northerngal

We have 4 kids, 17, 16, 14, 11 and want to take our first carribean vacation. Any ideas? I'm thinking maybe all-inclusive to feed these guys for a week.

gail

A cruise might end up costing about the same, or less - and they will feed them an endless number of times/day.

northerngal

Hi, I'm not too keen on a cruise idea but thanks anyways. We like to hike and swim and would love to let the kids try snorkeling!

ejcrowe

With the possible exception of your 11 year old, each of your kids would likely be charged as adults at an AI, which means it would be a very expensive vacation--depending on how upscale you wanted to go, it could be as much as $400 per person per nightfor the week of spring break. Not to mention the cost of getting a 2 bedroom suite...

You might want to consider a villa vacation, which can be in just about any price range, from self catering to coming with a full staff. Jamaica and St. John seem to pop up on these boards with frequency for villa vacations. Lots of people praise the Moondance Villas in Negril, Jamaica. They're directly on the beach and you have the option of doing all inclusive or not. Some of the houses have private pools in addition to the beach at your doorstep. Other places in Jamaica, like Half Moon or Round Hill, have a wide selection of villas to choose from in a more resort like atmostphere. And of course there are individual villas all over the island, some beachfront, some not, in all levels of luxury.

On St. John, you might want to consider Gallows Point, which is a condo style place, or get a regular villa. I"ll let others tell you more about this option, as I've not done a lot of research on this island. The snorkeling is fabulous here by all accounts. Whatever you choose, I hope your family enjoys its first trip to the region as much as I did.

jacketwatch

try an AI in the DR. It would be the most economical and they have some good choices too. Good luck.

ladiver

St. John villa can be upscale or economical. St. John is an island with LOTS to do -- snorkeling, boating, day trips to Virgin Gorda, Tortola, St. Thomas, scubadiving, hiking, etc. In a villa you can economize by doing breakfasts and lunches in (and dinners too, for that matter). It's a great place to spend a week.

katethetraveler

I would NOT recommend Jamaica for your first carribean vacation especially with young people to keep track of. The crime rate and harrassment from locals can be unnerving to some, and I would not want those things to affect your first impression of the caribbean. Some people love it, but I would suggest finding an island where you feel safe and comfortable.
Good choice on voting down a cruise--just can't get the real feel of an island that way--sorry cruise lovers.
I agree with the choice of St. John--especially a house rental in your situation. This island has it all: safe, gorgeous, national park, beaches/snorkeling trails, shops/restaurants/pubs, day trips to nearby islands which are equally gorgeous in the bvi or st. thomas. You will fall in love with this island. Another good alternative for a family would be aruba--although the landscape is not lush, it has lots to offer and again is quite safe. I am not a fan of all-inclusives and I don't know if either island I've mentioned has much to offer in that department. I have heard good things about the playa del carmen area which has many ai's and good prices, but I have never been.

benj

We were in Negril in May & loved it. We stayed at Beaches Negril & it was fine but there really isn't much to do for kids the ages of yours. The arranged activities seemed geared for the younger set.

If we go again we will probably stay at Moon Dance. For about the same price we could have gotten a villa with our own cook & bartender (they make ice cream drinks for the kids too). You decide what you'd like for meals & they're cooked to order. Beaches food was like a tropical Shoney's.

We left the resort with a guide & also walked the beach. I live near New Orleans & didn't find any worries about the crime in Negril. The people on the beach would try to get you to use their services (hair braid, massage, boat ride) but a simple "no, thanks" was all it took. It was not a constant thing either.

It just depends on what you& the kids would like to do as to where might be best for you. The water in Negril was gorgeous & it was voted #3 in the Travel Channel's Top 10 Caribbean Beaches. The people were so friendly & my son said it was the most relaxing vacation we've taken.

Good luck!

eileen

Not AI but lots of reasonably-priced food options -- Marriott Aruba Ocean Club -- a huge resort with everything anyone of any age could want. They also have two bedroom/2 bath condos which are great for families. I am taking my kids there in a few weeks (my husband and I have been to the island previously) and will post a trip report upon our return. Another great suggestion for a family is Hyatt Haciende Del Mar/Cerramar/Dorado (three resorts in one) about 40 minutes outside of San Juan. We own a timeshare there (HDM is two bedroom condos as well)and my kids truly think it is paradise. Great water slide, river pool, four golf courses, casino, miniature golf, several beaches and pools, lots to do.

meta

Eileen, is your timeshare in Puerto Rico available during feb. vacation?

jacketwatch

Actually according to a travelers poll from the mag Carib. Travel and Life Jamaica was rated in the top 3 for overall best destination. Steer clear of Kingston but of course the resorts are elsewhere.

Traveler863

Steer clear of Jamaica period. It must be rated top 3 by pure volume, mass tourism...yuck and its full of crime. Go elsewhere.

faithie

Traveler 863 , very sorry to hear you had a bad experience in Jamaica . Wondering what area you visited ?

northerngal

Hi, Thanks for all the great ideas! We have been thinking aboug=t St. Johns just for my husband and myself for a second honeymoon. I wasn't sure if there was enough to do there for the kids. They do love to play in the water. How are the food prices?

katethetraveler

I found some irony in the post from the person who said they "found no worries with the crime in Negril" yet they left their resort (fenced in compound) with a guide!!! Apparently they didn't feel overly confident. We did leave our resort in Negril by ourselves and walked a couple miles into town as we felt fine with it, but my point is most people do not. And big name resorts are Not cheap so why pay a lot of money to eat at "shoney's" all week and feel confined to a fenced in region? Most people I know who love Jamaica have not been to many other places in the caribbean to compare. In addition, beware of spring break season--some nearby resorts had the bass music booming so loud we could hardly sleep. We are too old for that now.
As far as St. John restaurants, most are anywhere from moderate to upscale. Sometimes for convenience sake on vacation, we pack a small suitcase with cereal, plastic bowls, snacks etc which we later use as a souvenir suitcase. We then get a room with a mini fridge, stock up on beverages at a convenience store, then eat breakfast in the room, grab a hot dog at a beach bar, then treat ourselves to a nice dinner (at a different restaurant every night--adds to the travel experience) in the evening to review the highlights of our day.

CaliNurse

Agee with recommendations of St. John.
You might be able to rent one of the three- bedroom three-bath villas at the Westin St John Resort. Do a search, maybe on one of the timeshare sites (e.g. the TUG Timeshare Users Group) where people might want to rent out their week to coincide with yours. The three bedroom villas are huge, have their own little pool, and your kids could enjoy the fun stuff the hotel offers for kids eg rock climbing thing in the water, equipment rentals, big pool, and beach. There are much better beaches nearby on the island, so you could try those in the morning, to snorkel, then spend later in the day and evening at the Westin or in Cruz Bay

girlonthego

I hear st. john is beautiful. I also agree with the above about Aruba. We stayed at the Marriott complex there (hotel part). It is very beautiful resort and has many watersports activities to keep the teens busy. The food there is excellent and I found it to be very safe. Since this is an opinion network of travel lovers, some people love Jamaica and some hate it. I personally would not want to be locked in a compound at night or worry about my kids being approached on the beach every five minutes to buy drugs. Especially since you have teens to account for.

eileen

Hi, regarding Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar -- you can rent the condos through the Hyatt Vacation Club, not certain of the availability in February which is a high demand time. They sometimes also run great introductory specials if you are willing to sit through a timeshare presentation and if you have a referral from an owner, feel free to use my name, Eileen Moran, I think you have to call the resort directly for that. If you are thinking about Jamaica, the Ritz Carlton Rose Hall is a nice all-around resort and they have an AI plan called Key to Paradise. And they have Exec Suites with a separate bedroom and extra bath which might be a good option, although 6 would be very tight, you could do adjoining rooms instead. Not quite as much to do as Aruba Marriott or the Hyatts in PR (the Ritz pool is extremely basic). Another good option would be any of the condo resorts on Turks & Caicos. The beach is spectacular, but then again, not as much to do there.

benj

katethetraveler,
We left our resort with a guide because we wanted someone that could tell us about the area as well as take us to places we might otherwise miss. If you got the impression we went with someone that took us around holding a flag in the air, you're mistaken. We used Sala Kerr from Talk of the Town Tours. It was like having your friend that lives in the area show you around. He picked a sweet sop off the tree at a craft market & gave it to us to eat. We would never have known what it was. When we went to the lighthouse he introduced us to the guy that took care of the place & told us many stories about the fishermen we saw nearby.

I also posted that we walked the beach away from the resort. I feel that it's a bit unfair to overstress Jamaica as being unsafe, that's all.

My comment about the food at our AI was to suggest they consider that WHEREVER they go.

Remember... these are just supposed to be our opinions. It's ok to disagree.

northerngal

I think I'm sold on St. Johns. My husband isn't too keen about leaving the U.S. At least this way I can tell him it's part of the US. Now how about villa options. Any suggestions?