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Is st.croix best for our family vacation with small children....

Is st.croix best for our family vacation with small children....

Old Apr 19th, 2014, 05:29 AM
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Is st.croix best for our family vacation with small children....

We are a family of four with children who will be 2 and a half, and 4 and a half when we are ready for this trip in January or February 2015. We will be going for 2 weeks this time. We usually go to the Hawaiian islands but we are seeking something different. Our problems with Hawaii are the water is to rough for the kids to play safely, the locals are unfriendly and everything costs a fortune. I know the caribbean is not cheap but we can afford a nice vacation. I would like to max out at 250 per night for accomodations and prefer something with a kitchen so we can cook some of our own meals as we are gluten free. So maybe a condo or beach house rental is best. The things that are important to us are :
1) nice calm water and beautiful beaches that are not crowded. We love seclusion.
2) we love hiking and adventures
3) cost effective......if there is such a thing in the caribbean
4) we live in the Pacific Northwest so we want a destination that we can fly to with ideally less than 4 layovers since we are traveling with the kids.

I would love any suggestions on destinations. Also if you think st.croix is a good choice what part of the island is best. I found a great beach house in fredriksted. Is this a nice part of the island?
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Old Apr 19th, 2014, 12:09 PM
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Frederiksted is on the west end of St Croix, which is generally the poorer end of the island. But for me it has the best beaches. If the house is in Frederiksted itself, I would not want that. There are too many crime issues. But south of town are some nice houses and a couple of small resorts. Just be aware of your surroundings as well as the somewhat rocky beaches with some sea urchins. But the water here is beautiful.

The best destination for you in the Caribbean would probably be either Grand Cayman or Providenciales, both safe places with powder soft beaches and beautiful water. But both would be over your budget in high season. St Croix might be a good alternative.

Though given that you live in the NW, I think the Riviera Maya would be a much better choice. It is family friendly and safe, with beautiful beaches. And it's probably much easier to reach.
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Old Apr 19th, 2014, 05:59 PM
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I am going to check into the riviera maya. Thanks so much for that idea. I guess I ruled out Mexico in my mind as I did not think it was safe with children unless you were going all inclusive. We are adventurers though. Do you think that it's a safe destination to rent a car and do some exploring? Is there a particular location that you recommend staying that might be able to accommodate our need for a kitchen?
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Old Apr 20th, 2014, 05:51 AM
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We are not into big populated beaches at resorts.......any little towns that might be good for beach house rental?
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Old Apr 20th, 2014, 03:54 PM
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Look at Akumal, we stayed there in a condo. Not sure your $250 would be enough though especially in high season.
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Old Apr 21st, 2014, 11:14 AM
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We've been to STX about 20 times so we obviously like it alot. We've been to Mexico ,including the Riviera Maya 6 or 7 times, but have never been to Grand Cayman or Provo. Your budget of $250/ night during the high season is going to be tough to hit in any area of the Caribbean. STX has a lot going for it if you're the types to enjoy a fairly authentic West Indian culture. It's pretty much laid back and is great place for families with younger kids. We started taking our youngest to STX 15 years ago and now we have been there with grand children too. I wouldn't take all of the family members, friends & neighbors there if I felt it was dangerous. You don't need passports, it's pretty easy to get to , at least in our experience off of the East Coast, and has good restaurants, nice beaches, beautiful blue water, picturesque colonial towns,friendly people and is one the most affordable of the major islands. As far as getting into the safety debates about the different islands, all I can tell you is that in all of our trips to STX , we've never had the slightest problem, and believe me, we like to roam around ,which we do on all of our vacations to wherever it might be. I can't say the same about some of the other 10 or so islands or Mexican destinations that we have visited. I won't try to list the names and events but suffice it to say STX is our favorite Caribbean destination by far.If you check out all of the various forums on the different travel sites, you'll most assuredly find negative comments on any popular destination in the Caribbean & Mexico. You'll even find the naysayers on the European forums too. I would suggest that you try to plan your trip for the off season. You'll save a ton of money and find the actual conditions on almost all of the islands to be nicer. The temps. wil be a bit higher, it won't be as windy, water conditions will be better and you'll get the same if not better experience. The high season in the Caribbean is a reflection or result of the poor winter conditions here in the states.People simply want a break from bad weather here so they go someplace warmer. We went to the Bahamas one time near the tail end of the high season and it really wasn't that warm...Anyway, continue your research, be openminded and keep asking questions, because there are differences in the islands. Sometimes they're subtle and often times very striking. There are some places that actually do not have picture postcard beaches at all,good snorkeling/diving & may tend to be big time budget busters. In my experience, not a single one is "perfect". I say this all the time, not in an attempt to sound like a know it all,but if one is looking for perfection, you should probably stay away from the Caribbean and go to Disney World. The islands have wonderful experiences to offer but you need to be tolerant. Many go there looking for a different cultural experience and a change from their everyday life, but when they find it they complain about it. You should be able to get a good feel by checking out all of the other sites like VInow or Tripadvisor, so once again do your homework, don't delude yourself into believing something that just isn't accurate and you'll be fine....Good Luck
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Old Apr 21st, 2014, 07:53 PM
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I really appreciate the detail in your response. Thank you so much. We are totally trying to escape a very snowy winter at home which is why we were hoping for January or February but that would be a bummer if we ran into windy cold weather on vacation. What part of st,croix do you prefer? We were looking at a beach house north of fredriksted.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2014, 06:21 AM
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St Croix would be a lovely choice with a family. The beaches are un crowded especially during weekdays. I would look for something in and around Christiansted. Just more to do and go and places to eat than Fredrickstead. You should be able to find a condo rental for close to $ 250. There are many listings at Home Away and VRBO.
A car is necessary especially to reach many of the fine beaches.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2014, 06:30 AM
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Just to clarify. You may run into windy weather in the Caribbean in January or February, but you will absolutely not run into cold weather in the Caribbean, which is considerably further north than St. Croix.

Now Providenciales is actually between the Bahamas and the Caribbean, and it can be considerably cooler than St. Croix, for example, but it's still not by any means "cold". If you get a weather front, temps could drop into the upper 60s. That does feel very cold if you are from the Caribbean, but it's quite comfortable for those who are used to actual winter temps. I was in Nassau in mid-February. It was very cold and snowing in NYC, but it was 73F and cloudy in Nassau; they considered it "cold".

The water, however, is a different story. For me, the water in the Bahamas can be a bit too cool in mid-February, but it's not really cold. Just in the low 70s.
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Old Apr 22nd, 2014, 06:55 PM
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Where does grand cayman fit in as far as weather, calm beaches and costsa are concerned. As I research more I am thinking the Virgin Islands are more appropriate for us versus Mexico. I think we will go to Florida and a night before continuing to our final destination to break up the trip.
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Old Apr 23rd, 2014, 06:29 PM
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Grand Cayman is one of the most expensive destinations in the Caribbean. Seven Mile Beach is beautiful and long, usually pretty calm. We've been many times in January/February and unfortunately been stuck with a couple of cold fronts over the years, although that can happen on any island. Have had much more reliable weather in Provo, but I don't think you'll find anything for your stated budget there in Jan/Feb. Good luck!
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Old Apr 24th, 2014, 12:36 PM
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St. Croix is a fantastic place and what we felt was very safe and family friendly. The pricing is fair and the list of things to do is unending...Buck Island is a dream place and can easily assume you and your family would love taking a boat ride out there. Snorkeling is fantastic, the town and shopping are very easily accessed and again, pricing to me, was quite fair. Kendrick's is a great restaurant for more of a dining experience while Rum Runners and Angry Nate's on the boardwalk is more of a laid back approach. The East End of the island is more secluded but so close to town and again, easily accessed. The Blue Water Terrace is a great place to eat as well.

Staying in a villa is a fantastic way to go. We have done it on every island we have visited and we love it. You have your privacy and can cook for yourselves there and not worry about crowded hotel pools and restaurants. We love the seclusion of this option. We are staying in Cayman the last week of May and going the same route there.

If I may suggest, islandhideaways.com is a great site with a great staff and wonderful concierge service. St. Croix is so far our favorite place and we are going back next March. I hope you find what you are looking for and good luck in your search.
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Old Apr 24th, 2014, 08:03 PM
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St Croix is definitely cheaper than Grand Cayman, but the latter offers everything you seek, except price.
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Old May 1st, 2014, 07:13 AM
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We recently decided on St Croix for our family trip this June. We chose The Buccaneer:
http://www.thebuccaneer.com/
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