Beat The Heat And Sun

Heat-related illness happens when the body’s temperature control system is overloaded. Infants and children up to 4 years of age are at greatest risk. Even young and healthy people can get sick from the heat if they participate in strenuous physical activities during hot weather. For heat-related illness, the best defense is prevention.

• Never leave infants, children, or pets in a parked car, even if the windows are cracked open.
• Dress infants and children in loose, lightweight, light-colored clothing.
• Schedule outdoor activities carefully, for morning and evening hours.
• Stay cool with cool showers or baths.
• Seek medical care immediate if your child has symptoms of heat-related illness.

Just a few serious sunburns can increase you and your child's risk of skin cancer later in life. Their skin needs protection from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays whenever they're outdoors.

• Cover up. Clothing that covers your and your child's skin helps protect against UV rays.
• Use sunscreen with at least SPF (sun protection factor) 15 and UVA (ultraviolet A) and UVB (ultraviolet B) protection every time you and your child go outside.

Summer Healthy Tips

 

1. Give Your Diet a Berry Boost
If you do one thing this summer to improve your diet, have a cup of mixed fresh berries -- blackberries, blueberries, or strawberries -- every day. They'll help you load up on antioxidants, which may help prevent damage to tissues and reduce the risks of age-related illnesses. Blueberries and blackberries are especially antioxidant-rich.

A big bonus: Berries are also tops in fiber, which helps keep cholesterol low and may even help prevent some cancers.

2. Get Dirty -- and Stress Less
To improve your stress level, plant a small garden, cultivate a flower box, or if space is really limited, plant a few flower pots -- indoors or out.

Just putting your hands in soil is "grounding." And when life feels like you're moving so fast your feet are barely touching the stuff, being mentally grounded can help relieve physical and mental stress.

3. Floss Daily
You know you need to, now it's time to start: floss every single day. Do it at the beach (in a secluded spot), while reading on your patio, or when watching TV -- and the task will breeze by.

Flossing reduces oral bacteria, which improves overall body health, and if oral bacteria is low, your body has more resources to fight bacteria elsewhere. Floss daily and you're doing better than at least 85% of people.

4. Get Outside to Exercise
Pick one outdoor activity -- going on a hike, taking a nature walk, playing games such as tag with your kids, cycling, roller blading, or swimming -- to shed that cooped-up feeling of gym workouts.

And remember, the family that plays together not only gets fit together -- it's also a great way to create bonding time.

Sneaky Ways to Keep Your Kids Learning This Summer

 

According to the National Summer Learning Association, if kids take a break from learning all summer, they not only miss out on new information and skills, they can lose up to three months' worth of reading and math skills from the previous year.
Yet making kids complete workbooks or review flashcards almost repels them from staying educationally engaged. As a mom who homeschooled my two boys for 10 years, I developed some fun (and often sneaky) ways to keep my kids learning all summer long and avoid the dreaded "summer slide."

1. Ask kids to create their own board games. Let them choose something they love (i.e. dogs, cooking, Disney, soccer, etc.), and challenge them to design a board game around their passion. From creating the game board and researching their topic to figuring out the rules and writing simple directions for others to follow, this hands-on activity truly puts the fun in learning.

2. Plan "surprise adventures." Think outside the typical tourist spots for these family field trips. Look for Civil War re-enactments, factory tours, Renaissance festivals, historic home tours, jazz concerts, ethnic festivals, botanical gardens, county fairs, living history farms, planetariums, animal sanctuaries, historic battlefields, lighthouses, and working ranches.

3. Teach your kids how to play chess. Don't know how? Learn together! (A simple Google search will turn up some great starting points.) Once your kids master the basics, sign them up for a chess club. "Chess trains your brain to think critically—to discover like a scientist, create like a technician, innovate like an engineer, and problem solve like a mathematician," explains Wendi Fischer, the Scholastic Director of America's Foundation for Chess, a nonprofit organization that brings chess into schools. "In fact, a third-grade student once told me, 'I like chess because it's sneaky learning.'"

6 Ways to Get Your Child Comfortable in the Water

1. Make the most of bathtime.

Begin by using this time as an opportunity to familiarize babies with water. “When he’s in the bathtub, get him wet and let the water go over his head and get into his ears,” Garcia suggests. “Having water in the ears is a very strange feeling, and he might not like it, but you have to keep doing it.” By age 1, kids should feel comfortable having water on their face.

2. Enroll in a mommy-and-me swimming class.

These programs, for kids ages 6 to 36 months, introduce swimming in a small and comfortable setting and help toddlers develop the motor skills needed to swim. “Parents don’t have to be swimmers to participate—the pool is very shallow so they just need to stand in the water,” Garcia says. During classes, parents do exercises such as positioning kids atop the water’s surface on their tummy and slowly rolling them onto their back, while letting them kick their feet and splash.

3. Sign up kids for lessons at age 3.

It’s time to progress to private or group swimming lessons without parental involvement. “If kids aren’t comfortable in water by age 4, learning how to swim will become harder with every additional year that you wait,” Garcia warns.

4. Start with fun games.

Instructors at Helen’s Happy Swim School begin by engaging kids in fun, trust-building, and confidence-boosting activities. “We’ll play games like ‘How wet can you get the teacher?’ and the kids will sit up on the deck, put their feet in the water, and splash the teacher,” Garcia says. Non-swimming parents can practice similar exercises, such as this version of “Red light, green light”: Stand in the shallow end of the pool and position your kids on the edge; have the swimmers-in-training do quick flutter kicks when they hear the “green light” cue and abruptly stop when “red light” is called out.

5. Mind the details.

A beginner’s environment can dictate whether the learning process is positive from the very start. According to Garcia, proper water temperature (80 to 82 degrees) is key for young swimmers. “Children don’t have a lot of body fat, so if the water is cold, their body will get stiff and they won’t want to learn anything,” she says. Another way parents can help keep their little ones happy in the water is to dress them in pool-ready attire. “Lycra-based swimsuits are ideal because the fabric won’t absorb water, whereas cotton boardshorts and T-shirts will hold water and weigh a ton,” says Garcia. “When children are carrying all that extra water weight, learning a skill such as kicking on a kickboard will be a lot more challenging.”

6. Take a dip.

When non-swimming parents rise above their fears and conquer the water, it sends a powerful and persuasive message to their children that will resonate far beyond the pool. Throughout the learning process, parents and children can work as a team by acting as each other’s biggest cheerleader. “I’ve seen parents who were so inspired by their child’s progress that it motivated them to learn how to swim,” Garcia says. “Now, they can enjoy water activities together as a family.” It’s no secret that children learn by example, so walking the walk—or swimming the swim—will probably be a parent’s most effective form of encouragement.

Summer Safety Rules to Teach Your Child Now

The weather is finally nice and everyone is relaxing and spending way more time outside. It's just the best time of year.

You should be aware, however, that kids actually have a much higher risk of injury during this season. In fact, summer is often referred to as "trauma season" by many medical professionals, because children are spending way more time on playgrounds, boats, bikes, and other outdoor activities. That makes them more likely to get hurt than if they were just sitting inside.

But don't worry—your little one can still have plenty of fun this summer.The goal is to get your kid involved, too, so that she will learn to take care of herself from a young age.

Here are five simple rules you can start teaching your child right now:

• Wear a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen when you go outside.
• Only go swimming when there's an adult there to watch, and make sure you have a life jacket on whenever you're on open water.
• Stay inside when an adult is mowing the lawn. (There are an average of 35,000 lawn mower injuries that are serious enough to require an ER visit each year!)
• Stay far away from campfires and fire pits.
• Always ride down a slide feet first and one at a time.

How to Choose Sunscreen

Look for SPF (sun protection factor) numbers on the labels of sunscreens. Select an SPF of 30 or higher to prevent sunburn and tanning, both of which are signs of skin damage. Choose a sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays (usually labeled as a "broad-spectrum" sunscreen).

Sunscreen sprays are convenient but should be used with caution. For starters, sprays are easy to breathe in, which can irritate the lungs. Some sprays also are flammable, so you need to avoid sparks or flames when applying them and wearing them. And, sprays make it hard to tell if you have applied enough sunscreen, which increases the risk of sunburn.

Other things to consider:

• Don't use sunscreens with PABA, which can cause skin allergies.
• For sensitive skin, look for products with the active ingredient titanium dioxide.
• If your teen or preteen wants to use a self-tanner sunscreen, be sure to get one that also has UV protection (many offer little or none).

Babies younger than 6 months should be kept out of the sun. When going outside, dress your baby in lightweight clothes that cover arms and legs — and don't forget a hat. If you can't avoid the sun, you can use a small amount of sunscreen on your baby's exposed skin, like the hands and face.

Staying Active at Your Destination

The possibilities for active getaways around the world are almost limitless -- think hiking in the Alps, horseback riding in Montana or canoeing down the Amazon River. But even if you're not up for that much outdoor adventure, there's a lot more you can do than just sit on a bus and passively take in the scenery.

For example, you can see the world by bicycle with BikeTours.com, a clearinghouse for guided and self-guided tours through dozens of countries, including Italy, France, India and New Zealand. You'll cycle along scenic river banks, past vineyards and through medieval towns, combining all-day exercise with a more intimate look at the local landscape than you could ever get from the seat of a bus. 

A similar opportunity is available for joggers in cities across the U.S. (plus Toronto) with City Running Tours. Personalized routes take runners through the West Village, along the National Mall or up and down the hills of San Francisco, to name just a few.

Jogging and biking aside, you can't go wrong with good old-fashioned walking. There's no better way to experience a city than on foot, so take time to walk between major attractions rather than jumping on a bus or a subway. You'll experience the flavor of different neighborhoods and be able to duck into any cafe or shop that strikes your fancy along the way.

Travel Hygiene Tips To Keep Your Mouth Clean

Is bad breath the greatest enemy to overall travel freshness? Your fellow airplane passengers apparently think so. According to a Skyscanner poll of more than 1,000 people, the largest number (19 percent) felt that "those with bad breath and BO" made the worst seatmates.

So what to do to avoid that foul, sticky taste in the mouth and that look of revulsion from your neighbor on the plane or metro? Beyond the obvious mints or gum, and avoidance of garlic and kimchi (spicy pickled cabbage being the most popular variety), there are a number of products that promote oral hygiene on the road. Colgate Wisps are disposable mini-toothbrushes that provide a quick and easy mouth-freshening option when you can't brush your teeth for real. The brush head has a freshening bead that releases a mouth cleaning liquid when you scrub, and a pick on the opposite end provides a floss option. It requires no water to use, and the ingredients are safe to swallow (except for the brush itself, of course!).

Another product of choice is Listerine PocketMist, introduced to me as part of a hotel's complimentary in-room toiletries. This is Binaca for the modern age -- in a smaller key-chain-sized container and with a more potent punch. You can literally feel the bacteria being singed away.

There are also a number of foods that, rather than encouraging halitosis, help clean out the mouth. Granny Smith apples are one such option, their tartness sparking the mouth's natural washing mechanism, salivation. Lemons and limes work great as well; ask the flight attendant for one.

Travel Hygiene Tips: Staying Fresh on the Road

If you've ever stepped off a plane with stained and rumpled clothes, a pore-clogged face, a lag-induced headache, and a mouth that still tastes like hours-old airplane food, you know how tricky it can be to stay clean and rested while traveling. And that's just the first leg of your trip. Where do you turn when access to basic facilities -- like a shower and sink -- becomes a distant memory? If you're properly prepared, you'll be ready for whatever travel trial comes your way: to use an apple or lemon to improve your breath, to take a shower without water, or to fall asleep in even the most cramped, cacophonous of airline seats.

Enter the holy sextet of travel freshness: hands, mouth, face, body, clothes ... and mind. Whether you're on a trek through the Amazon jungle or a bus tour through Germany, keeping fresh and clean on the road can improve your spirits, maintain health, and assure that fellow travelers and locals aren't scared off by your haggard appearance and penetrating odor. Check out our travel hygiene tips below.

Hands

While doctors mostly agree that washing hands with hot, soapy water is best for preventing the spread of germs, there are times when this simply isn't an option for travelers. In these cases, your best bet is an alcohol-based sanitizer (in cloth or liquid form) such as Purell. Squirt and rub before a restaurant meal, when leaving a bathroom or after fondling a stone bust of Nefertiti at a souvenir shop. Other top times for a squirt while traveling? After using an ATM, riding an escalator or handling llamas in South America.

Face

Beyond staying hydrated, there's the question of facial cleanliness. There are a bevy of water-less facial products that can be used on the road -- say, while camping. Pur Minerals has Mineral Quick Clean, a rinse-free facial cleanser and makeup remover. And a company called basis offers "so refreshing facial cleansing cloths," another highly rated choice. These individually wrapped cloths are alcohol- and soap-free -- and don't require any water.

 

When in Boca Raton make sure to "Hit the Town"

Live music fills the air Downtown seven nights a week, from indie rock and tribute bands at The Funky Biscuit, to nightly singers at Vino Wine Bar. Sip expertly-crafted cocktails at the Rebel House, kick back with a brew from the Biergarten, or dance the night away at Platforms Retro Dance Club. Check out our calendar for a weekly listing of events.

Get Fit in Boca Raton

Whether you like logging miles on a treadmill or taking your fitness routine to the great outdoors, Downtown Boca is the perfect place to sweat it out. Take up tennis at the Boca Raton Tennis Center, schedule a one-on-one session with the experts at Rod Squad, join a lunch crunch class at Gravity & Oxygen Fitness, or enjoy free yoga and Capoeria classes every Saturday in Sanborn Square. Plus, the Community Center and vicinity feature a playground, ball fields, basketball court, skate park and shuffleboard courts.

Sanborn Square

Downtown Boca Raton's Sanborn Square

Outdoor Pool

Enjoy swimming in our pool.

Mizner Park Amphitheater

The Count de Hoernle Amphitheater in Mizner Park, a state-of- the-art outdoor amphitheater, colonnade and concert green which accommodates 4,200 people. Programming at the amphitheater includes a variety of community events, city events, and commercial concerts.

Boca Raton Beach

The beach is just one mile from our hotel and Town Center Mall is a 10 minute drive away. Morikami Museum & Park is a 20 minute drive away.

2 Queen Beds

No Smoking
Free High-Speed Wired Internet, Microwave and Refrigerator, Flat panel TV  

Free High-Speed Wired Internet
Microwave and Refrigerator
Flat panel TV
HBO
Iron and Ironing Board
Hair Dryer
Coffeemaker, In-Room
Free Local Calls
Wake-Up Service
Refrigerator
Mirror, Full Length
Microwave
Clock Radio/AM-FM
AM/FM Radio

Count on Us!

You can always depend on our pet-friendly Boca Raton Quality Inn hotel to deliver full-service amenities like:

    Free breakfast
    Free WiFi
    Free coffee
    Free weekday newspaper

Book Your Stay

Get your money’s worth at the Quality Inn. This Boca Raton, FL hotel offers cozy guest rooms with all the amenities you expect. Book today!

Local Attractions

Our Boca Raton hotels also offer easy access to a variety of restaurants, coffee shops and shopping centers located in the region.

Other area attractions and sites include:

    Boca Raton Beach
    Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
    Mizner Park
    Boca Raton Museum of Art

Amenities

Get refreshed in our spacious guest rooms, all of which feature standard amenities such as TVs, hair dryers, coffee makers, microwaves, refrigerators, irons and ironing boards.