Hi all! I wanted to share how I made the most of a Monday night work trip to New York City. In planning the trip I learned that most Broadway shows are closed on Monday nights, and some of the ones that are open are actually really long shows. As a result, here’s how I managed to have a fun but still early evening in NYC!
Macy’s in New York City decorated for the holidays
Planning for a Solo Night in New York City
Finding a hotel in NYC that does not cost a small fortune is hard. When checking with friends and my network, it seems like the NYC per diem rate for many companies is around $300-350. Finding a quality hotel in NYC that is within that range can be really challenging and sometimes impossible.
The workaround I found for my November 2026 trip was using the Marriott Bonvoy app to book the advance booking rate for the Marriott Residence Inn Times Square in Manhattan several weeks in advance of my trip. I was able to book a King Studio Suite for $291 before taxes and fees. This felt like a steal to get a room with a sofa and kitchen for one night in NYC.
Next, for anyone with a Chase Sapphire Reserve card, have you checked to see if you have used your semi-annual $150 Open Table dining credit yet? I had not yet used it for H2 2026, and knew that my husband and I would probably not use the credit in the next eight weeks. This motivated me to find a restaurant close to the Residence Inn Times Square where I could use this credit so I could have a nice meal and not worry about going over my dinner per diem in one of the most expensive cities for dining in the country.
I learned Limusina, a lavish Mexican restaurant, was a part of the Open Table and Chase dining partnership for NYC, and is only a fifteen minute walk from the Residence Inn. Booking more than two weeks out allowed me to select an early dining time of 5:45 so I could eat and still have time for a show.
Dinner at Limusina
Finally, it’s hard to find a Broadway show that is open on a Monday night, and is less than two hours long. Knowing I had to function in a 9AM meeting the next day, going out late at night in NYC was not an option. As a result, I found that Comedy Village has Monday Night Comedy shows that start at 7 and go until 8:30/8:45. While I found the show in advance, I did not purchase the ticket because I read the two item minimum on the website and thought I could not buy a solo ticket in advance. (I was wrong. It applies to a minimum purchase of two items in the club.)
Experience in New York City
Despite being under construction, the Residence Inn Time Square was a really great mid-tier hotel! My favorite thing is that except from 8:15-8:30 the morning I checked out, there was no real wait time for the evaluators. This was a really nice surprise after having to wait for what seemed like forever at other hotels in the area during previous trips to NYC for work and fun.
Also, the location of the Residence Inn Time Square can’t be beat. It’s across the street from Bryant Park, and is an easy walk from the Amtrak train station. And of course it’s also close to Times Square.
Next, the King Studio Suite in the Residence Inn was really big for a NYC hotel room. The kitchen had stocked utensils, so you could cook in the room while staying there to save money or meet dietary requirements. The one thing to note is there was dishwasher soap, but no dish soap under the sink so make sure you bring your own dish soap if you plan to use the kitchen sparingly.
The next time I take my kids to NYC, I will look to see if the King Studio Suite at the Residence Inn Time Square is available as it felt like it had more space than the Embassy Suites we stayed at the first time we took the kids to NYC.
Somebody averse to walking would not book dinner back by the train station, but that’s of course not me. When I arrived at Limusina for my 5:45 reservation the restaurant was pretty empty, but it filled up quickly— even on a Monday night.
It was hard to decide how to order for one at Limusina given the variety of small plates and main courses they have on the menu. I decided on ceviche, a truffle and jam quesadilla plus elote brule based on both online recommendations and the server’s suggestions. It was a lot of food for one person, so If dining alone you may want to get two items instead of three or just a main.
The service at Limusina was great, and the food was good enough for a solo Monday night work trip. Could I have picked a better restaurant in NYC? Yes, but I liked not having to think about the cost of the meal knowing that I had up to $150 of virtually free money from Chase; and I could still expense a reasonable dinner amount for work.
Given I have used credit card perks like a $100 hotel dining credit through AMEX and free meals in lounges to stretch my work dining budget on other work trips, I don’t feel guilty about expensing some of my dinner while using a larger credit card perk. If somebody wants to engage in a debate on this topic, I am happy to connect.
Anyway, a solo dinner at Limusina without dessert finished in 45/50 minutes. I was easily able to walk up to Comedy Village on 44th street in advance of its 7PM show.
After arriving early to Comedy Village, I learned that you actually can buy a single ticket online for $22, and the ticket price is $20 if you pay cash at the door. The two item minimum is for food and drink items during the show. Good thing I didn’t order dessert at Limusina as I used it as one of my items. The cheesecake wasn’t much to write home about, but I would still rate it higher than some of the early acts in the comedy show itself.
The first few acts at Comedy Village started very slowly, but got better as the show progressed. While that’s expected, when the second comedian complained several times about the crowd being low energy, it took a lot of self control not to heckle that the problem was them 🙂 The show did improve and the later acts were pretty funny. The show worked for a solo Monday night, but it did make me miss all of the shows I saw on my last Disney Cruise.
The comedy show ended around 8:45, and there were still tons of people out and about in the streets of NYC after the show. When walking from Comedy Village back to the Residence Inn there was a small stretch between Time Square that did feel pretty isolated as I walked alone. It was the only time I broke out my trusted Birdie Alarm during the trip and had it ready to go in case of an emergency.
Comedy Village
Closer to Bryant Park, there were more people on the streets and I was able to catch a few holiday market shops that were still open for the evening. It was fun to start getting into the Christmas spirit in the quaint holiday village for a few minutes and still end an evening in NYC back in my hotel room by 9:10 PM!
Bryant Park Ice Rink
Lessons Learned:
-Pre-paying for your hotel room can result in major discounts that unlock better hotel room options for a trip
-There’s a dramatic difference in the scope of restaurants included in the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Open Table dining partnership by city. Check your options when traveling to make the most of your card benefits.
-Always bring a water bottle while traveling, and make use of the hotel gym’s water station when you need to fill up.
Travel Gear:
–Birdie Alarm: Helps you feel safer while walking alone at night.
–Collapsible Water bottle: This fits in a purse and is more comfortable to carry than a heavy metal water bottle.
-Check out my Amazon Storefront for a full list of my product recommendations. Please know I can make a commission from products that help offset the cost of maintaining this blog.
Final Thoughts:
November is a really magical time to go to NYC since it is somewhat decorated for the Christmas holiday, and not as cold as December!
Jamaica on your short list for winter holiday travel? If so, I want to share about our experience booking a trip to the Couples Tower Isle resort to ring in 2016. I can’t believe it’s been a decade since that trip, but I still think it’s worth sharing some things about our experience at the resort that may be relevant today, plus gush about our first experience booking with Costco Travel.
View from the beach at Couples Tower Isle Jamaica
Why book a trip to Jamaica?
For our NYE 2016 trip we wanted to escape winter in the DC area for a beach location, and fit in a few tropical scuba dives. We were on a limited budget, and found a good deal at the time on Costco Travel for a four night trip to Couples Tower Isle in Jamaica. The deal included round-trip flights with a connection through Miami, ground transportation to the all-inclusive resort, and a credit to a local tour company. The draw to Couples Tower Isle was the inclusion of PADI-certified scuba with the all-inclusive fee.
Planning for Jamaica:
Booking through Costco Travel was super easy. It was a one stop shop for all of our trip logistics outside of getting to the DC airport. The cheapest flight option had a tight connection in Miami, but we took the risk and booked that flight. After booking we got confirmations for the flight, hotel and airport transfers plus information on how to book the local adventure. We booked a zip line tour as a way to see some of Jamaica outside of the Couples Tower Isle resort.
We made sure to pack our PADI dive cards and scuba masks for the trip, but did not have additional dive gear that needed special packing or planning for the trip.
Experience:
Costco Travel did a great job with the logistics for our trip to Jamaica. We had no issues with the flights, airport transfers or having a room available at the resort.
While waiting for our van to the resort upon arrival in Jamaica, there was a fun complimentary lounge set-up with beers and snacks. It was a nice way to be welcomed to Jamaica, and fuel up before the ride to the resort. It is a set-up I have yet to experience during other Caribbean vacations, but would love to know of other locations that do this as it was such a nice way to wait for a hotel van after a cramped flight.
The room at the Couples Tower Isle resort had a stocked minibar with complimentary beer which made for the perfect set-up for relaxing on the hotel balcony in the evening after spending most of the day at the resort beach, pool or on a scuba dive.
The vibe of the resort was super friendly, and there were other young social couples which was a nice change from other resorts we have gone to where guests are not as social.
The SCUBA dive experience was super enjoyable. This was our first Caribbean dive trip, so it was incredible to see bright tropical fish after seeing wrecks in Malta, and diving between the tectonic plates in Iceland.
The all-inclusive resort food at Couples Tower Isle was pretty good, on most days, and the resort did go all-out for New Years Eve. There were decadent dessert displays, ice and chocolate sculptures as well as live music for the holiday. There was also an extensive raw bar. While super elaborate, I think we did get food poisoning from it.
Our departure from the resort left us plenty of time to get through security and make our flight home which is always very much appreciated.
Festive NYE Decorations
Lessons Learned:
It’s a huge risk eating raw bar items at buffets in warm locations. You need to strongly evaluate the risks and decide if you want to increase your chances of food poisoning.
Global Entry pays for itself if you have a tight flight connection at the Miami airport. You are able to avoid some extremely long customs lines.
Goodr Sunglasses: The perfect sunglasses when combining adventurous activities with the pool on one trip.
Short sleeve swim suit: Decrease your sun exposure while on the beach or on the boat to a dive site with this suit.
Snorkel Mask Strap: Keep long hair from snagging on a traditional plastic strap when doing multiple dives in one day.
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Final Thoughts:
Overall, if somebody is OK traveling with the current level two US State Department classification for Jamaica, I would recommend the Couples Tower Isle resort for people interested in all-inclusive scuba and a fun resort vibe– just skip the raw bar and limit your stay to the resort.
If price sensitivity is not as big of a priority, then I would pick Aruba (more about our trip here) because it is safe and easy to navigate the island on your own.
Hi all! This week I want to share why Rent the Runway (RTR) is the perfect subscription for women who love to travel for fun and work.
What is Rent the Runway
For those of you who are not familiar with Rent the Runway, it is a monthly clothing rental service for women. You can do a single rental for special occasions, or you can do what I do, and get a monthly subscription that includes several items a month. If you want to try it, here is a code for 50% off your first month.
The current Rent the Runway subscription model includes several shipment options per month, and you can rent clothing, outerwear, purses and jewelry. If you love something so much and would like to purchase something that you rent, then you are able to easily do that by notifying RTR in the app.
Rent the Runway Home Screen
Why Rent the Runway is Awesome
For some background, I am a working mom who lives in the DC area. We have all four seasons. I need both professional and mom clothing for every season— plus date and workout clothes; which is a lot of clothing for somebody who is also an avid outdoor runner, barre enthusiast, and occasional skier.
I also have a super tiny closet. We bought our “starter” townhome over ten years ago and refinanced it during COVID, so it now makes zero sense to upgrade the size of our home with the current 7%+ mortgage rates. In comparison, our mortgage rate is so low that a mortgage broker once tried to fight my husband at work when he learned our rate.
A Rent The Runway subscription makes it feel like you have a huge closet without actually committing to owning items you wear. You can wear something for a month, and then return it without having it take up long-term space in your closet. Also, for time strapped moms who feel like their body is constantly changing, RTR prevents women from investing in clothing items that may only fit for a season or two.
RTR allows women to dress for every kind of occasion without taking up permanent closed space. When certain colors, dress lengths or types of skirts are trending, you can rent the current style, and then return it at the end of the season. Also, you can rent bulky sweaters for winter, and then send them back to RTR so they don’t gather dust in your home or get attacked by moths either.
As a data nerd, RTR also helps with the price per wear of clothing. I looked at the price per wear in Stylebook of some of the nicer silk blouses I bought for work (check out why I love Stylebook here), and noticed it was pretty high before I either got a stain on the item or the print looked dated. Instead, RTR minimizes the purchase of clothing that gets stained and worn less than 30 times– so I can keep the cost per wear of the things I own low. Why focus on 30 wears? 30 times is my minimum wear goal for items I buy to feel like they are being used intentionally and somewhat sustainably.
Rent the Runway is also a lifesaver because you can rent several clothing items to fit your schedule for the month ahead. For example, if you have a big work trip with important meetings, then you can rent things that look both professional and trendy. Or, if you only see your co-workers a few times a year, then you don’t keep re-wearing the same work clothes during your quarterly meet-ups. Finally, if you are doing a Disney Cruise (Like our trip on the Fantasy), then you can rent a fun tropical print dress for a fancy dinner at sea, and be able to wear a different dress the following year without any guilt.
When we went to Aruba I was able to rent some fancy dresses and purses for the trip, take fun pictures on the beach, and know that I would not be wearing the same dress in every picture on future beach vacations too.
Rent the Runway is also awesome for renting items for fancy special occasions. If you have a gala or destination wedding within the US, then you can rent something that fits the theme and location of the wedding, have it shipped to your hotel, and then return it before your flight home. This cuts down on the space needed in your suitcase for the trip itself, and eliminates the problem of having some fancy dresses languishing in your closet for the next function— and then of course wanting something new since the dresses you have seem so old or do not fit the type of function you are attending next.
Suggested rentals
Making the Most of Your Rent the Runway Subscription
To get the most out of Rent the Runway, you do need to provide feedback on how the items you rent fit so that the algorithm can suggest better matches in the future. While this does require a small time investment, I have found it is significantly less time than a trip to the mall to find clothes for the upcoming season.
Also, as a monthly member you will get occasional discounts and perks too. The value of them is really dependent on how much you love the brands they are promoting. For example, I got a free pair of Bombas socks last year, but they are not a style I like.
Overall through, Rent the Runway is an awesome way to try clothes for a few weeks, and then return them for new ones to meet the needs of your month ahead. While you may need to play around with sizing to find your perfect fit, once you work out the kinks it’s a perfect way to maximize the value of what you spend on clothing and reduce textile waste.
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Capon Springs and Farms, located in Capon, West Virginia bills itself as an all-inclusive mountain resort located less than two hours from DC, and got its start as a medicinal spa due to its fresh water spring that is touted as having healing qualities. After more than half a dozen visits to Capon, over ten plus years, I want to share my experience going to Capon Springs.
Camp fire at Capon Springs
Why visit Capon Springs and Farms Resort?
Are you looking for a family-style camp similar to, but not nearly as nice, as the ones featured in Dirty Dancing or the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel? If so, Capon Springs and Farms may be the place for you.
While Capon categorizes itself as a “resort,” it is more along the lines of family camp. The property has more than a dozen cabins and cottages nestled into its wooded mountain property. It is open from late April to early November, and requires advance booking for most stays. Rates are set per person per night and include food and activities except for golf, the spa and Escape room.
Capon has a variety of camping trails, sports fields, a spring-fed pool and farm area too. The resort is based on a natural spring that flows through the property with drinking fountains scattered about, and has purported medicinal qualities.
The all-inclusive meals are served family style at specific times in a large dining room in the main building of the property. The set menu for the season is available here. One of the best part of the meals is dessert– with home-made pies and other baked goods that you can smell cooking when you walk by the main hall.
When I first went to Capon in 2012 the only way you could stay at Capon was by getting a referral from somebody you knew. There were no locks on the cabins, no cell reception after you left the interstate, and it was completely BYOB.
Today there are locks on the doors, you can get cell reception throughout most of the property, several places on the property have wifi, and they sell a limited amount of alcohol; but you still must only consume it in your cabin.
Sunset after dinner on the hill
Planning for Capon Springs:
We book our room for each season when we leave the property the previous year. Capon’s booking system is one of the things I really struggle with. You submit your written request when you depart Capon each year, and if you are a repeat visitor you get priority with your room choice and date for the following year.
When my husband and I went to Capon before kids, it was easy to plan for Capon. We would just request a room in advance, and throw our golf clubs in the car with our hiking boots and other overnight belongings – and stop for some wine at a Virginia Winery like Linden along the way. We stayed in the log cabin, and other cottages before kids and it was super easy.
Going to Capon with young kids is not easy or sometimes comfortable to plan for if you are trying to optimize for cost. We stayed in the Webster Cottage during COVID with our oldest child who was less than a year old. It was hard having one room for nap time and at night when they went to bed so early, and we did not want to go to bed or disturb them in the room.
When we went back to Capon two years later with two kids we got adjoining rooms in the Fairfax because there was extra capacity during our trip. BUT we got a lot of friction from the front desk staff about the request for two rooms. Honestly, I don’t know how our family of four would have fit into one room given the space and size of the beds.
More recently we have paid for each child as an adult to secure a multi-bedroom cottage on the hill. We like the remote location of the cottages on the hill because they are super quiet, and once the kids go to bed my husband and I can sit outside on the screened in porch and enjoy seeing nocturnal animals and listening to bird calls while we drink wine. It’s super peaceful and the closest thing I will get to camping. Paying the adult rate makes it a lot more expensive, and it’s hard to justify a longer stay.
This past Summer, 2026 despite having written confirmation that we had a cabin reserved, Capon tried to move us to two rooms that were not adjoining for our family’s stay. Fortunately having a written confirmation helped us get the cabin we reserved, but it is still an experience worth sharing with other families that you may not get the room you reserved in advance for your stay. And you need to be prepared to split up as a family.
We really love going to Capon Springs and Farms because it is a chance for us to connect with nature and spend a screen-free long weekend as a family, but I wish they had a better reservation system or set-up for families. I understand it is part of its quirky nature and charm to not have everything modernized, but it would be nice if some of the rooms were updated for modern family requests. I wish the modernization efforts that have come to the spa would also be made so it’s easier for families to visit.
In preparing for Capon, know that there is no AC in the cabins, so you need to plan for heat or cool mornings and evenings. There are box fans available in many rooms to help cool them, and they serve as great white noise machines too.
Also, lunch doesn’t start until 1PM, so we always bring some snacks for the kids. While Capon is touted as all-inclusive, there are no substantive snacks between meals so you need to plan to wrap up food from the dining room to take with you, or bring some things from home for in between meals. I have started bringing our reusable snack bags to snag toast, cookies, etc. and things the kids can eat between meals.
Capon Cottage
Experience at Capon:
We try to get to Capon on Thursday nights to start our long weekend with dinner on the hill. We try to arrive shortly after check-in starts so we can get to our room, unpack and relax before dinner.
Thursday dinners at Capon are one of the meals that are served outside in a pavilion that abuts the Capon golf course. They serve steak, burgers, hot dogs, and sides buffet style with home-made pies and cookies for dessert. During and after dinner on the hill kids are able to run along the golf course and have fun with beautiful views of the blue ridge mountains in the background.
Mornings at Capon are special, and start with music playing around the property 30 minutes-ish before breakfast starts. Every morning there is a flag raising ceremony where kids can help raise the flag before the National Anthem is sung. Then, the breakfast bell rings and everyone files into the main dining room for breakfast.
During your first meal at Capon you will be escorted to your family’s table in the main dining room for the duration of your stay. Your name will be on the table, and you will also mostly have the same server for your meals. They will learn if you need a high chair, bibs, sippy cups, chocolate milk, etc. for young ones and can accommodate other dietary needs too.
After breakfast, unless you have reservations for golf or the spa, you are left to explore the pool, sports facilities, hikes, etc. that the property has to offer. Some mornings include tours of the spring house, organized hikes, feeding the pigs at hog heaven, and sports competitions. There are physical sign-ups for many activities in the main building.
There used to be a stand alone toy house directly behind the main building that was perfect for young kids to play before breakfast. The toys have been moved to the pingpong house, and are a great stop before breakfast. There’s also a library and puzzle room in the main building that can provide entertainment while at Capon.
The variety of animals available at “hog heaven” has changed over the years. Back in the day there were some goats too, but recently it has been predominantly pigs. Also, you will pass a well stocked fishing pond on the way to Hog Heaven. The main Capon building has fishing supplies, and you are able to eat some of the fish you catch from the pond for dinner. Be on the lookout for turtles too around the pond– my kids are still talking about the massive turtle they saw this past June.
You can tell lunch is close to starting when you hear the music again playing throughout the property. Lunches are usually buffet style in recent years with a robust salad bar and hot food. Your server will check in with you at breakfast about the lunch menu and if there are any accommodations like chicken nuggets or peanut butter and jelly needed.
Afternoons are usually the perfect time to check out the freezing cold- or some people say “refreshing” Capon pool. It’s fed by the spring on property and the temperature remains consistent throughout the summer.
Another relaxing afternoon experience is a trip to the Hygeia Spa. In addition to massages, you can soak in private soaking rooms as an individual, couple or family. You can choose bath salts for the experience, or just take in the waters. The spa is also where you can purchase wine on the Capon property.
2026 was the first time we checked out the somewhat new Capon Escape Room. We planned it for a day that looked like rain when our kids were 4 and 6. The experience was a bit advanced for the four year old, but was accessible for a precocious six year old. It was a fun experience for the family, and was not as complex or challenging as chain escape rooms.
Saturday nights at Capon are a special experience. After sun down there is a large bonfire with campfire songs followed by hotdogs and cake. We let the kids go for the first time in 2026. We ducked out early for bedtime, but the kids still really enjoyed the experience.
Departure days at Capon end with breakfast unless you pay extra to stay for lunch. There can be a long line at check-out, so be prepared to wait. We usually have one parent take the kids to the playground while the other finalizes check-out. At that point we make our reservation for the following year.
The playground at Capon Springs
Lessons Learned:
If you have limited mobility, or broken bones, you can rent a golf cart to get around the property
There are snakes on the hiking trails, so be on the look-out when hiking the property
The toy house that used to be a stand alone building was torn down before the 2026 season, and has been relocated to the ping pong house close to the spring house. We now bring toys in good condition the kids have outgrown to the toy house so they can keep it going for future kids.
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Final Thoughts:
While my kids will grow up with core memories from Capon, and we will continue to try to go for a long weekend every summer, I wish there was a bit less friction when booking as a family and checking out at the end. After this past stay, we know we have to also prepare for the unexpected with room assignments.
Part of the Capon charm is the traditions the property has like set meals and the ability to completely relax and unwind which keeps some families going annually for generations. There are some families that have gone annually for over 50 years which is super impressive and is a testament to the property’s charm. It’s a hard balance for Capon to keep the nostalgic traditions that keep people going for generations while also modernizing to meet modern expectations in the hospitality industry to attract new families.
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Lewes is a small beach town about a 20 minute drive from the busier Rehoboth beach. It has a small, walkable downtown with a brand new playground, awesome restaurants, and a clean public beach. It’s also a short drive from Cape Henlopen State Park.
Sunset in Lewes, Delaware
Why plan a trip to the beach in Lewes, Delaware?
Are you looking for a family friendly beach town less than three hours from DC? Do you also enjoy nice restaurants, and having a variety of enrichment activities to do when your family gets tired of the sand and surf? If so, look no further than Lewes, Delaware, “The first town in the first state.”
Planning a trip to Lewes, Delaware:
Your accommodation requirements will determine how far in advance you need to plan for a trip to Lewes, Delaware. Can you plan a day trip to Lewes from the DC area? Yes. Will it be as relaxing as an overnight? Probably not.
There are large vacation home rentals you can select for Lewes. The town’s website also has a suggested list. We are huge fans of the Dogfish Inn. The staff have been amazing and helpful over the years, and we have even had a chance to meet the brewery founder for a fire-pit chat with beers.
I first learned about the Dogfish Inn back when Urban Daddy covered the DC area. They showcased what was then a new property that was associated with the Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, Delaware. A dog friendly property near the beach was perfect for me before kids. Since my first visit to the Inn, I have been over half a dozen times.
After having kids we started to book the Cottage Sweet at the Dogfish Inn for our family. I book the suite a year in advance during our annual visit to lock in our dates for the following year. We love staying in the Cottage Sweet as a family because we can put the kids down for naps (when they are needed) and still have an area to relax. We also bring our Nest camera as a child monitor in the evenings, and then go down and outside to the fire pit to enjoy the outdoor space after the kids go to bed. In the mornings we can enjoy breakfast in the suite, and also have space on the dining table to do puzzles from the local puzzle store when we need a break from outdoor activities.
We have also tried a VRBO in Lewes, and it was ok for a one-time trip. We had to bring our own linens, including bath mats and all of the towels, so after that experience we have prioritized staying at the Dogfish Inn since the linen requirement took up so much extra space in our vehicle, and required so much additional planning, packing and laundry that it did not make for as enjoyable of a family beach vacation.
Finally, you need to make dinner reservations in advance if you are going to Lewes during the busy season. Some of our favorite places to eat that need reservations are Agave, Heirloom and RAAS. I need to do better in 2027 and make a reservation at Lewes Oyster House because when we tried to go for happy hour in 2026 it was at capacity both times we tried to get a table.
A view of the Dogfish Inn
Experience on a Beach Trip to Lewes, Delaware:
Lewes is such an enjoyable beach town for families with children. Although in 2026 we went in August due to inclement weather during our usual weekend, and it was HOT so we did not get to use the new playground, and visit some of the outdoor restaurants we love as much as we did during our 2025 visit. Our family decided we like the cooler start to summer so we can enjoy additional activities in Lewes rather than the hot days of August where the ocean water is warmer, but may also have jelly fish.
In 2025 Lewes replaced their playground with a pirate themed one, and it is such an enjoyable morning destination for kids. We love grabbing breakfast or coffee in town and taking it to the playground so the kids can get some early activity time in while the adults caffeinate. There is also a pirate ship tour that goes by the playground most mornings too which is fun to watch. The tour is a bit expensive so we have not done it yet as a family. In 2026 I opted out because it was only two weeks before our trip to Italy. Maybe 2027 will be our year.
The larger park surrounding the playground also has tennis and basketball courts as well as a large grassy area for additional play and concerts. We have also seen yoga classes in the park, and enjoyed playing chess at the tables that are nestled alongside the back of the park.
For Lewes Beach, plan to arrive before nine AM if you want to get a good parking spot and some free parking time. During peak summer months, the parking lot fills up, and there can be lines of people crawling the lot trying to get a space. (Another reason that if you day trip you need to leave DC by like 5AM). Also, have the Park Mobile App ready to go so you can extend your parking time if needed.
There are large bathrooms at the back of the parking lot that are frequently cleaned. There’s an outdoor shower for rinsing off sand before getting into your vehicle, and additional showers in the bathroom area too.
The one substantive food option close to the beach is a Dairy Queen so we try to park our lunch most days. We bring salad kids for the adults, and sandwiches for the kids. Note, the Dog Fish Inn Cottage Sweet refrigerator has been somewhat broken for several years and does not have a working freezer section– so consider this when deciding what lunch food to bring.
Also, despite being over the Bay Bridge, Lewes does have quick delivery from Walmart so you can order grocery delivery, and save space in the trunk of your vehicle.
When not at the beach, our kids love the Big Oyster Brewery. There is an outdoor playground that is a perfect place to relax after spending several hours at the beach. It’s dog friendly, and has so much space for kids to run around while adults enjoy a pint or two. They also frequently have live music which makes afternoons and evenings there super enjoyable and easy.
On our arrival day, since you never know how long the drive to Lewes will really take, we usually go to Wheelhouse or Irish Eyes for dinner. Both restaurants have outdoor seating and are easy to walk into for dinner if you are on the early side.
For activities in addition to the beach we have loved the free Cannon Ball House, and the Lightship Overfalls maritime museum. The kids really loved being able to ring the bell on the tour of the ship.
Finally, depending on how adventurous we are, length of stay and who we are traveling with, we have also ventured to Rehoboth for dinner and mini golf, to Cape Henlopen State Park, and the Dog Fish Head brewery for a tour. All are awesome ways to spend some time while on a trip to Lewes.
Lessons Learned:
Bay Bridge traffic from DC to Lewes is so unpredictable that you need to give yourself a several hour grace window if you are also planning to make dinner reservations in Lewes for the day of your arrival to avoid a reservation cancellation fee.
While Raas has amazing food, it is not always the most kid-friendly restaurant – until you can order from the main menu. In previous years we could not dine at 5PM during their happy hour time, and get the bar menu with more kid-friendly items in the main dining room.
The running and biking trails south east of the Dogfish Inn, at the Georgetown Trail head go for miles. You can get to Rehoboth and Milton by bike. With the new home development in the area the trails are pretty well trafficked in the morning, but you still want to exercise precautions since they abut some wooded areas too.
Pop Up Tent: This tent is awesome to protect from sun, and is the most wind resistant shade option we have seen on the beach. Traditional umbrellas frequently fly away with strong winds, but this tent can stand on its own on a windy beach day.
Mac Sports Wagon: The only way to get a ton of beach gear and young kids from the car to the water.
Water Jug: Now that the kids no longer nap, this water jug is essential for staying hydrated when we spend a full day as a family at the beach.
Kid Camping Chairs: We bring these chairs for the kids, and borrow two adult chairs from the Dogfish Inn for our tent. Everyone has a comfortable place to sit at the beach this way.
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Final Thoughts in Lewes:
Lewes is an underrated beach spot for families in the DC area. Its playgrounds, family friendly restaurants, activities and public beach with clean bathrooms make it a win for our family– and I hope more families learn about it from this post!
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Venice is one of those must-see cities in Italy for a reason. The romantic canals, art history and unique city design make it a magical place to visit. This post is about my third trip to Venice in August 2026 with my husband and kids who were five and six at the time of travel. It’s also the final post in a three part series about our Italian vacation that also included several days in Garda.
Venice Italy
Why go to Venice, Italy with kids?
The compact car-free layout of Venice actually makes it incredibly kid friendly. The vaporettos that whisk you down the Grand Canal can be made into a stand alone kid activity, and the abundance of pasta, pizza and gelato make it easy to feed picky eaters while exploring. Add in breathtaking museums, trips to Murano and Burano, and a child’s excitement can really grow for Venice.
The one thing to manage while going to Venice with young kids during summer months is that the hotels in the main part of the city do not have pools, and playgrounds are almost nonexistent. To manage these aspects of Venice, you can stay on private islands that have more amenities.
Planning for Venice with Kids:
We booked our August 2026 stay at the J.W. Marriott Resort and Spa in January of 2026. We compared room prices on both the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Amex Platinum cards and found that American Express offered a slightly better deal. We reserved a one bedroom suite that included free breakfast. We splurged on the room type to celebrate my husband’s promotion earlier in the year. Also, we picked this property for our stay because we knew it had a pool, kids club, and gym.
Prior to our stay we booked a private pick-up from the Venice train station to take us directly to the hotel. We wanted to experience the unique arrival to the hotel from a private boat, and not deal with ten days of luggage for a family of four on a crowded public boat.
Next, when it got closer to our trip date, we booked the discounted Venice museum pass, and transportation pass. We knew that we would take advantage of the vaporetto’s to get around the city and wanted the flexibility of a multi-day pass. We also booked a private tour of the Doge’s Palace and San Marco cathedral using Get your Guide (with an AMEX discount) to minimize wait time with kids. While this was a bit excessive, a few of the decisions we made on this trip were for comfort over budget.
We read a lot of books to the kids about Italy and Venice before our departure. Many thanks to my local Librarians who manage all of my travel book holds! Olivia Goes to Venice was already a fan favorite in our house years before this trip materialized. Theodore’s Italian Adventure, and This is Venice, also helped us prepare the kids for our travels. During the darkest days of the winter snow storms that pummeled the DC area in Q1 of 2026, we also let the kids watch Youtube videos about Venice. This was the first time we introduced travel videos to the kids in a meaningful way to prepare for a trip.
We also made one reservation in advance of our trip at Harry’s Bar. This is a Venetian institution, and we wanted to bring them family to it.
Finally, I got a bit concerned about safety for the trip when reading about pickpockets, and hearing from a friend that their parents had been robbed in Venice. I made the decision to not bring any nice watches or jewelry on this trip. I purchased an anti-theft purse, phone chain for my wrist, and new money belt to keep our wallets and phones safe. My old money belt was so old and well-worn that it had started to disintegrate. It’s funny that the technology hasn’t really changed in 20+ plus years except for the inclusion of RFID cards.
The J.W. Marriott Venice Resort and Spa
Experience in Venice:
We had such an incredible time in Venice. What really made our trip was some of the private tours we booked like to the Doge’s Palace and to Murano and Burano using Get Your Guide. The other highlight of the trip outside of being in Venice itself was the J.W. Marriott Venice. It was such an incredible experience taking a boat to a private island– with breathtaking views of Venice from the rooftop pool and restaurant– and having the green space to literally run around and play when not exploring Venice. This was exactly what our active family needed.
Day 1
Our train from Peschiera del Garda to Venice was delayed due to rain. Upon our arrival at the Venice train station, we were met at the beginning of our train’s platform by two uniformed men. They helped us take our luggage to the waiting water taxi we had reserved through the hotel. The boat was so classy with beautiful shinny wood, and it whisked us away to the J.W. Marriott right as the rain subsided.
When you check into the J.W. Marriott Venice, you get a printed timetable of the water shuttle schedule to San Marco Square. We quickly packed day bags after gaining access to our hotel room so we could make the next shuttle to San Marco Square so we could start exploring the city.
We did not pick a lunch spot in Venice in advance. Instead, we decided to go to the north east corner of San Marco Square, and then wander the allies until we found a restaurant that both had space and lunch options for the kids. The rain picked up again during lunch so we then decided to use our museum passes to spend the afternoon in the Museo Correr.
While the Correr Museum was a bit mature for 5 and 6 year olds, the kids still enjoyed seeing the statues in the museum, and appreciated being dry and inside. A lot of their comments and fascination while exploring the museum were around the missing body parts of the statues – so if you take your kids to this museum be prepared 🙂
We ended our first day in Venice with dinner at the Pizzeria Cucina back at the J.W. After a rainy day of travel and exploring, an easy dinner was the best call for our family. The food was OK. You pay for the price of convenience at the restaurant rather than an amazing culinary experience.
Rialto Bridge
Day 2
I started day two with a run around the Isola delle Rose. Previous trips to Venice were really hard on my knees; trying to fit in my miles on cobblestone sidewalks. While this trip didn’t have the same weekly mileage goals that I had running college cross-country, I still try to run several days a week. I went a bit off the manicured path on my runs at the J.W., and saw Nutria out in the grassy areas of the island. It was fun to see a bit of wildlife to start the day. The hotel has a map with mileage, but it’s pretty easy to run laps around the hotel and do some stairs near the boat dock to have a continuous loop.
Booking the J.W. Marriott Venice through American Express included the free breakfast buffet at the “Cucina Daily Breakfast” restaurant in the hotel. It was one of the best hotel buffets I have ever seen. (The best being the Marriott in Bangkok many many years ago.) There was an omelet station, gluten free and vegan areas, fresh pastries, cheese, hot food and more. Coffee was also easily accessible and delicious.
After breakfast and a boat ride to San Marco Square, we boarded a Vaporetto that took us under the Rialto bridge to the Natural History museum. The dinosaur bones in this museum were a bit more kid friendly than the Correr museum the day before. Also, there were a few hands-on areas for the kids which helped keep them excited as we explored the museum. We grabbed lunch by the museum, and then went back to the hotel to take advantage of the pool.
The J.W. Marriott family pool set-up was phenomenal. There was a shallow pool with an incline for younger kids, and a deeper pool that was a consistent depth of like five feet too. There was also a splash pad at the far end for tiny visitors, and a ropes course playground with swings beyond that. There is a restaurant and bar next to the pool that also has bathrooms- so you don’t have to go back to the hotel. This pool and facilities arrangement made for the perfect set-up for our family after a morning of exploring.
At the ages of five and six, my kids no longer nap, but it is still hard for them to power through a full day of sight seeing. Spending time most afternoons on this trip at the pool really helped make everyone happy and ready to go out again for an early dinner and an evening exploration of Venice.
We used the Fork App to find a restaurant for dinner. Needing to eat dinner around six in Venice means restaurants are relatively empty, and some offer discounts through the app. We got a discount for our reservation at Trattoria Rialto Novo. We thought it would be fun to explore the Rialto Bridge neighborhood and both walk on the bridge, and see the surroundings.
Natural History museum in Venice
Day 3
To manage our kid’s endurance we got a late start (as a family– I got in another glorious morning run) on day three. After another amazing hotel breakfast we took advantage of the hotel playground. This was the first real playground time we had in Italy.
Compared to the incredible playgrounds we have been to in Budapest, Vienna, London, Belgium, Bergen, Copenhagen, and Oslo, Italy really lacked the same impressive play structures for kids. The play area at the J.W. allowed my kids to run around and have fun before we put them up to possibly the biggest test of the trip– a visit to a Murano glass factory.
Before the glass factory we had lunch at Osteria Da Bacco. We picked up from the counter and ate lunch around the corner on some covered steps next to a canal. The kids loved getting chicken on a stick for lunch– the closest thing to “normal” chicken nuggets they had had on this trip, and I enjoyed a panini, a pistachio cannoli with an Aperol Spritz to go.
While the Museum Pass covers a glass factory, and you can use the transportation pass to get to and from Murano and Burano, we read that end of day boats back from Murano and Burano can be really crowded. We did not want to deal with screaming exhausted children on a crowded boat, so we opted for a private tour with the Amex discount through Get Your Guide.
The joint Murano and Burano tour picked us up after lunch at a statue near the water to the east of San Marco Square. Our guide had a ton of energy and enthusiasm during the boat ride to Murano.
Our first tour stop was the New Murano Gallery. We saw a glass demonstration before going into their glass museum. (Now you see why we did lots of morning playground time!) The glass demonstration was so cool seeing sand turned into objects like a vase and an animal. At one point when they were making the vase I got my hopes up that we could buy it and take it home, but those dreams literally shattered when the vase shattered on the cool demonstration table.
The glass museum we then went into was incredible. There were so many rooms of stunning sculptures and glass products. While my husband and I went into the trip thinking we may get a Murano glass chandiliere, after visiting the museum we opted for a glass sculpture instead. We learned while in the museum that the low ceilings in our somewhat tiny dining room are not the right match for exquisite glass light fixtures. Either way, it was amazing to see how dedicated the Murano artists are to their craft, and we miraculously made it out of the museum with real souvenirs, and not things the kids broke and we had to buy.
Note: we did learn that if you buy something in Murano and have it shipped to your home in the United States that the process does take a while. It’s been over a month since our visit and the purchase is still waiting in customs… and we are also waiting to see what the tax payment process looks like for our sculpture.
After Murano, our tour took us to Burano where we saw a lace making demonstration. We then had free time to explore the vibrant island. We loved the brightly colored homes on the island, and managed to have an awesome waterfront dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria Ai Cesendeli followed by some gelato and some of their famous butter cookies to go. It was kind of crazy to see the whole shopping area in Burano close up as the clock tower struck 6PM and we walked to our waiting boat back to Venice. It was awesome to have seats on the boat for everyone in our family so we could relax and watch the sun set over Venice.
Finally, we were very lucy that our sprint to the J.W. boat resulted in us making the 7PM ride back to the hotel for the evening. Our toddler carrier was worth its weight in gold when I was able to put our younger child on my back, and run to the dock for the hotel boat, and ask them to wait two minutes to ensure my husband and older child made the 7PM boat too. We were able to put the kids to bed at their normal time, and enjoy a glass of wine on the lovely balcony at the hotel.
Beautiful Burano
Day 4
Our second to last day in Venice focused on seeing the San Marco Basilica, Doges Palace and Campanile. Even though our museum pass covered these attractions, we decided to do a tour through Get Your Guide to minimize wait time. We got a guide for the basilica, but the rest of the tour was DIY. I do not think it was worth it to purchase the private tour for these activities while also having a museum pass. We could have just upgraded to the audio sets for the attractions and saved some money.
The San Marco Basilica was beautiful inside, and as the first stop of the day resulted in very engaged kids. Next, the Campanile was exciting for everyone to get beautiful views of Venice. We then took a break for pastries and coffee at Caffe Florian; the oldest cafe in Europe. The pastries were beautiful, and coffee delicious, but it wasn’t quite enough fuel or break for the kids to truly enjoy the Doges Palace.
Doing the Doges Palace, Campanile and Basilica in one morning is a lot for a five and six year old. In hindsight we should have broken up the attractions to make it more kid friendly. By the end of the Doges Palace tour I was carrying our youngest child through the rooms trying to make it enjoyable, but also wishing we were all just sitting down for lunch.
We walked back to Osteria Da Bacco for lunch because the kids loved it the previous day, and we wanted to make them happy again after the Doges Palace. After everyone had some lunch and Gelato we did our souvenir shopping for Venice. At one store we got the VAT tax return forms after purchase. One thingto note: when you claim the VAT tax back at the airport you need both the forms and items you purchased with you when making the claim at the airport.
We ended the day back at the hotel pool followed by dinner on the rooftop restaurant at the J.W. Marriott. The rooftop views of Venice were incredible, and the food was equally amazing. It was really nice that the kids meal included crudites in a cute format which helped my kids get some more vegetables in their bodies between their meals of pasta, pizza, and pastries on this trip.
Cafe Florian
Day 5
Our final day started by taking the vaporetto to the Jewish Ghetto to see this part of the city. The Jewish Museum of Venice was closed on the day of our visit so we explored the neighborhood, and then went to the Ca’Pesaro museum. Honestly, we picked the museum because it was the closest museum on the museum pass to where we were standing when somebody in the family needed the facilities. Sometimes when traveling you take small detours that end up being lots of fun and the Ca’Pesaro was one of those detours. The kids liked seeing the Thinker again, and the modern art was engaging for them.
Next we went to Harry’s Bar for our lunch reservation. I got the classic bellini, and the gorgonzola gnocchi. The food and drink were delicious, but know that you are paying up for the history of the restaurant more than the food. Since I have now been twice, I think I am set on Harry’s bar visits since nothing really changed in 20 years.
After Harry’s Bar we did the quintessential gondola ride to end our time in Venice. We picked a gondola location close to the restaurant, and really enjoyed it. My oldest child had been asking to go on a gondola ride for several years at that point thanks to the Olivia Goes to Venice book, so they finally got their wish. It was fun to travel down some of the smaller canals by boat and get a different perspective of Venice than when you are walking or on a vaporetto.
We ended the day back at the pool for a while followed by our final dinner in Venice. We decided to get gelato at Bravin Renato before our boat ride back to the hotel for the evening. As soon as I took a picture of the gelato, a seagull swept in and stole it from my hand, and then devoured it in front of me in San Marco square. So note that the birds are AGGRESSIVE in San Marco Square despite the feeding ban so make sure you guard your gelato and watch your kids too. (And don’t worry Caffe Chioggia was right by the boat dock so I replaced my gelato there :))
Gondola views
Day 6
Leaving the J.W. Marriott Venice was so hard to do! But they make early morning departures easier with breakfast and coffee to go. Our flight was at 9AM which meant that we could not take the hotel shuttle to San Marco and then the water bus with enough time for our flight. This resulted in one final private boat ride to end our trip. It was magical to pull out of the hotel in a boat to see the sun rise over Venice. While everyone was sad to leave such a magical city, I think everyone was also slightly excited to sleep in their own beds again after our ten day adventure.
Harry’s Bar
Lessons Learned:
Seagulls and Pigeons will go after your food in San Marco Square. Be careful eating, and be sure to protect your kids if they are eating gelato or other food in the square.
A private tour for Murano and Burano is worth it for a seat on the ride home from the islands, but is not as critical for San Marco Basilica.
Having access to a pool during summer travel with kids makes vacations a million times easier when they can relax and swim after using all of their focus in museums or more mature attractions.
Phone chain: to prevent you from dropping your phone in a canal or off a boat
Money belt: Divide your credit cards and critical documents with this second layer of security
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Leaving the J.W. Marriott Venice at Sunrise
Final Thoughts:
Venice continues to delight and impress after three visits. There is something magical about the canals and architecture of the city that makes it incredibly special. For younger kids, having a pool and area to run around and play on the trip is a critical component of success for everyone. I hope to go back again one day for the Doges Ball!
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This is the second post in a three part series about our August 2026 trip to Italy including Venice and Lake Garda with a family of four— the kids were 5 and 6 at the time of travel. The first post focused on the logistics for our Italian trip. This post is going to dig deeper into our experience with four days in Garda itself. I will cover Venice in a later post.
Why go to Lake Garda with Kids?
Peschiera del Garda
Lake Garda is Italy’s largest lake, and is situated in the northern part of the country between Venice and Milan. It has a series of towns and villages surrounding the area which allows for unique experiences around the lake.
We decided to travel to Garda because it is less than 90 minutes from Venice with a direct train option. We planned our trip around a nonstop flight to Venice, and did not want to spend much time traveling between locations in Italy. Many thanks to a Panama Pal who suggested Garda after her experience. Once we learned about the amusement parks Gardaland, and Movieland, we knew Garda would be a fabulous destination for our family.
Planning for Lake Garda:
We booked our stay at the Enjoy Garda Hotel over seven months prior to our departure. We requested two adjoining rooms at the time of booking. We found the hotel when looking at our options on the American Express and Chase Sapphire Reserve travel portals. We wanted to use points to cover some of our stay, and also take advantage of any perks available through either card. We also wanted to stay near the Peschiera del Garda train station so we could take the train from Garda to Venice for the second park of the trip.
Next, we picked the Enjoy Garda hotel because it was a slightly nicer option than some of the other camp style family hotels around the lake. While those may be awesome accommodations, based on the mixed reviews we read, we decided not to take a chance on them.
After booking our hotel, we started to research transportation options. When we learned that the Venice airport is not connected to the train line, we opted for a car service to take us from the Venice airport to Garda. Dragging two sleep deprived kids from the airport to the train station after a red eye flight seemed like too daunting of a way to start this trip. We researched a few car service options online, and learned that the service provided by the Enjoy Garda hotel was actually the cheapest option. We were able to reserve directly with the hotel, and did not have to pre-pay for our ride.
The only other thing we planned in advance for Garda was purchasing tickets for Movie Land. After having the kids watch an exhaustive number of Youtube videos about Garda to prepare for our trip, we learned that Movie Land would actually be the better amusement park for our family instead of Gardaland. We learned that the height requirements for Gardaland are more than Movieland, and that our almost seven year old would still be too short for many of the rides. We booked passes with date flexibility so we could see how the kids adjusted to the time change, and to be able to pivot for weather. Due to the extreme heatwave that overtook Italy in 2026 we also booked a pass that had the option for Caneva Land; the adjacent water park.
Experience in Lake Garda:
Day 1
Lake Garda far exceeded our expectations. It was the perfect introduction to Italy for my children. The hotel van was where it was supposed to be when we arrived in Venice, and there was cold water and car seats for the kids available in the van. This made loading exhausted kids into the vehicle super easy, and the comfort of the cushioned car seats resulted in the kids falling asleep immediately. The drive to Garda was easy!
When we arrived at the Enjoy Garda Hotel our rooms were not yet ready. After some complimentary espresso, we were able to safely store our bags in a conference room, and change into shorts for the warm day ahead of us. Having the Minu Stroller and Toddler Carrier with us for this part of the trip was critical. We were able to explore the area immediately surrounding our hotel with two exhausted kids.
We started our day in Garda with more coffee and pastries at the Pasticceria Peccati di Gola cafe which is across the street from the hotel. Had I planned ahead, I would have seen that this bakery is on the app Too Good to Go, and would have ordered a surprise bag in advance. Then, we walked around the older part of the town with a quick stop for lunch too.
A dip in the Enjoy Garda pool after our rooms were ready was an awesome way to help the kids to normalize after their jet lagged day. We ended up spending a part of every afternoon at the pool. This seemed to really help the kids reset after exploring in the mornings and prepare for dinner in a restaurant.
We got two adjoining rooms on the third floor. Each room had a mini fridge and balcony. The rooms were clean and also had a coffee set-up we did not use. I learned at check out that if you book your stay directly through the hotel that you can get a room with a garden room. That would make for an even quieter and enjoyable stay.
On our first night in Garda we grabbed pizza for dinner at Pizza Express because it was one of the only options open at like 4 PM. While it worked for jet lagged kids, we had much better pizza for the duration of our trip. The gelato from Gelateria Peschiera though was sublime. The melon flavor was a standout with our family. Finally, I also spent time during our first evening walking to the Penny grocery store less than 800m from the hotel.
I used our Mesh Beach Bag to carry back some wine, vegetables, fruit and Italian snacks for our time in Garda. One thing I learned later in the trip is the store closes at 8— so stock up on wine or beer since it is not an option to run out for more after the kids go to bed. Also, our Travel Cutting Board was a new purchase for this trip and helped with the Penny grocery haul. We made the kids eat some fresh produce every day, and it was nice to have a knife and cutting board ready to go.
Gelato at Gelateria Peschiera
Day 2
The Enjoy Garda Breakfast was an incredible way to start our first full day in Garda. There was an amazing variety of food and pastries including sandwiches, hot food, etc. My favorite thing from day two was a chocolate and hazelnut cookie-like pastry that went really well with the multiple lattes I had from the self-service coffee machine.
My husband wanted to see Sirmione castle, so we decided to make that our first real stop of the trip. We decided to take the bus since there was a stop directly in front of the hotel. THIS WAS A MISTAKE. The bus was over 70 minutes late and was super crowded. It also did not go to the castle. It unexpectedly offloaded about a 40 minute walk from the castle. Once again, our toddler carrier saved us. We put our five year old in it and walked for about 20 minutes before stopping at Ristorante Pizzeria Erica for lunch.
Ristorante Pizzeria Erica was a huge hit for our family. The pizza was so much better than the night before, and the view of the lake was stunning. My husband got the octopus dish which he enjoyed, and even successfully convinced the kids to try too!
After lunch we walked the rest of the way to the Sirmione castle. We did not purchase tickets in advance, so I waited in line with my travel fan to cool me down while the kids and husband explored the town of Sirmione. It was about a 30 minute wait for us to gain castle access. The castle itself was pretty basic inside, but the top offered incredible views of the Garda region. After exploring we got gelato to cool off before taking the ferry back to Peschiera del Garda. The ferry ride was a much more enjoyable experience than the bus.
After a dip in the Enjoy Garda pool, we cleaned up and walked to Al Canal for dinner. We sat outside and had a beautiful view of the canal during our dinner.
Sirmione Castle
Day 3
We decided to spend our third day at Movie Land. We knew where was a free bus from the Peschiera del Garda train station so we walked to the station after breakfast. We learned that the bus pickup for the amusement parks is a total cluster. We ended up walking back to the Enjoy Garda hotel and buying bus tickets from the tobacco shop instead. The bus was once again late, and crowded, but we still made it to the park shortly after it opened.
Everyone wore a swim suit to the park– I paired this swimsuit with a tennis skirt and water shoes. I also got a dry bag for our belongings. This was a must since many of the rides at Movie Land have a water component. The wet bag kept our phones and wallets dry, and allowed us to bring a bottle of sun screen for the hot day. The 5L size was more than enough for a single day at the park.
For lunch we stopped for fish and chips that were very reasonably priced by American theme park standards. We paid 44 Euro for lunch for four people which felt like a steal.
Our family really enjoyed the rides at Movie Land. They were accessible for our family, and had fun themes that everyone could relate to despite everything being in Italian. Our one big regret was not doing the Super Jet ride right after the park opened. We should have rushed to the back of the park first to ride that ride since it had super long lines for most of the day. The return bus ride from the park to the hotel was empty since we left around 4PM, and we were able to get seats for the ride home.
After another quick dip in the hotel pool everyone regrouped for dinner at Raffilu- Grandi Pescied Altro. We had a table that faced the open square so the kids were able to run around and explore while the adults had a leisurely and delicious dinner.
Day 4
Entering Movieland
For our final day in Garda we decided to get ferry passes for the lower region of the lake. While trips to Mt. Baldo, Limon and other northern parts of Lake Garda looked incredible, we decided to focus on staying closer to our home base to make the day more enjoyable for our young kids.
We learned our lesson to not trust the bus system in Lake Garda, and opted for ferry passes to explore the region. Our first stop was Garda which was so cute. There were some beautiful pottery stores, cute shops and just an incredibly cute downtown. We had an amazing risotto lunch at La Losa Ristorante Pizzeria overlooking the lake. It was such a beautiful way to wrap up our time in the Lake Garda region.
From Garda we took the ferry to Bardolino where we walked to the family friendly Azienda Agricola S.Zeno winery. We enjoyed a quick tasting in the cellar, and the kids enjoyed eating the bread and cheese that came with the tasting. I would 100% recommend this winery to families. The owner has her own children, and was so welcoming and kind to mine.
We then explored the church, got some gelato and walked around before taking a ferry back to Peschiera del Garda. We had our final swim in the pool before it started to rain. We walked to Ristorante Pizzeria Sosta e Gusta where we had the best pizza of our entire trip for dinner.
Lemon ceramics in Garda
Day 5
Our final day concluded with a rainy (but easy) walk to the Peschiera del Garda train station for our train ride to Venice. We learned the only food options are vending machines, so plan to get food in advance if you want snacks or lunch for your train ride.
Pastries at Enjoy Garda Hotel
Lessons Learned about Lake Garda:
Avoid the bus in the Lake Garda region. They are frequently delayed and are not a reliable transportation option.
You can swim in Lake Garda, and there are cute areas with small slides into the water and beach umbrellas for rent. While we did not partake, it looked like such a fun way to spend a day in Garda.
The Lake Garda region is very friendly for children. The towns are an accessible size to walk around with smaller legs, and there are plenty of places to stop for pastries or food along the water for a stunning rest stop.
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Lunch with a view in Garda
Final Thoughts on Lake Garda:
Lake Garda was such an amazing introduction to Italy for my children. The towns around the lake with castles and forts made Roman history come to life, but did not require walking 20K or more steps a day like a visit to Rome demands. It is such a beautiful and idyllic place for families.
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We just got back from our third trip to the Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg. After sharing about our previous experience at the lodge here, I wanted to share what we did differently on our latest trip in September 2026, including our experience with the birthday package. Also, if you are new to Great Wolf Lodge, you can use this bonus code to get points for your next stay!
Birthday Cake at Great Wolf Lodge
Why plan a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg?
Do your kids have a ton of energy, and love to play in pools and on water slides? If so, then the Great Wolf Lodge is the place for you. The greater DC area has two Great Wolf Lodges, but our family has only been to the Williamsburg location because of their amenities. The Williamsburg location has a mini fridge and microwave in every room which makes it easy for families to have an easy breakfast in their hotel room, or bring food to heat up and eat to cut costs, be healthy, or manage food allergies during their stay.
Our September 2026 stay included a pre-booked Family Birthday Fun package. You need to book this package more than 48 hours before your arrival so your room door can be decorated with a birthday banner when you arrive at your room.
Birthday Decorations
Planning for the Great Wolf Lodge:
The September 2026 stay was booked during Great Wolf Lodge’s annual Black Friday Sale in November 2025. I wanted to book a Sunday night at the lodge that coincided with the kids having a Monday off from school to get a good rate. When I learned that the Indigenous People’s Day holiday rate was more expensive than previous years, I decided to pivot to September.
We booked a single Sunday night stay in a Wolf Den suite that had a bunk bed and extra kid bed in the cabin. Previous stays taught us that this set-up almost guarantees a room without carpet and more space. It feels cleaner than the room we had during our first stay too.
After booking the Great Wolf Lodge birthday package, I had concerns about the size of the cake, and if it would feed the group of eight people we had traveling to the Lodge for birthday festivities. This resulted in somewhat of a panic buy of cupcakes from Baked by Melissa, to ensure we had enough treats for our birthday festivities.
While yes, it would have been cheaper to get cupcakes from another bakery, I had less than 72 hours between getting back from Houston, and leaving for the lodge so there was not a lot of time to shop given the need to unpack, pack everyone and attend to the kid’s Saturday activities. Fortunately, the cupcakes arrived on time which made them something easy to pack.
Baked by Melissa cupcakes
Experience at the Great Wolf Lodge:
Check-in this year was efficient and easy when we got to Williamsburg. The guest services staff did a great job not ruining the surprise birthday banner we had planned for our room, and accommodated our last minute request to have a room located near the other family who traveled with us.
We arrived around 10:45 to the lodge, and were able to find five seats together in the water park which was a nice surprise shortly after our arrival. I used my amazing Lock Box for our keys, wallets, and my husband’s phone so we could keep our belongings safe and enjoy the water park without a worry until our rooms were ready. A standard locker rental was $15, so this safe has more than paid for itself. I tucked my phone into a Waterproof phone case so we could get some fun pictures at the park too.
One thing to note about this visit is the surfing ride was out of commission. It was blocked off, and unavailable for the duration of our visit. We went right after the annual closure for the property, so I do not know if it was related to that or a larger issue. All other rides, and the ropes course were fully operational and as much fun as previous years.
The guest rooms were ready around 1:45 this year for both us and our travel companion’s room. We received text message notifications when they were available.
Our birthday package door banner was on display when the room was ready, and the birthday package balloons, plates, cups and coupons for the cake and arcade were nicely arranged on the table in the room. While some online critics say the package is overpriced for the quality of the cake, we found that it was more than enough cake for eight people, and the quality was decent. Not as great as what we get from our local German bakery, but better than some grocery store options. A plastic knife was also included with the cake so it was easy to cut up the cake– and we did not have to get our Travel Cutting Board knife covered in frosting.
The birthday package included a $20 arcade card. This resulted in our first visit to the Great Wolf Lodge arcade, and I hope it’s our last. $20 lasted around ten minutes, and the prizes were not that great.
When we go back to Great Wolf Lodge with friends later this year, I am hoping to talk the parents into a round of mini golf if the kids want a non-water activity since it is $8 a person, or like $25 for a group. This would be a lot more affordable and less stimulating than the arcade.
One final thing to note about our guest room experience is the alarm clock was set to go off at 6AM again this year. Fortunately after our experience last year, we knew to check the clock or unplug it upon arrival, but for those who are new to Great Wolf Lodge I just want to remind you to check that the alarm clock is not set to ring super early if you are trying to let your family sleep in.
Inside the Great Wolf Lodge
Lessons Learned:
The park feels warmer in September than mid October. In previous years we have felt a bit chilly waiting for some of the higher up slides, but this year due to the warmer temperatures outside, the park felt a lot more comfortable inside.
The indoor bar is not operational until the outdoor bar shuts down for the season. This makes it harder to bring several beverages in at once since there is no push button door access from the outdoor pool to the inside.
The arcade feels like a waste compared to other arcade experiences. Both from the amount of time it takes to go through $20 and the fact that you earn physical paper tickets that you then need to feed into a ticket machine before trying to get a prize from the prize area.
A lot of local restaurants were closed on Sunday this year. We ended up ordering Thai using Uber Eats– and one of the curry dishes spilled over the rest of the food which was a bummer.
Travel Gear for the Great Wolf Lodge:
Travel Cutting Board: Perfect for cutting up vegetables and fruit from home to make the trip a bit healthier and cheaper.
Lock Box: Perfect for storing your keys and wallet before your room is ready, or on your day of departure.
Small Bandage Kit: Despite lots of warnings to walk around the water park, these bandages are sometimes needed after kids decide running – and then slipping is a good life choice.
Kid bath robes: We used these to keep the kids warm when walking from the water park to the hotel room and bathroom.
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Final Thoughts on the Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg:
Great Wolf Lodge is one of those places people either love or hate. My kids continue to love it, so we continue to indulge in one night trips. It will be interesting to see if anything at the Williamsburg lodge changes to compete with the Kalahari that is opening up a little over 75 minutes outside of DC later this year.
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I wanted to quickly share about my recent experience staying at the Courtyard by Marriott Houston Downtown. When reflecting about the visit, it is a really interesting example of how a hotel’s guest services team can have very good execution, but it does not result in an enjoyable guest stay due to the hotel itself.
Courtyard by Marriott Houston Downtown
Why go to Houston?
Houston is not a place people go for fun. It is a massive sprawling city without a lot of tourist activities. My September 2026 trip to Houston was for a work conference. The Marriott Houston Downtown was a last minute booking about ten days in advance of my trip. Given the short notice, staying at the conference hotel was not an option. I booked the Courtyard by Marriott Houston Downtown because it was close to where I needed to be for work, and I trusted the Marriott brand. It’s interesting to note that the building the Courtyard is in is actually multiple Marriott brand hotels all separated by different entrances.
Experience at Courtyard by Marriott Houston Downtown
As a recovering Customer Experience (CX) technologist, who even worked at a company who served leading hotel customers, I found it fascinating to observe that the guest services team at the Courtyard Marriott Houston Downtown had an excellent execution of their role. They would ace every part of the post-visit guest survey. Their level of service was very good, and almost surprising given how terrible the physical hotel ended up being. They clearly took great care making sure they did what they could to welcome guests to the hotel.
The check-in counter was efficient. The guest services team immediately let me know that the items that I had shipped to the hotel had arrived and were ready for pick-up. The cleaning team was kind and courteous in the morning. There were earplugs provided in the room and a note offering the use of white noise machines.
The Courtyard by Marriott Houston Downtown even had a free happy hour with margaritas, chips and salsa. You can just walk up to the table, and pick up a drink to take back to your room after a long day.
Finally, when I let the team member know at the end of my stay that the thermostat was broken in my room, I immediately got Marriott points added to my account with a nice note. Hands down the team seems to really care— but do you know what?
Those positive guest services experiences still couldn’t compensate for the terrible experience with the physical hotel. The franchise owner for the building needs to focus on investing in fixing structural issues in the hotel to foster customer love.
I stayed in room 317 which was adjacent to the hotel gym and the outdoor pool. The room was large and spacious with a sitting area and extra long hallway. It had a working mini fridge but there was no safe. (So great for working moms who may pump while traveling, but not great for people who travel with nice jewelry)
While the thermostat indicated central AC, the thermostat did not really work. I set the thermostat for the room to 65— the coldest it would go— and the room still felt like a sauna… and no, I’m not quite at the hot flash stage of life.
Room 317 was also overlooking the above ground metro train tracks. Y’all, that metro train blasts its horn every few minutes when it goes by the hotel. The train also runs 24 hours a day. It was TERRIBLE. Ear plugs and my own White noise machine didn’t even put a dent in the noise. But you know what? It got worse— every 10 minutes or so it also sounded like somebody was dropping heavy weights in the gym all night too. It was like some evil demon was actively trying to make sure it was impossible to sleep in this hotel. It was so hot and noisy.
When I started to investigate in the morning, I observed that the room also had really old windows which clearly did nothing to minimize the train noise. Whoever owns the hotel needs to invest in some kind of noise cancelling window upgrade ASAP, or install ambient noise to fix the guest experience. They also need to fix the broken ice machine, and do general cosmetic updates to the interior spaces of the hotel.
If this information alone isn’t enough to sway you to pick a different hotel for your Houston stay, I wanted to also share about the Starbucks in the first floor of the hotel building. The Starbucks in the hotel was really basic so you could not get snacks with your breakfast order to help you power through the rest of your work day. If you want any fresh items, or even cake pops you are out of luck.
Free margarita from the hotel
Lessons Learned:
Don’t stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Houston Downtown until they make structural upgrades to the hotel.
The Houston metro train is really loud so you really should avoid hotels near its tracks.
You should always have a swim suit packed because you never know when the hotel pool will be the best feature of the property
The hotel pool – still open in September
Travel Gear:
White noise machine: Should have brought a second one on this trip since one was not enough to make the room pleasant.
Ear plugs: These are more comfortable than the ones the hotel provided.
Instant coffee: After terrible sleep this helps make you human.
Portable tea kettle: Given how dirty this hotel felt, there was no way I was trusting the in room coffee maker to be clean.
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Final Thoughts:
If you have studied the creation of guest surveys, how brands respond to feedback, recognize employees, and choose to earn customer love, then it is easy to see the Courtyard by Marriott Houston Downtown is an excellent example of how the guest services staff can do everything within their control to “get it right” with the customer, but still get bad marks because of items outside of their control.
While everyone seems to be focused on AI taking over the world, it’s important to remember that the hotel guest experience is still very much rooted in the non-technical world, and is a problem AI isn’t close to solving.
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Do you dream of taking young children to Italy because they love pizza, pasta and gelato, but are concerned they are not old enough or durable enough for Rome? If so, you need to consider a trip to Lake Garda and Venice. This is the first of a three post series where I walk through my family’s August 2026 trip to northern Italy. This post focuses on the structure of our trip before I deep dive into Garda and Venice.
There’s a new nonstop from IAD to Venice that makes getting to Northern Italy very easy. This flight opens the door to both Venice and the Italian Lake region. Venice is such a beautiful and unique city that it should be on everyone’s travel bucket list to see just once.
For those less familiar with the area around Venice, Lake Garda is also home to Italy’s largest amusement park, Gardaland. There are also the smaller parks Movieland, and the water park Caneva Land up the street. The lake itself has dozens of towns around it, beaches and other family-friendly activities. Verona is also a fifteen minute train ride away from the main Garda train station.
Hotel and Logistics Planning for Lake Garda and Venice:
For a ten day trip to Northern Italy, we decided to plan four days in Lake Garda and five in Venice. If we had the chance to plan the trip again we would probably have added an extra day in Garda so we could also see Verona.
One thing to note is that the Venice train station is not connected to the Venice airport. When planning to arrive after an overnight with young kids you need to weigh the pros and cons of the costs of transportation options and your sanity.
To maximize our Chase Sapphire and Amex Centurion Card points, we booked our hotels through their booking pages. Please note that we did find slight differences between the rates and offerings in the pages so do your comparison homework to make sure you get the best accommodations for your trip.
We booked two adjoining rooms at the Enjoy Garda Hotel for our time in Lake Garda. It is a mid-range hotel located on the southern side of the lake close to both the Peschiera del Garda train station, ferry stop and local amusement parks.
We also booked a car service through the Enjoy Garda Hotel to pick us up at the Venice Airport because their quoted price was several hundred Euros less than what we found with a simple internet search. The hotel is less than 400 meters from the train station, so we decided to then take the train from Garda to Venice.
For Venice we booked the J.W. Marriott. This hotel is built on a private island, and has a pool, kids club, gym, running path and restaurants. There are no real pools in downtown Venice due to the age and architecture of the city, so if you want a pool for younger kids you need to stay at a private island hotel. The hotel has a boat that runs every 30 minutes to San Marco Square. The ride is 15-20 minutes each way, and drops you off right at the heart of Venice. We arranged for a private pick-up from the Venice train station to make our trip to the island as enjoyable as possible.
Breakfast pastries at Enjoy Garda
Experience with the Hotels in Garda and Venice:
The Enjoy Garda and J.W. Marriott Venice hotels far exceeded our expectations, and really made our trip. I have also written separate deeper dives on our daily experiences in Garda and Venice.
Experience atEnjoy Garda Hotel:
To begin, the Enjoy Garda Hotel vehicle had cold water and two, new car seats for our kids installed when they picked us up at the airport. While we had packed our RideSafe Vests, real car seats were better for the 80 minute ride from the Venice airport to the hotel. Both kids passed out within minutes of us pulling away from the airport, and safely slept for the duration of our car trip.
While our room was not available when we arrived, we were able to store our belongigns at the Enjoy Garda Hotel and explore Peschiera del Garda. There is a bakery across the street where we were able to get coffee and pastries before we loaded the kids in the Minu Stroller and Toddler Carrier to walk along the lake for a while.
When our rooms were ready, we were happy to learn we got the adjoining rooms we had requested back in January when we booked our trip. While we had street views with our rooms, I learned when checking out that if you book directly through the Enjoy Garda website you can get their pool and garden view rooms. The rooms were clean and had enough space for our belongings. There was a small coffee set-up and mini fridge too. The rooms also had strong AC and a nice balcony with chairs to enjoy lake views. They did not have wine glasses, so our Silicone wine glasses came in handy.
There is a grocery store less than half a mile from the hotel. I was able to walk to it for produce, snacks, wine and beer the night we arrived. My Mesh Beach Bag came in handy for easily carrying everything I purchased back to the hotel.
The Enjoy Garda pool was perfect for our family. It was not too deep, and the steps going into the pool are wide enough to provide a play area for smaller kids. After spending the mornings exploring the Lake Garda Region, our kids temperment’s re-set in a positive way after spending an hour or more playing in the pool each afternoon. You can order food and beverages at the pool, and there is also a small play area nestled behind the pool. What a great set-up for young families.
The breakfast at the Enjoy Garda Hotel was also incredible! They had fresh Italian pastries every morning, juice, fruit, sandwiches, coffee, eggs and a mimosa bar. It was an awesome way to start every day.
The day of our departure from Lake Garda we were able to easily walk our luggage from the hotel to the train station to get to Venice.
Enjoy Garda playground
Experience atJ.W. Marriott Venice:
Pulling up to the J.W. Marriott Venice in a private boat is such a breathtakingly beautiful experience. It was so cool to enter the hotel lobby by boat, and get a spectacular entry to the property. The private island has lush gardens, a family pool and rooftop adult pool, gym and a wide variety of accommodation options. It is such a calming retreat to return to after the crowds of Venice.
We booked a suite with a balcony to accommodate our family of four. The hotel provided two rollaway beds for the kids, and they slept in the same room as us. While not ideal to have us all sleep in the same room, we were able to have our child who wakes up super early play in the massive walk-in closet the room had until the rest of the family woke up in the morning, and adults were able to enjoy time on the balcony between kid and adult bedtimes too.
Our family used the family pools at the J.W. Marriott Venice every day of our stay. There was a shallow pool, and a deeper pool that was around five feet deep. There is also a play area and splash pad behind the pool. One thing to note is that you cannot access the play area when the pool is closed. There is food and beverage service by the pool as well as close restrooms which makes for the perfect kid set-up.
The spa and fitness center has modern equipment and amenities. The fridge in the gym is stocked with sparking and still water for your taking. One morning around 6:30 AM the gym was almost empty during our stay, and another day it was closer to capacity because there was a conference at the property. You can also run outdoor laps around the island. Though the Marriott may not appreciate you going behind the formal farm and gardens, there is a nice gravel trail around the island. I saw nutria two mornings while running so be prepared for wild life.
There is a kids club on the property, but we ended up not using it. There is a fee to use the facility, and we were not sure that the limited assortment of activities justified the cost. My husband and I debated doing a date night in Venice with just the two of us, but did not think the logistics of feeding the kids beforehand and then managing the shuttle schedule and then kid bedtime would make it feasible or enjoyable.
View of the J.W. Marriott at sunset
The on island dining is not to be missed. We had breakfast included with our room, and our family loved the made to order omelet station, pastry and yogurt bar as well as the assortment of hot food. There were also cold cheeses, meats and a variety of juices available. There were two smaller areas offering gluten free and Vegan fare too. Drinks at the family pool were a bit pricey but refreshing. More along the lines of DC prices than what we had seen in Garda. The rooftop restaurant is available to book on Opentable, and the views of Venice do not disappoint. The food was delicious, and we were able to enjoy a family dinner with a view one evening after a long day exploring Venice.
If you have a morning flight or train out of Venice, be mindful that the water shuttles do not start leaving the hotel until after 8AM. Be prepared to arrange for a private water taxi if you have an early morning departure, or you do not want to lug your items across multiple boats.
J.W. Marriott entrance from hotel boat
Lessons Learned:
You do not need to bring car seats if you book transportation through the Enjoy Garda Hotel.
Book through the Enjoy Garda Hotel Website to get a garden view room
For early morning flights or trains in Venice, make sure you budget for a private taxi since the hotel shuttle will not be available.
Also, check out my international travel checklist for must-do items before every trip.
Travel Gear for Garda and Venice:
Travel Cutting Board: Cut up bread, fruits and veggies during hotel-only travel. Also great for charcuterie plates on the go.
Silicone wine glasses: We used them at the Enjoy Garda hotel since the room did not have wine glasses.
Mesh Beach Bag: This bag fit into my rollerboard, and allowed me to carry groceries one day, then pool toys during the rest of the trip.
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Final Thoughts on Garda and Venice:
Our trip to Lake Garda and Venice was truly incredible. It will be hard to top that trip because in addition to the amazing activities and sunshine, it was so nice not having to worry about if our kids would find something to eat at any restaurant. It was such an easy and enjoyable trip for everyone in our family.
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