buck930

we are a family of 4 with twin boys that will be 19 months old in december when we are looking to go to the caribbean. my husband and i have been all over the caribbean before our boys were born, we are traveling from ny and are looking for an easy flight (nonstop). we are not sure if we should do all inclusive or not etc.
HELP....would love suggestions......THANKS!

girlonthego

condo or timeshare unit would suit your needs better by giving you more space than a traditional hotel room. The Marriott in Aruba had timeshares with kitchens and the Marriott complex there is huge. Something like that where you still have the resort feel, but with a kitchen and more than one room is better for you. Even in a one bedroom, you can put the kids to bed and still watch tv in the living room.
Grand Cayman has many condo options. I think timeshare would have more of the resort/hotel feel, but still have the space. My opinion.
I think the Buccanner on St. Croix, (never been, but have read about it) has family rooms that would also give you a larger space.

virginia

in a couple years an ai will be great for your kids. i think for now they're too young for much besides baby sitting.
that said there is one ai on jamaica that i think would be nice for your family: http://www.fdrholidays.com/pebbles/index.php
located on the north coast about 30 mins from montego bay. you can fly nonstop jfk to mbj on american, air jamaica, delta or jet blue. fdrp offers an excellent service - a dedicated sitter assigned to your kids for the duration of your vacation.

provo, turks and caicos - air codels - has nonstop from jfk on american. pricey at the moment but gets you on island by 10:30am, which is very nice giving you at least a 1/2 day of beach time on your travel day. most of the resorts are condo style. on provo i'd suggest any of numerous condo style resorts. you could look at the somerset, royal west indies, the sands and there are many others you can look at as your budget allows. rwi and sands are known to be exta kid friendly. the sands has screened decks which is nice as you may spend extra time in your suite while kids nap & whatnot.

if provo & jam don't suit you go to kayak.com, check the nonstop preferred box and put in islands you like to check for nonstop.

virginia

wait - that duck face does not belong in my post. ???
the provo airport code is pls

emcash

I loved T&C, specifically provo- easy flight, easy airport. we stayed at the Regent palms and found it to be very kid friendly, but not kid centric. I loved that the hotel was not really far from the aiport too.

blamona

An added bonus of Provo, is that it is one of the most kid friendly beaches you will find. Crystal clear bright turquoise waters with clean non rocky sand. The water is usually calm, so it's a child's dream. The restaurants, even the gourmet ones, have or will make special meals for kids. The majority of places to stay are condos, very important with full kitchens for milk and snacks (and even meals) for the kids, yet treated like resorts. Direct flights from NY help too! (and on big airplanes, not puddle jumpers)

Some of the resorts have kids clubs, makes it fun for the kids, easy on the parents. Some offer babysitting, some offer kids eat free at the resort. All the resorts are nice. In the "hub", middle of Grace Bay Beach, there are sidewalks in front of the resorts, so you can walk to numerous restaurants and shopping strips. There are fun excursions, even for the kids, to check out iguanas, conch, and snorkel for sand dollars (on stunning beaches)

There are 2 amazing beaches that make kids giddy on Provo: Sapadilla Bay and Taylor Bay. Take a picnic, and those floaties that have "seat" built into them, the beaches are knee high for hundreds of yards, the kids feel freedom, the grownups can relax!

Give us a budget, I'd be happy to make recommendations.

Caribheart

We have travelled with our son (now 5) since he was 11 mos old. We have been to Barbados, St.Martin, Jamaica and St.Kitts two times.

In fact we are already booked to return to St.Kitts this winter for two weeks with our 5 year old and our newborn (still waiting his arrival).

We preferred Timothy Beach Resort in St.Kitts as we had a one bedroom condo there with kitchen and pull out sofa for our son. That allowed us to make his child friendly meals and prepare his breakfasts according to his specifications. Also we had a breathtaking view from our patio of the Caribbean sea and the surrounding areas so when our son took his naps we got to sit on the patio and enjoy the view and the peace and quite with a book or beverage - everyone happy. Finally at cocktail hour we met up with my parents on our patio to watch the sunset...adn my son was happy because he could play with his toys on the patio or if he was tired and needed a break from the fun and frivolity of a wonderful day in SKB we could let him have a show or two while we watched the sunset and enoyed each others company.

Jamaica was the next best option for us as our son was 4 and able to indulge more int he buffet options. We were at the Gran Bahia in Runaway Bay with a private beach so he puttered on the beach all day or enjoyed the child friendly pools while we all enjoyed the absolute ease of AI. I am not sure about that option for younger though....might be tougher to get the meals right for the little people a bit more fussy...

Have a wonderful time though - we have enjoyed travelling with our son even more than before because it is really double the experience as you enjoye everythying for yourself and through their eyes too!!

mmcarr123

I wonder what your generation is thinking? Your twins will not remotely remember this trip.
If your only enjoyment now is watching your kids and showing them off you all need to rethink ....
Parents need a break and they will be rested to become better parents.
Call your mother or.......
book the trip and you and your husband go go go. While you are young!
Good luck parents....

emcash

mmcarr I wonder if you're just posting to stir things up. Sounds like you might be, but i'll bite anyway. As a parent of a young child, who does not have a mother or father to ask for help, it is rare when we can find someone to watch our child for a whole weekend. And while some of us do try try to get away without their children every now and again, it is also a true pleasure to travel with her- not to show her off, but to actually spend some relaxing time with her and enjoy our time together. To each his own, it's not for you to preach.

buck930

thanks for your replies....and emcash we do not have anyone to watch our boys either....people are strange!
THanks for all of your suggestions!!!!!!!

Caribheart

Travelling with my son since he was 11 months old and is now 5 years old (able to remember everything)...has been one of the BEST choices we have ever made!! As I am sure you will find out or have already discovered...it was an incredible bonding experience for us as a family and breaking the routine of his day to day always always always provided an opportunity for him to grow in leaps and bounds...

Furthermore, it has normalized travelling for him and for us with a child and it all seems less daunting than a parent who may choose to shift their child to parents to take time to rest without their kids. And after a long day of galloping around on the beach in the pool or interacting with other kids or people my son would sleep like a log allowing us lovely time to sit on the balcony with a glass of wine and books or cards or just each other....

I hope you enjoy travelling with your wee ones as much as we do ours and hopefully the next one arriving in weeks.

labmom

We too traveled with our daughter since she was 6 months. We went to Provo, Turks & Caicos both when she was 18 months and 30 months and she does remember. I really recommend Provo for traveling with young kids - lots of condo and rental house options, easy to get to and lord forbid, easy to get off of if the need arises. A nice grocery store if you want to do some of your own meals, great beaches, just a relaxing atmosphere.

beachykeen

Provo might be too cool in December. Secret Harbor in St Thomas has a kitchen, but also a good child friendly restaurant. It's on a calm bay, and when I went with my 2 year old, he was chasing the salamanders, which he called "tiny dinos" all over the beach.