“There’s nothing to do,” and “I’m bored,” are two things parents don’t want to hear while on vacation. At Four Seasons Resort and Residences Vail, with abundant activities catering specifically to younger guests, there’s no reason these words will ever be breathed. With special amenities and activities for children—many involving bears, Vail Valley’s signature animal— children are kept busy and enjoy a fun-filled day. And everyone knows, happy kids make for happy parents.

Welcome Treat

Upon check in to Four Seasons Resort Vail, wee ones are presented with a special welcome gift of a plush stuffed “grizzly bear in a can.” The cute, cuddly teddy bear is bound to be a collector’s item. Plus, each year, Four Seasons Resort Vail will select a different stuffed animal, so for families who return year after year, the children can collect several.

Bear Scavenger Hunt

There are three resident bears on property at Four Seasons Resort Vail - bear sculptures, that is, made from coiled wire and steel by artist Rupert Hill. The bears, a mama and her two cubs, are playfully stationed by the back entry of the property, outside the gate leading into the pool area. The mama bear is thirteen-feet tall, and the other bears are five-feet and four-feet tall. Children are invited to participate in a scavenger hunt on property and find specific items, one of which is the bear sculptures. During ski season, for every item they find on their scavenger hunt, they receive a star sticker on their ski helmet. When all five scavenger tasks are completed, their helmet has five stars on it, right under the logo for Four Seasons Resort Vail.

Camp Four Seasons

Camping at Four Seasons? Yes, it is possible, but it’s not exactly “roughing it.” With the Camp Four Seasons family package, families can enjoy “camping” in their own room. A tent is provided for kids to play in, complete with flashlights, down comforter, and camp-theme snacks. Plus, in-room movies are included and also a credit toward an off-site adventure, such as fly-fishing, horseback riding, whitewater rafting or zip-lining. On Saturday nights, kids enjoy “dive-in” movies by the pool - films such as Toy Story and Cars are projected on a big screen on the far end of the 75-foot (23 metre) heated pool. Guests enjoy watching movies in floating pool chairs complete with cup holders, and snacking on freshly-popped gourmet popcorn that is passed out as a complimentary treat. Perhaps the best part of the Camp Four Seasons package is the complimentary second night and complimentary meals in Flame for children ages twelve and younger who are experiencing this package.

Kids for All Seasons

The Kids for All Seasons program is a year-round offering at Four Seasons Resort Vail for children ages five to twelve. A licensed day care facility, Kids For All Seasons is open daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, always complimentary to guests. The staff organise scheduled activities throughout the day, ranging from crafts to cookie decorating and more. In addition to regularly scheduled activities, the program offers toys such as Lego, puzzles and numerous board games. This summer, kids are delighting in making “dinosaur eggs” - soap with a dinosaur toy inside - and going on nature hikes around the property.

Teen Center

Big kids need a hangout, too, and there’s a separate place for them to retreat to in the Teen Center. Offering air hockey, a TV with Nintendo Wii and Sony Play Station, and numerous other teen-centric games, the big kids (and kids-at-heart) will love this awesome space.

Additional Family-Friendly Perks

Travelling with little ones typically means there’s a lot of baggage in tow. Four Seasons Resort Vail aims at eliminating some of the hassle associated with family travel by providing many of the basic essentials as a courtesy. In addition to Kids For All Seasons, the Resort offers:

Complimentary cribs and toddler beds with children’s bedding sets available on request
Kids ages five and under eat free at Flame restaurant
Child-size bathrobes and slippers provided
Complimentary baby shampoo, powder, lotion, diapers and wipes provided
Baby-proofing items provided, such as outlet covers and bathtub faucet covers
Baby bathtubs, monitors, stroller, diaper genie, and more provided for little ones
Children are welcomed and recognised with a personal welcome amenity upon arrival
The Adventure Concierge has a great selection of bikes for the whole family, including tandem bikes, classic cruisers, and trailers to tow toddlers behind the bike
Games and movies can be borrowed from the Reception Desk

City.Mobi

Also in US today, City.Mobi is celebrating the success of its new guide to Colorado Springs.

City.Mobi offers the most comprehensive mobile travel guides available, with over 800 cities in 200 countries listed. Each is developed by the City.Mobi team to combine into a single global travel directory.

However, each city retains its own mobile identity via a dedicated domain. Already on offer are Brussels.Mobi, Paris.Mobi, Sanfrancisco.Mobi and Sydney.Mobi.

ColoradoSprings.mobi is the latest in this illustrious line up, offering click to call functionality – which means no scribbling down telephone numbers.

Most entries are also linked to websites where users can quickly access more detailed information if needed.

Other key features include information on accommodation, restaurants, attractions, entertainment, nightlife, shopping, and transport.

City.Mobi guides include user reviews and traveller utilities such as a translation guide, currency converter, news and local weather guide