Newpark Hotel
Tucked away in the Irish countryside, Kilkenny is about an hour’s drive from Dublin. It’s a great stopping point to visit Jerpoint Abbey and, of course, Kilkenny Castle. Located on the edge of Kilkenny City, the Newpark Hotel offers the perfect place to call home while exploring the area. The hotel rests on 40 acres of beautiful parkland and there are endless things for families to do together.
Red Jacket Beach Resorts in Cape Cod
Cape Cod is one of my favorite New England beach destinations that’s filled with the perfect mix of relaxation and family fun. While on the Cape last month, we had the pleasure of staying at the Red Jacket Beach Resort. (Click here for the full review.) The best thing about staying at a Red Jacket Resort is you can use the amenities of all five Red Jacket Resorts. This makes planning so easy and gives you endless options of fun activities. While we were there we were able to tour the other four resorts, and we were so impressed with each one. We even went back to a few of them the next day to play. Here are some of the things we liked best about each resort:
Blue Water Resort
The resort is set on a gorgeous white sand beach.
For my family, there’s nothing better than a beach vacation to start off our summer. Cape Cod is one of our favorite places because it gives you the perfect amount of action and relaxation. The Red Jacket Beach Resort is one of five gorgeous Red Jacket resorts in Yarmouth. It has a perfect oceanfront location overlooking Nantucket Sound. It has everything a family could want such as a beach, an indoor and outdoor pool, a Kids Club, onsite restaurant, and family activities. With a resort like that, you may be tempted never to leave it. However, the best part about staying at a Red Jacket resort is you can use all the amenities of all five resorts! It’s makes planning your vacation so simple!
After a long school year full of homework, studying for tests, and early mornings, my girls deserved some fun in the sun. So where did we escape to? To the beautiful beaches of Cape Cod of course! Our first stop was to Pleasant Bay Village Resort in the quaint town of Chatham. This family-owned resort is in the perfect central location in the elbow of Cape Cod.
Grand Hotel
When my best friend told me Malahide was one of her favorite towns in Ireland I knew we had to see it for ourselves. The location cannot be beat! This beautiful seaside town is right outside of Dublin and just 15 minutes from Dublin International Airport. Make sure to explore Malahide Castle and Gardens during your visit. It’s the perfect location to head into Dublin, see the sights, and return to the peace and quiet of Malahide. The Grand is a gorgeous historic hotel built in 1835 and had been modernized and upgraded throughout the years without losing any of its charm. Since it is on the water as well as within walking distance to town, The Grand is THE place to stay in Malahide.
Bunratty Castle and Folk Park
We like to expose the girls to the history of the country we’re visiting (especially if we are taking them out of school) and we were lucky that our first day in Ireland could include a visit to Bunratty Folk Park. Set on 26 acres, the park features over 30 buildings that depicts what life was like in Ireland over a century ago. Traditional jobs and crafts are represented such as pottery, fishing, the forge, milling, farming, and printing. You can walk in each of these buildings and get a peek at their everyday lives since all the buildings are recreated and furnished as they would have appeared at the time. Some of our favorite areas included:
Bunratty Castle Medieval Banquet
Pulling the kids from school always includes a little guilt…until you introduce them to culture they can’t learn from reading in a book. Our first taste of Irish culture was by attending a medieval banquet in Bunratty Castle.
We chose the 5:30 banquet since we knew we’d be jet lagged and it would have to be an early night. First, we were taken into the Great Hall for an introduction to the castle. We were greeted by people dressed in beautiful medieval clothes who played their part so well you immediately felt like you were transported in time.
The Bunratty Castle Hotel is a wonderful place to stay after flying in to Shannon Airport since it is only fifteen minutes away. It’s a great introduction to driving on the left side of the road without overwhelming you. Bunratty is a quaint Irish town with colorful buildings and kind locals. Since I can’t sleep on a plane (ugh…even if it’s overnight) I was thrilled that a room was available for us so early in the morning. We were all in beds, asleep, by 7:00 am. A few hours of sleep were all we needed before going out to explore our first taste of Irish culture.
Walking into Discovery Cove is like walking into a Caribbean island with tropical music playing, palm trees swaying, and dolphins jumping out of lagoons. It is a paradise and you will never know you are in the middle of Orlando. It is not a theme park AT ALL, but rather a tranquil oasis where you can lounge around all day. We were there from 7:00-5:30 and time flew by.
When we arrived, we were given a quick tour and then brought to the restaurant for breakfast. There was so much food on our plates that none of us could finish it. It was delicious and I love that it is included since it’s one less thing to think about planning during your day. In fact, I was surprised at how few decisions I actually had to make.
We were then shown our private cabana. We could not wait to see what was behind this gate.
I admit I’m not much of a theme park person, but since I live with two Harry Potter obsessed kids, a stop at Wizard World of Harry Potter at Island of Adventure was on the top of our list during our Florida vacation. From the second I saw Hogwarts Castle and walked around the streets of Hogsmead, I was hooked. I’m not sure who had more fun because I was pulling them in all directions. Here are 10 activities that you must do while you’re there:
DRINK BUTTER BEER: Before I go any further…I’m not promoting underage drinking pals…butter beer is a frozen piece of heaven that does not have alcohol in it (but boy…that would be good too!). It tastes like a root beer float combined with butterscotch and caramel. We actually tried to make our own once, but it turned into a Pinterest fail. It’s a great treat at the end of a hot Florida day.
