Best place for vacation with 1 year old?
 

Let me start off by saying I do not want to start the whole debate of traveling with children. I am looking for suggestions for a good place to go & relax with our 1 year old son. We live in Chicago we are looking for someplace on the ocean where we can rent a house or condo and the flight is less than 3 hours (rules out Hawaii). I do not care for Florida - I am thinking of Hilton Head.<BR>Thanks for your suggestions!

Cape Cod. <BR>Can fly into Boston or Hyannis.<BR>You and your 1 year-old will love it!<BR>Have Fun!

How about Atlantis (in the Bahamas)? Book the concierge level for inclusive cont breakfast and drinks and desserts in the evening. (You can't book this room after the child is beyond 4 yrs.) Lots of kiddie pools, huge aquariums, and of course the beach for the tyke!

Seaside Florida!

San Diego. Nice beaches and a 1 year old would love the zoo - one of the best in the world. The city is a family destination, so there are lots of good restaurants that cater to little ones and parents who still want a good meal.

A beach vacation should be perfect for a 1 year old. Hilton Head (or anywhere north of FL) might be cold depending on the time of the year. If it is too cold for the beach, you might be stuck in the condo as you will be somewhat limited in activities with a 1 year old.

Kate, When are you thinking of going?

Kate-Do a a text search and you will find tons of information. This topic has been beat to death here or go to a parenting site such as parentsoup or parentsplace.com and look under their travel message boards...

Thanks for the suggestions! We are thinking of going in April or May.

The ocean will be a bit chilly at Hilton Head then, but for swimming in the pool and lying on the beach just fine. What about the Bahamas? The Atlantis is incredible, but very pricey. Your son is too young to take advantage of all the great waterpark attractions so I would wait and return when he's older. Another option is Our Lucaya in Freeport. Very nice resort WITH a nursery, toddler center/kid's club, great swimming in the ocean and really good deals. Go to Ourlucaya.com and sign up for their e-deals. They email me some really good specials quite often. In May you might also find a great deal in the caribbean or Mexico if the flight isn't too long. <BR><BR>Another option for you is renting a condo in Wild Dunes just outside of Charleston. That way you could also visit beautiful, scenic Charleston (20 minutes away), while also enjoying the ocean.

Hey, get this... We took our one-year old daughter to Hilton Head a few years ago. We really enjoyed it. We stayed at South Forest Beach at... let me look it up... Shorewood. They have a kiddie-pool (which was one of our requirements). We had a condo directly on the ocean. Nothing could be finer!

Consider Palm Springs for a week. Nice warm weather in April and May and lots of pools to relax around. There is also a Living Desert that a toddler would enjoy.

Ok, this is probably a little pricey, but Rum Point on Grand Cayman would be perfect with a toddler. The beach at Rum Point is like powder and the water is VERY calm, and very shallow (for a long way out too). We've been there twice in the past two years; and when grandkids come along, I think this beach will be more perfect that any in Florida or the east coast. We found a condo via VRBO (Vacation Rentals by Owners), I think it was "North Point Condos." Also, check out the website Caymanhouse.com. We toured the house, it's very expensive, but it's my dream to rent it for a week (off-season, of course). "We'll Sea" is right on Rum Point -- you could stock up at the store and never have to leave. Just a thought. Oh, and I've been seeing some good rates from Chicago. (Cayman was a three-hour flight from Cincinnati.)

I know you said you didn't care for Florida, but it's a big state. I don't care for the Orlando area, but some of the beaches on the gulf coast are great, especially at that time of year. I would recommend the Sarasota area.