susan1

We've been to Aruba 3 times...really enjoyed it.<BR><BR>But now our whole realm of vacationing will be changing.<BR><BR>Where can we go in the caribbean where we can take a young child (1 years old)?<BR><BR>Any suggestions for a nice hotel that has reputable child services (in case we wanted to go snorkeling or something)<BR><BR>Thanks everyone!<BR><BR>

basilwat

Congratulations!! That's wonderful...as a mother of 2, i recommend the best place for a 1 yr old is at grandma's house while mom and dad take a break...by the time the babe is 1, you'll need it!!<BR><BR>I'm sorry, couldn't resist...i don't really have any suggestions on where to go....<BR><BR>Happy &amp; Healthy 9 months to you!<BR><BR>Dana

susan1

Thanks Dana.<BR><BR>That sounds good to me, since this will all be so new and overwhelming to me.<BR><BR>: - )

Scott66

Okay Susan,<BR><BR>Now I'm confused. I few messages down, you said that you had cancelled your trip to GC, due to being pregnant. (congrats by the way!) But now you are going again? If you are still in fact going, why not your original trip to GC where you got the killer deal at the Hyatt?

ejcrowe

Whenever my extended family has traveled to the Caribbean with children under the age of 3, we only looked at islands that had relatively modern and efficient hospitals, which at the time were Aruba, St. Martin, and Antigua. Luckily, we only had need of medical service once, and that was with a one year-old who developed a nasty rash all over her body on her second day there. <BR><BR>I don't like them for my own travels, but if I were traveling with a child that young now, I would stay in a large resort hotel (thinks chains like Wyndham) that has a doctor on call and that was also convenient to a hospital, JUST IN CASE.<BR><BR>Have a great pregnancy and a good trip to boot!

andreaac

EJCrowe is absolutely correct! While most people do not like to hear realities about mishaps that can happen, it is often best to consider the worst-case senarios if you are traveling with very young children or are pregnant. I know someone who ignored advice to travel to a location with proper medical amenities. Turned out that the person ended-up delivering prematurely while on vacation and couldn't find a hospital with an available incubator.<BR><BR>This is not to upset you or anyone, playing it safe but is should be considered.

TheDish

Hi Susan-<BR>Congratulations on your pregnancy. You have few choices of places to stay in the Caribbean that offer GROUP child-care to children less than 4 years of age. A few places come to mind, namely in Jamaica (FDR, Pebbles FDR) and some of the Beaches properties. Also, Beaches in T &amp; C accepts infants in their programs. In Cancun, the Crown Paradise Club accepts kids as young as 18 months. The Gala Resort Playacar in PDC (Riviera Maya) accepts 2 year olds. You may also consider some of the Club Meds that have &quot;Baby Clubs&quot; (Ixtapa, Sandpiper, possible DR Punta Cana). If you want hotel babysitters for individual attention, I would recommend staying with the &quot;name-brand&quot; resorts that are headquartered in the US (i.e., Hilton) as I feel that their standard policies and procedures may weed out inexperienced sitters. I personally would never leave one of my young children alone in the care of a strange babysitter... too many weirdos out there. And, since my children have never done very well being left in Kids Clubs, we've either brought along their Grandmother to help or, if she is not available, we've just resolved ourselves to the notion that we will be able to travel more as the children get older. Good luck!

lcv

We just returned from St. Croix (Buccaneer) with our 1 1/2yo and 4yo. I did a TON of research to find a luxury hotel, not too big, with child care available for the under 4 age group. It's just not out there unless you want to do a Beaches type of place - which would be perfect if your idea is just to warm your toes during the cold months. We wanted something a bit more intimate so we decided to forego the child care and play it by ear whether or not we'd hire a private baby sitter while there. We saw some other families who arranged to have the same babysitter several times during their stay. I must say that the resort has a great reputation for taking care of these things and the parents were very confident in the sitter they worked with. So, in my opinion, I'd be more comfortable allowing a small upscale hotel provide a sitter for my kids. Especially one that truly caters to families (like the Buccaneer and some others I researched).<BR><BR>WIth this said, we did not leave our kids with a sitter at all. They really had a tough time adjusting to the trip. We didn't feel right about leaving them with a sitter considering the behavior we were experiencing. Also, once there, I really felt that a 1 1/2yo was too young for it. <BR><BR>Overall, my strongest suggestion to you is - FLY DIRECT! I thought that 2 med-length flights would be doable. It looks a lot easier on paper! Knowing what I do now, I would only consider destinations that take 1 plane until my littlest is a couple years older.<BR><BR>Good Luck!

susan1

What about The Hyatt in Aruba or other Hyatt properties? I heard they offer child activities (thought maybe not for a 1 year old)?????<BR><BR>Thanks everyone for your advice. I'll definitely take note of it and plan ahead. Even though the vacation will be 1.5 years away, I still NEED a vacation to look forward to.<BR><BR>Thanks again.<BR><BR>Susan

me

Hi Susan ,We've been taking our son on trips since he was 9 months ,he's 3 now and has been travel out of the country on 7 trips. One thing you may want to consider is best medical care just in case...so we checked and these islands are better choices arbados ,St.Lucia ,Grand Cayman. You can also find places as close to US as possible like The Bahamas islands or Bermuda.Good luck.