Folks,
Any input is appreciated...

My wife, myself and our 3 1/2 year old are due for a short vacation late July or August and I would like to spend my 5 free Hyatt nights. Obviously, there are many options but I'm looking for your input to narrow it down...

• We live in Florida and were in Cancun earlier this year, so we're not looking for a beach resort.
• California and Washington are too far.
• we'd like to stay in the US

Any thoughts about where to look?

A little more information would be helpful. Are you looking for a fast paced city scene? A country retreat? A mountain resort?

I loved the Andaz Wall Street in NYC. It's only a few block walk to the water, where there are many choices for ferries and sightseeing boats. Your child might enjoy that.

http://www.hyatt.com/hyatt/features/...ype=clear&N=33

You're right.

You know, we can't do the late night stuff with the kid, so it needs to be a place that would allow us to have activity-filled days and proximity to good food. I don't mind renting a car and driving around.
The more I list preferences, the more California seems to be the option.

They could do a better job with that website. I was searching that website last night and it kept hanging and the filters are pain.

Thanks for the link.

NYC is where the wife is pushing for. I think that it is better enjoyed w/o little children. She might get her though... she always does.

Thanks for the recommendation.

I would really suggest Washington DC - it's (usually) like a more civil, clean, and less confusing NYC (not to mention shorter haul than NYC). Though, I would also advocate another trip when the kid is a bit older so he/she can learn something about our country

How about a place in the Northeast? I've never driven around and visited little towns in MA or CT... any thoughts?

MA and CT is great during the falls season humid and hot in Summer just like NYC.

3 1/2 year old, eh? How about Orlando... oh, wait...

My recommendation would probably be San Diego. Nice climate (not as humid as NYC/DC during the summer), Sea World/LegoLand if you wanted to do kid stuff. Great zoo and wild animal park.

After hearing about it here on FT, one property I really want to try is the Highlands Inn in Carmel, CA. It looks beautiful. If you have time you could combine it with stays at other nice Hyatt properties in the region.

PH Washington might be a good choice if you stay on the east coast. Washington, D.C. is great for family vacations.

I would think that the relaxed natural setting in California would be more fun for a three and a half year old, and therefore more relaxing for the parents as well. D.C. and New York might be better a few years later.

SAT Riverwalk is nice and meets a lot of your criteria; entertainment of a 3 yo is usually limited to anything with big mouse ears, Thomas the Train or Dora but there is a zoo (I think) and other things as well as killing a day just walking around depending on how easily your kid is entertained

I highly recommend Boston. It is a beautiful city. Lots of kid friendly activities. Lots of great restaurants and shopping. You could visit lots of cute towns that would be a short drive from the city (or a train ride from Boston)
If you decide to rent a car, you could do a short drive to New Hampshire or Maine.

There are three Hyatts in the city (I recommend the downtown location, although the airport Hyatt is only a water taxi ride away from the city)

Consider one of the Hyatt Resorts in central Texas. Both the San Antonio (Hill Country) and Lost Pines (outside of Austin) properties have wonderful lazy rivers that can entertain a 3.5 year old all day, great golf courses and nice spas for Mom and Dad to enjoy (and Camp Hyatt as well.) They also have lots of kid-friendly activities and kids' movies on the big screen at night. The San Antonio resort is just across the road from Sea World (which is quite different from the one in Orlando) and you can also visit the Riverwalk (as another poster suggested) about 20 minutes away. Six Flags Fiesta Texas is another area option, but a child that young cannot fully enjoy the rides there. Both Six Flags and Sea World have nice water parks to help beat the Texas heat.

Lost Pines is somewhat remote (between the Austin airport and Bastrop), but they have a similar lazy river pool with an artificial beach area, pony rides and it is adjacent to McKinney Roughs nature preserve. They have some interesting programs (free) on Texas wildlife, native Americans, stargazing and trips on the adjacent Colorado River (not free). It's also less than 30 minutes from Austin where you can find some good food and museums, including a nice Children's museum. In summer time, don't miss the nightly bat flight of the world's largest urban bat population from the Congress Avenue bridge. Check out the activity schedule online or call the Concierge for current activities before setting your dates.

With 5 nights, you could consider splitting your stay between the 2 properties, flying into one city and out of the other. Check out the activity schedules online or call the Concierge for current activities before setting your dates.