I am trying to plan a vaca for May for my family - 3 kids ages 5, 4, and 2 and my husband. Any suggestions?

Last year we stayed at Costa Linda in Aruba and had a great time, but I don't want to go back to the same island. We would like a place that is on the beach with a nice pool, preferably with two bedroom suites available. We're not looking for 5* - it is a waste with three little kids, but do need something on the nice side since we do spend time in our room napping,etc.

I was thinking about St. Lucia, but wasn't sure about the bugs. We also want to make sure there is stuff to do besides beach/pool. Thought about Turks and Caicos, but wasn't sure if there is enough to do...

Help.. I've been going through way too many hotel websites.

Thanks

Our family loves the Reef Resort in Grand Cayman. It's on the quiet side of the island, very peaceful and beautiful, with plenty to do at the resort. I could email you pictures of our last trip if you are interested. The resort's website is http://www.thereef.com.
If you liked Aruba, you will love Grand Cayman. Safe, friendly, beautiful beaches, excellent snorkeling, etc.

Hi Lex,
We just returned from FDR Runaway Bay in Jamaica, and it was fantastic. Our kids are 2 & 4 and had a blast, and they give you your own nanny for the week which was awesome! My hubby and I were truly able to relax for the first time since our daughter was born, but we still spent a good deal of time with the kids playing on the beach and pool, etc. We got the 2 bdrm suite, which was huge and had 2 1/2 baths with the bdrms upstairs, so it felt just like home. It is not the Ritz, but is very intimate and laid-back, and they are constantly making improvements and upgrades. We will definitely be going back next year! Please feel free to e-mail me with any [email protected].

Thanks for the advice -- I had looked at the Reef Resort and it looked really nice, but wasn't sure about some of the feedback about the rough beach. Also, a friend told me the island has suffered some damaage from one of the hurricanes last year. What do you think?

Re the FDR pebbles, I thought aobut Jamaica, but wasn't sure about the safety of the island. I've heard that you really shouldn't leave your resort. Any problems with local kids crowding the pool?

There was extensive damage from Hurrican Ivan a few years ago, but Grand Cayman has recovered and looks as good as new. (with the exception of the Morritts resort-still under construction) Most people would never notice there had been a hurricane, so don't let that worry you. There were no hurricanes in Grand Cayman last year.

The beach at the Reef Resort is really nice - big, soft sand, etc, great for sand castles and the like. However, when you are in the water, there is coral and sea grass which doesn't make it good for swimming, but it's excellent for snorkeling. We use the 3 pools for swimming and volleyball, etc, and use the ocean for snorkeling so it's great for our family. Your small children will most likely swim in the pool and play in the sand, and could try snorkeling too. My youngest daughter started snorkeling when she was 4 1/2 and loves it. Young kids can also enjoy seeing the fish from the dock, and at noon the kids can feed them with a staff member so the little ones get a kick out of that. The nice part for you and your kids is that all suites/condo's are full ocean front with balconies/patio's overlooking the beach/ocean, so even when their napping, etc. you are still right there. Rum Point is about 20 minutes away and they have a great beach for little kids, really shallow for a long ways so it's nice for kids, but not so great for snorkeling or swimming since you need to go out a long ways. Also there is a spot nearby that you can wade in really calm shallow water and find star fish, that's always nice for kids too. Good luck deciding.

Hi Lex15,
If you're into renting private villas, I'd highly recommend one of the villas on Mahoe Bay in Virgin Gorda. We LOVED it! We brought our daughter with us who was 10mths at the time and it was perfect for kids. The houses next to us also had younger children your age, and they seemed to have a great time on the beach. You can see some of my pictures from the trip here:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesho...37rbu&Ux=0

Only problem is getting to VG might be a pain. Best bet is to fly to San Juan, PR, and then take a puddle jumper to Tortola, then a ferry to Virgin Gorda. (we flew to San Juan and then took a puddle jumper to VG direct, but I don't recommend doing that-the ferry is the way to go) We've been to quite a few islands, and VG is truly spectacular!!!

If you're interested, here's the site for the villa we stayed at-although I don't think you can go wrong with any of the villas on Mahoe Bay. We chose Caribbean Wind b/c it has a wall around the pool, which is one more obstacle preventing kids from falling in, which is good

http://www.villascaribe.com/Content/...t-25-1-624.htm

Oh, we stayed on St. Lucia before too. We stayed at Stonefield resort which was beautiful, but not great for small kids. You could check out Jalousie on St. Lucia-great beach! St. Lucia is our second favorite island.

Good luck!

I also have 3 small children. Last year we visited The Royal Sands in Cancun. It was great for everyone. Not a partying spring break crowd that I normally associate with Cancun. The resort has great 2 bedroom units similar to Costa Linda. There are 5 Royal resorts in Cancun and another newer one in Riviera Maya called Royal Haciendas. We didn't visit that one but it sounds beautiful. Check out their website www.royalresorts.com

We are considering visiting Costa Linda this winter. Any suggestions or hints?