Fun with Family & Friends

It’s one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions. Chances are, “Spend more time with family and friends” made it on your list, too. Being in San Diego, with our area’s many activity choices, makes it easy to keep that pledge. We asked four local concierges, all members of the international prestigious concierge organization, Les Clefs d’Or, for their “quality time” recommendations. Leave your cell phone and take your camera for this is the time to enjoy being present with the people you love.

“Whenever our family wanted to spend time together, we would go to museums in Balboa Park,” says Rosalie Capener of the Omni. After browsing the paintings at one of the art museums or enjoying the hands-on experiences at the Rueben H. Fleet science museum, a family sharing session followed. Even the kids liked talking about their favorite painting or exhibit. “One of the keys to a great family outing is having some feedback afterwards,” Rosalie says. If the weather is too good to stay indoors, she suggests a visit to the beach, where the entire family creates a sandcastle or hunts for shells to display. “Interactive projects make it quality time,” she says.

For team-building togetherness, Chuck Huller of the W suggests sailing on the bay. Gather your family and friends and charter a sailboat with its captain. Don’t worry if you’re a novice. Many of the captains, including Sam Hooper of Whakapono Sailing Charters, will show you how to sail. The America’s Cup boats are also available for group charter, Chuck says. “You work together as a team and race another boat. We did it as a team-building event for our hotel staff.” For those who prefer holding binoculars to lines and tillers, Chuck recommends whale watching. (See our whale watching article on page 18.)

A gondola ride in Coronado offers a more meditative sea adventure says Dean Laurens of Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. As many as six people can coast the coast while the gondolier guides the unique craft. Book at the Loew’s Coronado Bay Resort. For landlubbers, the little mining town of Julian is Dean’s favorite destination. “Have breakfast and walk around town and then take a nature walk in William Heise County Park just a few minutes away,” he says. A thermos of hot chocolate and a bag of cookies make an enticing snack on the trails. Or tour the Eagle and High Peak gold mine, with its caves and historical artifacts, then have lunch and buy a pie to take home. Dudley’s bakery in Santa Isabel is Dean’s favorite stop on the way back, especially for a fresh loaf of date bread.

If it’s snowing in the mountains, this is the perfect place for a family snow day. Be sure you have tire chains before you set out.

Sarah Gagliardi of the Four Seasons Resort Aviara and her family need only a ticket to ride the Amtrak for this year’s family outing. The five siblings are scattered all over Southern California, so they’ll all take the train to meet up in San Juan Capistrano. “We’ll tour the mission, then have lunch at El Adobe and hang out,” she says. Afterwards, they plan an evening of country-western dancing before they take their respective trains home. Taking the train means never having to say you’re sorry for the traffic. It also provides a relaxing time to visit or play board games, Sarah says. The Old Town Trolley offers some of the same amenities on a local scale. Let each person choose a hop-off spot, then compare favorites and plan your next family outing over dinner at the end of the day.