Though summer travel may be over, you can still look forward to a fall retreat! For an award-winning take on rest and relaxation, visit Tucson, Arizona.

With a projected temperature in October and November of 84 and 73 degrees, respectively, it’s no wonder why travelers from the world over flock to this desert oasis, basking in the hot deals and sizzling fun!

Looking for a bit of downtime to accompany family time? What about a site in the sun where total mind, body and spirit rejuvenation can be obtained? Well then be sure to book a stay at the Miraval Resort and Spa.

Whether a road stop on your family retreat, a weekend getaway for the girls or a mother and daughter bonding experience, the Miraval Resort and Spa will pamper, and cater to, all the senses!

The Miraval Resort and Spa blends its desert architecture and arid living quarters in seamless integration, its spirited ambience matching the spirit of each and every guest.

And with a bevy of packages and special offers to choose from, guests can make sure to plan a personalized stay that’s entirely unique!

Packages include, but are not limited to, the Girls Getaway Package, which is a favorite and happens to be on sale for a limited time only this fall (for details and to book this package, call a Miraval Advisor at 800.232.3969), the 5th Night Free Package, the Inclusive Package and the Day Spa Package.

For a complete list of packages and details, be sure to visit the resort’s website at http://www.miravalresorts.com/packages/.

In addition to the variety found in the Miraval Resort and Spa’s accommodations and packages, guests will find a wealth of activities geared towards the ultimate experience in health and wellness.

It’s no wonder, then, why USA Today named the Miraval Resort and Spa the “world’s best wellness resort.” And why, just recently, it was named a Top Destination Spa by Travel + Leisure!

Activities at the resort include Pilates, yoga, meditation, tennis, and golf, to name but a few. Many of the activities can be included in packages through resort credit, so be sure to check with a Miraval Advisor for specific details.

Aside from the stand-alone activities, guests can take part in various events through a mixture of classes, workshops, and private sessions.

There are also culinary workshops, art and photography activities, as well as lessons in wellness, the science of exercise and fitness.

Be sure to check out the Miraval Equine Experience at the Purple Sage Ranch. This activity allows guests to interact with horses in an effort to better understand the self! Use non-toxic paints to create artwork on horses—yes, on horses!—just as Native American used to do.

To plan your activities from the Miraval Resort and Spa’s comprehensive list, please visit http://www.miravalresorts.com/plan_your_stay/activities/.

And when planning your stay, be sure to make use of the wonderful tools offered by the Miraval Resort and Spa right on its website. There are monthly event calendars, a section that highlights upcoming events and even a planner that allows guests to create an itinerary for their stay!

After a worthwhile day of rigorous activities, take your wellness needs to a whole new level! Visit the award-winning Life in Balance Spa and truly pamper yourself—you’ve earned it!

Spa services include hair and skin care, manicures and pedicures, as well as Ayurveda, body renewal rituals, specialty bodywork and spa suite exclusives.

With climate controlled tents, The Outdoor Treatment room exclusives are also worth checking out! Choose from a variety of treatments, each geared towards a complete and total healing and renewal of the body. From mud wraps and hot stone treatments to couple, deep-tissue and pre-natal massages, there is definitely an exciting experience for each and every guest.

For a complete listing of services offered at the Miraval Life in Body Spa, be sure to visit http://www.miravalresorts.com/plan_your_stay/spa_services/.

With the wealth of restorative tools offered by the Miraval Resort and Spa only a few clicks or a phone call away, what more could you possibly want?

And don’t forget the fact that the Miraval Resort and Spa harnesses the beauty of the Sonoran desert not only in its activities and accommodations, but in its culinary extravagance as well. With ever-changing menus that seek to highlight both the sources and seasonal transience of items offered, guests can be sure that discerning palettes will be delighted!

Locally sourced ingredients ensure not only sustainability but a variety of flavors and textures.

Guests can choose dining experiences both indoors and outdoors, and can even take home cookbooks as souvenirs. The Miraval Resort and Spa even lists recipes and other culinary joys on its very own blog.

In addition to the recipes and cookbooks that guests can find online, Miraval Resort and Spa also offers an online shopping experience like none other! Both new guests and frequent customers alike can choose from an array of items that speak to the resort’s concern for quality and attention to detail.

Whether plush bedding and Miraval apparel, the aforementioned cookbooks and other noteworthy books by Miraval staff, and items from Miraval’s Spa Retail, guests can rest easy knowing that a bit of the Miraval Resort and Spa can be had through the resort’s online shopping services.

To visit Miraval’s online shop, be sure to visit http://www.miravalresorts.com/shop/.

Like everything else at Miraval Resort and Spa, the lodgings are designed to not only provide guests with a place to rest their heads, but to provide a sleep experience that guests are sure to remember. With daily housekeeping and Miraval’s signature sleep experience as part of every accommodation, guests can make choices regarding lodgings knowing that both their needs and creature comforts will be met in style.

The rooms are outfitted in natural colors and tones to blend in with the surrounding environment. Standard amenities include complementary Wi-Fi, LCD television with Cable TV and DVD player, Miraval’s bath Collection and Miraval water bottles. Guests can choose from Standard, Deluxe, Premium, and Catalina rooms, all of which have their own unique set of additional amenities, depending on type and style.

The suites at Miraval Resort and Spa are designed to provide guests with more space. Guests can choose from the Miraval, Executive, Catalina, and Sonoran Suites, each one blending design elements with the surrounding desert as well, creating a veritable home away from home experience.

With the Miraval Villas, guests are not only able to enjoy the luxury of private accommodations, but if desired, can actually enjoy the comfort of the Miraval Resort and Spa all year long by opting to purchase a villa.

For a full listing of amenities, square footage and room perks, be sure to visit the resort’s accommodations page at http://www.miravalresorts.com/accommodations/.

From the calm and silence of well-appointed accommodations that include rooms, suites and villas, to the peaceful bliss of mind and body toning activities, the Miraval Resort and Spa will be sure to show you and your family (or friends) an entirely new way to rest and relax.

For Miraval Resort and Spa’s policies, including age policy, please visit: http://www.miravalresorts.com/overview/policies/

For kid-friendly and family fun activities in Tucson, Arizona, be sure to visit: http://www.visittucson.org/things-to-do/family-fun/

The post Endless Summer! – Rest and Relaxation in Tucson, Arizona appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Maybe all you can manage this spring break is a long weekend.  Here are some city getaways that are guaranteed to please, even if you have just a few days.  For more Spring Getaway ideas, check out Taking the Kid’s Super Spring Break section!   

FORT WORTH, TX brings Cowboy lore to life with weekly cattle roundups, Stockyard tours and Western art museums., BuffaloBill’s Wild West Show at Cowtown Coliseum and  even the Fort Worth Herd’s free Cow Camp  See what we said about our visit here.  

WASHINGTON, DC  where The National Cherry Blossom Festival starts and lasts until April 13 and even includes a special Blossom Kite Festival.  There are plenty of  freebies (or nearly free)  like  seeing  the stars in Rock Creek Park at the only planetarium operated by the National Park Service, touring the National Mall and the Smithsonian’s many museums.  My Kids Guide to Washington DC can help the kids lead the way.  

MONTREAL is a great place to give the kids a bonafide foreign experience without crossing the ocean. They can practice their French, eat crepes, hit a museum including Montreal’s Space for Life, Canada’s largest natural science museum with a botanical garden, insectarium, and new Planetarium. Everyone loves Mount Royal-right in the middle of the city and the Sun Life Olympic Park Esplanade which has been certified a “Children friendly Institution by local parents.  Skateboarders especially like the Big “O” a concrete tunnel built for the 1976 summer Olympics that now is considered a top place in the world for skateboarders.  

SAN FRANCISCO with its cable cars that kids liken to a “roller coaster on the street “, honking sea lions at Pier 39, the biggest Chinatown outside of Asia,  California Academy of Sciences with its “living” roof and new Exploratorium on the waterfront that may be one of the coolest science museums anywhere. Bike across the Golden Gate Bridge or encourage the kids to try some new dishes in this foodie mecca.

BOSTON Here’s your chance to see a baseball game in the oldest major league stadium still in use-historic Fenway Park, if you can get tickets to see the Champion Red Sox play.  We love Boston because it’s so easy to time travel back to the 18th century on the Freedom Trail and back to the 21st at guaranteed -to-please hands-on museums like the New England Aquarium, the Children’s Museum of Boston, the  Boston Museum of Science  and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts with its many family art workshops. 

Let the kids lead the way!   

The post Find Spring Break Fun in the Cities! appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.