A Vacation from Vacations
Written By Catherine Newman
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Give your kids what they really want on a getaway — you. Oh, and a swimming pool doesn't hurt
Your fantasy family vacations are probably as glossy and silent as magazine ads: The children splash in a turquoise Caribbean while the sun sets in mango ribbons behind them, or maybe they smile enigmatically at the Mona Lisa on a croissant-fueled museum tour. Fair enough. But picture this instead: Your blurred kids jumping up and down on a king-sized hotel bed, wearing disposable shower caps. Only disposable shower caps. And socks. Trust me — this is as perfect as a family vacation gets. "Anytown, USA" the ad could read. "A Sight to Remember!" Off camera, their father is the one snapping indulgent pictures while you lie on the floor making check marks next to "scone" and "cranberry juice" on a room-service menu. Everyone is happy.
At least it works for us. Three or four times a year, we drive a little more than an hour to our favorite hotel at the gritty edge of the Berkshires, and we spend one night there. We go during the off-season, when rates are low and they are often happy to upgrade our room. We bring no cell phones, no laptops, and no friends. And we do as close to nothing as you can imagine. For instance, what is arguably the state's finest art museum is literally across the street — and we don't even go. Instead, we screw around in the swimming pool for hours. We avail ourselves of the TV, the fascinating wall safe (big enough for two sippy cups!), the enormous beds, and, above all, the utter absence of breakable things and distractions. We read picture and chapter books; we put puzzles together on the floor. We order breakfast, and the kids munch muffins in their pajamas inside the huge bathtub.
