Aruba

Thanks for the reply! We have been to Aruba- without kids- and felt it a little too commercialized.. just researching Barbados- any thoughts?

Barbados is very friendly, full of  action, but  also more quiet and very safe. 

Wonderful beaches, enjoyable for couples and families.  No harassing from people selling on the beaches. Fully staffed villas and condos, some with basic maid service and others with butlers and chefs.

Island restaurants and sophisticated dining are scattered with music which makes for enjoyable days and evenings. Great caves, zoos, plantations and monkeys. No hurricanes in July,  Barbados is farther down the chain. Hope this helps.

Would you consider Four Seasons? If so, you may want to consider Nevis. We went in July and the weather was near perfect. Off season rates were tremendous and you and your family could be on the beach by 2:30P.

Night life is limited on Nevis however you have Sunshines and Lime at the end of the FS beach for cocktails, music and decent authentic island food. Beach is great with lots of water free water sports. The island also has great hiking trails. If you and your family are super adventurous you could hike up to Nevis Peak. You won't find high rise resorts, casinos, a Big Mac or KFC on this island.

Since you have Marriott points you may want to consider Nevis' sister island of St. Kitts. The Marriott is a popular resort on this island. St. Kitts offers more in the way of nightlife, shopping and adventure but not as built up as Aruba and much more lush.

I haven't actually stayed on other islands, only visited on a cruise, but stayed twice on St Kitts - just returned from ten days. It sure is not commercialized, IMHO, though the port has a few shops. You can do zip lining, snorkling, sailing, etc. I enjoyed the bands and fires on the beach at Timothy's Beach a couple of nights.

The water was beautiful, but the beaches are not white, white if that is important. They are very clean, but made up of part volcanic material that give them a light sandy gray color over all. I'm going back for their Christmas celebrations.

I really like the Marriot, big, spacious rooms, nicely furnished, and that Marriot has condos & villas. Their pool is lovely design with a nice lunch area, nice snack/pizza fabulous ice cream stand outside. They face the Atlantic so it is a little ruffer than the caribbean at Timothy's Beach resort. Timothy's is on a hill between the Atlantic and the Caribbean, so you can see the sun rise and set from each ocean from your balcony. They have a variety of rooms & apartments. We had the best, I think, on the top floor with cathedral ceilings and fans and we got breezes from both oceans. Our apartment had a super large bedroom, small, but fully ufurnished kitchen, living room (with foldout bed), eating area, nice bath and lots of closets. Thimothy's resort is simple, not nearly so upscale as Marriot, but very comfortable and a minute walk to the beach and several little food places.

I've stayed on the islands before, in particular Barbados. I agree with CaribbeanDays that <http://www.bestvacationislands.info/events-in-barbados/">Barbados</a> is safer. It is a beautiful island with lots of activities and events going on all month along.