Best Beach Vacation with Kids

[Corbin3]

We decided to do a Beach vacation this year and just relax. My DS is 7 and is very excited about it. I want to go to a good beach that has gentle waves and is good for kids his age. I have heard some of them have rougher surf and are harder to wade around or swim in. I have thought about Mayan Riveria but read a post that the hotels down there all smell like mildew and the restrooms are even worse. Something about the water I guess? Anybody experience this? Also thought about the Destin Florida area as I hear they have nice white sand beaches. There are a lot of decent deals around so need some help deciding!! Any advice is appreciated!

 

[mom_of_3_70737]

Bump....I would like to hear replies also!

 

[VeroBeachGirl]

Just got back from the Turks and Caicos. We stayed at Beaches, an all inclusive resort with a Sesame Street themed children's entertainment program. It was lots of fun and the beach was AMAZING!

 

[dylanlogan]

Thanks to travel happy grandparents, I have 7 year old twin boys & niece that have been to & fully enjoyed... Maui (our favorite by far), Grand Cayman (a close 2nd!), and Bonita Beach, FL (between Fort Myers & Naples- gets the budget friendly, easiest on travel time award!). I would be happy to elaborate if any of these are of interest.

 

[rparmfamily]

What coast are you on?

Most of my dream beach vacations w/kids are here in HI LOL.

 

[neverland mom]

We alway have gone to Panama City Beach in Florida. In the summer it is a great family place with lots and lots to do. We always rent a condo on the beach from VRBO.com, we have always had a really nice place to stay.

 

[WL Fan]

I may be slightly biased, but the beaches in Michigan are lovely! I know Michigan isn't the first place people think of, but for a summer vacation it's a great place. Lake Michigan has tons of beautiful sandy beaches and cute cottages to rent. Lake Huron is gentle and sandy, but after a nice windy day or a rainstorm, the waves are lots of fun to play in.

Just throwin' that out there!

 

[santa's surpriz]

I am planning a beach vaca too, I am going somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico bc the water seems to be gentler. I am leaning towards St Pete bc of the close proximity to WDW. I promised my self that it would not turn into another Disney vacation but we may venture to DTD and have a meal at one of the resorts.

Have a great time!

 

[Colleen27]

I may be slightly biased, but the beaches in Michigan are lovely! I know Michigan isn't the first place people think of, but for a summer vacation it's a great place. Lake Michigan has tons of beautiful sandy beaches and cute cottages to rent. Lake Huron is gentle and sandy, but after a nice windy day or a rainstorm, the waves are lots of fun to play in.

Just throwin' that out there!

I'll second that. Some of our nest beach vacations have been taking the boat up to Lake Huron or driving across to the sand dunes on Lake Michigan.

We did the Mayan Riviera once and didn't have issues with mildew or bathrooms or anything. We stayed at one of Wyndham's all inclusives, but next time we're going to step a little further out of the comfort zone and stay at the Occidental Xcaret for the proximity to the eco-park.

Another beach that we've really enjoyed through the years is Virginia Beach. The location is great because you've got a long stretch of public beach on the Atlantic and a state park with a beach on the Chesapeake if the surf on the Altantic is too strong. The marine science museum there is really cool - my kids love the sting-ray touch-tank in particular - and there is always . And there are some other neat attractions nearby enough to make good daytrips or diversions on the drive to/from home. We've visited Kitty Hawk, gone to see the wild ponies on Assateague, took the scenic route through the Blue Ridge Mountains on the way home so we could tour caverns, stopped at a couple Civil War battlefields, even spent a couple days in DC to hit the Air & Space Museum on the way down once. It isn't a great destination if you are looking for some place where you can fly in and not drive at all, though.

 

[2Tiggers]

I'll second that. Some of our nest beach vacations have been taking the boat up to Lake Huron or driving across to the sand dunes on Lake Michigan.

We did the Mayan Riviera once and didn't have issues with mildew or bathrooms or anything. We stayed at one of Wyndham's all inclusives, but next time we're going to step a little further out of the comfort zone and stay at the Occidental Xcaret for the proximity to the eco-park.

Another beach that we've really enjoyed through the years is Virginia Beach. The location is great because you've got a long stretch of public beach on the Atlantic and a state park with a beach on the Chesapeake if the surf on the Altantic is too strong. The marine science museum there is really cool - my kids love the sting-ray touch-tank in particular - and there is always . And there are some other neat attractions nearby enough to make good daytrips or diversions on the drive to/from home. We've visited Kitty Hawk, gone to see the wild ponies on Assateague, took the scenic route through the Blue Ridge Mountains on the way home so we could tour caverns, stopped at a couple Civil War battlefields, even spent a couple days in DC to hit the Air & Space Museum on the way down once. It isn't a great destination if you are looking for some place where you can fly in and not drive at all, though.

I will third that!

I really like Traverse City Bay!

 

[princessraygen]

I have lived near the Gulf of Mexico in Alabama all of my life. This, of course, is the northern part of the Gulf. (The stretch from Gulf Shores, AL to Panama City Beach, FL) While there are very beautiful beaches here with white sand and pretty water, the surf can be rough at times and the undertow so strong that the waters even close some days. Also, later in the summer, jellyfish are thick some days.

I have been to Naples and also a few of the Islands while on a cruise. The surf at Naples was great. We were told to shuffle our feet for sting rays, but we never saw one. There was hardly a wave the whole week we were there in late summer.

allyson

 

[tanyaandallie]

We loved Destin although it was not gentle while we were there. There was a storm coming and it was really rough. We actually had a few days that were red flagged and we coudln't get in at all. But the beaches are beautiful!!! We stayed in Grayton Beach which was much less touristie (touristy?) than Destin. No outlet malls and such. We just loved it. We stayed in a house that the kids cannot stop talking about.

 

[TDS373X]

We are big beach vacationers when not doing Disney by far our favorite is Ocean Isle Beach North Carolina. We just discovered it last year and can not wait to go back this year. Not a lot to do there it is a small beach community however it is close enough to lots to do that within an hours drive you can do just about whatever struck your fancy. (It is about halfway between Wilmington NC and Myrtle Beach SC.)They do have a wonderful museum there on the beach that had an awesome program for kids on Tuesday evenings about the animals that lived on the beach-besides the sea turtles. Mostly condos/homes no big hotels or excessive sprawl. The surf was rough when we were there as there was a tropical storm out in the Atlantic but DD who was 8 at the time was still able to go out a ways without too much problem (however she preferred the pool and hot tub at the condo over the ocean). As the storm got closer it was very obvious it was not a good idea to go in so we flew kites instead. There is a long pier that the locals fish from and you can go watch them Second on the list would be St Pete Beach love this place.