family trip with kids
 

I could use alittle advice if anyone has been to any great resorts lately with kids.(7, 15) My children love the beach, snorkeling, and mom requires a nice white sand beach free of rocks for walks;;lol . any recommendations? Thought about Beaches but hear its very crowded, and kids ar etoo old for Elmo. Thanks for help.

How about the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas?

Website for more info is www.atlantis.com

Is a lot of fun and has something for everyone.

look at the Buccaneer in St. Croix; we also just got back from Windjammer Landing in St. Lucia where there were tons of kids the same age as your children--I am posting a trip report soon.

Mary

We're going to the Westin on St. John in about 1 week. My children are ages 13 and 9. It's on a man made beach but most people rent a car and visit the beautiful beaches and great snorkeling around the island. We're renting a Westin villa from a time share owner with a small kitchen and washer and dryer. The pool at the Westin and other children will keep my fmaily busy when we are back from exploring.

www.westinresortstjohn.com

We also went to Atlantis a few years ago and also had a great time but you tend to spend most of your time at the resort. My children loved the water slides and all the action. I was just happy to not be at Disney! It's expensive and gets both great and terrible reviews. We had a great time but are pretty low maintenance and stayed in the less expensive rooms (Beach Tower). We didn't try snorkeling there so I can't comment on it.

We just returned from the Westin St. John and I have to say it was probably the best family vacation we have had. The only thing missing was a great beach at the hotel but there are so many fabulous beaches in St. John that we visited that it really didn't matter. The beach was perfect for our kids (ages 10 and 13) because they had a trampoline in the water and a rock climbing glacier as well. They had free kayaks and other non-motorized water toys as well. The kids loved playing volleyball in the pool, ping-pong, throwing a football on the beautiful grounds and playing basketball at the far end of the beach where they have a hoop. We had a Suzuki rental for the week but the kids loved taking the open air Taxi to town. The car was great for visiting the different beaches. Loved Canneel, Cinnamon and Trunk Bay. The hotel had it definite downfalls but I was impressed with how the staff dealt with these. We had a terrible room for the first two days (no balcony and no housekeeping) but they more than made up for it with a great room and coupons for dinner for 4 at the restaurant. The staff was excellent; the majority had great attitudes and smiles. Those that didn't we ignored. St. John is great if you love good food; we had some great meals at The Balcony, Morgan's Mango and The Fish Trap and Zozo's and La Tapa. La Tapa was probably the absolute best for food; it has less of an island feel and more of a European cafe vibe with nice music and great wine. Great fish sandwiches at Woody's made a fun stop after the beaches. Regarding the Westin, though, be warned that it is way-overpriced for the kind of room you get. But you are paying for the experience of being in St. John, close to the town of Cruz Bay, all kinds of fun family activities, etc.

Check out the Reef Resort on the east end of Grand Cayman. Our kids love it, and the beach is fantastic and would be good for walking for your mom. Excellent snorkeling, 3 pools, 2 hottubs, nice restaurant, pool side bar w/food, tennis, kayaks, workout room, etc. It's not on 7MB, but after a couple of years at each, we decided we like the east end better. Much quieter and less traffic and commotion. All of the condo's have gorgeous views and nice balconies. They have some activities scheduled for your 7 year old too.