What to ask before dropping your children off at a hotel kids' club

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  The kids' club at 2013 Gold List property, Chiang Mai's Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi ups its game (and puts other clubs to shame) with activities like rice planting, water buffalo riding, and muay thai (kickboxing).Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi

You’re on the verge of booking the perfect resort vacation, and you plan to include a little grown-up time by dropping your children off at the kids' club. How do you make sure that the program measures up to your expectations (and your kids’) so that you can truly relax?

I typically call ahead before booking and ask to speak to the club's manager. Don’t be afraid to ask as many questions as you want. In many cases, the manager will be able to email you more detailed information than what's available online. Once you’ve confirmed that the program meets your needs, go ahead and make your booking, reserving a space for your child a week before your visit.

On your first day at the resort, make time to drop in, meet the staff, and take a look around. It’s worth re-asking a few key questions on-the-spot just to make sure you are entirely comfortable with the hotel’s program and staffing. If not, you’ll still have time to make adjustments by using a hotel babysitter or a local camp.

What’s included?

Pricing and available hours are a little different at every club I’ve visited. Some include meals and snacks, while others expect you to order a meal at additional cost. Most include all activities, but in some situations (a field trip or an optional activity, for example) your child could incur extra charges. Find out exactly what’s included, what your kid needs in order to participate, and how flexible the drop-off and pickup times are before making your plans.

What ages can you accommodate?

Some clubs will accommodate young babies, while others want only kids who are fully potty independent (and will call you to pick up your child if there is an accident). Make sure you know what is expected, and verify that there are age-appropriate toys and activities available for your kids.

How are staff selected?

I always like to know how kids’ club staff are trained and how long they have been working at the hotel. What are the maximum staff-to-child ratios, and what happens if more kids enroll than expected? Does the club stop accepting kids, or bring in staff who don’t normally work with children? If you are planning to send your child several days in a row, will the staffing change each day? It’s important to note that local day care laws vary considerably, especially internationally, so training might look quite a bit different than what you are used to at home.

What areas of the hotel will the kids be in?

For some parents, a secured room with a fully fenced play area is an ideal situation, while others want their kids to make use of the resort facilities. There’s no one right answer, but if the kids will be out and about, make sure the you’re comfortable with the way the hotel keeps track of kids and keeps them safe. For hotels with a swim program, you’ll want to ask detailed questions on pool safety, especially for non-swimmers.

Can I see a schedule?

The best way to determine whether a hotel is offering a quality kids club or parking the kids in front of a TV all day is to ask to see a weekly schedule. If there isn’t one, or if the planned activities don’t seem stimulating, that should raise a red flag.

Can I leave the property?

Some resort programs require that parents stay nearby to help in case there’s a problem, while others allow you to visit the surrounding area. If you’re planning on an excursion, verify that your hotel’s program rules allow it.

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Cuba to turn over Florida couple who allegedly kidnapped children

HAVANA –  Cuba said Tuesday that it will turn over to the United States a Florida couple who allegedly kidnapped their own children from the mother's parents and fled by boat to Havana, ending days of drama that recalled the Elian Gonzalez custody battle of more than a decade ago.

Foreign Ministry official Johana Tablada told The Associated Press in a written statement Tuesday that Cuba had informed U.S. authorities of the country's decision to turn over Joshua Michael Hakken, his wife Sharyn, and their two young boys. She did not say when the handover would occur.

An AP reporter spotted the family earlier Tuesday beside their boat at Havana's Hemingway Marina. A man who resembled photographs of Joshua Michael Hakken yelled out "Stop! Stay back!" as the reporter approached, but the family appeared to interact normally with each other.

Tablada said the Foreign Ministry had informed U.S. diplomats on the island "of the Cuban government's willingness to turn over ... U.S. citizens Joshua Michael Hakken, his wife Sharyn Patricia and their two minor sons."

She said Cuba tipped the State Department off to the Hakkens' presence on Sunday and that from that moment "diplomatic contact has been exchanged and a professional and constant communication has been maintained."

U.S. authorities say Joshua Michael Hakken kidnapped his sons, 4-year-old Cole and 2-year-old Chase, from his mother-in-law's house north of Tampa. The boys' maternal grandparents had been granted permanent custody of the boys last week.

The U.S. and Cuba share no extradition agreement and the island nation is also not a signatory of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, an international treaty for governmental cooperation on such cases.

Cuba has harbored U.S. fugitives in the past, though most of those cases date back to the 1960s and 70s, when the island became a refuge for members of the Black Panthers and other militant groups. More recently, dozens of Cuban Medicare fraud fugitives in the U.S. have tried to escape prosecution by returning to the island.

But Cuba has also cooperated with U.S. authorities in returning several criminal fugitives in recent years.

Hakken lost custody of his sons last year after a drug possession arrest in Louisiana and later tried to take the children from a foster home at gunpoint, authorities said. A warrant has been issued for his arrest on two counts of kidnapping; interference with child custody; child neglect; false imprisonment and other charges.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Hakken entered his mother-in-law's Florida house last Wednesday, tied her up and fled with his sons. Federal, state and local authorities searched by air and sea for a boat Hakken had recently bought. The truck Hakken, his wife and the boys had been traveling in was found Thursday, abandoned in Madeira Beach, Florida.

Their flight to Cuba recalls the child custody case that set the two Cold War foes feuding in 1999. That year, 5-year-old Elian Gonzalez was found clinging to an inner tube off Florida after his mothers and others drowned while fleeing Cuba toward American soil. The boy was taken to Miami to live with relatives, but his father in Cuba demanded the boy be sent back.

U.S. courts ultimately ruled Gonzalez should be sent back, though his Miami relatives refused to return him. In April 2000, U.S. federal agents raided the family's home and he was returned to Cuba soon after. He has since grown into a young man and joined a military academy.

At the Havana marina on Tuesday, the family showed no sign they knew a decision about their fate had been made. The four strolled by an outdoor restaurant as security officials kept reporters at a distance.

The youngest child was seated in a stroller and the elder boy sat down on a curb. A woman who resembled Sharyn Hakken was seen on the boat.

Cuban officials told reporters not to take pictures of the family or the boat, which bore the name Salty and had a paw print on its side.

Andrew Zych, a Canadian docked in a sailboat steps away from the Hakkens, said the family had arrived recently and seemed normal.

"I liked the way they played with the kids," he said, adding he was surprised to learn of events in the U.S.

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Myanmar police say 13 children die in fire

Published April 01, 2013

Associated Press

YANGON, Myanmar –  Police in Myanmar say 13 children died when an electrical fire broke out at a mosque in the country's largest city.

Police officer Thet Lwin said the blaze early Tuesday in Yangon was triggered by an overheated inverter "and not due to any criminal activity."

Myanmar has been on edge in recent days after sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims erupted in the central city of Meikhtila earlier this month, killing dozens of people and displacing more than 10,000.

Thet Lwin (Tet Win) says the mosque in eastern Yangon sheltered about 75 orphans, and most escaped unharmed by running out of a door after police knocked it open.

Firefighters extinguished the blaze and the two-story building was charred but intact.

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French mother arrested for slitting throats of her 3 children

A French woman has been arrested after her three children were found with their throats slit at their home near Paris Friday.

Sky News reports that two of the kids—a  9-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son—died of multiple stab wounds. Their 17-year-old brother was still alive when emergency services arrived, but later died of his wounds.

Their father, a doctor, discovered the scene after returning home in the morning from work, according to judicial sources and police. He was reportedly in a state of shock.

"The children had their throats slit but we are still awaiting forensic reports," authorities told Sky.

Police launched a hunt for the mother after the bodies were found, eventually apprehending her and holding her in Paris.  

The family lived in a suburb east of Paris called Dampmart.

Investigators said the couple was having marital problems.

Click for more from Sky News. 

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