Fun4Family

We are planning a trip in July with some friends to St. Kitts. We have 2 children, 4 and 5 years old. I have been trying to find out information about the island and whether it is a good spot for little ones. Can anyone give me an opinion or idea of what there is to offer for young children. I did see that the Marriot has a kids club, but as one of my children is under 5, I don't see it as a true option for entertaining them. Help please!

eileen

The Marriott is a great place for kids. As long as your children are happy to spend hours at the beach and pool they should have a great time and will probably meet other children. They also might enjoy a trip to Brimstone Hill, a historic fort (I know my son loved that stuff when he was that age). Also you could take them on a catamaran sail to Nevis which is fun. There are some great casual beach bar/restaurants right near the Marriott which are good and reasonable places to eat. If they are not happy to spend hours in the water and on the beach I would reconsider the destination because I really can't think of any other attractions geared for small children, but that's pretty much the case with most Caribbean islands, they are not, thank god, like Atlantis with non-stop activities.

cariblover10

Visiting from England, these are some of the things our children (age 8-13) loved doing on St Kitts:
Swimming in the sea and in the pool at the villa
Snorkelling and seeing fish, rays, turtles etc
Getting the Sea Bridge to Nevis
Building sandcastles / collecting hermit crabs on Turtle beach (they put them back!)
Seeing the cows, sheep, goats hens etc on the S Peninsula
Eating at beach bars
Jet skiing
Hiking in the rain forest
Jumping on the floating bouncy castle
Exploring the ruined sugar mill at Romney Manor
Seeing the Caribelle Batik being made
More swimming
Getting a tan(13 year old!)
Going on the Sugar Train
Going to Spratnet
Watching US cable TV (!)
Brimstone Hill
Bonfires on the beach
Looking for turtles at night
Meeting Wilbur the giant pig at Reggae Beach Bar
Being made welcome by the Kittitians
Eating American style hamburgers
Visiting the Marriott to eat a smuch as they could at the breakfast buffet!

They had a great time, and are nagging us to go back...

eileen

Great list Carib Lover! My kids also love the Marriotts' breakfast buffets! Glad to hear Wilbur the pig ended up elsewhere as he used to be at Turtle Beach. Where did you stay?

Fun4Family

Thank so much for your quick responses. Eileen, that was exactly my dilemma, are my children going to be satisfied with the pool and beach? It is a 7 night trip (3 days free). Being that my 4 year old is ineligible for their kids club, we would like to take this vacation with our friends, but we want it to be a great trip for our children too. We would love a nice family vacation. Can you suggest another Carribbean vacation that would suit a 4 & 5 year old? Maybe from when your kids were that age?

cariblover10

eileen
We stayed at this fab villa on Turtle Beach
http://turtlebeachhousestkitts.shutterfly.com/

eileen

Why is your 4 year old ineligible for the kids club? Age? I have never run into that in a Marriott but then again I think my youngest may have been 5 at the time. Fortunately, my children have always been really happy with the beach and pool and maybe an excursion or two so it hasn't been much of an issue. They loved Aruba and the Aruba Marriott Ocean Club which is condo accommodations -- but honestly I don't think Aruba is a significantly better choice than St. Kitts except perhaps that Aruba has more fast food options/American restaurant chains more familiar to kids. The one issue we did have with the Aruba Marriott kids club is we didn't end up leaving our son there as much as we planned because there were never very many kids there. If you are depending on a kids club it can be unpredictable. Not sure if you have considered a cruise but of all the vacations we have taken with our kids it's the one type of vacation where we got the best mix of adult relaxation and family time. The kids clubs are very active and there are always activities. Went on one when my son was 6 and he begged to eat dinner with the kids club almost every night which was great because then we got a lovely adult dinner and he was happy. And there were always plenty of other kids. Don't know if you would ever consider Mexico but we went to Paradise Village Beach Resort in Puerta Vallarta over Christmas and it's a great place for kids, lots of activities and it was a great choice for the current economy because the the US dollar is strong against the peso -- it was a bargain compared to the Caribbean. I know Mexico sometimes gets a bad rap but we have been four times and always had an incredible time.

SKBFAN1

A website you might find helpful is http://www.myislands.myeyez.net

Fun4Family

Eileen, my son is 4 and the Kids Club starts at age 5. I am not looking for a vacation that I would utilize the Kids Club everyday, but perhaps a few times to mix up their day. My kids are very easy going and not hard to please. But they re too young for hiking in the rainforest or snorkeling so I was thinking if there was another island that maybe had an aquarium or a little more for kids that would be ideal. I am not really looking for anything as overwhelming as the Atlantis on Paradise Island. We have already been there a few times. We are going on a cruise in May also, and we love them too. It is ideal with the kids. We were looking for another destination that we could fly to in one shot and enjoy a few days together as a family. Not Mexico though thanks for the suggestion.