Tired of bored teens on vacation? Stay at a resort.

July 09, 2008|Michelle Higgins, New York Times News Service

After carefully planning the family vacation and spending extra money on activities to keep the kids entertained, the last thing a parent wants to hear one of them say is "I'm bored" in that familiar tone.

For years, resorts have offered elaborate clubs catering to the 12-and-younger set, with activities like arts and crafts and water sports. But there was little in the way of entertainment for that most difficult of childhood stages: the teenage years.

"The teenager, unfortunately, was a forgotten age," said Brad Cance, general manager at the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach, Fla., which opened a center for teenagers in December with a production studio for participants to play radio hosts, including a DJ booth, and a fashion-model-style photography set. "We always had a fantastic kids' program for the 5- to 12-year-olds," he said. "We really hadn't been doing the job we needed to do for teens."

Recognizing that the fickle moods of a teenager can make or break a family vacation, a growing number of resorts are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars creating elaborate hangouts to keep the adolescent set content.

The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz., recently spent $500,000 to convert a tennis lounge into an activity center, outfitted with an extra-large TV screen for interactive video games and a mini-movie theater. Club Med has been rolling out Passworld chainwide, with activities ranging from jewelry-making classes to graffiti workshops. In November, Club Med in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic opened a renovated $200,000 teenagers' center that includes a redesigned skateboarding park. The all-inclusive Occidental Grand Xcaret, in Mexico, south of Cancun, offers a Fun Club, with activities like volleyball, tennis, diving, and video games, including Wii, on a 110-inch TV. By night, teenagers can enjoy movies and nightly parties at a disco.

Though they may vary in design and concept, these hangouts all strive to appeal to adolescents' sensibilities, including their need to be independent and - most important - cool. Loews Coronado Bay Resort and Spa in Coronado, Calif., partnered with Pottery Barn's PBteen to outfit its lounge with an "iChair," with speakers and a subwoofer under the seat, that kids can plug their iPod or MP3 player into and rock out.

Rather than lump teenagers (14 to 17) together with their younger, tween siblings (11 to 13), Club Med largely keeps the groups separate for sporting activities, performances, and meals.