fllady

I'm tossing around various ideas for our family trip in Jan or Feb of 07, and I'm researching the Caribbean, but I can't figure out the best option for us. There are so many places and so many good reviews.

We'll be flying out of either Newark or Philly, and would love to have a fairly quick flight, preferably with no stops, but one stop would be Ok. Obviously we'd like family friendly - would Beaches be worthwhile for a 2 year old? They have some deals right now for Jan/Feb, so the price isn't too terrible.

How possible or impossible is it to visit Atlantis on a moderate budget? It seems very pricey.

I'd really like the option to use childcare, fun activities for kids and adults, good food and not too expensive. And a quick flight. I would really appreciate your suggestions. The only time we've been to the Caribbean was on a cruise a couple years ago before we had a child, and we barely scratched the surface of the islands we visited. We love to explore the places we visit, which is what's kept us from the Caribbean so far (and what made us not really enjoy a cruise), since we hear it's not safe to venture off the resorts, but now that we have a toddler, it seems like an easier trip if we're kind of "stuck" in one place.

Michaelpl

Quite honestly with a 2yr old, it really matters not where you go short of having quality childcare (nanny) available if you choose. That said, Jamaica seems to have the nanny thing down pat. Choose any resort on the north coast and tell them you'd like to have an experienced nanny available. Halfmoon, Ritz, Tryall, Round Hill, Jamaica Inn would all be fine options as they're nice properties with loads of experience here. Really with a two yr old, all you can expect is for a nanny to keep them happy and occupied under a porch or in the shade while you relax and enjoy some R and R very close by on the beach, in the pool or in a restaurant at the resort. Id suggest you choose the resort that appeals to YOU as your child is still to young to appreciate a "Beaches" or "FDR type of property. That will come in a couple more years. As for safety.....we've take our now 12 yr old all throughout the Caribbean many many times and never had a problem. Could we have? Sure. The odds are highly in favor of us not however. Traveling comes with some risk no matter where or how you go. Personally a life without travel would about do me in. Good luck !

ejcrowe

I agree with the previous poster--a two year old will not appreciate much of what Beaches or Atlantis has to offer. At that age, you can spend much less money on a quality family vacation. If the Beaches or Atlantis style appeals to you, by all means do it for yourself, however.

I also agree that getting a nanny is a great idea--anad Jamaica does seem to have cornered the market on that.

It also makes sense to me that staying in a place with either a kitchenette or full kitchen would be a good idea, to keep familiar juices, milk, and snacks on hand for the little one. For this reason, the island of Provo in the Turks & Caicos comes to mind. You could stay in a condo-style room on the beach that is miles long, white sand, and very calm, shallow blue water. Perfect for a 2 year old.

even if you don't go to T&C, do be sure to give consideration to beach and water quality--the sound of a pounding surf is nice to fall asleep to, but it's not so good for the little ones to play in.

marymarra

with our then 2-year old, we had really good experiences at both Half Moon and FDR; FDR especially is perfect for a 2 year-old; if you want more details, please let me know. Also Jamaica is a direct flight and I'm sure there are deals on FDR out of Newark since lots of families from the Tri-State area go there.

Mary in D.C.

fllady

Thanks so much for the advice. I'd love more details on FDR, as I'd never heard of it before a couple days ago. Very good points about a 2 year old not appreciating many of the things an older child would.

I'm still wondering if we should do one more year of a mommy and daddy only trip, like we did this past year.

Michaelpl

FDR Runaway Bay is a super place. We've stayed there 4 times (beginning when our child was about 4) It's clean, well run, nice large accomodations, good food (not great) and very very friendly. It is not fancy but just the ticket for the 4 - 10 age group IMHO. What it does not have however is much of a beach to speak of. There is long walkable public beach next door however. Basically like any all-inclusive the main reason to go there is for worry-free mindless fun. If I were you however I'd still save it for a year or two later when you'll appreciate it more for what it can do you for you.

We've also done the condo thing on Provo and like it very much. If just being on a fantasic beach under an umbrella with your spouse and child appeals to you then this is the place to do it. Provo offers great accomodations, restaurants and much above average medical services. I had to use a Dr. myself for an eye infection while there. The downside is that although you might be able to find a babysitter for an evening or two, I dont recall there being any true "nanny" type services there. How comfortable you are with leaving your child with a new babysitter while you go out for a while is a personal decision. Though we did it, I must admit it made me a bit uneasy. Hense why staying on a larger resort with a nanny in earshot appealed to us at that time. It's all about trade-offs I guess.

marymarra

we never, sadly, had the option of a no-child trip, so th

marymarra

let me finish this, sorry!! We never had the option of a no-child trip, which sounds great!!, but since we took a toddler, I give big thumbs-up to FDR which is totally geared to little kids; but, if you can do no child elsewhere I might opt for that!

Mary

fllady

Thanks for all the tips. I just picked up a Caribbean travel book today to hopefully help get a better idea of what my husband and I would enjoy. I'm sure I'll be back with more questions.

Oh, and we decided to do a mommy and daddy only trip one more time. And since we did San Fran last winter, I definitely want to do someplace warm next time.

scigirl

We just returned from a 6 day stay at Beaches Negril with our 3 y/o. He loved it - the nanny care (kid's club) was excellent, as was the hourly nanny ($8 hour) available in the evening so parents can go out. There were loads of Seasame Street activities during the day - and Sesame Street Live shows on stage a few nights per week. Since food and beach activities were all included we were able to feed him as he wanted (his vacation too - so he got a lot of strawberry milk, fruit loops, and mac cheese), take him kyacking, etc. without worrying about cost. We found it very easy to keep him entertained. There were a lot of other children and the resort and it was VERY kid friendly. We used the kid's camp for childcare just 3 times for about 2 hours each time so we could get a parent-break. A few of the activities might be outside of a 2 y/o's interest, but most would be perfect. The child/staff ratio in the kid's club is 3:1 - so there is a lot of individual attention. We will certainly go back again in a few years when the soon-to-appear Mr. #2 is 2 years old or so.

cantstayhome

wow - I'm going to Beaches!

Don't underestimate your 2-year old. If there is a lot of Sesame Street action at Beaches, and if your kid watches Sesame Street or just knows the characters, a 2 year old will likely love it. I learned long ago not to listen to anyone (and I don't mean this in a disparaging way) who says "oh, a child that young (insert age) will not appreciate (insert activity)." The one event in particular that comes to mind was my son's 1st birthday party. So many people said he wouldn't appreciate it. He totally did and completely hammed it up for the 50 people that attended! To this day, whenever he sees pictures from that party, he talks about what he did (including, of course, eating cake).


Which Beaches has good deals? Any particular location, or all of them?

Carib_dreamn

Hi there - I hope I am not totally off the path of this thread are you only considering Jamaica?

We took our son at 11 mos to visit friends livign in Barbados...then in Jan. of this year when my son was 1.5years of age we went to st. Martin and this January we are going to St. Kitts for two weeks with our son who will be 2.5 and we will be staying at Timothy Beach resort.

What we have learned is that at this age they don't care about ANY of the amenities...go where YOU want to go as you have to be happy and then the child will be thrilled. We were not at ALL bound to our resort..we rented a car and a car seat - actually we brought ours...and drove around my son loved LOVED it! We also went to all kinds of restaurants and brought his stroller and his portable DVD player so he would watch Barney or Diego while we ate - sometimes he even sat quietly with us chatting and playing with his toys on the table -but if he started to get groggy one of us would take him in the stroller to a spacey area and give him a rock then out he was asleep....we were really cautious of bothering other restaurant guests and found everyone to be exceedingly friendly! In the end he was overjoyed by the sand, waves, pool and other kids bopping around him...I guess he also loved playing outside our room on the grass while we relaxed and had a drink... at 2 they are easily imprssed so chose a place for you and your little one will be happy!!

We would also be remiss to not point out how incredibly kind and helpful we found the local people to be with our son - they often took the time to chat him up, play smile giggle and on and on and on...making him feel the little king we believe him to be...the Caribbean is such a wonderful gift to give you little one - don't be constrained - they are easier to travel with there than you may anticipate - if you have any questions please feel free to email!