A Family Travel Website

FloridaLuxury Beach Vacations. The very words seem to mystify most people. A beach vacation is easily understood as vacationing on or near a beach. The accommodations can be a hotel, condo, motel or even a timeshare. We all have seen those beach motels situated on prime beachfront property! Even staying at a friend’s or relative’s house near the beach can be considered a “beach vacation”! But add “luxury” to the same sentence, and most people will think of expensive resorts situated on faraway, exotic beaches with extra services and amenities. All-inclusive resorts, perhaps, that cater to honeymooning couples or families that have activities scheduled out for them! Luxury does imply convenience and extra activites that a regular beach vacation may not include. Some examples are golfing, massages, parasailing, and even gambling! And then there is the beach itself. Some beaches are soft, white and powdery. Some are soft and pink. There are even black beaches. However, most are brown grains of sand for those of us who do not live in a tropical paradise! Now complement all of that with the color of the ocean (blue, green, turquoise or all of them!) and the very words “luxury beach vacation” […] Continue Reading…

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Chateau du Clos Luce is where Leonard da Vinci spent the last 3 years of his life. King Francois I invited Leonardo da Vinci and he gifted Chateau du Clos Luce to Leonardo together with a pension of 700 golden crowns per year.

“A well filled day gives a good sleep. A well filled life gives a peaceful death.” After only three years in Amboise, he died on May 2, 1519 and is buried in the Chapelle St. Hubert on the chateau’s grounds.

The chateau is open to tourists every day of the year except Christmas Day and New Years Day.

The King encouraged discussion, experimentation and much thought here. In this pretty chateau, he happily continued to paint, sketch, and work as an engineer, architect, and festival organizer for the court. Francois I found great peace in listening to Leonardo.

Da Vinci arrived at Amboise over 60 years old with his disciple da Melzi and three paintings, Saint Anne, Saint John the Baptist which he finished at Clos Luce and the Mona Lisa.

It is situated on a quiet back street of Amboise, a town south of the Loire River between Tours and Blois […] Continue Reading…

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There is much more to French cookware than gratin dishes and ramekins and copper pots. Good quality French cookware not only boosts your cooking skills it is also an wonderful joy to use. What makes French cookware so irresistible is that it is made to last. It is not about disposable products. It is about purchasing items you can use for a lifetime and then pass on to your children who can then pass it on to their children. Chuck Williams, founder of Williams-Sonoma adores French cookware.

The best place to buy french cookware is quite simply in France. However, if you can not travel to France, do not fret, you can start your French cookware collection by surfing ebay for le-creuset pots both old and new. Do not be put off by buying a second hand le creuset pot, because they last and last and last.

Better still when you search on ebay watch for items listed incorrectly spelt “le crueset”. Lots of people spell it incorrectly and you can nab yourself some fabulous bargains. Because le creuset pots are incredibly heavy it is a good idea to consider where the item being sold is located as postage […] Continue Reading…

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There is a good reason why Mick Jagger’s preferred second residence is in the Loire Valley where he purchased a 16th century chateau called “La Fourchette” near Amboise for 2 million francs (200,000 pounds ignoring inflation) around twenty-six years ago.

It is impossible even for the most jaded globetrotter not to be impressed by the flamboyant{/spin] architectural display of egos that has made this area the playground of French royals since the 16th century and a haven for tourists in-the-know [spin]today.

Famous for its the relics of royal days gone by, its sumptuous chateaux, the majestic valley of the Loire is rich in both architecture and history. Like the River Loire the last and longest wild river of Europe, this vast area runs through the very heart of French life.

It is the way the french live.The lush Val de Loire is supremely regal and romantic. It captures the quintessence of french country life with vineyards rolling through copses of trees beside regal chateaux. It is wonderful wine and food, sophisticated cities, luxuriant landscapes and it all adds up to a bourgeois paradise.

The valley of the Loire is famous for its gastronomy, its chateaux, its […] Continue Reading…

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Deciding on the ideal summer vacation can be challenging, especially if you have a family. There are a number of vacation destinations that could be considered “family friendly,” but not all are. As a parent, you may be wondering how you can find the ideal summer vacation destination for your family.

When traveling with children, the guidelines used to pick a vacation destination change. Instead of deciding on a cheap vacation destination or one that is guaranteed to offer excitement, you will need to keep your family in mind. You can do so by targeting your summer vacation destination to the ages of your children. There are a large number of vacation activities that are only suitable for children of a certain age. You are advised to keep these activities in mind when selecting a destination.

Planning a family vacation around your children may seem challenging, but it is something that all parents must to. If you are concerned with the limited number of activities that your child may be able to participate in, you could work to develop their ability to participate. For example, if you are interested in vacationing at the […] Continue Reading…

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