bokill

We are a family with 3 children and we always travel with our kids (5,9,11) We have been to Europe, Hawaii, Alaska..never to the Carribean and wanted to make that our next destination.

If some of the experienced Fodorites can answer what the ideal location is based on the following wish list for a 1 week trip

(listed in order of priority):

Snorkeling possible at the beach

Picturesque beache/s with clear calm turqoise waters. Family friendly but not crowded.

Couple of day trip options available for nature and landscape photography.

We have a week in a 2 bedroom RCI timeshare. Ideally would use this/ if not would pay for All Inclusive resort with pools, etc..

Best times to vist reccommended location and how it would compare with Hawaii Big Island and Maui beaches....

Thanks a lot!

beachgirl86

We love Hawaii, too, and are returning there for our 4th trip this summer. And as much as I love it, the beaches and water in the Caribbean are superior. In the past year and a half, we've visited Aruba, Anguilla, and Turks and Caicos, and we loved them all!

virginia

hi, i took a look at the rci site to see which islands they cover. of the islands they list, these have good snokeling from shore: the caymans, westin resort - st. john,usvi, the alexandra resort - provo, turks & caicos.
i think belize & guadeloupe have beach snorkeling.
st. vincent & grenadines have good snorkel. you would have to check with young island to see if that in resort in particular does.
same with sandy point on tobago.
the weather is nice year round. i like fall as the water is a couple degrees warmer and most kids are in school (i do not travel w/little ones). spring is high ($$$) season, as are all school vacation times. most of our summer is fine there unless they get a hurricane but a storm normally effects only a couple islands. trip insurance covers hurricane damaged vacations now.
where you are coming from may have a bearing, as the more southern islands take much longer to get to. almost all flights will be routed through miami or san juan.
have not even been to hawaii but don't think much in carib compares. it has it's own beauty and each island has it's own culture - some more than others, several with a distinctly europeon influence.
the easiest of my above list would be the westin, st. john or alexandra, t&c. for westin fly to st.thomas then ferry to st. john. or fly to provo and 20 min drive to resort. st. john is lush and hilly with more options for beach snorkeling. provo flat and scrubby - but has a wonderfully protected bay and world class stunning grace bay beach. not a great deal to do on either island for nightlife. no casino on either. provo has outstanding restaurants. both have numerous excursion opportunities. neither have much shopping. both resorts and islands very family friendly.
once you narrow down your options fodorites will have loads of advice on what to do, see, and where do eat...

bokill

virginia, you are the best..

you even did the reasearch on which ones RCI offers!!

ejcrowe

Based on virginia's research and what you say you're looking for inn original post, I'd say that the Westin o st. John in the US Virgin Islands is youro best bet. Though the beach on site is inferior to those on the rest of the island, the others arre just a car ride away. You can easily daytrip to other USVI or the British Virgin Islands. Great snorkeling, hiking, and photo-ops about on St. John.

Tuxedocat

I second ejcrowe's suggestion regarding the Westin in STJ. It's a wonderful resort which has been criticized as being too family-oriented which in your case is exactly what's called for. The villas are very comfortable and well-kept. Some of the 3 bedroom villas have their own private pool. You could rent a car on those days that you spend on island and not on the days you want to take daytrips to other places, many of these trips leave right from the Westin's private dock. The resort is large but they have perpetually running golf cart "caravans" which run guests around the resort. The pool is supposed to be the largest in the Caribbean at something like half an acre in size. Additionally, they have a spa, a gym and a "kids' program" which may allow the adults some quiet hours. We have stayed there 3 times and I would not say it was ever overly crowded. Of course, the winter months are busier.

bokill

what id the best time to go.. Our prefernce in Jan,February?

TomCayman

If you can get RCI availability, I'd recommend Morritts resorts in Grand Cayman, ticks all the boxes you selected.

Morritts are the only RCI resort in Cayman on a beach.

Tuxedocat

bokill: No matter where you decide to go in the Caribbean, I would definitely suggest that you do not go during the official school break times. The airfare and other costs are at their highest and the family oriented places are at their peak. Presidents week is a bit better but still pretty busy. IMO, your kids are still young enough so a few extra missed days of school don't matter too much. The first half of January and the non-school break weeks of February are better times to go. Mid December through April seems to be the "high" season.