my husband and i would like to travel to the caribbean next march (my spring break from school) with our two daughters.
one will be 4, the other, 2.5.
any suggestions?
we'd like to go somewhere new.
we have been to the turks & caicos & loved it, been to jamaica, loved it, been to cancun/riviera maya, loved it.
any input would be helpful!
then, does anyone know if the dominican republic has been affected by the earthquake in haiti?
i thought about going there but don't want to if its not safe or whatever.
thank you!!!
St Maarten is a beautiful island! Me & my husband were there on a cruise and loved it! The beaches are gorgeous (just stay on the dutch side, the French side has nude beaches). It was a very safe island to walk around the shops to, and things are very inexpensive, especially jewelry!! We do plan on going back someday - I would try that one out.
Atlantis in the Bahamas. We went with our 2.5 year old in Feb and she's still talking about it, from morning to night. It has a lot of different pools, most with zero entry and including two kid pools and a splash climbing thing and smaller slides, lazy river, etc. Plus if you take turns watching the kids, there's grown up slides and a current river. Huge outdoor aquariums, plus a glass tunnel through a lagoon that you can walk through, and two of the water slides go through a shark tank. The bigger rides have a strict 48 inch requirement. It's expensive. Mostly the cost of food kills you, but there are ways to do it more cheaply. But it was a crazy good time. We'll definitely be back. Another recomendation is Rose Hall Hilton in Jamaica. Much cheaper, but still very plush, your drinks and food are included, and they have a small water park that includes a fabulous lazy river, zero entry pool, and a couple of slides right across from the beach, so very good set up to go back-and-forth with kids. There's also a small playground. We loved that one too and much more affordable. You can usually find specials for it on travelzoo.com
I recently when to Grand Cayman with my 4 and 20 month old. It was by far thte most beautiful place I've seen in a long time. We we're on a cruise, and that was our favorite stop. Would skip the cruise next time, and go straight to the Caymans. I would suggest avoiding Cozumel. It was gross beyond words.
Sounds like you may have already gone to this hotel, but I LOVED Beaches in Turks & Caicos. We went for the last two years in early December. You must know (from being there yourself) that the water is beautiful, so clear, warm, beaches are like baby powder... The hotel is great for kids. I put my children (who went when they were 3, 3, and 5 and again at 4, 4, an 6) in kids club, which they LOVED! So I had time to relax and read a book and they had a blast with the kids their age. And I pulled them out from time to time to hang with them.
Sorry this isn't giving you a new place, though!
My husband and I took our 2 yr old to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic about 1 month after the quake. You would have never known that anything even happened. Dominican Republic is very strict with it's border and doesn't want to have a crime problem like Haiti. They have a very large military and want to keep it safe. Port-o-Prince is about 250 miles away from Punta Cana. We didn't have any problems safety-wise. We stayed at the resort the whole time, since it is so large and had lots to do- Iberostar. It was lovely and the beaches are amazing. My little one loved playing in the beautiful white sand. Would definitely go back.
We go every other year to St. Maarten and recently took our 3-1/2 year old and 6 mos. old (at the time) and they loved it! Beautiful beaches and great food!!
As far as the Dominican Republic goes, my cousin went there about a month ago. I haven't spoken to her after the trip, but she said it was on the opposite side of the island about a 24 hour drive. So it sounds like it may not have been affected from the earthquake, it might be worth your time to call maybe a travel agency or some type of visitors bureau. Best of luck!
We always went to the Beaches Resorts when our sons were young.The parent's get a vacation and the children do too!
St Croix, St Thomas, St Johns...work on swim lessons so your four year old can snorkel...Aruba is known for sandy beaches but my family goes to Bonaire and Curacao (better for scuba but need water shoes to get into the water); one of the guys that I work with loved dominican republic but forgot to be careful about the water when he brushed his teeth - he got sick...
If you want to visit different parts of the Caribbean and can afford it - go on a cruise. Your 4 year old especially will love all the activities on the boat.
Atlantis on Paradise Island, Bahamas has a good kids program (and an aquarium and some other good stuff). Personally, I'd like to take my young kids to Beaches on Turks and Caicos. It looks super-fun!
We did Beaches in Jamaica and it was AWESOME!!!!
I've been to Aruba and Costa Rica(pre-kids) and it was gorgeous.
If you can---try and do a Beaches resort---lots of fun for the kids and you!
We took our 2-year-old to Bequia and Barbados for a 2-week vacation. Bequia is often referred to the "St John of 30 years ago before tourists discovered it". We stayed in the Lower Bay area in a cottage really close to the beach, which was shaded and good for toddlers. Bequia is definitely not a "resort" island - just pure, pristine beauty. Then we went to Barbados after that and stayed at an all-inclusive. Bequia is about a 45-min flight from Barbados, or you can fly to St Vincent (Grenadines) and take the ferry. We look for beaches with lots of natural shade since hubby is a melanoma survivor. Some places in the Caribbean only have shade if you rent an umbrella. Bequia was definitely peaceful, relaxing, and gave us time to focus on family.
