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With school FINALLY out and summer vacation in full swing, we've rounded up a few of our favorite new kid-related hotel amenities. Pint-sized polo lessons anyone?
- Even though it doesn't open til September, we still thought the new Coworth Park--on a 240 acre estate in Ascot, 40 minutes outside of London--was worth mentioning. On the surface, the posh restored Georgian manor house might seem like a seen-not-heard kind of place when it comes to younger guests. Yet, on the contrary, the 70 room hotel will offer a range of inspired offerings with a dedicated Kids Concierge running the show. Kids over the age of eight can sign up for a half-day Polo Experience (about $271/child), which includes a three-hour lesson with a professional polo instructor and a Coworth Park polo shirt (indeed, Coworth is the only hotel in the UK to have its own polo fields and stabling for 40 horses). Those who aren't quite ready to swing the mallet can take private riding lessons (about $98/child). The hotel will also have a Kids Patch where gardeners will help kids plant, tend, and harvest vegetables and fruits that will eventually make their way into the hotels' two restaurants (which will have children's menus). Finally, the hotel will have a Kids Club for those older than four, a hooked-up "Den" for teenagers, and free bike rentals for all members of the family.
- Over in Paris, the inimitable Hôtel Plaza Athénée is making some lucky girls' dreams come true this summer with their two custom-designed Barbie rooms: The fantastical rooms, which connect to Deluxe rooms for parents, will be made over to look straight out of a Dream House (pink, pink, and more pink--yet being the Athénée, more glam than cheese). The two rooms are only available from August 6 through September 2 and cost a pretty penny: one Barbie room and connecting Deluxe room for parents starts around $1,980 a night.
- Stateside, the Loews Miami Beach Hotel just rolled out their SoBe Sundown Survival Kit for Kids. The complimentary kit includes the ingredients for old-fashioned entertainment (i.e. no Wii consoles): extra sheets for tent-building, flashlights for ghost stories, movies rentals, games, and a nightcap of milk and cookies. After all, grown-ups shouldn't be the only ones to have fun when the sun goes down in South Beach, right? Nightly summer rates at the hotel start at $229 per room. The Kids Camp costs $80 per child for full-day camp sessions and $55 for Friday and Saturday night camp sessions.
- For those planning to hit Universal Studios in Los Angeles this summer, the Beverly Garland Holiday Inn recently introduced their Dive In Movie program. The program, which started over Memorial Day weekend and will continue through Labor Day, lets guests enjoy a family-friendly movie on weekend nights in the newly-revamped pool area. Basically, picture adults unwinding over summery cocktails on a balmy California night while the kids play in the pool and everyone enjoys the movie. Also, the Beverly Garland just introduced five new KidsSuites: Specially designed for families, the suites include a partitioned kids section that's equipped with bunk beds and a flat-screen TV with video games and a DVD/CD player.