Avoid the Spring Break Scramble

Let Poe Help

DuVine in Puglia

The kids are getting restless and, let’s be honest, so are you. You’re tired of homework and the vitamin-D-deficient days of winter. You need a break—a spring break. Lest you chastise yourself that it’s too late to do something major, we have ideas—and connections. Whether you’re into snow sports, guided bike adventures, urban exploring, or just sunny beaches, there are dozens of family-friendly spring break destinations that still have availability, great weather, and whatever else it is you seek. Call us!

Allow us to suggest . . .

CLOSE TO HOME:

A Week in the Woods at Virginia’s Primland

Virginia gets overlooked as a holiday destination too often, but Primland and its sprawling 12,000-acre woodlands has made the Blue Ridge Mountains hit many travelers’ “must-visit” lists. Families who’ve been trapped indoors all winter can rejoice in dozens of outdoor activities: ATV courses, rifle shooting, archery lessons, golf, fly-fishing, even turkey hunts. Spend the night in cabins built with big groups in mind, and join other families for outdoor or communal dining before heading over to the observatory to command a telescope that can track any constellation in the Northern nighttime sky. 

A Wild West Wilderness Retreat

Just beyond the northwest border of Yellowstone, the Montana Rockies descend into patches of rolling ranchland threaded by shimmering rivers. In one of those valleys sits Lone Mountain Ranch, a cluster of hand-built cabins, many dating back to the property’s earliest days as a cattle ranch. Now a wilderness retreat, Lone Mountain is a celebration of the Old West (in the most tasteful sense)—its historic structures restored to their former glory and opening onto rugged wilderness. Here, the mountains are big and the sky is even bigger, stretching above the “Serengeti of North America,” where burly bison and elusive wolves roam. Venture into pine forests and sweeping meadows, exploring on foot or horseback, snowshoe or ski; then join a lodge naturalist to explore the hidden corners of Yellowstone, a mere 18 miles downstream.

FARTHER AFIELD:

Puglia by Bike

If your kids are adept on bikes and old enough for a ride through the countryside, DuVine’s custom departures through Italy’s Puglia region are for you. The six-day itinerary takes in all the highlights of the area, like the olive groves and vineyards lining the Adriatic Sea, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Alberobello (where a local shows you around his hobbit-friendly conical home, called a trullo), and a real farmer teaches you how to make mozzarella. It’s not all bike riding, of course; along the way, you can swim in sea caves, harvest ingredients from the kitchen garden for a cooking class, and ride horses through the countryside. And for the ultimate in bragging rights, the whole family spends a night in one of those trulli. 

Other not-your-run-of-the-mill options . . . for your consideration . . .

• Four Seasons Los Cabos, Oahu, or Troon North (Scottsdale)

• Sagres, Portugal (Martinhal Sagres, considered by many to be the best family resort in Europe)

• Riviera Maya, Andaz

• Quebec, Manoir Hovey

• Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, Hodelpa Nicola de Ovando 

• Costa Rica (a perennial family favorite), Cabovelas (Poe’s Ann McFerran just returned from here and reports that it’s ideal for families. Full report to follow.)