carribean vacation

[minnie4me]

So, our next big adventure might not be Disney related, but we like to see other parts of the US and world too.
We were just on a land/sea vacation and had a great time. DH and I were both saying how you spend so little time enjoying the beautiful waters and beaches of the carribean. So, we are thinking of trying an all-inclusive somewhere. Question is where???
Have a 5 yr old DS now. Probably looking to go in late April-early June 2009, and want some place to accomidate us all. A kids club, beach, pool(s), great dining and a spa !! Not asking alot am I ?
Any input? Was considering a Beaches resort either Negril, Jamaica or Turks & Caicos. Not sure if they are worth the money though. TA said Jamaica is really developing now with new resorts etc... Some say go to Mexico, but where? I want really stunning water and landscape. St Thomas was really beautiful, stopped and toured on a cruise, but TA said resorts are older. So does that mean, old and run down?
Any input, experiences (good or bad) appreciated....

 

[katyjeka]

Hi. We've taken our 3 girls(youngest was 2 @ the time)to Antiqua, Cozumel, and Hondurus. All are beautiful, but with kids I would highly recommend Cozumel. The water was so calm, never saw a wave, HONEST. The people were super friendly. We went horseback riding, even the youngest was allowed to ride with my dh, saw ruins, which our kids loved(go figure) and swam in the beautiful, warm ocean, with powder soft sand. They had igloos, water trampolines, and small watercraft. We rode jet skis, a highlight for our oldest. The shopping was great, and we left with a hand painted bathroom sink.($45.00) I bought dresses for the girls, and they had a ball shopping for friends back home. We felt safe and welcomed no matter where we went. Antiqua was beautiful, but the ocean was quite rough. Hondurus was a dream but armed guards on small boats guard the beach, and I felt uncomfortable with kids. Have a great trip no matter what you decide. Janice

 

[Aliceacc]

At least a million years ago I went to Club Med in Eleuthera in the Bahamas.

It was gorgeous, and had a kids club as well. Lots of families... not the idea you get in your mind when you say "club med."

It may have changed, but it's well worth checking out.

 

[Loriannf]

St Thomas has some great resorts, many newly refurbished like the Ritz. We always spend at least one week per year, though, on St John. St John is 3 miles from St Thomas and accessible by ferry from St Thomas. 2/3 of the island is national park, so it is very pristine. It can get expensive; you could rent a villa from an owner at the Westin St John Resort and Timeshares. That way you would have your own kitchen, washer and dryer, and of course, multiple bedrooms. If you rent one of the Hillside 3 bedroom villas, you'd have your own private pool. Plus, you get full use of the Westin hotel's amenities - Kid's Club - which my daughter (now 6) absolutely loves, the tennis courts, the playground, the water toys, etc. The Westin doesn't have the best beach on the island, but on an island with some of the best beaches in the world, it would be hard for a hotel beach to be great.

I admit I'm a bit biased as we do own at the Westin St John, but our daughter would rather go there than DISNEY!! Even though we visit both most years, she would rather spend two weeks in St John and only a couple of days at Disney. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have about St John if you'd like to email me.

Oh, another advantage of St John is that it's US territory - the currency is dollars, everyone speaks English, no need to worry about the water as it must meet EPA standards, etc.

Lori

 

[minnie4me]

bump...

 

[ldo]

WE stayed at the Marriott Curacao last year--it was great. you can do AI rate, or not--but, honestly, food was so reasonable, I would not do AI. THey had a great kids club (not an all-day drop off at 9 and pick up at 5), but plenty of activities going on all day long--they painted coconuts, played games, etc.

Every couple of nights, they had a lovely buffet set up on or near the beach with music---cost was about $25 person for adults and included 2 drinks (rum punch or nonalcoholic). Lunch was $10 or so. Only $$ thing was breakfast ($18)---but they had a deli type place with cereals and fruits and all rooms had coffee makers with coffee packets and fridge--so if you did breakfast at room, it was fine. I made coffee in the AM and walked about 50 feet out to the beach and drank it under a thatched hut--it was divine.

Pool are was beautiful, very kid friendly. Several US families were there with kids having a ball. The beach is really nice and there was a great snorkeling place right off the shore. This is one of the best overall places we have stayed in the carib. Also had a nice spa and PADI 5* dive shop right onsite. We can't wait to go back.

 

[jagafen]

we left our son home though, no kids this trip......just the hubby and I . We LOVED Negril. It is VERY laid back, very relaxing. We stayed a bit further down the beach from Beaches though. We were there August 2006 during the off season and really enjoyed ourselves. If you go, don't be afraid to venture off the resort. Skip the Horseback riding excursions....really not worth it. Check out Mayfield Falls....beautiful little 1/2 day trip...good if you're kids are about 6-7 or older. If you decide to go to Negril, check out/join the message board at Negril.com I did most of the research for our trip through their members. Some frequent US travlers, some locals. Ask them for tips, they're a great bunch of folks.

 

[roliepolieoliefan]

We've taken the kids to Beaches Turks and Caicos twice. If you want specific info, feel free to PM me.

 

[Gillian]

As mentioned, St John is a great place! It's small enought that you can easily explore the whole island, and there are fantasic beaches. Friends of ours with kids go to the Westin regularly. My parents have stayed there as well. They are fairly picky and liked it, so I'd consider that a plus.

Friends of ours (a couple) went to St Croix (also in the US Virgin Islands) and they loved it! They also visited St. Thomas & said they much preferred St Croix. I want to say they rented a condo there, in a resort on the beach. I'm not sure if it had stuff for kids, but it would be worth checking into.

We also like the British Virgin Islands of Tortola & Virgin Gorda.

We've heard good things about Beachs Turks & Caicos (which is a lovely area in general) but it's very expensive. Personally we prefer a place where you can explore the island, and that does not have a zillion kids. You might find a deal for your time frame, which is low season for family resorts if you go before most schools let out (mid May).

 

[cvjw]

We've taken the kids to all-inclusives in Jamaica (Beaches, Negril and Beaches Inn, Negril), in Mexico, (Robinson Club and Moon Palace in the Mayan Riveria), and to the Bahamas (Our Lucaya,Grand Bahama Island). We enjoyed all 3 destinations. The kids enjoyed Beaches Negril the best because they had a small water park complete with slides and lazy river for the kids to play at. Their second favorite was Our Lucaya. We grownups prefer going to Mexico, because the people are so friendly.

 

[biras jim]

you might look into Atlantis -- kids absolutely love the place -- can be quite pricey (esp the food), but if you go at the right time of the year (fall months), there are great specials and fairly small crowds

 

[bxtx]

We went to Pebbles in Jamaica this May/June for 2 weeks. It's an All Inclusive resort but only 96 rooms spread across 8 "cottages'. very Jamaican and in a beautiful spot of the world and about 45 mins from Montego Bay airport. Best of all, each family gets their own 'nanny' every day of your vacation! Yep, she'll do what you want - take the kids away to the kids' clubs (and stays with them), or get in the pool, or be an extra set of eyes, do as much or as little as you want. For evenings, you do pay extra a whopping $4/hour for all your kids! It was PERFECT! We, DH & I, actually got spend some time together which with a 5 & 2 year (plus I was PG) is normally pretty difficult! Worked out about $200/night for all 4 of us, plus the cost of fares. http://www.fdrholidays.com/ You can PM if you want more info.
BX