. Florida is back and it’s beaches are still fantastic. Florida is still beautiful. There has been a lot of development of Florida during the last 50 years, but Florida is still a massive state with plenty of undiscovered beaches. The state of Florida can be great if you know where to look. It’s pretty nice. Trust us….the undiscovered spots of Florida can really be something else. However, they are becoming more and more difficult to find as thousands of people move to Florida every month.