MommyofThree2004

My husband and I would like to take a winter vacation to the Caribbean without our kids. We are going at the end of January. We are interested in areas fairly close to the US border since we are only going away for a few days (i.e - not Martinique or Trinidad & Tobago). Budget for our hotel would be $400-500/night. Smaller hotels on the beach preferred. Thanks

Sher

Turks and Caicos is pretty close to Florida.

We are just going for the first time so I cannot comment on hotels.

I like the idea that we don't change time zones (from the East Coast) and we use US$.

virginia

hi momof3, on provo (t&c) you might look at:
www.sibonne.com, www.thesandsresort.com, www.villarenaissance.com,
www.levele.tc
www.oceanclubresorts.com
www.royalwestindies.com
all right on grace bay beach. all have rooms in your $$ range. sibonne is particularly small and would have no kids. sands, ocean clubs & rwi will all have kids around. i don't really know much about le vele or renaissance.
provo has great diving, good snorkeling, fantastic beach, little shopping, wonderful dining. anacona at the grace bay club is really good and oh so romantic. bella luna had good italian. tiki hut & sharkbite for less expensive. my favorite is aqua bar. at da conch shack they take your conch from the sea. cook & serve it while you watch.

beachplum

As the TCI are not Caribbean. I wouldn't travel there after early December until Springish because it just wouldn't be warm enough for me. End of January shouldn't be a problem with lots of kids since you're after MLK day but before the big February rush. Since you mention the US Border, do you mean the Mexican border? And you didn't say where you were flying from which might help with recommendations of staying close to home with short flights. From San Juan there are lots of choices with a easy short hop from there.

TomCayman

Cayman is only an hour from Miami and has non-stop flights from a lot of US cities (please let us know where you are coming from).

We are also in the NW Caribbean so get much warmer waters and weather than places further E that are similarly close to the USA but not "tucked in" to the Caribbean (eg Bahamas, TCI)

You can certainly get beachfront suites in Cayman for your price range, and mid-end January there will be very, very few kids around as it is the wrong time of year for school holidays.

Sunshine_Lee

Hello.
For a short trip to the Caribbean i will suggest to fly to St Thomas and from there travel to TORTOLA BVI.
You can take a ferry to different islands or better charter a boat from St Thomas and travel to Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van DYke, St John. Chartering a boat is a perfect way to visit the Caribbean and be in a different island everyday.
You will find the best secluded beaches that are accessible only by boat. We had the best time and are looking forward to do it again soon. We are planning a trip to St Marteen and charter a catamaran to go to St Barth and other Islands.
If you like to get more information on chartering a boat you can look at:
www.worldwideboat.com
They have different web sites with different locations. You will see that they offer a big variety of boats. From the super luxury yacht to the very affordable.
Have a great vacation!

eileen

Would love to know what you find -- in 10 years of Caribbean/Mexico trips without our kids we have not found that great combination. We choose places based on the fact that we think there will not be kids (most recently, Nisbet Plantation) since ours are at home, and there always seems to be more kids than we expect. And larger upscale resorts (Ritz Jamaica, Four Seasons Punta Mita) were simply overrun with them. T & C gets our vote for best beach (although may be a bit chilly in Jan) - we stayed at Point Grace which really did not seem to be a place for kids and there were quite a few. Grace Bay Club used to be no kids under 12 but not anymore since they opened the villas. Royal Hideaway in Playa Del Carmen is no kids but the beach is not that great. Even on a Seabourn cruise (definitely not a product for kids) there were several. I sound like a kid hater -- I'm not, when I leave my own at home don't want to be surrounded by others Next we are trying Galley Bay in Antigua, seems to be a decent beach and has a no kids rule.

kfusto

I generally book adult only AIs as we really do not want to be around kids on vacation and that is the only way to completely avoid them.

I like Couples Swept Away in Negril (great for fitness enthusiasts and beach lovers) and also Grand Lido Negril. Small and special would be Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios but it is pricey. Royal Plantation also fits the bill.

We are trying El Dorado Royale in the Yucatan in 2 weeks and are booked for Excellence Playa Mjueres next May but these do not meet your smaller hotel requirement.

I had good luck at Runaway Bay hotel on Harbour Island but it has been a few years. It is definitely NOT family oriented but kids would be even more of an intrusion tehre if there some.

I do like non AI hotels but have yet to find one without kids. We loved the Ritz in Grand Cayman but there were just too many families around to be able to enjoy the resort in peace and quiet.