Like many of your files,your teenagers didn’t start out as large as they are. There was a time when their cherubic faces would beam at the idea of travelling with the family, but as they get older, chances are high that that will change. Most teens would love to go away on vacation ... just not with their parents. Resorts around the world are feeling your pain and working to solve the problem.
> Grand Velas (Mexico) – This AAA Five Diamond all-inclusive resort in the Riviera Maya has built a high-tech teen lounge that will have your kids drooling. From air hockey and foosball to cosy booths with 40-inch screens featuring Xbox and PS3, it’s a gamer’s delight. In the evenings, the teens-only disco opens, complete with a 45,000-song karaoke machine. There’s a bar serving soft drinks on site and they can always order room service. The lounge is open year-round from 11 a.m. until midnight. www.grandvelas.com
> Beaches Resorts (Turks and Caicos) – The family-friendly chain is already popular with kids, but if your teen is thinking the Sesame Street craft area means there’s nothing for them, they should think again. The graffiti walls in the Trench Town Lounge and Scratch DJ Academy offerings are your first clue that this all-inclusive knows the teen market. Add in the wall-to-wall consoles in the Xbox 360 Game Garage and the Miami nightlife feel of Club Liquid – a teens-only disco complete with bouncers – and you’ve got the makings of a successful vacation. www.beaches.com
> Atlantis (Bahamas) – Show your kids the website for the teen club at Atlantis and they’ll do anything you ask to get there. The mega-aquarium resort boasts the Aquaventure water park, where they can slide through a shark lagoon or be carried along by bottle-nosed dolphins. There are also 11 pools to play in, and snorkel and scuba outings to keep them busy. On land, there’s a movie theatre showing recent Hollywood hits, a pottery studio, an arcade and more. At night “Crush,” a 14,000-square-foot, no-adults-allowed space, is where teens can go to dance their cares away. www.atlantisbahamas.com
Heather Greenwood Davis is a lawyer and a columnist with National Geographic Traveler Magazine. Reach her at www.globetrottingmama.com.