Which island for winter vacation
Jun 19th, 2011, 05:15 AM
#1
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Which island for winter vacation
We are a family with young children looking for a January/February vacation where we can easily enjoy a beautiful beach with warm water, have good meals and find a resort with some children's activities. We want to be able to leave the resort on our own to do some island exploring and try some local restaurants if we choose. We are not as concerned about constant activities and prefer a smaller resort feel to a mega resort. We don't need all inclusive but will consider them if it seems more convenient with young kids and the food is decent. We also want a non-stop flight from NY. Any suggestions
Jun 19th, 2011, 08:06 AM
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Honestly, you can find what you are looking for (beautiful beach, small resorts, warm water, good food and resorts with children's activities) on any of the islands from your list. Plus, they are all accessible non-stop from some NY airports (you don't say where in NY you'll be flying from - did you mean NYC or some other place in NY State?).
In order to better assist you it would help if you told us what your budget is for airfare, accommodations and meals (be specific - terms like "affordable", "not too expensive", "won't break the bank" are meaningless without an actual dollar point of reference), how many children (and their ages) will be traveling with you and how long you are planning to stay. Knowing how much you are able to spend will allow the contributors on this forum to make meaningful recommendations.
Also, use the "Destinations" link at the top of this page and click through to the Caribbean. There you'll find brief summaries of each island on your list. Read through the material to see which most appeals to you. That will help you narrow your search to one or two islands. You can than do google searches using topics like "Things to do on NAME OF ISLAND" or "Children's Activities on NAME OF ISLAND" and you find more general information that you may find interesting. FYI - every major island has several "official" and non-official tourist oriented websites with loads of good information.
In order to better assist you it would help if you told us what your budget is for airfare, accommodations and meals (be specific - terms like "affordable", "not too expensive", "won't break the bank" are meaningless without an actual dollar point of reference), how many children (and their ages) will be traveling with you and how long you are planning to stay. Knowing how much you are able to spend will allow the contributors on this forum to make meaningful recommendations.
Also, use the "Destinations" link at the top of this page and click through to the Caribbean. There you'll find brief summaries of each island on your list. Read through the material to see which most appeals to you. That will help you narrow your search to one or two islands. You can than do google searches using topics like "Things to do on NAME OF ISLAND" or "Children's Activities on NAME OF ISLAND" and you find more general information that you may find interesting. FYI - every major island has several "official" and non-official tourist oriented websites with loads of good information.
Jun 19th, 2011, 09:01 AM
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Our kids are ages 5 and 7 and we are hoping to spend between $5000-$7000 for air, hotel and meals for one week. I am not that familiar with the caribbean so I don't know if this is realistic or not. Looking at some websites it seems it is but then again I don't know the quality of the places I saw listed. Of course a beautiful beach and good food is important, but it is also important that we can leave the resort to explore the area/island if we want and there are some activities at the resort for the kids so we parents can have some time to relax as well.
Jun 19th, 2011, 09:55 AM
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That budget should be workable if you are realistic in your expectations. Keep in mind that January/February is "High Season" so you are going to encounter the highest room rates of the year no matter where you go. This means with a family of four on your budget 5-star resorts will probably be out of the question however all is not lost. There are plenty of excellent 3 and 4 star resorts that are in the $250 to $350/night range that could accommodate you. Assuming you have a $7,000 budget and you spend $500/Person for your airfare you'll have around $5,000 for accommodations and food. That's a pretty good sum which will get you nice accommodations and you'll have plenty left over for food and activities.
Another suggestion would be to forego the resort and rent a villa or condo. These are great for families as you'll have more room and generally it will be cheaper than staying at a resort. Normally, they are well maintained upscale properties on or near the beach. They usually have daily maid service. You'll have all the comforts of home yet still have a "resort" feel. You'll have fully equipped kitchens so you can prepare some or all of your meals. Depending on the size, number of BR's, types of amenities and location you should be able to find condos and small villas that rent rent for between $1,000 to $4,000 per week. Simple google searches fusing topics like "Villa Rentals NAME OF ISLAND" or "NAME OF ISLAND Vacation Condos" will produce hundreds of links for you to review.
Antigua has plenty of beach front condo complexes s that are very much like a resort. Because they are geared toward families many offer some type of children's activities. Check out a few to see it they fit your needs. The island is safe so you'll be able to explore without concern. The island boasts 365 beaches so you can visit a different one every morning and afternoon of your stay and still have plenty left over for your next trip. There are lots of restaurants in all price ranges so food won't be an issue and there are all types of water sports available.
Another suggestion would be to forego the resort and rent a villa or condo. These are great for families as you'll have more room and generally it will be cheaper than staying at a resort. Normally, they are well maintained upscale properties on or near the beach. They usually have daily maid service. You'll have all the comforts of home yet still have a "resort" feel. You'll have fully equipped kitchens so you can prepare some or all of your meals. Depending on the size, number of BR's, types of amenities and location you should be able to find condos and small villas that rent rent for between $1,000 to $4,000 per week. Simple google searches fusing topics like "Villa Rentals NAME OF ISLAND" or "NAME OF ISLAND Vacation Condos" will produce hundreds of links for you to review.
Antigua has plenty of beach front condo complexes s that are very much like a resort. Because they are geared toward families many offer some type of children's activities. Check out a few to see it they fit your needs. The island is safe so you'll be able to explore without concern. The island boasts 365 beaches so you can visit a different one every morning and afternoon of your stay and still have plenty left over for your next trip. There are lots of restaurants in all price ranges so food won't be an issue and there are all types of water sports available.
Jun 19th, 2011, 03:16 PM
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Betterbidding.com Spg.com
Westin St. John
CaneelBay.com
Luxurylink.com other good options
AIs like Paradisus have best kids programs
Bookit.com Jamaica DR Mexico
Atlantis.com bigger but pretty amazing they can swim with dolphins
Ocean Club a one and only property there is smaller upscale very intimate and historic
Featuered in the first Craig James Bond film
Property the very nicest on Paradise island truly my fav pricier though.
Cheapoair.com Spirit.com for your flights do book ahead in peak season
Happy Hunting,
Westin St. John
CaneelBay.com
Luxurylink.com other good options
AIs like Paradisus have best kids programs
Bookit.com Jamaica DR Mexico
Atlantis.com bigger but pretty amazing they can swim with dolphins
Ocean Club a one and only property there is smaller upscale very intimate and historic
Featuered in the first Craig James Bond film
Property the very nicest on Paradise island truly my fav pricier though.
Cheapoair.com Spirit.com for your flights do book ahead in peak season
Happy Hunting,
Jun 23rd, 2011, 08:06 AM
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Hi:
I live in Las Terrenas, on the Samana Peninsula in the Dominican Republic. By far the DR is the best value for your dollar. Unfortunately there are no direct flights, except from Canada, into the closest airport. You would need to fly into Santo Domingo and either rent a car or have a shuttle service bring you the rest of the way. This is a beach community without all the large all in-clusives and with some of the best beaches in the world. I would check out Hotel Colibri. This is not fancy but does have all the necessities and right across the street from the ocean. There is also a large European population here and many great restaurants to choose from. There are also many tours and activities if you so desire. From Santo Domingo to Las Terrenas is about 2 hours by car but totally worth it. I guarantee this will be the most relaxing family fun you can have at reasonable prices.
S
I live in Las Terrenas, on the Samana Peninsula in the Dominican Republic. By far the DR is the best value for your dollar. Unfortunately there are no direct flights, except from Canada, into the closest airport. You would need to fly into Santo Domingo and either rent a car or have a shuttle service bring you the rest of the way. This is a beach community without all the large all in-clusives and with some of the best beaches in the world. I would check out Hotel Colibri. This is not fancy but does have all the necessities and right across the street from the ocean. There is also a large European population here and many great restaurants to choose from. There are also many tours and activities if you so desire. From Santo Domingo to Las Terrenas is about 2 hours by car but totally worth it. I guarantee this will be the most relaxing family fun you can have at reasonable prices.
S
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