chrism125

Hello! My husband and I are seasoned travelers but we've been home-bound since the arrival of our son in early 2008. We'd like to take a family vacation in the Caribbean this spring, but I'm unsure where to go... our 13mo old is too teeny for kids camps but we'd love a trustworthy nanny or sitter. FDR Pebbles has a few good reviews, but I've never favored Jamaica due to it's reputation for aggressive vendors and abject poverty (we've visited third world countries in the past... but for a beach vaca w/baby... not an ideal situation!).
We're Caribbean newbies, with the exception of a trip to Riviera Maya in 2007. I'd love any/all suggestions!
Thank you soooooo much for your insight ~
Christine
Sanford, NC

TPAYT

I don't have a baby, but I do have grandkids, and after 20-25 islands these are the ones I would choose:

First choice---The Sands or The Ocean Club West, Grace Bay, Turks & Caicos.

West coast of Barbados, perhaps Almond Beach Club

Caneel Bay, St.John

All are relatively easy to get to, and are very kid friendly.

Caribzack

The Sands on Turks & Caicos ( as mentioned above) is perfect for young children, the pool is like a river that runs thru the center of the resort, excellent casual on site restaurant, walking to nearby spots is easy from the Sands.
A step up from The Sands is The Somerset, just 2 resorts over from the sands, beautiful grounds, excellent service and zero entry pool that kids love. 2 restaurants on site and again east walk to other resorts. Somerset does have babysitting services. www.thesomerset.com

Anguillagirl

I would agree with above poster-on Turks and Caicos. And yes, Jamaica is that bad. When we were there they had armed gaurds complete with machine guns patroling the beach. At night they would patrol the hotel grounds and you could see them outside your window. (We were on a ground floor). I did not feel safe there at all.

caribtraveler

We had a wonderful time in Jamaica. No armed guards at our place. Beach was beautiful. Do people try to sell you things? Yes. We found that a polite "no thank you" worked well. I actually found the vendors in Mexico to be much more aggressive. Yes, there's poverty just like here in the U.S. To me, abject poverty means people are hungry. That's not the case in Jamaica. My husband and I came out of our trip quite surprised at the bad reputation the island has. We went with our 4-year-old. Here's our trip report: http://www.nbptravel.com/Jamaica.html

caribtraveler

By the way, there are other islands we've been to that I think would be quite nice as well. You can go through my web site to check some of them out.

alya

We also had a wonderful time on Jamaica

Anguillagirl -Armed guards??? I wonder if you stayed in an AI, or near Kingston? We stayed in Negril, middle of the beach and found that off season we weren't approached by vendors often and when they did - a 'no thanks' and a smile worked perfectly.

I'm thinking we'll go back this year. Although just to make sure I'll check out Caribtraveler's site - she's been all over the place

KVR

We stayed in Negril also in a AI hotel and never saw any armed guards either. We went off property several times for tours. Also took a taxi to Margaritaville, Rick's Cafe and the local craft market. Did not experience any harrasing vendors. I agree I've dealt with more aggressive sales people in our 8 trips to Mexico than Jamaica.

We would love to return, but what's keeping us back is cost. We can go to a really nice AI hotel in Mexico for much less than an AI in Jamaica.

If your interested here's our picture page:

http://community.webshots.com/user/kvrlvn

We've been to T & C also. Of the two, we preferred Jamaica, but we don't have kids. The beaches in T & C are much nicer than Jamaica. The topography in Jamaica is much more lush and tropical.

Knowing

As far as Jamaica goes, there is no difference in safety between the island and other islands. Without a doubt,people will tell you otherwise, but we went through MoBay, into Ocho Rios and Negril and felt perfectly safe. I just really wonder how many people percieve it to be dangerous because others have told them that it was. My sister and her husband just returned from there last week (2nd trip) and had a greta time. We just had to cancel a trip to Maui and were hoping to try another trip back to Jamaica at the end of this month, but I can't get the ok to fly yet.

ScottB

Christine,

You really need to do some research on each island, and know what to expect before you book. Jamaica is one of those places that gets very mixed reviews. Some people absolutely love it, while others would never go back. In my opinion, there is no right answer. Only (you) can be the judge of whether or not it fits your needs & wants.

If you guys are put off by being approached by vendors, maybe there are other islands that might work better. If you don't mind that type of thing, great. Just know what you are getting yourself into. Each island has it's own charactoristics, and it's own reputations. Learn what they are, and make an educated choice. Jamaica is not for everyone. Out of all the islands i have been to, I would return to several, but return to others for different reasons. The same islands that don't appeal to me, others seem to love.

I guess you need to try and read betwen the lines. Personally if I read about things on certain islands that definitely would (not) appeal to me, I will not book there. Why take a chance on a vacation that you will be disapointed in? Find what you want, and go for it.

SUMMAGOLD

jamaicans EXPECT to be tipped for everything. they make it very known.

dlundgren

Everybody expects to be tipped. Ever been to the good hotels in Chicago, NYC or Boston, or - hang on to your wallet - the Tennis Center for the US Open?

Just kidding, sort of, but it is the travel business, I suppose. I love Jamaica, and I've seen both sides of it up very close. They have a lot of problems there, but look at the US all of a sudden! We live half an hour north of Albany, NY, and there's kids getting shot there with disturbing regularity. That was unheard of ten years ago.

bellaboo

We loved Jamaica, no armed guards at our hotel.

And we were more than happy to tip for good service.....we do the same at home.

cariblover10

Hi Christine
Try this website for baby friendly destinations, they're UK based but there are a couple of Caribbean locations, and one of them comes with a recommended baby sitter!
http://www.babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk/
Regards
Cariblover

kelliebellie

We went to Grand Cayman with a baby and it was wonderful. We stayed here and they provided us with all the baby stuff, plus the maids washed baby bottles for us. The whole island is safe and clean and very very nice.

http://www.turtlenestinn.com/

SamH

I've been to Jamaica several times, mostly in Kingston. Heavily armed guards like you describe are not part of the landscape. Yes there are police and security around, but not over the top.

You do see the armed military guys doing "random" checks on the highway.

Vendors can be a bit pushy and sometimes a polite "no thank you" isn't enough. Just the truth.

And yes, everyone expects a tip from the guy who opens your door to the cop that doesn't give you a ticket.

JandSinNE

We've been to Jamaica a few times and never been heavily hassled. Like others have said, a definite but friendly "no thanks" is generally enough. We stayed in Treasure Beach at Jakes last time - very nice (not an AI) - never saw a policeman or an armed guard in the nearly two weeks we were there. We don't have kids (we are aging boomers, nearly seniors). Also found Puerto Rico to be a good place to go for vacation.

ohliz

Another vote for Jamaica - armed guards? Seriously?? I have seen armed police of course but I would expect police anywhere to be armed.

In fact I'd guess any larger US hotel to have armed guards too, perhaps not as visible.

Anyway I have taken my kids to Jamaica 4 times (been myself more than 15 times), and they love it.

FDR has nannies which is a nice thing when you want a break, and it isn't very far from the airport.

There are wealthier Caribbean islands though, if you don't want to see any poverty you'd do well to stick to those. As was pointed out, you don't see people starving in Jamaica, but you'll see housing that is a lot more basic than you may be used to.

As for vendors, not an issue for me. They do exist but are easily "no thank you'd" if I am not interested. In some places, like Negril, it can be awfully nice to have everything from lobster to fruit to fresh juices to meat patties to ice cream delivered right to your beach chair

chrism125

Wow!! Many thanks for your very insightful and thoughtful replies!! As I may have mentioned, we're adventurous folks... we've traveled to Egypt, Mauritius and some pretty sketchy areas of US/Mexico and Europe, but now that we have a 13mo in tow... our priorities are a little different. We'll DEFINITELY check out every single one of your recommendations (particularly the babyfriendlybolt site... thanks cariblover10!), and will set aside an entire afternoon to read about cariblover's many travels.
Thanks to all!

ewesthoff

I love Jamaica, and as a matter of fact, we are planning on going back this summer. My previous trip was two years ago with my 5 year old son and 2 year old daughter, and we stayed just up the road from FDR and had a blast. Just tell anyone who asks that you have been to Jamaica a few times and treat them with respect and they will do the same in return. There is crime everywhere in the world, it just seems that Jamaica gets a really bad rap for some reason. FDR has a great beach, one of the nicest in Jamaica and it is listed as one of the best in the world for families. We will be in Negril this time and can't wait. Hope you have a great trip.