Are you seeking a well-deserved break from the demands of work and baby's care, combined with a desire to relax and enjoy your new family? In 2000, our parent company, www.familytravelforum.com chose the following for a memorable vacation for mom, dad, baby and big siblings. Here's a look at the resort today.

Snowmass
Aspen, Colorado
888/667-5645
If Aspen's high class village of gourmet restaurants, elegant shops and galleries will enhance your skiing pleasure, then Snowmass, one of the town's four ski mountains (Aspen, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk), is the top choice for skiers with tiny travelers.

Open from mid-November through Easter and located in the new Treehouse Kids' Adventure Center, Snow Cubs is a state-licensed infant care facility staffed by enthusiastic and energetic personnel, offering care for children 8-weeks to 4-years-old. The staff, most of whom are college graduates, attend a mandatory 20 hours of training in infant and toddler care, and an additional 6 hour training in Pediatric First Aid is encouraged. Groups divided by age (8 weeks-12 months, 12-23 months, 2 years-35 months, 3-4 year olds) meet in a preschool setting with a full range of age-appropriate indoor activities including arts'n'crafts, music, puppet shows and waterplay. In addition to 45 minutes of outdoor snowplay, the eldest group begins ski lessons, first on an indoor training ramp, then in a fenced-in area, then up a 60-foot hill via a short moving carpeted track.

Reservations are imperative because of the 1:3 infant care ratio and limited capacity, and are encouraged to be made seven days in advance (parents also receive a discount that way). The Snow Cubs operate daily from 9am-3:30pm ($135/D; $84/morning half days). If the facility is filled to capacity, parents are referred to a list of screened babysitters maintained by the Resort Association who are also available during the evening hours.  Members of the childcare staff at Snow Cubs may also be contacted to babysit.  In addition, the "Nanny Cub Care Program" offers one-on-one service from 8:30am-4:00pm at $369/D. Evening care is available for kids 3 and under.

Big Burn Bears continues where Snow Cubs leaves off, offering ski and snowboard instruction for potty-trained children age 3-4 years (reservations required). Challenge Aspen, for skiing children at least 4 years old with special needs, is a unique learn-to-ski program whose specially-trained staff work on a one-to-one basis with each child. They also have a kids' program for skiers and snowboarders from ages 5-12 and a teen program for kids 13-17.

Another real plus for parents are the ski in/ski out accommodations at Snowmass. The terrain is predominantly for the intermediate skier, but there are two beginner runs as well as plenty of opportunity for advanced and expert skiers at such locations as "Hanging Valley."

  2000 Top Ten Getaways for Tiny Travelers
Top All-Inclusive Resorts:

Club Med Sandpiper, Florida
Beaches Negril, Jamaica
Top Beach  Resorts:
Windjammer Landing, St. Lucia
The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai
Top Country Resort:
The Tyler Place Family Resort, Vermont
Top Cruise Line:
Disney "Magic" and "Wonder"
Top Golf and Tennis Resorts:
Westin La Paloma, Arizona
Gray Rocks, Quebec
Top Ski Resorts:
Snowmass, Colorado
Okemo Mountain Resort, Vermont