Funderland

This is one you won't want to miss if you are having a winter staycation with kids and are hunting for stuff to do. Western Fair Agriplex has a Winter Funderland running this week. I plan to check this out asap with my crew. The indoor kids carnival runs until the end of this year and there is a special New Year's Eve bash. The Western Fair location is at 845 Florence Street in London and this is a limited time event. Cost for a ride all day pass is $20. Open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Presumably at least one ride - the ferris wheel - is outdoors as the picture of a very chilly carnival employee is on the front page of the London Free Press today. There are over 20 games and an inflatable village. Admission only is $8 or$10 at the door. Three shows daily by DooDoo the clown. Also for a list of activities you can visit www.westernfair.com or check out Western Fair on Facebook.

Free parking is available.

FDR and Jamaica

FDR Resorts are excellent family vacation destinations and while I have never yet made it there in person I can't wait until the time we are able to swing this trip. Jamaica is a fantastic family vacation destination and FDR has been recommended to me by many travel agents over the years. While some shy away from Jamaica for fear of high crime rates, it is entirely safe as long as you take some precautions. We travelled to Jamaica last year with our children and stayed near Falmouth in Starfish Trelawny. We loved the food and our family resort had more than enough actvities to keep us busy. When you go to Jamaica with kids you don't take the same chances you might when travelling as newlyweds or singles anyways, so I have always found this destination to be friendly, affordable and safe. FDR Jamaica has exclusive family friendly offers like the vacation nanny provided to every family staying on site. There have been some recent renovations to the resort. Right now FDR is running a BRING YOUR OWN GRANDPARENT (BYOG) deal which should appeal to many families. Grandparents can enjoy their dream vacation at no cost when travelling with their children and grandchildren. One Grandparent per full paying adult is free when you travel between Jan. 3rd and Feb. 11th, 2010. Also FDR Resorts is now offering US$700 fly free credit for Mom and Dad to take the time out to fly down for the Winter Break or Spring Break..Trvale between Jan. 2nd -Apr. 2nd, 2010. This offer ends Dec. 31st. At FDR Runaway Bay there is now a multifunctional bar counter so guests can surf the internet, read a book or unwind while sipping a cool drink looking over the blue Caribbean Sea. (shown at top). Free wireless access is provided. There are many organized activities for both children and adults. Weddings & Conferences can also be done here. FDR Runaway Bay is 20- 45mins. away from all major tours - Dunn's River Falls, Dolphin Cove and Horseback riding. Family Suites are large. The beach area is spacious and this property also boasts a 100' waterslide. IRIE!

Delta Winter Deals

Delta Hotels across Canada are ushering out the year with competitive pricing just in time for ski season in many areas. Delta Winter Getaways campaign is on now and can also be accessed through http://www.travelalerts.ca

Prices start at $99 a night in some areas and are for travel between now and March 31, 2010. Vacation getaways include Kelowna hotels, Whister and Banff, seen at left. Delta hotels are great family resorts and several in Toronto area have excellent amenities for family. Delta Meadowvale Mississauga, while I have not been personally, looks amazing. It boasts the longest indoor hotel waterslide in the GTA (165 feet) and bills itself as a family fun destination in Mississauga. Children up to 6 years old eat free and those aged 7 to 12 are half price. Many Toronto destinations are just as exciting this time of year as they are in the summer. Ontario Science Centre is a great and affordable location to visit and incredibly educational as well. Also visit any of the area's museums for a weekend. The Delta Chelsea in Toronto has long been known as an amazing family resort. So this year if planning to take a winter trip or even a short break from the every day why not stay at a Delta resort? For more information and a chance to win one free Friday night stay at a Delta resort follow @DeltaHotelsLtd. For more on Meadowvale see www.deltameadowvale.com

12 nights in Cuba

Is one week not enough of a vacation, but two weeks a bit too much? Well, good news Signature Vacations has the answer for you -  the 12 night Cuba vacation. Designed for travel before the end of this year, the new 12 night vacay is intended for people who don't feel one week is quite enough and two weeks a bit too much. Thriftymomma was last in Cuba almost a decade ago and is longing to take the family. This is a vacation I would consider depending on the accommodations and family activities. Cuba is a lovely island to visit. Temperatures are always hot. Prices are very affordable. My  only caveat with Cuba is the food. It was not much to write home about when I was last there over a decade ago now. We travelled last minute and got a great deal for a one week all inclusive, but the Cuban food was the least appealing of all the marvelous things that we enjoyed that week. Well, back then as a poor newly married individual travelling with a good friend of mine, we skimped on the frills to go and stayed at a three star resort near Varadero. To be clear a Cuban three star property is no place that I would wish to stay with my children or husband. There are several appealing spots, not just Varadero, the hottest tourist area and what I recall most of the time we spent there was touring about in little mopeds and having a great time exploring the island area near Varadero. Varadero has exploded into a very highly developed tourist spot with magnificent sprawling four and five star all inclusive resorts since then. Other areas of Cuba have also grown in popularity. Santa Clara, Holguin and the Cuban capital are also popular these days. For more info on the 12-night deals check out http://www.signature.ca/