Vacation with our16 and 20 year old - need a FUN place to visit!
 

We're trying to figure out which island to visit this summer. We want somewhere that will have some other kids their ages so they don't have to spend the whole time with mom and dad, but have fun activities for the family as well. We like snorkeling, the kids would probably like parasailing or something like that, maybe some kind of other adventures..... We like the turquoise water (best snorkeling!), and a quaint town for shopping and eating. We've been to St. John, which we love, but would be too boring for the kids. We've been to Playa Del Carmen too. Any advice? Not hugely expensive either, but moderate.....
Bahamas? Barbados? Cayman Islands? Any other recommendations? We did the cruise ship thing a couple years ago, and the kids loved that, but I'd rather have an Island adventure, if one could compare...

Check out Atlantis on Paradise Island, Bahamas. Lots of water parks and activities to do there. I would think this would be the best fit. You can do a day trip to Harbor Island too for a quaint town to explore.

Grand Cayman is also nice, and you could do the sting ray city tour.

You could also look into Orient Beach in St. Martin -they have a giant trampoline you can swim out to for the kids, windsurfing, beach bars, etc. Note that it is clothing optional though so I'm not sure how your kids would be w/nudity on the beach. There's lots to do on St. Martin! Zip-lining too if you're into that.

LMK if you want any more info on any of these. :)

ps-I just saw your post about Staniel Cay. That is very high on our list to see when our kids are a bit older. That is our kind of trip-sounds perfect!

My husband and I (in our mid-40's) took a day trip to Harbour Island from Nassau a couple of years ago. It is by far the most beautiful beach I have ever seen. Truly -- pink sand that feels like baby powder.

We loved the island -- getting around in golf carts, meeting the very friendly locals. We really did not have time to check out the restaurants. It's definiately a place we want to go back to.

Thanks! I have thought about Grand Cayman, so I'll check that out. I hadn't heard of Harbour Island until I read a few posts here - pink sand???? I'll have to look it up!

One thing..... is there enough on these islands to keep a 16 and 20 year old busy? Any other recommendations?

With Atlantis, absolutely. There is a huge Atlantis themed aquarium, TONS of very cool waterslides, a nice beach, shark and sting ray feedings, not to mention the inside of the place that reminds me a lot of a cruise ship -a huge mall for shopping, restaurants, etc.

Then you can do day trips too -like I said to Harbor Island, you can cross the bridge into downtown Nassau and shop at the straw market too. There really is a lot of stuff to do there.

Do you have any interest in St. Martin? If you do LMK and I'll send you some links of cool stuff I think your kids would love to do there too. I just have to find those links in my sea of emails (we're heading back there in May so I have lots of links saved in all my "to do" research).

Hi. I have been to Grand Cayman twice and it sounds like it would be a good match for you. But it is an expensive island. You can save money though by cooking meals in etc. I would recommend a condo on Seven Mile Beach. I recommend the following and they are in all different price ranges and have 2 and 3 bedroom units. Coralstone Club, Avalon, Villas of the Galleon and Plantana. You'd want to stay in central 7MB as it is quieter, the beach is the widest and you are still within walking distance (or short drive) to restaurants and shops).

Lots of great restaurants in all price ranges too. The island is very safe and quite pretty I think for a flat, coral island. As far as activities, the main hotels (Westin, Ritz and Beach Suites) all have jet skis, kayaks, parasails etc). Stingray City is a must. There is a lot of great shore snorkeling as well. Youll definitely want to rent a car as well for at leats day to explore the island..Rum Point, Blow Holes, Cayman kai to see the starfish. Your kids may be too old but they have also re-built the Turtle Farm which was destroyed by Ivan. It's huge now and they have an area to snorkel near sharks and waterslides (I think). There is also a pirate ship cruise that leaves from Georgetown.

If you decide to go with GC, let me know and I can give you mroe specific info as to restaurants and which tour operators are good.

I have a trip report that is on the first or second page right now from our trip in 08 with a link to lots of photos.

We took our teens who were younger at the time, about 14/15 to the Grand Cayman. We stayed at the Marriott which is a smaller property, but very nice. I think the Westin is a larger property that would have more families. My kids parasailed, jetskied, scubadived, snorkeled,etc.. We went all over the island snorkeling. We also went on a stingray city snorkelboat. Town is small, but I found the island very safe. We went with another family and their son who was about 15 was hungry 24/7 and he walked all the time about a mile down the road to a wendys to satisfy his between meal starvation periods. :)

I also love Bermuda. We took our kids this past summer at 15/17 years old and it also has lots of watersports, cute town, etc..
I believe the drinking age is 18 in both places. Both of my kids could have easily ordered drinks anywhere in Bermuda. No one would have cared. They didn't, but we did take them to a bar/restaurant that had entertainment, a piano player who sang and told stories and jokes. It was fun for them. We stayed at the Fairmont Southampton.

I have travelled to the Caribbean over 10 times. I always travel with Capricorne Villas or www.capricornevillas.com They have the best villas and condos in the Caribbean and offer free Concierge service. They know where the best places are for food, clubs, etc. I would recommend visiting their website or calling their office at (858) 217-4426. Their concierge is a sweetheart!

Our kids are about the sames ages as yours and these are the activities that they have enjoyed on Grand Cayman. (it's our favorite vacation place!) Stingray City, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Deep Sea Fishing, Golf, Horseback riding on the beach, Parasailing, Swim with the Dolphins (don't hate us!), Jolly Roger sunset sail (for the older one), Fireman show, Beach Bar limbo/etc at the Reef Resort, Rum Point, the star fish place by Cayman Kai. They won't be bored, but your wallet could be a lot lighter! They also enjoyed the botanical gardens, but wouldn't recommend the Turtle Farm (unless the weather was bad and you couldn't snorkel/dive), going to "Hell", or the butterfly farm (yes, unfortunatley I made them go with me, it was a bust).

While the sky is the limit in terms of activities, laying on the beach, volleyball, swimming, snorkeling, star fish place, Rum Point, blow holes, Maestic trail, etc, are all no cost activities that they will enjoy.

Definitely would go to Cayman Islands. We went with 2 teenagers over. the Christmas break. We went scuba diving, parasailing snorkeling. We visited StingRay city and also took a ride to Rum Point.We stayed at the north end of seven mile beach at the Discovery Point condos. We were able to save a lot of money by cooking in the condo( they have full size kitchens). They also have a pool, hot tub and tennis courts onsite.