Family Vacation--need advice!
 

Planning an April trip with hubby and 2 kids. Ages 8 & 3. Would like wonderful beach, with activities and shopping. Need to keep the kiddies entertained but don't know where would be good to stay. Love Mexico, not so much Jamaica and Caymen. Looking at Bahamas, but haven't heard too many positives about Atlantis. Any ideas would be great!

Not the usual place we like to go but we thought Atlantis was kind of neat. The kids would be fascinated with the underground aquarium and they have some fun things to do in the pools with slides and things. The beach was nice also. The whole San Antonio Spurs team happened to be in the casino the night we went.

If you do Atlantis (which our children loved when they were about your kids age), I'd recommend doing the all inclusive. We didn't since we like to venture out and see things and try different places for dinner. To get off Paradise Island was expensive (about $40 round trip) and there weren't really any places to see outside of Atlantis itself. The underground aquarium was fantastic and the couple of water slides were lots of fun. Where do you like to go in Mexico? We haven't picked a spot yet for this year either.

Loved Cancun, Tulum, Xcaret, Cozumel, but always went with Hubby or other couples. Never looked at kid friendly things. Should have but was having too much fun, I guess.

Crown Paradise Club in Cancun is a family oriented hotel. They have a good kids club with entertainment and activities geared just for children, a children's pool with waterslides and other things. Great beach too.

Puerto Vallarta is a nice family destination, with all sorts of hotel options from fancier All-Inclusives out in Nuevo Vallarta (the new resort area north of town) to basic 2/3-star Mexican hotels downtown and on "the southside"... and everything in-between. The local people love kids and are very family-oriented themselves, the children I've seen always seem to be having a pretty grand time (I'm single, no kids, but have spent 15+ wonderful vacations in PV).

There are many very nice family resorts in the playa del carmen area such as Iberostar, Gala, Riu PLayacar, Barcelo to name a few. All are AI with kids programs, nice beaches and pools and lots of activities for kids and adults.

Went ti Atlantis in June 2003 and loved it, it is a wonderfull vaation for familys but it is not cheap.