Babymoon Biweekly - Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa, Sausalito California

Many babymoon packages are just romantic packages for couples that have been rebranded. Not all of the babymoons we see boast baby-specific features, and while we agree that a romantic dinner and breakfast for two can be a wonderful treat, (particularly since once you have the baby it will feel like an unattainable dream), to us there are a few hallmarks of a real babymoon package:

-there should be a maternity massage involved, since pregnant women can't take advantage of "regular" massages
-Mommy should definitely get special treatment, but partners should get something special as well
-ideally, the package should include a baby gift; this is, after all, about his or her impending arrival, and a onesie or baby album makes a great memento.

Casa Madrona Hotel & Spa in upscale Sausalito, California clearly thinks along the same lines we do. They have what they're calling America's first destination maternity spa (not to be confused with Destination Maternity the store). The spa, lovingly called Barefoot & Pregnant, has an entire menu of massages, facials and spa packages just for pregnant women, with a few Daddy and post-partum treatments thrown in for good measure. Several of these have been packaged with hotel accommodations to create a variety of babymoons for expecting couples. There's even a package for two pregnant mommies on a girls getaway.

We particularly like the 5-day/4-night And Baby Makes Three package, which includes transportation to and from the airport, accommodation for two, in-room continental breakfast each morning, a romantic picnic lunch, dinner for two on two nights, a gift basket, a prenatal spa package for Mom and two spa services for Dad, and a private birthing session to prepare you for baby's debut. With all that to take in, it's no wonder it's a 5-day package!

Nearby San Francisco has its own charms worth exploring, although we won't blame you if you're too busy being pampered to get out much. The hotel's winding walkways and lovely bay views can be hard to pull away from, and with rooms sporting private decks and fireplaces, it might be hard just to get yourself to the spa. The good thing? You can always go back after baby is born: San Francisco is notoriously child-friendly, and we'll be making recommendations for your family vacation there in upcoming posts.


The "And Baby Makes Three" package is $2700; there is also an Expecting the Best package which can be customized for an accompanying Dad or Mommy's pregnant friend. The hotel also offers several package add-ons for an additional fee, including maternity photography. To book your babymoon, call Casa Madrona at 800.288.0502.

Smells Like Teen Spirit

...in the Teen Spa at Pinehurst Resort, that is.

If you're a golf aficionado, the village of Pinehurst in North Carolina might mean something to you. US Opens and US Senior Opens have been played there and in 2008 Pinehurst will host the US Men's Amateur Championship. This is very much a golfing town.

Your teen or tween girl might be bored to tears at the mere thought of golf (unless she's a Michelle Wie or Annika Sorenstam fan). But if your heart is set on a golf vacation, you might want to give the Pinehurst Resort a closer look, since it has a small but thoughtful menu of spa treatments for teens and tweens that girls especially will love to take advantage of.

Teens get to enjoy their own TeenSpa lounge, away from the annoying eyes (and mouths?) of parents. From there they can be whisked away to enjoy a massage, a Teen Facial, a Teen Makeup Lesson (which thankfully preaches moderation) or a Teen Tune-up, which is a session with a personal trainer (great for your young athlete). If your daughter will consent to being seen with you, there's a mother-daughter treatment package; if she prefers this year's BFFs, they can join in for the Friends Always and Forever package, great for birthdays, which includes spa manicure & pedicure, facial, and makeup application (and probably lots of eye-rolling and gossip).

Younger ones (6-12) can get pampered too, with a Twinkle Toes and Fancy Fingers mani/pedi treatment or a mini-facial. They can even be gently introduced to massage with a 20-minute treatment, during which a parent is present and your princess is in her bathing suit.

We like that this spa introduces our soon-to-be-divas to pampering at a moderate pace, and does so under the watchful eyes of parents: teens going for closed-door treatments such as massages must have parents in the room with them, and the under-12 group must be accompanied by parents for all treatments, massage and otherwise. In other words, no golfing while the kids do the spa thing, but we think it's a good call.

And that yawn you'll see at the end of the day? Probably a yawn of contentment. After all, it's their vacation too - and a little pampering never hurt anyone.