beachroamingmama

I have a 23 month old son and am about to give birth to our second son in 10 days (March 28). My husband and I would like to go on a relaxing vacation (with the kids) in late June. We don't want anything that is crazy touristy (like Atlantis in the Bahamas which I have heard compares to a Las Vegas hotel), but we want to have options for entertaining our 2 year old. Any suggestions for someplace beautiful, relaxing, not too touristy, and relatively kid-friendly? Thanks for any advice!!

sharkdiver49

Aruba is very kid friendly. My wife and I braught our then 6 month old daughter there for 8 days in the middle of January. Lots of strollers everywhere. We just love the place and baught a timeshare at the Marriott.Beautiful beach, water, people are great and the food is fantastic.

ScottB

"Relaxation with a Baby"???? Isn't that kind of an oxy-moron???LOL!!

I have a 22 month old son as well, and when I saw both relaxation & baby in the same sentence, I had to giggle.

Thank God we have coverage for him for our trip in the Fall.

I hope your trip is great where ever you go w/ the kids.

Laby

My recommendation would be an island with nice beaches, a hotel room with a kitchen, and an easy commute. Turks and Caicos would fit the bill as far as beaches and a relatively easy commute. There are a number of moderately priced hotels that have kitchens (or kitchenettes) in their rooms. Aruba, as sharkdiver49 noted, would also be a good choice.

TomCayman

A shameless plug for Cayman.... with a baby or toddler, here would be my hit list, and lots of condos in Cayman fit the bill :
- Beach location for resort
- Condo with separate sitting room and full kitchen (ie at least a One Bedroom condo)
- If budget allows, definitely a beachfront (ground floor) condo.. for your 2 year old, he will want to charge around on the beach in front of your condo if it is on the beach.
- Condos on Seven Mile Beach all face West, so great sunsets, but the flip side is that your patio is in the sun all afternoon... choose a resort elsewhere on the island facing North or East and you are in the shade in the afternoon.
- Make sure there is a pool, plus a beach you can easily enter the water from.
- Kids activities on site.
- Accessibility... while key for disabled children, also key for strollers etc

As I said, Cayman does fit the bill... some resorts in particular, but one of them is mine, so I won't go for that sort of shameless plug

VegasM

OK.. I'll bite... Which resort is yours? Just curious...

beachroamingmama

Thanks so much for the responses! I know I may be asking for a miracle looking for relaxation with a baby that young, but it's been almost 2 years since I have had a newborn...my memory is short!

TomCayman, I have to bite also, I would love to know which resort is yours.

Also, I've had 2 people recommend Puerto Rico, any thoughts on that?

Thanks again for the help!

ejcrowe

Tom Cayman's place is The Reef Resort on the east end of Grand Cayman. It tends to get very positive reviews both here and other travel forums. All suites/condos are beachfront.

I don't have children of my own, but when my extended family has traveled to the Caribbean with small children, they've always made sure that they either stayed on an island where a hospital or clinic was within easy driving distance or in a hotel where there was a doctor on call. Of the several trips taken with toddlers, medical care was only needed once for a rash & ear infection, but they were glad to have immediate care available.

As others have pointed out, getting at least a one bedroom suite or condo is ideal because you can put the baby to sleep in one room and then either watch tv or listen to music in the other, or go out on the balcony, without having to worry about keeping quiet enough for the tyke to stay asleep. You can also do easy food preps in case your toddler is a picky eater--being able to keep milk, juice, bottled water etc on hand and chilled in the fridge will be good for everyone involved, but especially the baby. And you can prepare cereal, oatmeal, bagels, whatever for breakfast or for a midday snack or whenever. It's much easier to have kitchen facilities than not.

bugswife1

I would consider The Breakers in Florida because I don't know if I would be comfortable leaving the country with a 3 month old. You also may have a problem finding the brands of baby products you like.
The Breakers is right on the beach, is kid friendly, and absolutely beautiful.

bugswife1

Forgot to add about The Breakers. The Italian restaurant has an enclosed play area for toddlers right off the dining room and is visible from your table. Your 23 month old can eat and then play while you enjoy the rest of your meal.
In addition, they have a reputable baby sitting service and a toddler camp.