travel between Christmas & New Year's
 

We are looking for a spot for travel the week between Christmas & New Year's. Travelling from Newark with 2 kids, age 14 and 11. Any ideas for places that are easy enough to get to for a 5-6 night break?

hi 3rd, welcome to fodors. many resorts & condos/villas require 2 week stay during xmas/new years. prices are sky high. i just looked for air & newark seems to be hard to get to the islands from. so can you fly from jfk or lga? and we'll need a specific hotel budget to be helpful to you. would you prefer ai, hotel, villa or condo? how do you want to spend your time?

That is a BUSY and EXPENSIVE time to travel. Most places require at least a full week stay at that time of year. Look into Mexico's Riviera Maya area.

As mention, this is a very popular time in the Caribbean - it's the height of High Season". Many people plan their "Christmas/New Years trips up to a year in advance so numerous resorts/condos/villas will already be booked, airfares will be high, lots of resorts, etc. require minimum stay requirements making it even more difficult for a 5 or 6 night stay. What all this means is you'll have to remain very flexible as to where you want to stay and be prepared for high prices.

As for where you can go that are easy to reach from Newark (or JFK) that's pretty easy; Look at:
Dominican Republic
Jamaica
Puerto Rico
Grand Cayman (pricey destination)
Cancun
Cozemel
St. Martin
St. Thomas
St. Kitts (Weds. & Suns, only).
St. Lucia
Aruba
Barbados.

Since you are just starting to make your plans and it seems you don't have very much flexibility with regard to actual travel dates I'd suggest you first start with researching the availability of airline flights to one of the islands on the above list (Hint, if you fly on Christmas Day you are likely to find near empty flights and a decent fare for that leg - not so on New Years Day as that's a traditional "going home travel day".) When you find fares (and seats) that fit your airfare budget place the reservation on "Hold" but don't finalize the purchase.

Once you select your island you can then begin to research accommodations on that island. Stay flexible - you might not be able to find ideal beachfront rooms but you should be able to find some place be it a full service resort, a hotel/motel that's nearby a beach or perhaps a condo. Once you book suitable accommodations go back to the airline and book your tickets.

Above all, make sure all your family members have their passports in order.

Jamiaca is nice, if you stick to the touristy destinations. Great for kids in that regard. Atlantis in Bahamas is amazing for kids. But the best new years party in the Caribbean has to be in St. Maarten. Its also great for kids with all the restaurants catering for them and the vast amount of watersports and white sand beaches they have.

If you or a friend/relative have a an RCI timeshare membership, you will find a handful of "extra vacations" that do not require you/them to deposit a week. A quick search came up with a handful of 1 bedroom condos in the DR for about $500 for a week checking in on Dec 24, and about a dozen 1 bedroom condos with a check in on Dec 25. Mind you, these are not all 5 star resort properties, and at least half of them require you to purchase their "All-Inclusive" package. But it's worth a try.