OK. We’re going to discuss where to eat in New York City without making any cute remarks about taking a bite out of the Big Apple. Native New Yorker Mary Ann Zimmerman is a cookbook author who runs a tour company called Posh Nosh. For $10, she’ll send you tips on where to eat on the cheap. For $25, she’ll come up with a personalized dining strategy and make reservations for you. (212-838-4740) . . . Uptown Reservations will lodge you with an English family in a private residence within walking distance of London’s most cherished landmarks. Your B&B likely will be in Knightsbridge or Chelsea and will come with a continental breakfast and private bath. Tariffs are $103 for a single, $135 for a double, and $179 for a family room. (011-44-171-351-3445)
FAMILY FARE
This place used to be on the bunny trail, back when it was known as the Playboy Club Resort. But Hef years ago quietly bowed to family sentiment, as this 1,300-acre Wisconsin property on the shore of Lake Geneva became the Americana Lake Geneva, and ultimately, the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa. Children are in the picture now. Babies as young as 6 weeks are accepted in the resort’s state-licensed Kids Are Grand program, which entertains youngsters up to age 11. Fees vary for Kids Are Grand, but here are sample prices for the resort’s other children’s program, called Grand Adventures Kid’s Club: $135, five-day day camp, which operates Monday-Friday June 8-Aug. 28; $40, full-day session that includes lunch. Half-day and evening sessions are also available. (800-558-3417) . . . Every year, the sea turtles (loggerheads, primarily) return to the shores of Florida’s Indian River County to lay their eggs. Disney’s Vero Beach Resort has teamed with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Florida Marine Conservation and the Sebastian Inlet State Park to educate visitors about the sea turtles’ nesting habits. On scheduled evenings in June and July, resort guests may attend slide-show lectures and take guided beach walks to see the nesting grounds. The program has become so popular that the resort now holds a lottery for the 20 spots on each tour. (800-359-8000) . . . You can rent the entire, 12-room Sonoma Coast Villa in Bodega, Calif., for your family reunion. The 60-acre property, an hour’s drive up California Highway 1 from San Francisco, can handle up to 26 people and offers a swimming pool, putting green and Jacuzzi on the premises. Reunion packages start at $15,000 for two nights and three days, breakfasts included, and the owners will help you customize an itinerary that might cover horseback riding on the beach, a winery tour or a family golf tournament. (888-404-2255)
FREE STUFF
The U.S. Virgin Islands’ brochure lists summer-season room rates along with airline info, island events and lots of pretty pictures. (800-372-USVI) . . . Here’s a guide to Ohio’s historic sites, from the mysterious Serpent Mound to the Neil Armstrong Air & Space Museum. (888-909-OHIO) . . . The Hot Summer Values booklet comes with a card good for discounts in Palm Springs, Calif. (800-347-7746)
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Tour prices generally are per person, based on double occupancy.
