Kimpton Hotels recently hosted five writers in five cities across the country as part of a holiday blogger getaway event.

My family loves Kimpton as this kid-friendly brand offers a fresh departure from typical hotels with updated décor and whimsical themes. We stayed at Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge for our family getaway and it was quite a treat!

The elves at Trekaroo have decided that we’ve been such parents this year that we deserve a big present before Christmas arrives. They’re giving away a 2-night stay with airfare and lift tickets to Mammoth Mountain in California.

If you’ve ever driven to Mammoth with kids you know how very long that drive can be and how sweet it would be to hop on a plane instead!

Fantastic winter vacation venues are in great supply and I always find it hard to choose between a week-long ski week where everyone has the opportunity improve their skills and an escape into sunshine. In addition, urban getaways in Europe can be a blast in winter when cities are filled with locals instead of tourists.

I combed through our portfolio for our 2012 Family Vacation Dream List. The best part is there’s something here for a variety of budgets and interests, so just maybe, that dream can become a reality.

Paradise Point is located on Mission Bay in San Diego, within walking distance to Sea World and close proximity to many of San Diego’s family-friendly attractions. After only a few minutes at the resort, we watched bicycle surreys carrying several generations of families cruise by us.

Paradise Point has two key factors that make it great for family reunions: a beach with calm waters and loads of activities for families.

Since we’ve been highlighting multiple ways to explore DC through Dana’s posts about Touring the White House, Choosing Kid-Friendly DC Tours, and DC Kid-Friendly Museums (to name a few) — I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon.

Last spring, I tried to hunt down some new ways to explore Washington DC with my kids as they’ve been there many times. This is the follow …

The great state of Colorado is a skier’s dream with epic conditions, varied terrain, and a long list of ski resort options for all abilities and interests. Selecting the right ski resort for a winter family vacation takes a bit of legwork to ensure it will meet the needs of every person in the family (see How to Find the Best Family-Friendly Ski Resort for my list of critical things to consider).

I visited Keystone, Colorado this month and although it’s still pre-season, I can see why so many families …

In a house with kids, it’s easy to lose a weekend. I’m sure you know what I mean. With homework, swim meets, birthday parties, you can forget to take some time to just relax. I can’t do it sitting at home. The list of things to do is too long, so I try to plan fun family adventures right in my Northern California Wine Country backyard.

This was one of our best summer’s yet. Splashing on a hot day at the Francis Ford Coppola Winery, riding through Chalk Hill’s Vineyards with Wine Country Trail Rides and ziplining through the redwoods. Now I can add a California Castle to the growing list.

The White House is recognized around the world. Home of the President of the United States, it’s the closest thing the US has to an official castle. But unless you’re a princess, visiting is not a ball. Is the effort worth the reward?

When I decided to take the kids to the Nation’s Capital, I knew I had to try. In my mind, visiting Washington DC and not going to the White House would be like going to Paris and not going to the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Our summer trip to Washington, DC was designed to be an introduction, not a whirlwind tour. We only spent a few days. My thinking, as the girls get older and more and more US history comes their way, DC would be timely.

I knew the trip would be a learning experience, but overall I wanted it to make sure it was fun. When planning the trip, one of the hardest things was figuring out what the kids and I would truly enjoy; I didn’t want the entire trip to come off as a giant history lesson.

One of the toughest parts about traveling in Washington DC with kids is that there’s so much to see and do. Even when you narrow down the “must see” there’s still a great deal of physical ground to cover.

Getting to and from so many monuments and memorials takes time and can wear on travelers young and old. So when I discovered Bike and Roll, I ran, or should I say rolled, with it.