Hawaiian resorts that the children will love, too

Photo by Hilton Waikoloa

Hawaiian resort prices are near, or at, all-time lows. But if you're traveling with children, in addition to a good price you will want  activities that let parents rest while knowing their youngsters are well supervised. Here, from Hawaii.com, are resorts that fit that category. Although rates are given, they are constantly changing and new specials are offered daily.

Turtle Bay Resort, Oahu. This resort on the North Shore boasts some of the best surfing in all of Hawaii, as well as the island's only on-site helipad. For teens looking to "catch a wave," group lessons begin at $75. (For safety reasons, children under 13 require private lessons, starting at $95 for one hour.) For future equestrians, The Stables at Turtle Bay offers a 20-minute pony walk for children under age 7. Plus there are  clear-bottom kayaks, allowing them to see the sea life in an unforgettable way. There's also a "buried treasure" hunt and 12 miles of hiking trails to accommodate any age. Prices for an oceanfront king room have been spotted for $237 a night.

Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort & Spa, Koloa, Kauai. Youngsters can choose from a variety of complimentary activities available in the lobby atrium each day including lei making, hula lessons or ukulele lessons. Or there's a meandering river pool, a 150-foot waterslide and an active pool for basketball or volleyball. At the saltwater lagoon, they can swim, float or kayak together. Non-water options include an easy hike along a sea cliff with spectacular views; they might see endangered humpback whales, green sea turtles or monk seals. Prices start around $300 a night for a garden-view room.

The Kahala Hotel & Resort, Honolulu. This resort has a  Keiki Club (keiki is the Hawaiian word for child) for ages 5-12.  Among activities are reef walking, snorkeling, bamboo pole fishing, lei making, hula dancing, crabbing and cavorting with dolphins. Possible rates are $395 a night for a scenic view room.

 

Hilton Waikoloa Village, Kohala Coast, Big Island. The Dolphin Quest, where you meet and swim with the lovable creatures,  is a hit with children and parents, and there are classes in hula and making flower, ti leaf or shell-and-bead leis. Also,  Waikoloa Family Golf Days take place every day after 3 p.m. through July 31. Families can inexpensively play nine holes. Hawaii.com has seen prices starting at $199 and calls it one of the best island deals for a major resort.

Hyatt Regency Maui, Lahaina, Maui. Camp Hyatt Ka'anapali gives cameras to children of all ages, and their favorite picture will be turned into a photo T-shirt. Youngsters can also play tennis, try "coconut bowling," fish and explore Maui's wildlife and volcanoes. By night, children can learn about the Hawaiian  sky with the Tour of the Stars astronomy program. Rates have been spotted at $240 a night.

 

Prince hotels on Maui, Oahu and the Big Island.  You can request a private nanny for about $18 per hour or have your children participate in the Prince Keiki Club. Half-day and full-day programs are available, with many fun activities. Counselors are certified. Rates usually begin at $415 a night, but currently there is a special rate beginning at $269, with the possibility of a fourth night free.

For more information or to book, visit www.hawaii.com.

Busted guitar can't stop this fellow's music 

Dave Carroll's You Tube video for the song "United Breaks Guitars" has gone viral, receiving more than 600,000 hits as of yesterday. To view the saga of a guitar that Carroll says was broken by United Airlines, click here.

Last-minute specials on Nantucket

Summer rates on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket can seldom be considered inexpensive, but you will pay less with these last-minute specials: The Cottages & Lofts at the Boat Basin, July 12-16, starting at $350 a night.  The Wauwinet, July 12-16 and July 21-22, $395. And the White Elephant, July 11-15, $395.

Fascinating fact

The lowest recorded temperature, minus 129 degrees Fahrenheit, occurred in Antarctica in 1989.

$129 summer rate at some Kimpton hotels

Through Sept. 7, Kimpton Hotels has a Sunday-Thursday online rate of $129-$179 a night, along with your choice of a $30 dining credit or free parking.

Click here.

Worth quoting 

"A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. ... We do not take a trip; a trip takes us."

                                                                                                                         -- John Steinbeck

Trivial question

What is the world's largest sea? Answer Monday.

 

The 'ghost' of Gershwin waxes rhapsodic in Michigan

This massive Mortier Dance Organ is known as the Amaryllis. 

George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" isn't always rendered the way the great man intended. Just ask his "ghost."

In 1925, some 12 years before his death, Gershwin sat down at the keyboard of an Aeolean Duo-Art Weber reproducing piano and created an exact record -- note for note, pause for pause, inflection for inflection –- of his famous "Rhapsody," and it is msiing the dramatic but non-authentic  finish that has been imposed of it by generations of conductors. Today that piano is in an air-controlled barn at the Music House Museum near Traverse City, Mich., and Gershwin plays for visitors several times a day. This is not one of those scratchy vintage recordings; the piano is playing just as though the  composer's ghostly hands were still tickling those ivories. 

That’s just one of the strange instruments in this quirky museum, which occupies a farm near the village of Acme. The Music House is home to a one-of-a-kind collection of rare  automated musical instruments and music-making machines, created between 1870 and 1930.
“Our instruments all play by themselves,” says director Sally Lewis.
These machines are often beautiful, carved and gilded, made with rare woods and metals, and decorated with bronze, stained glass and crystal. Among them: 

* An 1899 Regina Corona music box, with interchangeable metal discs that had the correct notes punched into them.

* An immense 1922 Belgian Mortier dance-hall organ, 20 feet high and 30 feet wide, with hundreds of pipes, bells, drums and whistles that would play dance tunes using “programming” punched into folded sheets of cardboard.

* The Mills Violano-Virtuoso, an automatic violin player that made music in theaters while silent movies played. This year it will join the select group of instruments that are played for tour groups. 

The Music House Museum is on U.S. 31, eight miles north of Traverse City. From May through October, it is open from 10 am to 4 pm Monday through Saturday, and noon to 4 pm on Sunday and on weekends in November and December. Tickets are $10 for adults, $3 for children 6-15 and free for youngsters 5 and under. There is also a family rate of $25.

For more on the music museum, which also has other attractions such as a minaturized version of Traverse City's Main Street, click here. For information on Traverse City, click here or call 800-TRAVERSE.

Trivial question

What is the name of the island the Statue of Liberty is located on? (easy.) What is its former name? (Not so easy.)  Answer Tuesday.

Amtrak has a 25-percent-off deal in Northeast

Amtrak has lowered fares on its Northeast Regional runs by as much as 25 percent.  Sample fares to or from New York: Philadelphia, $34;  Washington, D.C.,  $49; Boston, $49; Baltimore, $48; Providence,  $41. Tickets must be bought at least 14  days before traveling, and there are other conditions.

For all details, click here. The home page is at www.amtrak.com.

Worth quoting

"A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”

                                                                                                                 -- John Steinbeck

Watch Finland's bears cavort -- live

Nowadays it's easy to see the wild bears of the Taiga forest in Eastern Finland, near the Russian border. Just tune in to the Bear Cam. The camera is installed in the animal observation site of the Wild Brown Bear Co., which arranges animal watching tours. The BearCam feeds live videos between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily.

Click here. And if the camera isn't currently trained on the bears, there are recent videos.

Sage hotels reward military by halving price

Active and retired members of the U.S. military and first responders can qualify for 50 percent off of at the 50 Sage hotels across the country, under a program called Half Price for Heroes. Reservations can be made by contacting the individual hotels and mentioning the special rate. You can also book through each hotel Web site, using the code LPR.

For a list of Sage hotels, click here. 

What's in a name?

The Pennsylvania Dutch are hardly all descended from Dutch people. The confusion stems from the German word "Deutsch," which of course means "German."

All about the fine wines of Portugal

Among the many pleasures of Portugal are its wines. For many things about them, including a list of 50 great ones, click here.