It's my dad's 70th birthday coming up in May, and we'd like to plan a big family trip. There will be six adults, a preschooler, a toddler and an infant. We are desperate for ideas!

Here's what we're thinking so far -- We'd like to rent a big house or a condo in either Grand Cayman, Puerto Rico, Mexico or somewhere else warm and lovely with beautiful beaches and pools. There must be golf (for my dad), spa (for me and my mom) and children's activities. We appreciate luxury and don't require an all-inclusive. We do, however, require an easy, direct flight from NYC. No casino or nightlife required, but we want housekeeping and other amenities.

My mom is somewhat "allergic" to giant, mega-resorts and prefers quiet dreaminess (think shell-collecting on Sanibel Island) to buffet lines and limbo games. But we know we'll likely have to give up some quiet to get things like kids' activities and a spa. It's proving very tough to accommodate everyone's needs!

Help us if you can! Thanks in advance.

the area south of cancun called maya riviera has all you're looking for & much more. has tons of good villas & condo's. see locogringo.com bill-in-tulsa.com and www.mapchick.com
for tons of villas listings and area info. most all mex villas have daily staff of housekeeper & pool/groundskeeper, with cook optional - often in onsite casita.

the only island villas known to come with lots of staff are on jamaica & barbados, however almost all villas on all islands come with daily maid service.

grand cayman has it all too, but most of villas are well away from seven mile beach/golf/restaurants. not sure if condo's have 3+ bedrooms. you could get 2 adjoining though.

provo in turks & caicos has golf, spas, wonderful grace bay beach (which is almost always calm - for kid swimming) excellent restaurants all in fairly close proximity, with great villas directly on grace bay beach. you have not told us your budget so hard to recommend particular properties but one house comes to mind. right size, on beach, has pool, quiet & safe, walk to snorkeling. http://www.bellasurmer.com/
provo is a small quiet island with almost no shopping or nightlife life.

you do not say what activities you'd like for the kiddies, but you may need to go with ai to find much for plannned kid stuff (yours are so young that i would think this to be a bit of a waste of money - plus there's your mom). however, as yours are quite young they might be happy with a few beach toys and general sand play.

i've skipped pr because it's a huge island and i've never been anywhere but the airport.

hope some of this helps.

tell your mom i too am "allergic" to big resorts/too many ppl.

Virginia, thank you for the VERY helpful information! The Mexico villa rental web sites are fantastic, and that Bella Sur Mer villa looks terrific, too. I am armed with great, new info, thanks to you.

I'm hoping you can help me with one more related question. Any idea how "villas" and "condos" differ? Are condos usually part of a resort, while villas are individual houses located away from the resort grounds?

Many thanks. And hoping to hear from others, too!

I went to Grand Cayman last year and stayed at the Caribbean Club. They are all privately owned condos which are rented out. Right on Seven mile beach. just down from the Westin. There was a nice pool and a restaurant. The condos all had three bedrooms three baths with a large living area and a deck or balcony. It was not overrun with people and was in a great location. I would at least check it out.

Thanks, Williamscb13. I can't believe what amazing reviews the CC got on tripadvisor! It looks fantastic!

other well known condos on gc are villas of the galleon and plantana.
generally condos on gc are stand alone and those on provo are part of resorts, with pool, restaurant, bar & maybe some activities
villas are completely stand alone except jamaica has a couple villa in a resort places - round hill and i can't recall the other.

I vote for Plantana in Grand cayman, check out Cayman villas, they have options too!

Thanks, Virginia. Thanks, Cayman420. Your suggestions look terrific. Seems like everyone here loves Grand Cayman!

I would suggest Villas of the Galleon on Seven Mile Beach in Grand Cayman. It is in between the Ritz Carlton and the Westin. The Villas of the Galleon do not have a pool, but the westin and the ritz both have a large pool which you can use. We visited grand cayman in august, and the pools were extremely warm and did not use. I would suggest booking through vrbo.com or HomeAway.com, as it will save you money by booking directly with the owner. Seven Mile Beach is very calm, shallow, and safe. I suggest renting a ground floor villa, as it become a pain to clim up and down the stairs every time you have to go to the bathroom.

Check out the Villas of the Galleon on tripadvisior.com to see traveler photos and reviews.

I have previously been on a cruise with Royal Caribbean which visited Cozumel Mexico, Labadee Haiti, Ocho Rios Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. The only island we enjoyed was grand cayman, and decided to return for stay on the island. Cozumel beaches were very rough and had cloudy water, jamaica and haiti had awfull beaches as well.

Make sure to visit Stingray City, even though it is a tourist trap, but a fun one.

Also Make sure to eat at an italian restuarant called Casanova, it was one of the best. It was situated on the water, and the waiters played a harp. very romatic.

-have a great trip

The Villas of the Galleon DO NOT have a pool and there are no amenities sharing agreements with either the Ritz or Westin for VOG to use their pools and facilities. If you want to use the pool at either hotel you need to be a guest of the hotel. Think about it. You rent a unit at VOG and 10 guests of the Westin decide to use your balcony for a sunset watching party because they don't have one at their hotel. How would you feel?

Caribbean Club, The Meridian, The Beachcomber, Plantana, the Avalon are all excellent properties near the center of Seven Mile Beach.