I love to travel! That's all there is to it.

Plus, I love to travel to hotels that have either been highly recommended to me or reviewed well on my favorite hotel review sites. However, since having a little boy come into our lives, travel has taken on a totally different dimension. In every possible way it's become a much richer experience for us! Although, I will confess I kind of miss just hanging out and talking to my husband while enjoying a great hotel experience and most of all the romantic nights out.

In my olden days, when I traveled with my folks, hotels were just starting to embrace the whole family travel industry. Few hotels had any kind of kid's activities and the whole concept of nanny services that were part of the hotel's features simply didn't exist.  I mean, sure there were some playgrounds and a few pools, but nothing like today's family friendly hotels:

However, these days some reputable hotels, such as Dreams La Romana, have come up with a bonafide nanny service! That's right! Professionally trained childcare nannies who are screened by the hotels are gently introduced to your child(ren). Then for the rest of the evening they are entertained with stimulant games and activities while the parents can get some time for themselves.  They offer a kid's club, teen club and a gorgeous pool.  What more can you ask for? So don't give up the romantic evenings out just because you're traveling, get online and see which hotels in your chosen destination offer nanny services. Look for details in the review that go beyond the activities they offer.

On our last hotel stay in Costa Rica, we hired a nanny! It was unbelievable. She immediately connected with my son, who doesn't go with just anyone. She was a sweet girl, a Tica with perfect English, was in her mid-twenties.  We asked for a nanny so my husband and I could go out to dinner and she took him to the kid's center where there were lots of other kids.  Evidently, other parents had the same idea. We ended up enjoying a fantastic meal, even danced a little (something we haven't done in ages) and when we returned for our son, he didn't want to leave the kid's center!

Honestly, hiring a nanny was part of our original vacation plan, however, I was definitely skeptical.  I mean, who reviews the nannies, anyway?  We decided to take the leap of faith and have no regrets.   For future stays, will rely on reputable hotel review site reviews when personal recommendations aren't available.

This is a TravelingMom dedicated post.

Bio Marina has been living in Central America for over 7 years and her site Travel Experta is all about traveling in Central America. Marina loves to help people plan the perfect vacation to this amazing part of the world! You can sign up for her RSS feed and join the fun on her facebook fan page and follow her on Twitter at @MarinaVillatoro.