Aruba, Antigua or BVI in early Dec. with kids?
 

Looking for recs for which ISLAND and HOTEL in early December (04)? Kids are 12 and 10, well-behaved. Important features are BEACH (shallow and long, we swim & walk); POOL (attractive, we use it); decent FOOD & CLEAN/COMFORTABLE rooms; SNORKELING (day trip OK). Water sports equipment a plus. Some nights enjoy trying local restaurants. Kids club/Nightlife/Shopping not necessary. Looking at Antigua, Aruba and BVI because they are warm enough to swim in Dec. and low chance of rain. Do not want a place where I have to pay to reserve a beachchair or be on the beach by 7 a.m. to get one! (Rules out Palm Beach on Aruba, doesn't it? But other beaches there may be OK?) Should I be looking at another island? Got excited about Turks & Caicos but worried it's not swimming weather there in Dec. Went to St.John (Westin) in April last year and family really enjoyed it.

We love the BVI but they don't have long beaches for walking. We went to Provo last Dec. 6-14 and found the water was just warm enough for our taste, and we like it very warm. Probably wouldn't have liked it a few weeks later.

Aruba is a great destination for families (we were there with a 14-year-old), but the hotels with nice pools also have lots of people competing for beach umbrellas. Snorkeling is not near the hotels and was just average, IMHO. You can take a fairly long walk on Eagle Beach but the less crowded hotels (e.g. Manchebo and Bucuti) have very basic pools. Plus, I think I read that the Bucuti has gone to adults only?

Haven't been to Antigua yet but we're considering a stay at Jolly Beach Resort. The beach is one of the island's longer ones (maybe a mile?) and the pool looks nice. Snorkeling would require daytrips.

If you're going to Provo as early in December as we did, I think you'd be okay with the water temp. We stayed at Ocean Club West and loved it - nice free-form pool - although nearby construction may be an issue.

We love Aruba but also like the Virgin Islands. Kids would find plenty to do in Aruba! Last year we stayed on Palm Beach and it was crowded - we did manage to find spots. This year we're staying on Eagle Beach which we visited last year. Our friends with kids like Aruba for their kids as well.

Take them on a sailing trip to do the best snorkeling.

thanks to both of you for replies! We are looking at Grand Pineapple Beach hotel (AI) in Antigua, now. Also, still considering T&C esp. since you mentioned swimming there in Dec. I just feel Aruba is too touristy/crowded for us now. Any experience with Grand Pineapple? (P.S.check out reviews of Jolly on tripadvisor.com).

Looks like Grand Pineapple is one of relatively few places on Antigua where you can snorkel near the hotel. It's a bit beyond our usual budget so we were considering Jolly, despite mixed reviews.

Perhaps this comparison will help re T&C water temps: We consider Cape Cod too cold to swim comfortably, even in the middle of summer, even on the south shore. In Fort Lauderdale we prefer not to swim until about April 15. T&C was fine; didn't feel cold after LENGTHY snorkeling sessions. A couple more degrees would have been nice, but it was comfortable.

We missed the scenery of the VI's but we rate Grace Bay #1 of the beaches we've experienced.

I realize that you have it narrowed down and have eliminated Aruba but I have to say with kids I still would look twice.

We stayed at LaCabana and found it perfect. Great food and lots for the kids including a waterslide on site. It may be a bit touristy but when we were on the resort we didn't find it overpowering.

As far as Antigua goes we stayed at the Jolly Beach Resort and if I were taking the kids to Antigua I would choose it over the Pineapple anyhow. We took a day pass at the Pineapple and while it was a bit more upscale it was less child oriented. Jolly is also in a better location as far as Island accessiblity. The food at Jolly was decent to quite good, though not gourmet (Aruba's food was excellent in my opinion).

We vowed to take the kids to Jolly Beach someday. That was two years ago. Then we ended up in Aruba last year and our kids loved every second of it, we have since re-thought the Antigua idea in favour of going back to LaCabana. That's not to say we wouldn't go to Jolly Beach with them, it's still a beautiful place.

Have fun whatever you end up doing.

I forgot to mention in my response to you, Turks is a beautiful Island but unless you choose a resort like Beaches where the kids will be entertiained day and night they will go batty. We stayed at the Allegro and it was heaven as far as a quite relaxing vacation. The kids would not have enjoyed it though as there is not much more than a quiet beach and pretty pool to sit by. It's also true that the water is a bit chillier in T & C and budget wise, this Island is pricey.

thanks for this info -- I am digesting it, not sure which direction we'll go. I also appreciate the specific hotel recommendations. Payson, if you see this, is LaCabana on the beach and is there difficulty getting beach chairs in early Dec.? Do you have to pay for beach chairs (I can't see doing that, myself).
Thanks to all of you!

La Cabana is actually considered across the road from the beach but to appreciate what that really means you have to visualize a small road that is not travelled much. It would be no different than being at a resort that is expansive and having to go down a walkway to get there except that you may have a car passing through on occasion.

In terms of beach chairs, we had no trouble getting them and we went to the beach mid day. Although I'm quite sure that we never had to pay, the couple we went with tipped the guy for bringing us our chairs. I would be fairly confident saying they are available to people staying on the resort without a fee

La Cabana is actually considered across the road from the beach but to appreciate what that really means you have to visualize a small road that is not travelled much. It would be no different than being at a resort that is expansive and having to go down a walkway to get there except that you may have a car passing through on occasion.

In terms of beach chairs, we had no trouble getting them and we went to the beach mid day. Although I'm quite sure that we never had to pay, the couple we went with tipped the guy for bringing us our chairs. I would be fairly confident saying they are available to people staying on the resort without a fee but you might want to double check that.

La Cabana is a very large property and depending on where you are on the resort you may be doing alot of walking. We knew this going in so we didn't mind. Once again, we really liked the food and if you go AI you will not go hungry there are many options for dining including a pizza and pasta stand a sit down poolside open air restaurant and a couple of indoor restaurants (we most enjoyed the main one called the Captain's table for dinner). For mid day snacks there's a lobby cafe stand that offers deserts, fruits, ice cream etc. There are also some stores on site where you can pay to enjoy North American treats like Baskin Robbins and Dunkin Donuts.

On the down side, the nightly entertainment at the resort wasn't that great from our experience. The kids might need more in terms of nightly activities. Once again however, unless you have a hopping resort the other two Islands are on the quieter side also particularly T & C.

In terms of beach, Antigua has some very tranquil and beautiful beaches. If you choose it I would visit some of the more popular ones on the Island. We didn't spend a whole lot of time on the beach in Aruba because the resort was where the kids wanted to be but I can see how it is a bit more populated and possibly why it is looked at as Americanized. I can't say Antigua has better beach in terms of water and sand but it has a more laid back Island appeal and it might have better snorkelling though I'm not one to ask as we don't snorkel. I just remember being struck by how gorgeous and crystal clear the water was and feeling totally at peace while on their beaches.

To sum it up:

Beaches: I preferred the beaches in Antigua (with the exception of Baby Beach in Aruba which was similar to an Antigua type feel but a bit busier)

Pools: the pools were nice at both but Aruba has the waterslide which was a hit with the kids

Resort Food: Aruba steals the show here

Accomodations: Aruba was a bit more dated but decent for a family vacation and it had a seperate bedroom plus a kitchenette big plus for our family!! Antigua (Jolly) had very small rooms they were clean and basic (standard room is only enough for two, superior might have been better, definitely larger).

Off-site dining and shopping: Aruba is known for it's restaurants and the shopping was good in town (this is where it can be a bit Americanized).

Lots to think about, hope I haven't confused you more. Any other questions I'll try to help.

We stayed at the Manchebo in Aruba and walked almost every day to La Cabana and back. La Cabana is HUGE - more than 800 units - and the beach there had rows and rows and rows of chairs lined up. Not my idea of fun. BUT - our 14-year-old was bored at the Manchebo and wished we had been staying at La Cabana - lots more kids, bigger pool, more active, etc.

I'm quite sure there's no charge for the chairs at La Cabana. I agree that the road is a non-issue.

One place you might want to investigate is the Marriott at the northern end of Palm Beach. It's the northernmost resort and a bit more "off by itself" than the other P. Beach hotels. I believe it has a section with hotel rooms and a section with condos. It is a very large complex, so early claiming of chairs may be necessary.