Hi all,

Husband and I have the itch to go away but we've never travelled (beyond to the grandparents' house) with the kids before. We are looking to go away for 5 days to 1 week somewhere in the Caribbean.

Wondering if anyone has some advice about where to go that would be great for a family trip. Typically the husband and I are not resort people and consider ourselves very independent travellers and like to ride around, see the sites, etc. We LOVED St. John and are considering a return, although Im a bit worried that there are no "kid" activities.

Right now Im leaning towards renting a villa or condo (my sister also might come with us for fun and for free babysitting!) but I could be convinced to do a resort if given the pros and cons. The things we are looking for are: a direct flight from NYC, nice beaches and possibly kid friendly activities, the budget is pretty open.

Any suggestions on where to go or advice on travelling with young kids would be very appreciated.

Thanks in advance!!

First off, I doubt any resort will have very many, if any, activities for your 6 month old other than babysitting or some type of day care so be prepared to be that child's main source of entertainment.

Check out Beaches Resort on Providenciales in the Turks & Caicos. It's a wonderful "All Inclusive" resort that caters to families with children of all ages. If that doesn't appeal to you there are plenty of "Condo Resorts" on the same 11 mile stretch of beach that are perfect for families. Check out Ocean Club or Ocean Club West.

oops, sorry if I wasn't clear - I wasn't expecting activities for the baby, just the toddler. Thanks for the suggestion RoamsAround I will look into Beaches.

http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-a...resort-beaches

For AI Beaches Jamaica might be a nice choice lots of variety

kids choices Dunns River Falls Blue mountains nice beaches.

For DIY Guadeloupe nice french flair very kid friendly...

www.bookit.com www.cheapcaribbean.com good values

www.almondresorts.com St Lucia Barbados nice AIs

a little further afield...

Happy Hunting,

thanks qwovadis! I love Fodors!

I guess another question is whether people think I really need to worry about kid stuff at all? My older one isn't quite 3 yet and of course the baby doesn't care -- so should I just plan the trip without thinking about activities for them?

For those that have taken young kids to the caribbean - were the kids entertained by just the beach - or did you love being at a resort with lots of other stuff to do.

steviegene, we have traveled quite a bit with our almost 2yo and I find that as long as she's got her blanket and puppy for naps and sleeping, she makes her own entertainment. I quit packing a bunch of stuff for her, just a few things to keep her occupied on the plane and some familiar dry snacks. A small inflatable beach ball that is lightweight is always a hit and easy to pack. As long as we keep her routine pretty much like home, we just find the fun in the everyday stuff. (lizards and bugs are a favorite!)

Thanks for the input! I just looked into Beaches and of course its fabulous for the kids - with slides and elmo and everything else. However, since the kids are SO young, Im thinking they won't remember this anyway and I should just do what the husband and I want to do. hmmmm...

steviegene - you are beginning to understand that when traveling with children that young it doesn't make too much of a difference where you go. I would have pointed that out earlier but sometimes on this forum some of the posters and contributors get a little miffed when an older contributors doesn't appear to be tolerant of families with very young children. That said, our granddaughter has been going to the Caribbean multiple times a year since she was 6 months old. What we found out was we and her parents were the main source of activities. We did things like building sand castles, beach-combing for shells, taking shot hikes, we even went on little treasure hunts (we hid a few trinkets in the rain forest and drew up a small map), and, of course, we visited a few local sites like ruins and old forts. The point is at that age, they can have fun anywhere and you don't need organized activities like "toddles gymnastics", Sesame Playhouse or Chuckee Cheese's Restaurants.

Pick a destination you think you & your husband will enjoy - the kids will be just fine being with their parents.

steviegene, you don't need kids activities at this age. Your toddler may well be overwhelmed by 'kids clubs' or too small to participate in some of the activities.
Maybe when your younger child is 4 or 5 then kid's clubs are a better option.

I'd go for a low key vacation at this stage. Find a condo on a beach with a pool if the kids love the water and you're happy to play lifeguard.

At 3 my kids needed shade, a bucket and spade plus a ton of sunscreen and a big floppy hat; they amused themselves until it was time for cold drinks with an umbrella and ice cream.

you guys are so right! I don't know what I was thinking honestly -- I just started looking at all the options out there and got sidetracked. My three year old loves the sand at the local lake where we go swimming in the summer - so of course this won't be any different.

So then a villa rental seems about right.... Im still thinking St John but any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Almond Resort , St. Peter in the island of Barbados. Just great for all round family fun and activities. It is an all-inclusive resort however. But the guest services if great for recommending and planning island outings and family friendly restaurants around the island.

Where every you travel to I'm sure it will be fun to get away and make these memories with your children. As for it being eventful with young children there's never a dull moment.

i don't think st. john is good for you this trip. i'd be looking for someplace you can rent a beachfront villa. loading enough stuff for the kids (not so much toys as just their stuff) into the car a couple times a day, everyone has to leave if one needs to leave, etc.
i think provo would be perfect. there are 2 beaches on the south side of the island that are excellent for little kids. both taylor bay beach & sopadilla bay beach are shallow and have easy sandy entrance - especially taylor which is no more than knee deep at most for a few football fields out (not to mention the softest sand on earth). there are several rental houses on either beach.
on grace bay beach you might look at bella sur mer, with it's own pool and near excellent snorkeling. several more villas right in this area -near turtle cove marina.

We are in the same boat, almost--a 4yo (almost 5) and infant twins. We, too, usually have been adventurers, and the only place we've been in the Caribbean is St. Lucia (we loved it, but our hotel room had only three walls, with a fourth open-air vista off a cliff with a great view, so that won't work!).

We decided a few things: we want a kids club, but only because our son is now older; we want a pool and a beach for a variety of activities; we want a suite/villa, preferably with a nice ocean view, because of babies' naps (i.e., one of us will be stuck inside a decent amount); we want to be close to the beach, again because of babies' naps; we want good food; no "big block" hotels or crowded beaches; and we want short, nonstop flights (in our case, from DC, so fewer options than NYC).

I know Jamaica is not quite the Caribbean, and it wouldn't rank at the top of my list if I was planning a holiday for just hubby and me, but Half Moon resort seems to fit the bill. Rooms are on an old historic plantation with cottages scattered throughout the property (Round Hill resort on Jamaica is similar). They are not cheap, but I spent most of last year on pregnancy-related bedrest and took no holidays, so we are splurging this year. I did some research last year and remember also liking a resort on Turks & Caicos, but there are no direct flights from here.

I agree with what other posters have said about kids clubs: we were living in Europe and tried a few European resort kids club when our older son was 2 and 3, but he never liked them. He was really too young, as others have suggested. He didn't like being stuck with strange adults and strange kids in a strange place, even though he doesn't usually have separation anxiety. This has been the first year that he seems to enjoy trying out new activities with other kids.