The Secret to a Stress-Free Spring Break Is Picking the ‘Easy’ Trip, According to ‘All on the Table’

Remember when vacation meant cramming your itinerary with activities, refusing to eat at the hotel, and coming home more exhausted than when you left? There was a time when “relaxing at the resort” sounded like a cop-out—like you weren’t doing vacation right unless you explored every corner of wherever you went. But somewhere between burnout and adulthood, the idea of just…sitting somewhere beautiful and not moving started to sound less boring and more like the actual dream.

On All on the Table, host Katie Lee Biegel gets refreshingly honest about her complete 180 on resort vacations—and shares the destinations that converted her. Whether you’re deep in the mom group chat debating spring break plans or just desperately need a trip where you don’t have to think, this convo is for you.

The ‘park yourself’ philosophy

Biegel isn’t shy about admitting she’s a changed woman when it comes to travel. “I used to like to go somewhere, never eat at the resort. I always wanted to go out and explore,” she says. “Now it’s like I’m so happy to not get in a car, to not load up my stuff, to just get somewhere and park.”

And honestly? That shift makes sense. When you’re traveling with kids (or just traveling while mentally fried), the last thing you want is to spend your vacation stressed about logistics. The goal isn’t to see everything, but to actually rest.

A huge part of what makes the “park yourself” approach work is finding a resort with a solid kids’ club. Biegel says the one at Four Seasons Nevis was so good that her daughter Iris almost hurt her feelings. “Last year was the first year that she really took advantage of it, almost to the point that I felt slighted because she would rather go to the kids’ club than be with me.” But that meant date nights, spa time, and actual relaxation for mom and dad—so really, everybody wins.

She’s also a fan of those little luxuries that don’t seem like a big deal until you have them. A washer and dryer in the room? Game-changer. “I never knew how much I would love having a washer dryer in a room until I had a child,” she admits. “That to me feels like such a luxury.”

The domestic picks: Sarasota and San Diego

If you want an easy, stress-free domestic trip, Biegel says Sarasota, Florida is seriously underrated. It’s got all the Florida beach vibes without the chaos of Miami, and the pace is way more relaxed. “It’s not like a big city with a ton of traffic, so I find it really easy,” she explains. Siesta Key Beach—which is consistently voted one of the most beautiful beaches in America—has white powdery sand and sunsets directly over the water. And if you’re staying at the St. Regis Longboat Key, the lazy river alone will keep your kids entertained for hours. Biegel says Iris did it approximately 40 times in one day—30 of those without a float, just swimming it like a workout.

Pro tip: skip the massive airports. Biegel swears by flying into smaller regional airports like Islip on Long Island, which has a direct flight to Sarasota on Breeze Airlines. “The security line, nothing. It’s just so much less stress.”

For a west coast option, San Diego is another favorite. The Hotel del Coronado is right on the beach, which means built-in entertainment all day—surfers, fighter jets from the nearby military base, and s’mores by the fire pits at night. Plus, it’s a 30-minute drive to Legoland and an hour and a half to Disneyland if you want to add some theme park action. Biegel also recommends the Surfliner train from LA to San Diego if you want to split your trip between both cities—it runs right along the coast and the views are stunning.

The International picks: Nevis, Costa Rica, and Atlantis

Biegel’s number one family vacation destination? Four Seasons Nevis, hands down. She’s been three times and is already planning a fourth. The arrival alone sets the tone: you fly into St. Kitts, get picked up, and take a boat that pulls up to a long pier. “Very White Lotus,” she says. From there, she doesn’t leave. Between the incredible kids’ club, the spa with a cold plunge, and the fact that kids five and under eat free, it’s her idea of paradise.

For families with older or more active kids, she recommends the Four Seasons Costa Rica in the Peninsula Papagayo. There’s an endless list of activities—ziplining, fishing, rainforest hikes, surf lessons—so nobody gets bored. 

And then there’s Atlantis in Nassau, which Biegel admits surprised her. She’s usually not a “giant hotel-type person,” but for families, it works. The water park is incredible, the lazy river is more like a rapids river, and there’s a million restaurants and activities to choose from. 

Two tips, though: avoid the specific week when high schoolers descend for senior spring break (apparently it’s a whole thing), and if you’re traveling with kids, skip the “nicer” Cove building and stay in the main building instead. “The Cove was too grown-up with a kid,” Biegel says. “We moved and went to the main building, [which was] closer to all the pools, closer to all the fun, the action, the water slides, all of that.”

Want to catch the full conversation? Tune into All on the Table with Katie Lee Biegel, streaming now.

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