Once again i am looking for help in planning my family's february trip. Last year we went to the fs punta mita...great trip everyone had fun....but...it was too far...we live in ny...and a little too upscale...we have been to all inclusives, beaches, turks...maliouhana, st john westin, westin, puerto rico...we have 2 children, ages 12 and 6...can anyone suggest a resort that we haven't been to, that has interest for my older child, younger one, and us...
HELP! WE do not want to go to jamaica...

Lisac, Have you ever given any thought to a Windjammer Barefoot Cruise. More and more people are taking their children and kids seem to love it. During the summer months they even have the junior jammer programs. I've been on ships with children and adult persons adapt pretty well. The crew always seem to take a special interest in kids even when it isn't the JJ season. This way you and your kids would see more of the Caribbean and find a place to revisit at a later date. Many different itineraries and departure locations from which to choose. If interested chek out www.jammerbabe.com for a wealth of info

Lisac,
I just got back last night from two weeks at the Bitter End Yacht Club ,which is located on Virgin Gorda.If your kids like water sports this would be a great spot,as there is always something to do.BEYC.com

Lisa: What type of things are you looking for in an island:

Flat, dry or lush, mountainous?
Alot of nightlife or little?
Culture or not?
good snorkeling?

If you give more detail, I think more people can help you out

How about Bermuda? Someone just had a wonderful report on the Wyndham and they had young kids too. Direct flights from NYC and such a short ride too, under 2 hours.

we like to hang out at the beach...we like to have dinner at restaurants other than the hotel...we like waves, my husband is very social, and he likes to have some drinks with interesting people...we loved the maliouhana, but it was too quiet...also, we'd like to scale down our vacations in price...

The Marriott in Aruba was very nice for families. We went with our kids that were 10 and 11 last year. They have a kids club. We used it for dinner one evening. As far as being social, I am not sure. We had our own group(another family) that traveled with us.Their kids were 7, 10 and 11. There is all kinds of water sports right in front of the hotel, good dining, nice pools, hot tubs and great beach. Feb is high season so I am not sure about price.

I just noticed you said February, yipes, I guess that would not be a good time for Bermuda. If you're looking for a bit more economical, then perhaps the Bahamas. Grand Bahamas is pretty easy to get to and they have AI's with kids programs e.g. Our Lucaya. Not all that culturally stimulating but still fun.

we are not fans of aruba...we do however have friends that will be there then...at the marriott...i will pass along your thoughts to them...as for the bahamas, the weather there may be iffy in february...any other islands other than st john westin, or westin puerto rico...help!!!

What about Nevis/St. Kitt's ?

There are reasonable properties there, even in the high season.


It would be a short flight from New York to SJU, where you could connect to either destination.

Marion

I have no advice, as I have four kids, ages 2 - 12 and am looking for the same kind of thing. Did you like the Westin St John? They require us to have two rooms and at $719 a nite, I just can't believe it would be worth it. Especially with no food. And how was the Westin in PR? We did PR/Vieques last year.

Did you check into Virgin Gorda or the Caymans (probably very expensive).

Lisa

lisa:
For cheaper accommadations on St John..you could always rent a villa.We paid $1300 for 1 week.

Here is a few good sites for rentals:

www.vivacations.com
www.caribbeanvilla.com
www.seaviewhomes.com

Good luck

Lisac: Another island we were seriously looking into was the Grand Cayman. They have all sorts of resorts and condo accomodations there. It is known for it's safety and beautiful beaches and snorkeling. I understand the Westin is the nicest property right now. There are many others that you can look into. The Marriott gained some of it's beach back and has just been refurbished from the Hurricane(Ivan?). We were thinking of this destination for our spring break 2006, but Marriott wasn't giving rooms for points so we are going to Hawaii instead. Not a bad destination choice either. Anyway, Cayman is an island I would like to go to in the future.

we have friends going to the marriott on st kitts...has anyone been there...

we've been to the westin st john...very nice...but service is really slow...we wound up eating in town most nights...excellent little restaurants...the beach is more like a harbor...not alot of activity for kids...

we also went to the westin in pr...didn't like it at all...not charming...very big...food was bordering mediocre...we travelled with other families, so it was fun due to the company...the hotel could have been anywhere...

lisac, are you saying that Westin St John's beach didn't have a lot of activity? Or St John's beaches in general? I don't expect the beaches to have tons of activities, but I am hoping the resort would.

Lisa

Well, it all depends on what you mean regarding activity for the kids. There are some great water toys at the Westin but they may be a bit too advanced for your kids, certainly the 6 year old. The Westin does have a children's center which has programming, but you really need to connect with the Westin itself to see if it is what you're looking for. The island and its beaches are breathtaking and most kids love just building sand castles and playing in the calm, clear waters.

we didn't have a lot of child activity at the st john westin...we went the week before presidents week, so maybe thats why it seemed a little quiet to me...has anyone been to the marriott on st kitts...we have some friends going there, and we were thinking of joining...

lisac, do you have a favorite (or do your kids have a favorite) of all the resorts you've been to?

Sorry - no info on St Kitts.