baloney

My husband and I are looking for recommendations for the perfect warm, sunny place (in Mexico or the Carribean or even Florida!) to de-stress with our 6 year old for a week in February. We'd like to be near water and natural beauty, but since we're not people who can hang out at the pool or beach all day, we'd appreciate an area that had other places to explore, such as ruins or lush rainforests, or waterfalls. We'd love any recommendations people might have -- both for a destination and for a place to stay. As for places to stay, we prefer places which are low key and not in an area that is so built-up and touristy that its lost all of its natural beauty and cultural identity. We're not big resort or Club Med tpes, though it would be nice to find a family-friendly resort or hotel where our son would be likely to find other playmates. We've never travelled in the Carribean or Mexico and the many options seem overwhelming. Any suggestions would be welcome!

SusieQQ

I would recommend The Blue Waters Inn in Tobago. Tobago has lots of interesting sightseeing and Blue Waters is very low-keyed right on a nice calm beach.

faithie

Tobago would be a super idea , along with St.Lucia in the southern area near the pitions , you might even like Martinique although for some reason it is not popular on this board . Also you could think about Costa Rica , and certain areas of Jamaica ( Port Antonio ) .

Diana

Akumal, Tulum or Puerto Morelos, Mexico.

Stunningly beautiful beaches with white sand and turquoise water, and major ruins within an easy drive or bus ride.

Jamaica - Blue Mountains biking, horseback riding, Martha Brae river rafting, hiking, plantation tours, countyryside exploring

I think either one of those options would be great for what you are wanting to do...

faithie

Re-Reading your post , I believe Costa Rica sounds like the place ! Rainforests , waterfalls , incredible wildlife , canopy tours , volcanos, beautiful beaches , INCREDIBLE natural beauty , vast choice of activities , .......

Finzup1

I agree with Diana on Mexico. You can do all that you mentioned. Check out Xcaret park. Great place to spend the day with your son.

karinw

My family (with two kids ages 7 & 10 at the time) did a trip to Costa Rica and ended with 4 days in Akumal, Mexico. We loved both places.

In CR we really moved around a bit traveling to both coasts and doing quite a bit of hiking and touring with guides. We saw amazing things (lots of animals in wild habitat and incredible birds!) and learned so much about the ecosystem of the rainforest.

Our four days in the Mayan Riviera were supposed to be for relaxing (which we did) but like you we can't hang out on a beach or pool for too long. So, we rented a VW bug and toured around the Mayan ruins of Tulum and Chichen Itza. We also went to Xcaret - a low key natural lagoon enhanced by man as they say! We snorkeled and swam with dolphins. I think your son would love it there.

For de-stressing, I would say the Akumal area might be better. You would have other options plus a beautiful beach. CR doesn't have as nice beaches and it would be hard to go there and not explore the rainforests, etc. There would be way too much to do!!

We didn't like the all inclusive resort we stayed at in Akumal so I don't have a good recommendation for a hotel but I am sure other folks could offer a good spot.

Good luck.

zachsarbean1

Baloney-
My husband and I will be returning to St.John in the US Virgin Islands this summer. It is all that you are looking for. What you WON'T find is tons of tourist, what you will find is a very laid-back atmosphere, moderately priced accomodations and excellent places to explore. There is the national park for hiking, the 18 century Sugar Plantation Ruins, and excellent beaches and snorkeling. We have stayed at Gallow's Point, but for a family, I would recommend renting a house. We go through Private Homes for Private Vacations (http://www.privatehomesvi.com). They have everything you need, some have pools, and they are cheaper than going through a hotel where you are stuck in a little room with the whole family!! If you go to http://www.connectionsstjohn.com/
you can find out about many of the different things you can do on the island. There is a Westin Resort on the island which I have heard people with children enjoy.
Good Luck destressing! Hope you find the perfect place!

karinw

Oops- I made a mistake on my earlier post. We did not go to Xcaret (a little too Disney for us) but to Xel-Ha.
Karin

baloney

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. It's going to be difficult to choose. Does anyone have any particularly good recommendations for a low-key family friendly place to stay? We're planning this trip very last minute, so having a good suggestion about where to stay might tip the scale and help us make a choice. Thanks, again.

baloney

Thanks, again, for your thoughtful responses. I'd love to hear more about what makes Tobago, St. John and St. Lucia special. I have a sense of what Costa Rica has to offer, and it's definitely on the list. Since Mexico is also in the mix of possibilities, how would people compare Tulum, Puerto Morelos and Akumal? Is Playa del Carmen too built up? (A friend has recommended a small, low-key, family friendly resort called Capitan Lafitte there.) Any more help in narrowing this down -- particularly with accomodation recommendations -- would be greatly appreciated.

starfish1

Baloney, not sure where you are flying from but I would also have to recommend Costa Rica - in particular the Tamarindo area where there is a wonderful resort called Capitan Suizo. Very family oriented and Tamarindo is a fun, funky little town. Easy to take day trips to some other areas if you feel inclined to explore and if you can fly into Liberia instead of San Jose that's even better. Do a search in the Latin America forum - lots of great info. http://www.hotelcapitansuizo.com/indexflash.html

faithie

I am not sure what your budget is ? I believe u did say Non-allinclusive ? For C.R. , in Manuel Antonio , depending on budget you have El Parador( fancy a bit ) , Tulemar Bungalows , SiComo No , Costa Verde , just to name a few .... Lots of info. on My Tobagp.com

liza

Treasure Beach in Jamaica....

www.treasurebeach.net

..it's our next family vacation.

baloney

Of the places which have been recommended -- Costa Rica, Tobago, St. John, St. Lucia, Jamaica, Yucatan peninsula of Mexico (Akumal, Puerto Morales, Tulum),which places have the best swimming beaches for kids, with calmer water and sandy bottoms? Also, which would be not that difficult to get to from Chicago? (Since we are taking a fairly short vacation (6 or 7 days)we'd like to avoid eating up too much vacation time getting to and from our destination.) Has anyone stayed with their kids at hotels or resorts they would recommend in these areas that were family friendly, but not too hyped up, without organized kids activities, but with an atmosphere where kids can find playmates on the beach or pool? We prefer places that are smaller (no high rises or crowded beaches), and are restful and friendly. Please help us narrow things down with your recommendations! Thanks.

faithie

That amount of time might be a bit short for Costa Rica . Great calm swimming beaches would be St.John , probably Negril Jamaica , Tobago ( but not as simple to get to for a short stay ) The beaches in Playa del carmen , Tulum , etc. are not known for being really calm for children swimming , although certainly very beautiful . Others can give more specifics with regards to accomodations . You might like the Cane Garden Bay area on Tortola ...

starfish1

It's probably easier if you can find out who has direct flights from Chicago to any of these places and that in itself might help you narrow things down. I spent alot of time researching a trip for my family only to find out that flights weren't available when we needed them or didn't fly direct. It sure made our choices much easier just by the process of elimination. That said, if you can get a direct flight to Liberia I still think Capitan Suizo would suit you perfectly based on your previous post and what you are looking for.

SAnParis

PR may be the easiest/cheapest. I would also suggest, Tulum, Costa Rica or Belize.